Beam management method, device and system and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a beam management method, device and system and a storage medium, and aims to improve the resource utilization rate during beam management. The beam management method comprises the steps that first information is sent, the first information is used for indicating activation of a target TCI-State, the target TCI-State is used for indicating quasi co-location QCL information of a target reference beam, and the target reference beam is determined based on a to-be-measured beam; scanning a target reference beam; and receiving a real-time signal quality parameter of the target reference beam, wherein the real-time signal quality parameter of the target reference beam is used for calculating a real-time signal quality parameter of the to-be-measured beam. According to the embodiment of the invention, the first communication device can configure the target TCI-State used for indicating the QCL information of the target reference beam to the second communication device in advance, so that frequent signaling transmission is not needed in a beam measurement process, the signaling overhead of beam management is reduced, and the resource utilization rate during beam management is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a beam management method, apparatus, system and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of communications, beam management plays an irreplaceable role in communication systems. Efficient beam management enables terminal and network devices to quickly discover and switch to the optimal beam pair, ensuring system stability and reliability. Beam management achieves efficient signal transmission through dynamic interaction between network and terminal devices, utilizing directional beams.

[0003] However, current beam management methods require frequent signaling transmissions, resulting in high signaling overhead and low resource utilization during beam management. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a beam management method, apparatus, system, and storage medium, with the aim of improving resource utilization during beam management.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution: The first aspect of this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a first communication device. For example, the first communication device can be a communication equipment (e.g., a network device), or it can be a component of the communication equipment (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions), or it can be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. The following description uses a first communication device as an example. In this method, the first communication device sends first information to indicate the activation of a target transmission configuration indication state (TCI-State). The target TCI-State indicates the quasi-co-addressable QCL information of a target reference beam. The target reference beam is determined based on the beam under test. The difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test is less than or equal to a first threshold. The first communication device scans the target reference beam. The first communication device receives real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, which are used to calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test.

[0006] In the above implementation scheme, the first communication device can pre-configure the target TCI-State of the QCL information used to indicate the target reference beam to the second communication device, so that when it is necessary to measure the beam under test, the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test can be activated directly through the first information, and the beam under test can be measured based on the target reference beam. That is, there is no need to perform frequent signaling transmission during beam measurement, which reduces the signaling overhead of beam management and improves the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0007] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, a TCI-State set is transmitted. The TCI-State set includes one or more TCI-States, which are used to indicate the quasi-co-addressable QCL information of the reference beam. The TCI-State set includes a target TCI-State. One reference beam corresponds to one beam set, and the beams in the beam set belong to the same wide beam. The difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the beam set is less than a first threshold. In the above implementation, the first communication device can pre-divide narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam into one or more beam sets, and can determine a reference beam from each beam set. The difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the corresponding beam set is less than the first threshold. Furthermore, the first communication device can pre-configure the TCI-State corresponding to each reference beam and send a TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States to the second communication device. This allows the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test to be activated directly through the first information when the beam under test needs to be measured. The beam under test can then be measured based on the target reference beam. In other words, there is no need for frequent signaling transmission during beam measurement, which reduces the signaling overhead of beam management and improves the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0008] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the beam set is determined by the first communication device sorting the historical signal quality parameters of each beam. In this implementation, the first communication device can group narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam into one or more beam sets by sorting the historical signal quality parameters of the narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam. It can also determine a reference beam from each beam set, where the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the corresponding beam set is less than a first threshold. Furthermore, the first communication device can pre-configure the TCI-State corresponding to each reference beam and send a TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States to the second communication device. This allows the device to directly activate the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test when measurement is required, and to perform measurement based on the target reference beam. This eliminates the need for frequent signaling transmissions during beam measurement, reducing signaling overhead in beam management and improving resource utilization during beam management.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the beam set is determined by a first communication device clustering the historical signal quality parameters of each beam based on a first model. In this implementation, the first communication device can use an artificial intelligence model to cluster the historical signal quality parameters of narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam, grouping them into one or more beam sets. A reference beam can be determined from each beam set, where the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the corresponding beam set is less than a first threshold. Furthermore, the first communication device can pre-configure the TCI-State corresponding to each reference beam and send a TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States to a second communication device. This allows the device to directly activate the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test when measurement is required, by instructing the target TCI-State of the target reference beam. Measurement of the beam under test is then performed based on the target reference beam, eliminating the need for frequent signaling transmissions during beam measurement, reducing signaling overhead in beam management, and thus improving resource utilization during beam management.

[0010] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test are determined based on the difference between the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters. The historical signal quality parameter difference is the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test. In the above implementation, after receiving the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, the first communication device can further determine the historical signal quality parameter difference based on the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test. Finally, the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test can be determined by compensating the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam using the historical signal quality parameter difference, thereby realizing the measurement of the beam under test.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the first communication device based on a second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold. In the above implementation, the beam to be tested that the first communication device needs to manage can be a beam whose signal quality parameters, predicted by the first communication device based on the second model, are greater than or equal to the second threshold. That is, it can be a top-k beam predicted by the first communication device based on the second model. This allows the optimal beam that achieves the maximum signal quality parameter value to be determined from the top-k beams after beam management, thereby improving the communication efficiency of the communication system.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the method further includes: receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate the predicted beam; the beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the second communication device based on a second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold. In the above implementation, the beam to be tested that the first communication device needs to perform beam management on can be a beam whose signal quality parameters, predicted by the second communication device based on a second model, are greater than or equal to the second threshold, that is, it can be a top-k beam predicted by the second communication device based on a second model, so that after beam management of the top-k beam, the optimal beam that can achieve the maximum signal quality parameter value can be determined from the top-k beams for communication, thereby improving the communication efficiency of the communication system.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the second information is further used to indicate the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam. In the above implementation, in addition to indicating the predicted beam predicted based on the second model to the first communication device via the second information, the second communication device can also indicate the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam to the first communication device via the second information. This allows the first communication device, after determining the real-time signal quality parameters of the predicted beam, to determine the prediction accuracy of the predicted beam based on both the real-time signal quality parameters and the predicted signal quality parameters, thereby determining whether performance monitoring of the second model needs to be enabled.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the method further includes: determining an optimal beam based on the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test, wherein the optimal beam is the beam under test with the largest real-time signal quality parameter. In the above implementation, after determining the real-time signal quality parameters of each beam under test, the first communication device can determine the beam corresponding to the largest real-time signal quality parameter based on the real-time signal quality parameters of each beam under test, and determine this beam as the optimal beam, so as to enable communication based on the optimal beam, thereby improving the communication efficiency of the communication system.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, when the beam under test includes a predicted beam, the optimal beam is the reliable beam with the largest real-time signal quality parameter among the predicted beams, and the difference between the real-time signal quality parameter of the reliable beam and the predicted signal quality parameter of the reliable beam is less than or equal to a third threshold. In the above implementation, when the beam under test includes beams predicted by the second model, the first communication device, after determining the real-time signal quality parameter of each beam under test, can first filter reliable beams based on the real-time signal quality parameter and the predicted signal quality parameter of each beam under test, and finally determine the reliable beam corresponding to the largest real-time signal quality parameter based on the real-time signal quality parameter of each reliable beam, and determine this reliable beam as the optimal beam, so that communication can be performed based on the optimal beam, thereby improving the communication efficiency of the communication system.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the first information includes index information of the target TCI-State. In the above implementation, the first communication device can pre-encode each TCI-State, determine the index information corresponding to each TCI-State, and configure it to the second communication device. This allows the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test to be activated directly through the index information of the target TCI-State when it is necessary to measure the beam under test. The measurement of the beam under test can then be performed based on the target reference beam. In other words, frequent signaling transmission is not required during beam measurement, and the amount of signaling information that needs to be transmitted can be minimized, reducing the signaling overhead of beam management and thus improving the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the first information is transmitted based on the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI). In this implementation, when it is necessary to measure the beam under test, the first communication device can transmit the first information to the second communication device via the MAC CE or DCI. This allows the first information to directly indicate the activation of the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test, and the measurement of the beam under test can be performed based on the target reference beam. In other words, frequent signaling transmissions are unnecessary during beam measurement, reducing the signaling overhead of beam management and thus improving resource utilization during beam management.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the historical signal quality parameter includes the historical physical layer reference signal received power L1-RSRP, and the real-time signal quality parameter includes the real-time L1-RSRP.

[0019] The second aspect of this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a second communication device. For example, the second communication device can be a communication equipment (such as a terminal device), or it can be a component of the communication equipment (such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions), or it can be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. The following description uses a second communication device as an example. In this method, the second communication device receives first information, which is used to indicate the activation of a target transmission configuration indication state (TCI-State). The target TCI-State indicates the quasi-co-address QCL information of a target reference beam. The target reference beam is determined based on the beam under test, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test is less than or equal to a first threshold. The second communication device transmits real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, which are used to calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test. The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are measured based on the quasi-co-address QCL information of the target reference beam.

[0020] In the above implementation scheme, the first communication device can pre-configure the target TCI-State of the QCL information used to indicate the target reference beam to the second communication device, so that when it is necessary to measure the beam under test, the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test can be activated directly through the first information, and the beam under test can be measured based on the target reference beam. That is, there is no need to perform frequent signaling transmission during beam measurement, which reduces the signaling overhead of beam management and improves the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the method further includes: A TCI-State set is received, the TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States, the TCI-States being used to indicate quasi-co-addressable QCL information of a reference beam, the TCI-State set including the target TCI-State; one reference beam corresponds to one beam set, the beams in the beam set belong to the same wide beam, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the beam set is less than a first threshold.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the beam set is determined by the result of the first communication device sorting the historical signal quality parameters of each beam.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the beam set is determined by a first communication device clustering the historical signal quality parameters of each beam based on a first model.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the real-time signal quality parameter of the beam under test is determined based on the difference between the real-time signal quality parameter of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameter, wherein the historical signal quality parameter difference is the difference between the historical signal quality parameter of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameter of the beam under test.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the first communication device based on a second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the method further includes: sending second information, the second information being used to indicate a predicted beam; the beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, the predicted beam being a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the second communication device based on a second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the second information is further used to indicate the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the first information includes the index information of the target TCI-State.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the first information is transmitted based on the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0030] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the historical signal quality parameter includes the historical physical layer reference signal received power L1-RSRP, and the real-time signal quality parameter includes the real-time L1-RSRP.

[0031] A third aspect provides a communication device including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the methods in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0032] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0033] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0034] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the methods in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0035] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0036] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a satellite. When the communication device is a chip configured in a satellite, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0037] Fifthly, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute a method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0038] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0039] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is used to read instructions stored in the memory and to receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0040] Optionally, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0042] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0043] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, causing the methods in the above aspects or the first possible implementation of the aspects to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0044] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0045] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned terminal equipment and network equipment (including access network equipment and core network equipment). Optionally, the communication system may further include other equipment that communicates with the terminal equipment and / or network equipment.

[0046] Eleventhly, a communication device is provided, comprising a transceiver module and a processing module, the communication device being used to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0047] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of the communication system provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a beam management method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of beam set division provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a beam set coding process provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating another beam management method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating another beam management method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 9This is a structural example diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0048] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminology used in the following embodiments is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to be a limitation of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," and "this" are intended to also include expressions such as "one or more," unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "one or more" refers to one, two, or more; "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0049] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0050] The "multiple" mentioned in the embodiments of this application refers to two or more. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order.

[0051] To better understand the solutions of the embodiments of this application, the relevant terms and concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced below.

[0052] 1. Beam Management

[0053] Beam management refers to the process by which network devices and terminal devices dynamically select, maintain, and optimize directional beam pairs used for uplink and downlink transmission through a series of physical layer and access network higher-layer processes. The core objective of beam management is to ensure that, in complex wireless environments, the transmitting and receiving ends can always select the optimal beam direction for communication, thereby compensating for high-frequency signal propagation loss, improving coverage, and meeting the high data rate, low latency, and reliable connection requirements of 5G and future communication systems. The core processes of beam management include: (1) Beam sweeping: Sending and receiving beams in a predefined direction within a specific period or time period to cover a specific spatial area.

[0054] (2) Beam measurement: to evaluate the quality of the received signal. Common indicators include the received power of the reference signal and the signal-to-interference-to-noise ratio.

[0055] (3) Beam selection: Based on the measurement results, select one or more optimal beams on the network side or the terminal side.

[0056] (4) Beam reporting: The terminal device reports the beam quality measurement results and decision information to the network device so that the network device can adjust the transmission strategy.

[0057] (5) Beam indication: The network device notifies the terminal device to use the specified beam for data transmission.

[0058] (6) Beam switching: When the quality of the current beam deteriorates, switch to another beam with better quality.

[0059] (7) Beam recovery: The process of quickly restoring communication when a beam failure causes a link interruption.

[0060] 2. Transmission Configuration Indicator State (TCI-State)

[0061] TCI-State is a set of key parameters in 5G New Radio systems used to define the quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between downlink and uplink signals. The core functions of TCI-State include quasi-co-location configuration, beam management optimization, and reduction of signaling overhead. TCI-State can consist of the following fields: tci-StateId: A unique identifier.

[0062] qcl-Type1: Configures the QCL information for the first downlink reference signal (required).

[0063] qcl-Type2: Configure the QCL information for the second downlink reference signal (optional, and the QCL type must be different from qcl-Type1).

[0064] 3. Quasi-co-location information

[0065] Quasi-co-located (QCL) refers to a specific relationship between two antenna ports. If the large-scale channel parameters experienced by a symbol at one antenna port can be inferred from those experienced by a symbol at the other antenna port, then these two antenna ports are considered quasi-co-located. QCL describes the similarity of the large-scale channel parameters between two antenna ports. These large-scale parameters include Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread, and spatial receiver parameters. The QCL relationship allows terminal equipment to use the channel information of one antenna port to infer the channel state of the other, thereby optimizing signal reception and demodulation.

[0066] 4. Physical layer reference signal receiving power (L1-RSRP)

[0067] L1-RSRP refers to the linear average of the received power on resource particles carrying reference signals (such as synchronization signal blocks or channel state information reference signals), measured in watts (W) or decibel-milliwatts (dBm). L1-RSRP directly reflects the strength of the reference signal received by the terminal device from the network device and is a key indicator for evaluating network coverage quality and beam management performance. In essence, L1-RSRP measures the average received power on resource particles occupied by the reference signal in the physical layer.

[0068] 5. Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS)

[0069] CSI-RS is a reference signal sent by network equipment to terminal equipment to measure the quality of the downlink channel. By measuring CSI-RS, terminal equipment feeds back channel state information, including channel quality indication, precoding matrix indication, rank indication, etc., to help the base station optimize signal transmission paths and improve communication efficiency.

[0070] 6. Wide beam

[0071] Wide beams refer to electromagnetic beams with relatively large beamwidths. Their wide coverage allows signals to propagate simultaneously over a large spatial area, giving them a significant advantage in scenarios requiring extensive coverage. For example, in wireless broadcasting, wide beams can widely transmit signals to large areas such as cities and rural areas, allowing numerous receiving devices to receive the signal over a wide range. In satellite communications, wide beams can achieve coverage of a large area of ​​the Earth, ensuring that users in different geographical locations can access communication services. However, due to energy dispersion, the signal strength of wide beams is relatively weaker in certain directions, and their transmission distance and anti-interference capabilities may not be as good as narrow beams, posing certain limitations in communication scenarios requiring high precision, long distance, or strong anti-interference capabilities.

[0072] 7. Narrow beam

[0073] Narrow beams refer to electromagnetic beams with a relatively small beamwidth, often encompassing wide beams. They are characterized by concentrated energy and strong directionality, focusing signal energy highly in a specific direction. This allows narrow beams to maintain high signal strength over long distances, effectively extending communication range. For example, in scenarios with extremely high distance requirements, such as deep-sea exploration and interplanetary communication, narrow beams ensure clear signal transmission even after long distances. Furthermore, due to their strong directionality, narrow beams reduce the impact of external interference, improving communication reliability and stability. They are widely used in fields with stringent requirements for confidentiality and anti-interference, such as military communications and radar detection. However, narrow beams have a relatively narrow coverage area, requiring precise pointing control and placing high demands on the positioning and pointing accuracy of equipment.

[0074] 8. Media access control element (MAC CE)

[0075] MAC CE is a control element of the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, used to exchange MAC control information between terminal devices and network devices. MAC CE can carry various control messages, such as power headroom reports, buffer status reports, timing advance commands, and discontinuous reception commands. This information helps the base station perform resource allocation, scheduling, and power control operations.

[0076] 9. Downlink control information (DCI)

[0077] DCI is key control information transmitted through physical layer signaling in wireless communication systems, and is mainly used for functions such as resource scheduling, parameter configuration, and transmission control.

[0078] The system architecture of the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0079] The embodiments of this application are applied to communication systems, which can be second-generation (2G) communication systems, third-generation (3G) communication systems, LTE systems, fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, LTE and 5G hybrid architectures, 5G new radio (5G NR) systems, and new communication systems that will emerge in the future development of communication.

[0080] A communication system includes a first device and a second device. The first device can be a network-side device used to provide network communication functions; in some cases, it is also called a network device or network element. Network devices are typically base stations (including functional units of base stations, or combinations of functional units of base stations) or core network units. Core network units can be functional units within the core network, including but not limited to Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) units or Session Management Function (SMF) units. The second device can be a device accessing the network, typically a terminal device. An example of a communication system is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 It includes base station 11 and terminal 12.

[0081] In the embodiments provided in this application, the base station can be any device with wireless transceiver capabilities, including but not limited to: evolved Node B (nodeB, eNB, or e-nodeB) in Long Term Evolution (LTE), base station (gNodeB or gNB) or transmission receiving point / transmission reception point (TRP) in New Radio (NR), base stations in subsequent 3GPP evolutions, access nodes in Wi-Fi systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, etc. The base station can be: macro base station, micro base station, pico base station, small cell, relay station, or balloon station, etc. The base station can include one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission reception points (TRPs). The base station can also be a radio controller, centralized unit (CU), and / or distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radioaccess network (CRAN) scenario. The base station can communicate with terminal devices or communicate with terminal devices through relay stations. Terminal devices can communicate with multiple base stations using different technologies. For example, a terminal device can communicate with a base station that supports LTE networks, or with a base station that supports 5G networks, or even have dual connections with both LTE and 5G base stations.

[0082] In the embodiments provided in this application, the terminal device can take various forms, such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, vehicle-mounted terminal device, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical care, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, wireless terminal device in smart home, wearable terminal device, etc. The terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), access terminal device, vehicle-mounted terminal device, industrial control terminal device, UE unit, UE station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal device, mobile device, UE terminal device, terminal device, wireless communication device, UE agent, or UE device, etc. The terminal device can also be a fixed terminal device or a mobile terminal device.

[0083] In the field of communications, beam management plays an irreplaceable role in communication systems. Efficient beam management enables terminal and network devices to quickly discover and switch to the optimal beam pair, ensuring system stability and reliability. Beam management achieves efficient signal transmission through dynamic interaction between network and terminal devices, utilizing directional beams.

[0084] Beam management algorithms based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies have brought new opportunities to next-generation wireless communication technologies. Beam prediction based on AI / ML technologies can be implemented on the network side or the terminal side. Taking network-side AI beam management as an example, the specific process is as follows: On the network side, the network device scans different transmit beams in "set B" measured by the terminal device. The terminal device then transmits the L1-RSRP measurements of the beams in "set B" back to the network device. Upon receiving the L1-RSRP values, the network device uses them as input to the AI / ML model and then predicts the top-k beams in set A. Based on the prediction results, the network device scans the predicted top-k transmit beams in "set A," and then the terminal device measures and determines the beam that produces the highest L1-RSRP value as the optimal transmit beam.

[0085] However, the top-k beams predicted by AI models may be distributed across different wide beams, increasing the complexity of beam scanning on the network side. Current beam management methods involve configuring k fixed CSI-RS resources on the network device and instructing each CSI-RS resource with its corresponding TCI-State via downlink signaling. This TCI-State indicates the QCL information, enabling measurement and management of the top-k beams. However, in this method, each time the AI ​​model predicts the top-k beams, the network side configures k QCL information and instructs them via downlink signaling. This means current beam management methods require frequent signaling transmissions, resulting in high signaling overhead and low resource utilization during beam management.

[0086] To make the technical solution of this application clearer and easier to understand, a beam management method according to an embodiment of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment is applicable to beam management processes in wireless communication scenarios. The beam management method provided in this embodiment can be applied to a first communication device and a second communication device. For example, the first communication device can be a communication device (such as a network device), or it can be a component of a communication device (such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions), or it can be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device. The second communication device can be a communication device (such as a terminal device), or it can be a component of a communication device (such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions), or it can be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0087] The following explanation uses the first communication device and the second communication device as examples.

[0088] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 2 The diagram shown is a flowchart of a beam management method provided in an embodiment of this application. The beam management method provided in this embodiment mainly includes the following steps: S201. The first communication device sends first information, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first information.

[0089] The first information is used to indicate the activation of the target transmission configuration indication state (TCI-State). The target TCI-State is used to indicate the quasi-co-address QCL information of the target reference beam. The target reference beam is determined based on the beam under test. The difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0090] In this embodiment, the first communication device can pre-configure the target TCI-State of the QCL information used to indicate the target reference beam to the second communication device. When the beam to be measured is determined and needs to be measured, the first information can be used to directly activate the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam to be measured, so as to realize the measurement of the beam to be measured based on the target reference beam. That is, there is no need for frequent signaling transmission during beam measurement, reducing the signaling overhead of beam management and thus improving the resource utilization during beam management. The signal quality parameters may include physical layer reference signal received power L1-RSRP, or parameters that can be used to evaluate the received signal quality, such as signal-to-noise ratio. These parameters can be set according to the actual situation, and this embodiment does not limit them. When the signal quality parameters include L1-RSRP, the historical signal quality parameters may include historical L1-RSRP, the real-time signal quality parameters may include real-time L1-RSRP, and the predicted signal quality parameters may include predicted L1-RSRP. Historical signal quality parameters can be signal quality parameters measured at historical moments earlier than the current moment. Real-time signal quality parameters can be signal quality parameters obtained through measurement at the current moment, or they can refer to the signal quality parameters to be measured at the current moment. Predicted signal quality parameters can be signal quality parameters predicted by artificial intelligence models.

[0091] In this embodiment, the first communication device can pre-determine one or more narrow beams that may be used for communication with the second communication device, divide narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam into one or more beam sets, and determine a reference beam from each beam set such that the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the corresponding beam set is less than a first threshold. Since the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the corresponding beam set is less than the first threshold, it can be considered that the channel characteristics of the reference beam and each beam in the corresponding beam set are similar.

[0092] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, in wide beam 0, the first communication device can traverse all narrow beams in wide beam 0 and calculate the historical L1-RSRP difference between each narrow beam and other narrow beams. Finally, it is determined that the difference between "narrow beam 0_1" and all other beams within the same wide beam does not exceed the first threshold, i.e., the maximum deviation range. Therefore, all narrow beams in this wide beam can be directly identified as a beam set, and "narrow beam 0_1" can be directly identified as the reference beam of this beam set.

[0093] In wide beam 1, the first communication device can traverse all narrow beams in wide beam 1 and calculate the historical L1-RSRP difference between each narrow beam and other narrow beams. Finally, if the difference between the historical L1-RSRP of some narrow beams and the historical L1-RSRP of other beams exceeds the first threshold, i.e., the maximum deviation range, then these beams can be excluded. Then, the filtering logic is repeated for the remaining narrow beams, and the remaining narrow beams are determined as a beam set. Finally, "narrow beam 1_1" and "narrow beam 1_3" meet the conditions, and both are used as reference beams for this beam set.

[0094] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the beam set is determined by the result of the first communication device sorting the historical signal quality parameters of each beam.

[0095] In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device can group narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam into one or more beam sets by sorting the historical signal quality parameters of the narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam, and can determine a reference beam from each beam set, wherein the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the corresponding beam set is less than a first threshold.

[0096] For example, firstly, the historical L1-RSRP of narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam can be sorted from high to low, as shown in Table 1 below: Table 1

[0097] Secondly, filtering parameters can be set, that is, the first threshold, i.e. the maximum deviation range, can be assumed to be 1dBm, and the beam set can be determined based on this. As shown in Table 1, starting from "beam 5" (-50dBm) with the highest L1-RSRP, the maximum deviation range can be reduced by 2 (i.e., 2×1dBm=2dBm) to obtain the critical value of -52dBm.

[0098] Finally, beam set determination and reference beam selection can be performed. Specifically, it can be divided into the following two beam sets: The first beam set includes beams with L1-RSRP ≥ -52dBm, namely beam 5, beam 2, beam 1 and beam 3, and selects the beam with L1-RSRP at the median, namely beam 2, as the reference beam of the beam set.

[0099] The second beam set includes the remaining beams with L1-RSRP < -52dBm, namely beams 6, 4, 7 and 8, and selects the beam with L1-RSRP at the median, namely beam 4, as the reference beam of the beam set.

[0100] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the beam set is determined by the first communication device clustering the historical signal quality parameters of each beam based on a first model.

[0101] In this embodiment, the first communication device can cluster the historical signal quality parameters of narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam using an artificial intelligence model, thereby grouping the narrow beams into one or more beam sets. A reference beam can be determined from each beam set, where the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the corresponding beam set is less than a first threshold. The first model can be a pre-trained model based on artificial intelligence or machine learning for determining the beam sets.

[0102] For example, firstly, data input can be performed, that is, historical L1-RSRP data of narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam can be input into the first model.

[0103] Secondly, the first model can determine the first threshold, i.e. the maximum deviation range, as the clustering threshold, and automatically cluster narrow beams with similar historical L1-RSRP data, i.e., differences less than or equal to the first threshold, into a beam set.

[0104] Finally, for each cluster of beam sets, the beam corresponding to the median of L1-RSRP can be selected as the reference beam for that beam set.

[0105] In this embodiment, after determining one or more beam sets and the reference beam corresponding to each beam set, the first communication device can also pre-configure the TCI-State of each reference beam, that is, configure the QCL information of each reference beam. The specific format of TCI-State can be: {reference signal, QCL-Type D}, where the reference signal corresponds to the signal type transmitted in the selected reference beam, and QCL-Type D corresponds to the transmit-receive beam pair parameters of the reference beam. It is understood that for the reception of a target reference signal, the terminal device needs to obtain the required large-scale parameters from one or more QCL source signals. For example, the terminal device obtains time and frequency parameters from one QCL source signal and spatial reception parameters from another QCL source signal. Therefore, before the terminal device receives the target reference signal, the network device needs to configure the QCL source signals and the QCL type between the target reference signal and the source signals for the terminal device via signaling.

[0106] In this embodiment of the application, after configuring a corresponding TCI-State for each reference beam, the first communication device can summarize the TCI-State of all reference beams to form a TCI-State set, that is, it can construct a TCI-State set based on the TCI-State of all reference beams, and configure the TCI-State set to the second communication device.

[0107] Understandably, to facilitate efficient data transmission via signaling by the first communication device, each TCI-State in the TCI-State set can be binary encoded to obtain the encoding of each TCI-State, which is also the index information of each TCI-State. For example, such as... Figure 4 As shown, each TCI-State can be encoded with 4 bits, ranging from 0000 to 1111. For example, TCI-State0 can be encoded as 0000, TCI-State1 as 0001, and TCI-State15 as 1111.

[0108] In this embodiment, the first communication device pre-divides one or more narrow beams that may be used to communicate with the second communication device into one or more beam sets, determines the reference beam corresponding to each beam set, configures a corresponding TCI-State for each reference beam, and pre-configures a TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States to the second communication device. Then, it can determine the beam to be measured and, based on the beam set to which the beam to be measured belongs, further determine the target reference beam corresponding to the beam to be measured. It then directly instructs the second communication device via first information to activate the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam to be measured, so that the beam to be measured can be measured based on the target reference beam. This means that frequent signaling transmission is not required during beam measurement, reducing the signaling overhead of beam management and thus improving resource utilization during beam management. The beam to be tested may include one or more beams, which may be the best beam, or a beam determined according to communication requirements, or a beam predicted based on an artificial intelligence model, or a beam determined by other methods. It can be set according to the actual situation, and the embodiments of this application do not limit it.

[0109] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the first information includes the index information of the target TCI-State.

[0110] In this embodiment, the first communication device can pre-encode each TCI-State, determine the index information corresponding to each TCI-State, and configure it to the second communication device. This allows the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test to be activated directly through the index information of the target TCI-State when the beam under test needs to be measured. The beam under test can then be measured based on the target reference beam. In other words, there is no need for frequent signaling transmission during beam measurement, and the amount of signaling information that needs to be transmitted can be reduced as much as possible, thus reducing the signaling overhead of beam management and improving the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0111] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the first information is sent based on the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0112] In this embodiment of the application, when it is necessary to measure the beam under test, the first communication device can send the first information to the second communication device through MAC CE or DCI, so that the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test can be activated directly through the first information, and the beam under test can be measured based on the target reference beam. That is, there is no need to perform frequent signaling transmission during the beam measurement process, which reduces the signaling overhead of beam management and improves the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0113] S202. The first communication device scans the target reference beam.

[0114] S203. The second communication device measures the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam.

[0115] The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are obtained based on the quasi-co-located QCL information of the target reference beam.

[0116] In this embodiment, after determining the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test, the first communication device can perform a signal scan on the target reference beam so that the second communication device can measure the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam. Furthermore, after receiving the first information, the second communication device can first decode the first information, then determine the target TCI-State of the target reference beam based on the first information, and then determine the QCL information of the target reference beam based on the target TCI-State. This allows the receiving beam indicated by the QCL information to be determined, and finally, the target reference beam is measured based on the determined receiving beam to obtain the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam.

[0117] S204. The second communication device transmits the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam.

[0118] Among them, the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are used to calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test. The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are obtained based on the quasi-co-located QCL information of the target reference beam.

[0119] In this embodiment, after measuring the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, the second communication device can send these parameters to the first communication device. Upon receiving the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, the first communication device can further calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test based on these parameters. This means that the beam under test can be measured based on the target reference beam, eliminating the need for frequent signaling transmissions during beam measurement, reducing signaling overhead in beam management, and thus improving resource utilization during beam management.

[0120] In one possible implementation of this application, the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test are determined based on the difference between the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters. The difference in historical signal quality parameters is the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test.

[0121] In this embodiment, the first communication device can acquire the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test and the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, and calculate the difference between the historical signal quality parameters based on the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test and the target reference beam. Then, the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test can be determined by compensating the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam using the difference in historical signal quality parameters, thereby realizing the measurement of the beam under test. That is, there is no need for the second communication device to directly measure the beam under test. The first communication device can directly deduce the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test using only the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, thereby reducing the measurement overhead of the second communication device and further improving the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0122] For example, when the signal quality parameter includes L1-RSRP, the historical L1-RSRP difference can be calculated using the following formula: Historical L1-RSRP difference = Historical L1-RSRP of the target reference beam - Historical L1-RSRP of the beam under test.

[0123] The real-time L1-RSRP of the beam under test can be calculated using the following formula: The real-time L1-RSRP of the beam under test = the real-time L1-RSRP of the target reference beam + the difference between historical L1-RSRP values.

[0124] As illustrated by the examples in the foregoing embodiments, the first communication device can pre-configure the target TCI-State of the QCL information used to indicate the target reference beam to the second communication device. This allows the first information to be used to directly activate the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test when the beam under test needs to be measured. The measurement of the beam under test can then be performed based on the target reference beam. In other words, frequent signaling transmission is not required during beam measurement, which reduces the signaling overhead of beam management and improves the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0125] Please see Figure 5 , Figure 5 The diagram shown is a flowchart of another beam management method provided in an embodiment of this application. The beam management method provided in this application mainly includes the following steps: S501. The first communication device sends the TCI-State set, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the TCI-State set.

[0126] The TCI-State set includes one or more TCI-States, which are used to indicate the quasi-co-located QCL information of the reference beam. The TCI-State set includes the target TCI-State. One reference beam corresponds to one beam set, and the beams in the beam set belong to the same wide beam. The difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the beam set is less than a first threshold.

[0127] In this embodiment, the first communication device can pre-divide narrow beams belonging to the same wide beam into one or more beam sets, and can determine a reference beam from each beam set. The difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the corresponding beam set is less than a first threshold. Furthermore, the first communication device can pre-configure the TCI-State corresponding to each reference beam and send a TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States to the second communication device. This allows the device to directly activate the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test when measurement is required, and to perform measurement based on the target reference beam. This eliminates the need for frequent signaling transmissions during beam measurement, reducing signaling overhead in beam management and improving resource utilization during beam management.

[0128] S502. The first communication device performs beam prediction based on the second model to obtain the predicted beam.

[0129] The beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the first communication device based on the second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0130] In this embodiment, the first communication device may be equipped with a second model for beam prediction. This second model may be pre-trained and designed to predict beams with superior signal quality parameters in the current communication scenario. Specifically, the second model can predict beams with predicted signal quality parameters greater than or equal to a second threshold. It is understood that the first communication device may pre-determine one or more beams that may be used to communicate with the second communication device, and input historical signal quality parameters and other parameters of these beams into the second model to predict one or more beams with superior signal quality parameters in the current communication scenario. For example, it may predict the top-k beams and the predicted signal quality parameters of each beam. Furthermore, the first communication device can measure the predicted beams obtained from the second model as beams to be measured, and determine the prediction accuracy of the second model based on the real-time signal quality parameters of the measured beams.

[0131] S503. The first communication device sends first information, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first information.

[0132] The first information is used to indicate the activation of the target transmission configuration indication state (TCI-State). The target TCI-State is used to indicate the quasi-co-address QCL information of the target reference beam. The target reference beam is determined based on the beam under test. The difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0133] S504. The first communication device scans the target reference beam.

[0134] S505. The second communication device measures the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam.

[0135] The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are obtained based on the quasi-co-located QCL information of the target reference beam.

[0136] S506. The second communication device transmits the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam.

[0137] Among them, the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are used to calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test. The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are obtained based on the quasi-co-located QCL information of the target reference beam.

[0138] The contents of steps S503-S506 above are similar to those of steps S201-S204 in the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated here in the embodiments of this application.

[0139] S507. The first communication device determines the optimal beam based on the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test.

[0140] Among them, the optimal beam is the beam under test with the largest real-time signal quality parameters.

[0141] In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device, after determining the real-time signal quality parameters of each beam under test, can determine the beam corresponding to the maximum real-time signal quality parameter based on the real-time signal quality parameters of each beam under test, and determine the beam as the optimal beam, so that communication can be carried out based on the optimal beam, thereby improving the communication efficiency of the communication system.

[0142] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, when the beam under test includes a predicted beam, the optimal beam is the credible beam with the largest real-time signal quality parameter among the predicted beams, and the difference between the real-time signal quality parameter of the credible beam and the predicted signal quality parameter of the credible beam is less than or equal to a third threshold.

[0143] In this embodiment of the application, when the beam under test includes the beam under test predicted by the second model, after determining the real-time signal quality parameters of each beam under test, the first communication device can first filter out reliable beams based on the real-time signal quality parameters and predicted signal quality parameters of each beam under test, and finally determine the reliable beam corresponding to the maximum real-time signal quality parameter according to the real-time signal quality parameters of each reliable beam, and determine the reliable beam as the optimal beam, so that communication can be carried out based on the optimal beam, thereby improving the communication efficiency of the communication system.

[0144] Specifically, the difference between the real-time signal quality parameters and the predicted signal quality parameters of each predicted beam can be calculated separately. If the difference is less than or equal to a third threshold, the predicted beam can be determined to be a reliable beam; if the difference is greater than the third threshold, the predicted beam can be determined to be an unreliable beam.

[0145] In this embodiment of the application, when the proportion of the credible beam in the predicted beam is less than or equal to the fourth threshold, it can be considered that the prediction accuracy of the second model is low, that is, it can be determined that the performance of the second model is poor. At this time, performance monitoring of the second model can be started, and a decision can be made on whether to modify the parameters in the second model and retrain the second model.

[0146] As illustrated by the foregoing embodiments, this application can group narrow beams with similar historical RSRPs within a wide beam, select a reference beam within each group, and combine all reference beams into a "reference beam set." The TCI-State corresponding to each reference beam also forms a "TCI-State set," effectively pre-configuring the TCI-State. When measuring the top-k beams, a corresponding beam group can be selected based on the top-k beams, and then the corresponding reference beam and TCI-State can be selected from the beam group. Beam scanning is performed sequentially using the reference beams, the UE measures the quality of the reference beams, and error compensation is used to calculate the quality of the top-k beams, thereby reducing the number of TCI-State combinations.

[0147] Please see Figure 6 , Figure 6 The diagram shown is a flowchart of another beam management method provided in an embodiment of this application. The beam management method provided in this application mainly includes the following steps: S601. The first communication device sends the TCI-State set, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the TCI-State set.

[0148] The TCI-State set includes one or more TCI-States, which are used to indicate the quasi-co-located QCL information of the reference beam. The TCI-State set includes the target TCI-State. One reference beam corresponds to one beam set, and the beams in the beam set belong to the same wide beam. The difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the beam set is less than a first threshold.

[0149] The content of step S601 above is similar to that of step S501 in the previous embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0150] S602. The second communication device performs beam prediction based on the second model to obtain the predicted beam.

[0151] The beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the first communication device based on the second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0152] In this embodiment, the second communication device may be equipped with a second model for beam prediction. This second model may be pre-trained and used to predict beams with superior signal quality parameters in the current communication scenario. Specifically, the second model can predict beams with predicted signal quality parameters greater than or equal to a second threshold. It is understood that the second communication device may pre-determine one or more beams that may be used to communicate with the first communication device, and input historical signal quality parameters and other parameters of the one or more beams into the second model as input data to predict one or more beams with superior signal quality parameters in the current communication scenario. For example, it may predict the top-k beams and predict the predicted signal quality parameters of each predicted beam.

[0153] S603. The second communication device sends the second information.

[0154] The second piece of information is used to indicate the predicted beam.

[0155] In this embodiment of the application, after the second communication device predicts the predicted beam using the second model, it can indicate the predicted beam to the first communication device using second information. It is understood that the second information may include identification information of the predicted beam, so that the first communication device, after receiving the second information, can determine the predicted beam based on the identification information of the predicted beam.

[0156] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the second information is further used to indicate the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam.

[0157] In this embodiment of the application, in addition to instructing the first communication device to predict the predicted beam based on the second model through the second information, the second communication device can also instruct the first communication device to predict the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam through the second information. This allows the first communication device to determine the prediction accuracy of the predicted beam based on the real-time signal quality parameters of the predicted beam and the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam after determining the real-time signal quality parameters of the predicted beam, thereby determining whether performance monitoring of the second model needs to be enabled.

[0158] S604. The first communication device sends first information, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first information.

[0159] The first information is used to indicate the activation of the target transmission configuration indication state (TCI-State). The target TCI-State is used to indicate the quasi-co-address QCL information of the target reference beam. The target reference beam is determined based on the beam under test. The difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0160] S605. The first communication device scans the target reference beam.

[0161] S606. The second communication device measures the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam.

[0162] The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are obtained based on the quasi-co-located QCL information of the target reference beam.

[0163] S607. The second communication device transmits the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam.

[0164] Among them, the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are used to calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test. The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are obtained based on the quasi-co-located QCL information of the target reference beam.

[0165] S608. The first communication device determines the optimal beam based on the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test.

[0166] Among them, the optimal beam is the beam under test with the largest real-time signal quality parameters.

[0167] The contents of steps S604-S608 above are similar to those of steps S503-S507 in the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated here in the embodiments of this application.

[0168] As illustrated by the foregoing embodiments, this application can group narrow beams with similar historical RSRPs within a wide beam, select a reference beam within each group, and combine all reference beams into a "reference beam set." The TCI-State corresponding to each reference beam also forms a "TCI-State set," effectively pre-configuring the TCI-State. When measuring the top-k beams, a corresponding beam group can be selected based on the top-k beams, and then the corresponding reference beam and TCI-State can be selected from the beam group. Beam scanning is performed sequentially using the reference beams, the UE measures the quality of the reference beams, and error compensation is used to calculate the quality of the top-k beams, thereby reducing the number of TCI-State combinations.

[0169] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device is used to implement the function of the first communication device in the above method embodiment, and the communication device specifically includes: The transmitting module 701 is used to transmit first information, the first information being used to indicate the activation of the target transmission configuration indication state TCI-State, the target TCI-State being used to indicate the quasi-co-address QCL information of the target reference beam, the target reference beam being determined based on the beam under test, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test being less than or equal to a first threshold. Scanning module 702 is used to scan the target reference beam; The receiving module 703 is used to receive the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam, and the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are used to calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test.

[0170] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes: The transmitting module 701 is further configured to transmit a TCI-State set, the TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States, the TCI-States being used to indicate the quasi-co-address QCL information of the reference beam, the TCI-State set including the target TCI-State; one reference beam corresponds to one beam set, the beams in the beam set belong to the same wide beam, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the beam set is less than a first threshold.

[0171] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the beam set is determined by the result of the first communication device sorting the historical signal quality parameters of each beam.

[0172] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the beam set is determined by the first communication device clustering the historical signal quality parameters of each beam based on a first model.

[0173] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the real-time signal quality parameter of the beam under test is determined based on the difference between the real-time signal quality parameter of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameter, wherein the historical signal quality parameter difference is the difference between the historical signal quality parameter of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameter of the beam under test.

[0174] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the first communication device based on a second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0175] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the first indication information is used to indicate the identification information of the first grid, and the identification information of the first grid is used to determine the first resource corresponding to the first grid.

[0176] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes: The receiving module 703 is further configured to receive second information, the second information being used to indicate a predicted beam; the beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, the predicted beam being a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the second communication device based on the second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0177] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the second information is further used to indicate the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam.

[0178] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes: The determination module is used to determine the optimal beam based on the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test, wherein the optimal beam is the beam under test with the largest real-time signal quality parameters.

[0179] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, when the beam under test includes a predicted beam, the optimal beam is the reliable beam with the largest real-time signal quality parameter among the predicted beams, and the difference between the real-time signal quality parameter of the reliable beam and the predicted signal quality parameter of the reliable beam is less than or equal to a third threshold.

[0180] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the first information includes the index information of the target TCI-State.

[0181] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the first information is sent based on the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0182] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the historical signal quality parameter includes the historical physical layer reference signal received power L1-RSRP, and the real-time signal quality parameter includes the real-time L1-RSRP.

[0183] As illustrated by the examples in the foregoing embodiments, the first communication device can pre-configure the target TCI-State of the QCL information used to indicate the target reference beam to the second communication device. This allows the first information to be used to directly activate the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test when the beam under test needs to be measured. The measurement of the beam under test can then be performed based on the target reference beam. In other words, frequent signaling transmission is not required during beam measurement, which reduces the signaling overhead of beam management and improves the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0184] It should be noted that the physical device corresponding to the transmitting module 701 can be a transmitter, and the physical device corresponding to the receiving module 702 can be a receiver.

[0185] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device is used to implement the function of the second communication device in the above method embodiment, and the communication device specifically includes: The receiving module 801 is used to receive first information, the first information being used to indicate the activation of the target transmission configuration indication state TCI-State, the target TCI-State being used to indicate the quasi-co-address QCL information of the target reference beam, the target reference beam being determined based on the beam under test, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test being less than or equal to a first threshold. The transmitting module 802 is used to transmit the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam. The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are used to calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test. The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are measured based on the quasi-co-located QCL information of the target reference beam.

[0186] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes: The receiving module 801 is further configured to receive a TCI-State set, the TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States, the TCI-States being used to indicate quasi-co-addressable QCL information of a reference beam, the TCI-State set including the target TCI-State; one reference beam corresponds to one beam set, the beams in the beam set belong to the same wide beam, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the beam set is less than a first threshold.

[0187] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the beam set is determined by the result of the first communication device sorting the historical signal quality parameters of each beam.

[0188] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the beam set is determined by a first communication device clustering the historical signal quality parameters of each beam based on a first model.

[0189] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the real-time signal quality parameter of the beam under test is determined based on the difference between the real-time signal quality parameter of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameter, wherein the historical signal quality parameter difference is the difference between the historical signal quality parameter of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameter of the beam under test.

[0190] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the first communication device based on a second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0191] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes: The transmitting module 802 is also used to transmit second information, which is used to indicate a predicted beam; the beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters are greater than or equal to a second threshold as predicted by the second communication device based on the second model.

[0192] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the second information is further used to indicate the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam.

[0193] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the first information includes the index information of the target TCI-State.

[0194] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the first information is sent based on the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0195] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the historical signal quality parameter includes the historical physical layer reference signal received power L1-RSRP, and the real-time signal quality parameter includes the real-time L1-RSRP.

[0196] As illustrated by the examples in the foregoing embodiments, the first communication device can pre-configure the target TCI-State of the QCL information used to indicate the target reference beam to the second communication device. This allows the first information to be used to directly activate the target TCI-State of the target reference beam corresponding to the beam under test when the beam under test needs to be measured. The measurement of the beam under test can then be performed based on the target reference beam. In other words, frequent signaling transmission is not required during beam measurement, which reduces the signaling overhead of beam management and improves the resource utilization rate during beam management.

[0197] It should be noted that the physical device corresponding to the transmitting module 802 can be a transmitter, and the physical device corresponding to the receiving module 801 can be a receiver.

[0198] Figure 9 This application provides an example of the composition of an electronic device. The electronic device may be a first device, including but not limited to a base station and a core network unit. Figure 9 A simplified schematic diagram of a base station structure is shown. The base station includes sections 910, 920, and 930. Section 910 is mainly used for baseband processing and base station control; section 910 is typically the control center of the base station, often referred to as a processor, used to control the base station to perform the processing operations on the first device side in the above method embodiments. Section 920 is mainly used to store computer program code and data. Section 930 is mainly used for the transmission and reception of radio frequency signals and the conversion between radio frequency signals and baseband signals; section 930 is often referred to as a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver unit. The transceiver module of section 930, also referred to as a transceiver or transceiver unit, includes an antenna 933 and a radio frequency circuit, where the radio frequency circuit is mainly used for radio frequency processing. Optionally, the device in section 930 used to implement the receiving function can be regarded as a receiver, and the device used to implement the transmitting function can be regarded as a transmitter; that is, section 930 includes a receiver 932 and a transmitter 931. A receiver can also be called a receiving module, receiver, or receiving circuit, while a transmitter can be called a transmitting module, transmitter, or transmitting circuit.

[0199] Sections 910 and 920 may include one or more circuit boards, each of which may include one or more processors and one or more memories. The processors are used to read and execute programs from the memories to implement baseband processing functions and control the base station. If multiple circuit boards exist, they can be interconnected to enhance processing capabilities. As an alternative implementation, multiple circuit boards may share one or more processors, multiple circuit boards may share one or more memories, or multiple circuit boards may simultaneously share one or more processors.

[0200] For example, in one implementation, the transceiver module in section 930 is used to execute the transceiver-related processes performed by the base station (first device) in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor in section 910 is used to execute the processing-related processes performed by the base station in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0201] It should be understood that Figure 9 This is for illustrative purposes only and not as a limitation. The network devices mentioned above, including processors, memory, and transceivers, may be independent of... Figure 9 The structure shown.

[0202] This application also provides a communication system, which may include a first device (e.g., a network device such as a base station) and a second device (e.g., a terminal device such as a mobile phone).

[0203] In this application, the terminal device or network device may include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on top of the operating system layer. The hardware layer may include hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also known as main memory). The operating system layer may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, or Windows. The application layer may include applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software.

[0204] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0205] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, or indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or modules, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0206] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0207] Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0208] If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the essential contribution of the technical solution of this application, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the processes of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0209] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A beam management method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, the method includes: Send first information, the first information is used to indicate the activation of the target transmission configuration indication state TCI-State, the target TCI-State is used to indicate the quasi-co-address QCL information of the target reference beam, the target reference beam is determined based on the beam under test, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test is less than or equal to a first threshold. Scan the target reference beam; The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are received, and these parameters are used to calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: A TCI-State set is sent, the TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States, the TCI-States being used to indicate the quasi-co-addressable QCL information of the reference beam, the TCI-State set including the target TCI-State; one reference beam corresponds to one beam set, the beams in the beam set belong to the same wide beam, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the beam set is less than a first threshold.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The beam set is determined by the first communication device sorting the historical signal quality parameters of each beam.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The beam set is determined by the first communication device clustering the historical signal quality parameters of each beam based on the first model.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test are determined based on the difference between the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters. The difference in historical signal quality parameters is the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters, predicted by the first communication device based on the second model, are greater than or equal to a second threshold.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives second information, which is used to indicate a predicted beam. The beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters are greater than or equal to a second threshold, as predicted by the second communication device based on a second model.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second information is also used to indicate the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The optimal beam is determined based on the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test, wherein the optimal beam is the beam under test with the largest real-time signal quality parameters.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, When the beam under test includes a predicted beam, the optimal beam is the reliable beam with the largest real-time signal quality parameter among the predicted beams, and the difference between the real-time signal quality parameter of the reliable beam and the predicted signal quality parameter of the reliable beam is less than or equal to a third threshold.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first information includes the index information of the target TCI-State.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first information is sent based on the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The historical signal quality parameters include the historical physical layer reference signal received power L1-RSRP, and the real-time signal quality parameters include the real-time L1-RSRP.

14. A beam management method, characterized in that, Applied to a second communication device, the method includes: Receive first information, the first information is used to indicate the activation of the target transmission configuration indication state TCI-State, the target TCI-State is used to indicate the quasi-co-address QCL information of the target reference beam, the target reference beam is determined based on the beam under test, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test is less than or equal to a first threshold. The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are transmitted. These real-time signal quality parameters are used to calculate the real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test. The real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam are obtained based on the quasi-co-located QCL information of the target reference beam.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: A TCI-State set is received, the TCI-State set including one or more TCI-States, the TCI-States being used to indicate quasi-co-addressable QCL information of a reference beam, the TCI-State set including the target TCI-State; one reference beam corresponds to one beam set, the beams in the beam set belong to the same wide beam, and the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of each beam in the beam set is less than a first threshold.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The beam set is determined by the first communication device sorting the historical signal quality parameters of each beam.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The beam set is determined by the first communication device clustering the historical signal quality parameters of each beam based on the first model.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The real-time signal quality parameters of the beam under test are determined based on the difference between the real-time signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters. The difference in historical signal quality parameters is the difference between the historical signal quality parameters of the target reference beam and the historical signal quality parameters of the beam under test.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, which is a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters are greater than or equal to a second threshold, as predicted by the first communication device based on the second model.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, the second message being used to indicate a predicted beam; the beam to be tested includes a predicted beam, the predicted beam being a beam whose predicted signal quality parameters are greater than or equal to a second threshold, as predicted by the second communication device based on a second model.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The second information is also used to indicate the predicted signal quality parameters of the predicted beam.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The first information includes the index information of the target TCI-State.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The first information is sent based on the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

24. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The historical signal quality parameters include the historical physical layer reference signal received power L1-RSRP, and the real-time signal quality parameters include the real-time L1-RSRP.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory storing a program or instructions, the processor executing the program or instructions to cause the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, they cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 24.

27. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes the communication device as described in claim 25.

28. A chip system comprising one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to retrieve and execute instructions stored in memory, such that the method of any one of claims 1 to 24 is performed.

Images