Communication method and communication device

Abstract

A communication method and a communication device, the method comprising: receiving information of a first beam from a terminal device, and receiving information of a second beam from a network device, the first beam and the second beam forming a beam pair used for current communication between the terminal device and the network device; sending first information to the terminal equipment, wherein the first information is used for indicating that the first beam is about to fail; and sending second information to the network equipment, wherein the second information is used for indicating that the second beam is about to fail. In the method, a first network element can timely indicate that a first beam and a second beam are about to fail to a terminal device and a network device, so that the terminal device and the network device can determine candidate beams in advance, beam failure is avoided, and the influence on user experience is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and communication apparatus for beam switching. Background Technology

[0002] In high-frequency bands, especially millimeter-wave bands, channel fading is particularly significant. Terminal devices and network devices can use beamforming to improve channel gain and ensure coverage performance and data transmission rate of millimeter-wave communication.

[0003] However, due to the uncertainty of the communication environment, beam failure and beam failure recovery may occur between terminal devices and network devices, resulting in service interruption and affecting user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and communication device that can avoid beam failure and reduce the impact on user experience.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to the first network element side, for example, to the first network element or a component of the first network element (such as a chip, circuit, or chip system).

[0006] The method includes: receiving information from a first beam from a terminal device, the first beam being the beam currently used by the terminal device to communicate with a network device; receiving information from a second beam from a network device, the second beam being the beam currently used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device; sending first information to the terminal device, the first information indicating that the first beam is about to fail; and sending second information to the network device, the second information indicating that the second beam is about to fail.

[0007] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can promptly indicate to the terminal equipment and network equipment that the first and second beams are about to fail. This helps the terminal equipment and network equipment to make timely communication decisions, such as identifying candidate beams in advance, avoiding beam failure, and reducing the impact on user experience.

[0008] For example, the first beam and the second beam are associated, and the first beam and the second beam form a beam pair currently used for communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the information of the first beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the first beam, the width of the first beam, and a first identifier; wherein the first identifier is used to identify the first beam and / or the second beam; the information of the second beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the second beam, the width of the second beam, and a first identifier.

[0010] For example, the first identifier is an identifier of a reference signal resource associated with the first beam and / or the second beam.

[0011] For example, the first identifier is either a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource identifier or a channel sounding reference signal (SRS) resource identifier.

[0012] For example, the first identifier is a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) status identifier associated with the first beam and / or the second beam.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: determining that the first beam and the second beam are about to fail based on the information of the first beam and the second beam.

[0014] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can determine that the first beam and the second beam are about to fail based on the information from the first beam from the terminal device and the information from the second beam from the network device. This can help the terminal device and the network device to detect beam failure and improve the efficiency of beam failure detection.

[0015] In addition, this avoids the terminal devices and network devices performing beam failure detection only after the first and second beams have failed, reducing the impact on user experience.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the first information includes information about the third beam, and the second information includes information about the fourth beam. The third beam is a candidate beam used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device, and the fourth beam is a candidate beam used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can indicate the information of the third beam to the terminal device and the information of the fourth beam to the network device. This helps the terminal device and the network device to determine the candidate beam pair before the first and second beams fail, reducing the impact of the failure of the first and second beams on the user experience.

[0018] For example, the third beam and the fourth beam are associated, and the third beam and the fourth beam form a candidate beam pair for communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the information of the third beam includes the direction of the third beam, or includes the direction of the third beam and a second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the third beam and / or the fourth beam; the information of the fourth beam includes the direction of the fourth beam, or includes the direction of the fourth beam and a second identifier.

[0020] For example, the second identifier is an identifier of a reference signal resource associated with the third beam and / or the fourth beam.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, information from the third beam indicates that the first beam is about to fail, and / or information from the fourth beam indicates that the second beam is about to fail.

[0022] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can implicitly indicate that the first and second beams are about to fail through the information of the third beam and / or the fourth beam, thus saving resources.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations, the first information includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail, and the second information includes second indication information, which is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0024] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can explicitly indicate that the first beam and the second beam are about to fail through the first indication information and the second indication information, so as to indicate the beam failure situation more flexibly.

[0025] Secondly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to the network device side, for example, to the network device or components (such as circuits, chips or chip systems) within the network device.

[0026] The method includes: sending information about a second beam to a first network element, the second beam being the beam currently used by the network device to communicate with terminal devices; and receiving second information from the first network element, the second information indicating that the second beam is about to fail.

[0027] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the information of the second beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the second beam, the width of the second beam, and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the second beam.

[0028] For example, the first identifier is the identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the second beam.

[0029] For example, the first identifier is either a CSI-RS resource identifier or an SRS resource identifier.

[0030] For example, the first identifier is the TCI status identifier associated with the second beam.

[0031] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the second information includes information about the fourth beam, which is a candidate beam used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device.

[0032] Specifically, the information of the fourth beam includes the direction of the fourth beam, or includes the direction of the fourth beam and a second identifier, the second identifier being used to identify the fourth beam.

[0033] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: sending configuration information of a first reference signal resource to a terminal device, the configuration information indicating that the first reference signal resource is associated with a second identifier; using a second candidate beam to send or receive a first reference signal on the first reference signal resource, the second candidate beam being determined based on information from a fourth beam.

[0034] Based on the above scheme, the network device can determine the second candidate beam used to transmit the first reference signal according to the information of the fourth beam from the first network element. This enables the first network element to assist the terminal device and the network device in beam training and improve the efficiency of beam training.

[0035] For example, the second identifier is the identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the fourth beam, and the configuration information includes the identifier of the first reference signal resource. The identifier of the first reference signal resource is the second identifier, that is, the first reference signal resource is the reference signal resource associated with the fourth beam.

[0036] Optionally, the configuration information includes type information of the first reference signal resource, wherein the type information indicates that the identifier of the first reference signal resource is determined by the first network element.

[0037] Based on the above scheme, the identifier of the reference signal resource can be determined by the first network element, thus saving the configuration overhead of the first reference signal resource. Alternatively, the identifier of the first reference signal resource can be determined by the network device, thus allowing for more flexible configuration of the first reference signal resource.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: determining the beam to be used based on the measurement results of multiple first reference signals; sending third indication information to the terminal device, the third indication information being used to activate the beam to be used; and communicating with the terminal device using the beam to be used in the event that the second beam fails or is about to fail.

[0039] Based on the above scheme, network devices can determine the beam pair to be used from the candidate beam pairs. When the first and second beams are about to fail, the terminal device and the network device can directly use the beam pair to be used for communication, avoiding the delay caused by the beam failure detection process and beam failure recovery process, and reducing the impact on user experience.

[0040] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the information from the fourth beam is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0041] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the second information includes second indication information, which is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0042] Thirdly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module in a terminal, or a circuit or chip in a terminal that is responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core).

[0043] The method includes: sending information about a first beam to a first network element, wherein the first beam is the beam currently used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device; and receiving first information from the first network element, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail.

[0044] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations, the information of the first beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the first beam, the width of the first beam, and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the first beam.

[0045] For example, the first identifier is an identifier of a reference signal resource associated with the first beam.

[0046] For example, the first identifier is either a CSI-RS resource identifier or an SRS resource identifier.

[0047] For example, the first identifier is the TCI status identifier associated with the first beam.

[0048] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations, the first information includes information about the third beam, which is a candidate beam used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device.

[0049] Specifically, the information of the third beam includes the direction of the third beam, or includes the direction of the third beam and a second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the third beam.

[0050] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: receiving configuration information of a first reference signal resource from a network device, the configuration information indicating that the first reference signal resource is associated with a second identifier; and using a first candidate beam to receive or transmit a first reference signal on the first reference signal resource, the first candidate beam being determined based on information from a third beam.

[0051] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can determine the first candidate beam used to transmit the first reference signal based on the information of the third beam from the first network element. This enables the first network element to assist the terminal device and network device in beam training, thereby improving the efficiency of beam training.

[0052] For example, the second identifier is the identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the third beam, and the configuration information includes the identifier of the first reference signal resource. The identifier of the first reference signal resource is the second identifier, that is, the first reference signal resource is the reference signal resource associated with the third beam.

[0053] Optionally, the configuration information includes type information of the first reference signal resource, wherein the type information indicates that the identifier of the first reference signal resource is determined by the first network element.

[0054] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: receiving third indication information from a network device, the third indication information being used to activate the beam to be used; and communicating with the network device using the beam to be used in the event that the first beam fails or is about to fail.

[0055] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations, the information from the third beam is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail.

[0056] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations, the first information includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail.

[0057] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, which has the functions of the first aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first aspect above. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0058] For example, the communication device may be a first network element-side device, or a functional module in the first network element-side device that can call and execute a program, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0059] In one implementation, the communication device includes: a transceiver unit, configured to: receive information from a first beam of a terminal device, the first beam being the beam currently used by the terminal device to communicate with a network device; receive information from a second beam of a network device, the second beam being the beam currently used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device; the transceiver unit is further configured to: send first information to the terminal device, the first information indicating that the first beam is about to fail; and send second information to the network device, the second information indicating that the second beam is about to fail.

[0060] For example, the first beam and the second beam are associated, and the first beam and the second beam form a beam pair currently used for communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0061] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations, the information of the first beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the first beam, the width of the first beam, and a first identifier; wherein the first identifier is used to identify the first beam and / or the second beam; the information of the second beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the second beam, the width of the second beam, and a first identifier.

[0062] For example, the first identifier is an identifier of a reference signal resource associated with the first beam and / or the second beam.

[0063] For example, the first identifier is either a CSI-RS resource identifier or an SRS resource identifier.

[0064] For example, the first identifier is a TCI status identifier associated with the first beam and / or the second beam.

[0065] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations, the first information includes information about the third beam, and the second information includes information about the fourth beam. The third beam is a candidate beam used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device, and the fourth beam is a candidate beam used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device.

[0066] For example, the third beam and the fourth beam are associated, and the third beam and the fourth beam form a candidate beam pair for communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0067] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations, the information of the third beam includes the direction of the third beam, or includes the direction of the third beam and a second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the third beam and / or the fourth beam; the information of the fourth beam includes the direction of the fourth beam, or includes the direction of the fourth beam and a second identifier.

[0068] For example, the second identifier is an identifier of a reference signal resource associated with the third beam and / or the fourth beam.

[0069] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations, the information from the third beam indicates that the first beam is about to fail, and the information from the fourth beam indicates that the second beam is about to fail.

[0070] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations, the first information includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail, and the second information includes second indication information, which is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0071] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, which has the functions of the second aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means for performing the operations involved in the second aspect above. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0072] For example, the communication device may be a network-side device or a functional module in the network-side device that can call and execute a program, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0073] In one implementation, the communication device includes: a transceiver unit, configured to send information about a second beam to a first network element, the second beam being the beam currently used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device; the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive second information from the first network element, the second information indicating that the second beam is about to fail.

[0074] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the information of the second beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the second beam, the width of the second beam, and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the second beam.

[0075] For example, the first identifier is the identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the second beam.

[0076] For example, the first identifier is either a CSI-RS resource identifier or an SRS resource identifier.

[0077] For example, the first identifier is the TCI status identifier associated with the second beam.

[0078] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the second information includes information about the fourth beam, which is a candidate beam used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device.

[0079] Specifically, the information of the fourth beam includes the direction of the fourth beam, or includes the direction of the fourth beam and a second identifier, the second identifier being used to identify the fourth beam.

[0080] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is also used to: send configuration information of the first reference signal resource to the terminal device, the configuration information indicating that the first reference signal resource is associated with a second identifier; and use a second candidate beam to send or receive the first reference signal on the first reference signal resource, the second candidate beam being determined based on the information of the fourth beam.

[0081] For example, the second identifier is the identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the fourth beam, and the configuration information includes the identifier of the first reference signal resource. The identifier of the first reference signal resource is the second identifier, that is, the first reference signal resource is the reference signal resource associated with the fourth beam.

[0082] Optionally, the configuration information includes type information of the first reference signal resource, wherein the type information indicates that the identifier of the first reference signal resource is determined by the first network element.

[0083] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the device further includes: a processing unit for determining a beam to be used based on measurement results of multiple first reference signals; the transceiver unit is further configured to: send third indication information to a terminal device, the third indication information being used to activate the beam to be used; the processing unit is further configured to: communicate with the terminal device using the beam to be used in the event that the second beam fails or is about to fail.

[0084] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the information from the fourth beam is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0085] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the second information includes second indication information, which is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0086] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which has the functions of the third aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module, unit or means for performing the operation involved in the third aspect above. The module, unit or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0087] For example, the communication device may be a terminal-side device or a functional module in the terminal-side device that can call and execute a program, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0088] In one implementation, the communication device includes: a transceiver unit, configured to: send information about a first beam to a first network element, the first beam being the beam currently used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device; the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive first information from the first network element, the first information indicating that the first beam is about to fail.

[0089] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the information of the first beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the first beam, the width of the first beam, and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the first beam.

[0090] For example, the first identifier is an identifier of a reference signal resource associated with the first beam.

[0091] For example, the first identifier is either a CSI-RS resource identifier or an SRS resource identifier.

[0092] For example, the first identifier is the TCI status identifier associated with the first beam.

[0093] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the first information includes information about the third beam, which is a candidate beam used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device.

[0094] Specifically, the information of the third beam includes the direction of the third beam, or includes the direction of the third beam and a second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the third beam.

[0095] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is also used to: receive configuration information of a first reference signal resource from a network device, the configuration information indicating that the first reference signal resource is associated with a second identifier; and receive or transmit a first reference signal on the first reference signal resource using a first candidate beam, the first candidate beam being determined based on information from a third beam.

[0096] For example, the second identifier is the identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the third beam, and the configuration information includes the identifier of the first reference signal resource. The identifier of the first reference signal resource is the second identifier, that is, the first reference signal resource is the reference signal resource associated with the third beam.

[0097] Optionally, the configuration information includes type information of the first reference signal resource, wherein the type information indicates that the identifier of the first reference signal resource is determined by the first network element.

[0098] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the transceiver unit is also used to: receive third indication information from the network device, the third indication information being used to activate the beam to be used; the device further includes: a processing unit, used to communicate with the network device using the beam to be used in the event that the first beam fails or is about to fail.

[0099] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the information from the third beam is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail.

[0100] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations, the first information includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail.

[0101] A seventh aspect provides a communication device comprising an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions involved in any of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects described above. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects described above. The interface circuit is used to implement communication functions within the communication device and / or communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0102] In one possible design, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0103] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0104] The aforementioned communication device may be a sensing function network element, or a module within a sensing function network element (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device. The aforementioned communication device may also be a network device, or a module within a network device (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0105] Eighthly, a communication system is provided, which may include communication devices from at least two of the fourth to sixth aspects.

[0106] Ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores computer-readable instructions, which, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the possible designs of the first to third aspects described above.

[0107] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects described above.

[0108] Eleventhly, a chip or chip system is provided, comprising: a processor for executing computer programs or instructions in memory to implement the methods in any of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects described above.

[0109] It should be understood that any beneficial effects not fully described in the second to eleventh aspects above can be referred to the first aspect and any of its possible implementations. Attached Figure Description

[0110] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0111] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the BPL between the transmitting and receiving devices.

[0112] Figure 3 This illustrates a scenario where beam failure occurs.

[0113] Figure 4 This is one scenario for beam failure recovery.

[0114] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 500 provided in this application.

[0115] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of this application.

[0116] Figure 7 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 700 provided in this application.

[0117] Figure 8 and Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0118] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0119] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5th Generation (5G), New Radio (NR), Internet of Things (IoT), Wireless-Fidelity (WiFi), wireless communication related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), or other wireless communication that may emerge in the future. This application does not limit these applications.

[0120] The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to machine-type communication (MTC), device-to-device (D2D) networks, machine-to-machine (M2M) networks, Internet of Things (IoT) networks, or other networks. IoT networks, for example, can include vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks. The communication methods in V2X systems are collectively referred to as vehicle-to-X (V2X), where X can represent anything. For example, V2X can include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0121] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, this network architecture takes the 5G system (5GS) as an example.

[0122] The network architecture may include, but is not limited to, a sensing function (SF). Optionally, the network architecture may also include one or more of the following: location management function (LMF), policy control function (PCF), application function (AF), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), user equipment (UE), radio access network (RAN), user plane function (UPF), and data network (DN). Here, DN can be the Internet. SF, LMF, PCF, AF, AMF, SMF, and UPF are network elements in the core network. Figure 1 Taking a 5G system as an example, the core network can be called the 5G core network (5GC or 5GCN).

[0123] The following is about Figure 1 A brief introduction to each network element shown in the diagram is provided.

[0124] 1. User equipment (UE): can also be called terminal equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device.

[0125] Terminal devices can be devices that provide voice / data to users, such as handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, etc. Currently, examples of terminals include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, terminal devices in 5G networks, or future public land mobile communication networks. Terminal devices in a network (PLMN), etc., are not limited to this in the embodiments of this application.

[0126] By way of example and not limitation, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on a specific type of application function and require the use of other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0127] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system. IoT is an important component of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object interconnection.

[0128] It should be noted that terminal devices and access network devices can communicate with each other using some air interface technology (such as New Radio (NR) or LTE). Terminal devices can also communicate with each other using some air interface technology (such as NR or LTE).

[0129] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or it can be a device that supports the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system or a chip. This device can be installed in the terminal device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0130] 2. Radio access network (RAN): This provides access to a communication network for authorized users in a specific area. Specifically, it can include wireless network equipment in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network or access points in non-3GPP networks.

[0131] The RAN manages radio resources, provides access services to user equipment, and forwards control signals and user equipment data between the user equipment and the core network. The RAN can also be understood as a base station in a traditional network.

[0132] For example, the access network device in this application embodiment can be any kind of communication device with wireless transceiver function for communicating with user equipment. This access network device includes, but is not limited to: evolved NodeB (eNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP), wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, and can also be a gNB in ​​a 5G, such as NR, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU).

[0133] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distribution unit (DU). The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some of the gNB's functions, and the DU implements others. For example, the CU handles non-real-time protocols and services, implementing radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functions. The DU handles physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functions. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and active antenna-related functions. Since RRC layer information ultimately becomes PHY layer information, or is derived from PHY layer information, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can be understood as being sent by the DU, or by the DU+AAU. It is understood that access network equipment can be devices including one or more of the following: CU nodes, DU nodes, and AAU nodes. In addition, the CU can be classified as an access network device in the radio access network (RAN) or as an access network device in the core network (CN), and this application does not limit this.

[0134] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open-radio access network (O-RAN) system, CU can also be called an open-central unit (O-CU) (open CU); DU can also be called an open-distributed unit (O-DU) (open DU); CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0135] 3. Sensing function (SF) network element refers to the unit in the network responsible for sensing, which is used to support sensing service functions. For example, it can be configured to perform sensing processes and report sensing information, and can also provide sensing information to other nodes.

[0136] 4. User Plane Function (UPF) Network Element: Used for packet routing and forwarding, as well as Quality of Service (QoS) processing of user plane data. User data can access the data network (DN) through this network element. In the embodiments of this application, it can be used to implement the functions of the user plane network element.

[0137] 5. Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element: mainly used for mobility management and access management, and can be used to implement other functions of the Mobility Management Entity (MME) besides session management, such as access authorization / authentication.

[0138] 6. Session Management Function (SMF) network element: mainly used for session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for terminal devices, selection and management of user plane functions, endpoints of policy control and billing function interfaces, and downlink data notification, etc.

[0139] 7. Application function (AF) network element: used for data routing affected by applications, accessing network open function network elements, and interacting with the policy framework for policy control, etc.

[0140] 8. Policy control function (PCF) network element: A unified policy framework used to guide network behavior, providing policy rule information to network elements (such as AMF, SMF, etc.) or terminal devices.

[0141] 9. Data Network (DN): A network used to provide data transmission. Examples include carrier networks, the Internet, and third-party service networks.

[0142] 10. Location Management Function (LMF): Used to support location service functions. In 5GC, LMF can be used to provide the AMF with the location information of the UE managed by the AMF.

[0143] 11. First Network Element:

[0144] Optionally, in this application, the first network element can be a functional network element responsible for sensing in the core network. It can be an independent core network element, such as an SF network element, in which case the first network element and the SF network element are the same. Alternatively, the first network element can also be coupled with any of the aforementioned core network elements, with the core network element implementing the functions of the first network element. Specifically, the first network element is used to support sensing service functions. For example, it can be configured to execute sensing processes and report sensing information, such as network devices and terminal devices, and can also provide sensing information to other nodes.

[0145] Optionally, in this application, the first network element can be a network element used for auxiliary communication, such as a network element with sensing auxiliary communication function. The first network element itself can integrate sensing function to obtain sensing information through the network for subsequent beam failure warning and candidate beam indication, or it can obtain sensing information through other network elements (such as functional network elements responsible for sensing).

[0146] Optionally, in this application, the first network element can be a network element possessing a channel knowledge map, or a network element capable of utilizing a channel knowledge map, wherein the channel knowledge map can be a knowledge map including beam information at different locations. When the first network element is a network element capable of utilizing a channel knowledge map, the first network element itself can have the ability to collect channel map knowledge, and can also obtain channel map knowledge through other network elements.

[0147] Optionally, in this application, the first network element may also be other network elements with beam failure early warning function and / or candidate beam indication function.

[0148] It is understood that the first network element in this application may correspond to a specific physical device or network element, or it may be a logical function network element, that is, it does not correspond to a specific physical device or network element.

[0149] It should be understood that the above Figure 1 The network architecture shown is merely an example, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application is not limited to this. Any network architecture that can realize the functions of the above-mentioned network elements is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0150] In the above network architecture, the N1 interface is the interface between the UE and the AMF; the N2 interface is the interface between the RAN and the AMF network element, used for transmitting radio parameters and non-access stratum (NAS) signaling; the N3 interface is the interface between the RAN and the UPF network element, used for transmitting user plane data; the N4 interface is the interface between the SMF and UPF network elements, used for transmitting information such as service policies, tunnel identification information for N3 connections, data buffer indication information, and downlink data notification messages; and the N6 interface is the interface between the DN and UPF network elements, used for transmitting user plane data.

[0151] It should be understood that Figure 1 The network elements and communication interfaces involved are described using the names specified in current protocols or the expected names as examples, but this does not limit the embodiments of this application to only known communication systems. Therefore, the standard names that appear when describing using current protocols as examples are functional descriptions. This application does not limit the specific names of network elements, interfaces, or signaling, but only indicates the function of the network elements, interfaces, or signaling, which can be extended to other systems, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, or future communication systems.

[0152] For example, in the current standardization process, the sensing function network element has not yet been formally named, and in future networks, the sensing function network element may have other names.

[0153] It should also be understood that Figure 1The AMF, SMF, UPF, PCF, AF, SF, LMF, etc. shown can be understood as network elements in the core network used to implement different functions, such as network slices that can be combined as needed. These core network elements can be independent devices or integrated into the same device to implement different functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the above-mentioned network elements. It should be understood that the network architecture applied to the embodiments of this application is only an example of a network architecture described from the perspective of a traditional point-to-point architecture and a service-oriented architecture. The network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application is not limited to this. Any network architecture that can implement the functions of the above-mentioned network elements is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0154] It should be noted that the aforementioned network element may also be referred to as an entity, device, apparatus, or module, etc., and this application does not specifically limit it. Furthermore, in this application, for ease of understanding and explanation, the description of "network element" is omitted in some descriptions. For example, the LMF network element is abbreviated as LMF. In this case, "LMF" should be understood as LMF network element. The following descriptions of the same or similar cases are omitted.

[0155] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, some basic concepts involved in this application will be briefly explained.

[0156] 1. Sensing

[0157] Sensing, also known as detection, refers to detecting parameters of targets in the physical environment, such as the target's position and velocity. Specifically, a detection system can detect targets by sending sensing signals and analyzing the echo signals reflected from the object.

[0158] Among them, sensing signals are used to sense (or detect) signals from the sensed target (or target object, such as a scatterer). Sensing signals can be detection signals, linear frequency modulated signals, radar signals, radar sensing signals, radar detection signals, environmental sensing signals, pulse signals, signals in wireless communication systems, etc.

[0159] The echo signal refers to the signal generated when the sensed signal is reflected by the target object. For example, the time delay of the echo signal relative to the sensed signal can reflect the distance of the target object relative to the transmitter. Alternatively, the Doppler shift of the echo signal relative to the sensed signal can reflect the velocity of the target object.

[0160] 2. Perception Mode

[0161] For example, based on the different senders and receivers of the sensing signal, sensing modes can be divided into two categories: single-station sensing (also known as monocentric sensing) and bicentric sensing (also known as bicentric sensing). Single-station sensing refers to the same device sending the sensing signal (i.e., the sensing transmitter) and the same device receiving the echo signal reflected from the target (i.e., the sensing receiver). Bicentric sensing refers to different devices sending the sensing signal and receiving the echo signal reflected from the target. The nodes participating in sensing can include both the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver.

[0162] As an example, the sensing mode can be base station self-transmitting and self-receiving, base station transmitting and UE receiving, UE transmitting and base station receiving, base station transmitting and receiving from another base station, UE self-transmitting and self-receiving, UE transmitting and receiving from another UE, etc.

[0163] Optionally, the nodes participating in sensing may also include a sensing initiator. The sensing initiator, also known as a control node, can send basic sensing parameters to the sensing transmitter and can also send a trigger signal to the sensing receiver, which can be used by the sensing receiver to activate the sensing function.

[0164] 3. Beam pair link (BPL)

[0165] In high-frequency bands, especially millimeter-wave bands (e.g., bands above 30 GHz), channel fading is particularly severe. Therefore, transmitting devices need to utilize beamforming or other techniques, employing specific spatial filtering parameters to concentrate signal energy in a specific direction (hereinafter referred to as beam direction). Correspondingly, receiving devices also need to select the corresponding receiving beam direction to improve the equivalent channel gain between the transmitting and receiving devices, ensuring the coverage performance and data transmission rate of millimeter-wave communication. Therefore, the transmitting and receiving devices first determine the beams or beam pairs used for transmission and reception through beam training. For example, the transmitting end sequentially transmits reference signals using different beams, and the receiving end can use different beams to receive and measure these reference signals, thereby determining the optimal transmitting beam and its corresponding receiving beam. Then, the transmitting end reports the identifier of the reference signal and the reference signal received power (RSRP) to the transmitting end. For example, reporting the identifier of the reference signal with a large RSRP and its RSRP allows the transmitting end to determine the transmitting beam to use when sending information to the receiving end.

[0166] Through the above process, the transmitting device can determine one or more of its own transmitting beams, and the receiving device can determine one or more of its own receiving beams. The transmitting beams and receiving beams are in one-to-one correspondence, and each transmitting beam and its corresponding receiving beam constitute a beam pair link (BPL).

[0167] Figure 2 The diagram shows a schematic of the BPL between the transmitting and receiving devices. For example... Figure 2As shown, the wireless channel between the transmitting and receiving devices has two paths: one is the direct path, and the other is the path after reflection by a reflector. During the beam training phase, the transmitting device can transmit different reference signals in different beam directions, and the receiving device can also use different receiving beams to receive and measure the reference signals. When the transmitting device uses transmit beam 1 to transmit reference signal 1, and the receiving device uses receive beam 1 to receive reference signal 1, that is, when the transmitting and receiving devices use BPL1 formed by transmit beam 1 and receive beam 1 to transmit reference signal 1, the transmitting and receiving beams are aligned with the direct path, resulting in good communication quality between the transmitting and receiving devices. When the transmitting device uses transmit beam 2 to transmit reference signal 2, and the receiving device uses receive beam 2 to receive reference signal 2, that is, when the transmitting and receiving devices use a BPL2 (Broadband Path Point) formed by transmit beam 2 and receive beam 2 to transmit reference signal 2, the transmit and receive beams and the reflection path are aligned, and the communication quality between the transmitting and receiving devices is relatively good. However, for other reference signals (not shown in the figure) transmitted by the transmitting device using other transmit beams, the signal energy of the reference signals received by the receiving device is weak and cannot form a BPL for communication. The resource for transmitting reference signal 1 is referred to as Reference Signal Resource 1, and the resource for transmitting reference signal 2 is referred to as Reference Signal Resource 2. Therefore, Reference Signal Resource 1 is associated with transmit beam 1 and receive beam 1, and Reference Signal Resource 2 is associated with transmit beam 2 and receive beam 2. The receiving device can send the identifiers (or the identifiers of the reference signals) of Reference Signal Resource 1 and Reference Signal Resource 2 to the transmitting device, so that the transmitting device can determine that better communication quality can be obtained when using transmit beam 1 or transmit beam 2 to transmit signals to the receiving device. In subsequent communication, if the transmitting device wants to send a signal to the receiving device using transmit beam 1, it can indicate the identifier of reference signal resource 1 to the receiving device in advance. The receiving device can then determine to use the beam from which reference signal 1 was previously received (receive beam 1) to receive subsequent signals. Similarly, if the transmitting device wants to send a signal to the receiving device using transmit beam 2, it can indicate the identifier of reference signal resource 2 to the receiving device in advance. The receiving device can then determine to use the beam from which reference signal 2 was previously received (receive beam 2) to receive subsequent signals. Using two BPLs increases the robustness of transmission between the transceiver devices. For example, if one BPL is blocked, preventing communication, the transceiver devices can still communicate using the other BPL. In this application, reference signal resources are resources used to transmit reference signals. There is usually a one-to-one correspondence between reference signals and reference signal resources, so they are generally interchangeable. For example, associating with reference signal 1 can also be understood as associating with reference signal resource 1, and the identifier of reference signal 1 can also be understood as the identifier of reference signal resource 1.

[0168] 4. Beam failure detection and beam failure recovery

[0169] After the transceiver equipment has identified one or more BPLs, when all BPLs fail, for example, when they are all blocked, the transceiver equipment needs to detect the beam failure in a timely manner and perform beam failure recovery.

[0170] Specifically, taking the transceiver devices as UE and base station as an example, when the UE and base station use beam-based communication on high frequency bands, after beam training is completed between the UE and the base station, the base station will configure a reference signal set q0 for beam failure detection (BFD) and a reference signal set q1 for beam failure recovery for the UE.

[0171] Here, q0 includes the time-frequency position, sequence, and corresponding beam of the reference signals in q0. Each reference signal can correspond to a transmit beam and a receive beam used between the UE and the base station. These beams typically correspond to the BPL (Broadband Positioning) currently in use between the base station and the UE, such as the BPL determined through prior beam training. These reference signals used for BFD (Broadband Detection and Ranging) are usually periodic. Within each period, the UE receives and measures at the time-frequency positions corresponding to these reference signals. Simultaneously, the UE maintains a counter, initially set to 0. When, within a period, the UE measures these BFD reference signals and finds that the RSRP (Resonance Ratio Precision Rate) of all reference signals is below a certain threshold, it determines that the quality of these beams is poor within that period and increments the counter by 1. When the counter reaches a certain value, the UE determines that multiple beam pairs between itself and the base station have failed.

[0172] Here, q1 can also include the time-frequency position, sequence, and corresponding beam of the reference signal in q1, and the beam corresponding to the reference signal in q1 can be a beam direction other than the beam of the reference signal in q0. The reference signal in q1 is generally also a periodic reference signal. Regardless of whether it occurs before or after the beam failure, since the base station cannot obtain the beam failure information in time, the base station will continuously send the reference signal in q1 using different beams. This reference signal is used by the UE to perform beam failure recovery after discovering the beam failure. In addition, each reference signal can also be associated with a random access occasion. After the beam failure occurs, the UE will start measuring the reference signals in the reference signal set q1. If the RSRP of a certain reference signal is found to be greater than a certain threshold, then the beam is determined to be a new candidate beam. Then, random access is initiated on the random access occasion associated with the reference signal. After the base station receives the UE's random access signal on the random access occasion (RO), it can know that the UE has experienced beam failure and has found a new candidate beam.

[0173] Figure 3 This illustrates a scenario of beam failure. For example... Figure 3 As shown, q0 includes the reference signal q 0-1 and q 0-2 When there are no obstructions, the base station and the UE can communicate using two BPLs. When these two BPLs are blocked by obstacles (as shown by the black polygon in the figure), the UE can identify that beam failure has occurred by measuring the RSRP of these two reference signals.

[0174] Figure 4 This is one scenario for beam failure recovery. For example... Figure 4 As shown, q 0-1 and q 0-2 Even after the two corresponding BPLs are blocked by obstacles, the base station continues to send q to the UE using different beams. 1-1 q 1-2 q 1-3 q 1-4 Correspondingly, the UE can use different beams to measure these reference signals, for example, measuring q 1-1 If the RSRP is greater than a certain threshold, the beam can be used as a new candidate beam and random access can be initiated.

[0175] During the above process, due to the uncertainty of the communication environment, when beam failure occurs, the base station and UE need to spend a long time to retrain a large number of beams and complete beam failure recovery through random access procedures, which will cause UE service interruption and affect user experience.

[0176] In view of this, this application provides a communication method and communication device that can acquire candidate beams before beam failure occurs, thereby avoiding beam failure and reducing the impact on user experience.

[0177] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application. Figure 5 As shown, the method 500 includes the following steps.

[0178] S510, the terminal device sends the information of the first beam to the first network element, and the first network element receives the information of the first beam accordingly.

[0179] S520, the network device sends the information of the second beam to the first network element, and the first network element receives the information of the second beam accordingly.

[0180] The information for the first beam includes its direction. The information for the second beam includes its direction.

[0181] Optionally, the information of the first beam may also include one or more of the following: a first identifier, a network device identifier, and the width of the first beam, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the first beam.

[0182] Optionally, the information of the second beam may also include one or more of the following: a first identifier, a terminal device identifier, and the width of the second beam, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the second beam.

[0183] In this application, the first beam can be the beam currently used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device, and the second beam can be the beam currently used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device. The first beam and the second beam are associated, and the first beam and the second beam form a beam pair currently used by the terminal device and the network device for communication. This beam pair can be called the first beam pair or the first BPL. Reporting the directions of the first beam and the second beam to the first network element can enable the first network element to effectively identify potential beam failures.

[0184] It should be understood that in this application, "currently" refers to a period of time, not a point in time. For example, if there are two BPLs, it means that at a specific moment within a period of time, the terminal device and the network device use one of the BPLs to communicate. Within a period of time, the terminal device and the network device can use two BPLs. Therefore, there are two beams in both the first beam and the second beam.

[0185] In this application, the direction of the beam refers to the directionality of the beam's radiation capability. For example, the direction of the first beam may include the angle of the first beam, which can be an angle in a global coordinate system (GCS) or an angle in a local coordinate system (LCS) of the terminal device. This angle may include the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction and the elevation angle in the vertical direction, etc. Optionally, when reporting the angle in the local coordinate system, the terminal device may also report the transformation relationship between the local coordinate system and the global coordinate system. It should be understood that the global coordinate system in this application may also be called the world coordinate system or global coordinate system, and the local coordinate system may also be called the local coordinate system or regional coordinate system.

[0186] For example, the direction of the second beam may include the angle of the second beam, which can be an angle under the GCS or an angle under the LCS of the network device. This angle may include the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction and the elevation angle in the vertical direction, etc. Optionally, when reporting the angle under the local coordinate system, the network device may also report the transformation relationship between the local coordinate system and the global coordinate system.

[0187] It should be understood that the first beam in this application can be a transmit beam, a receive beam, or both, depending on whether the terminal device has beam consistency capability. Some terminal devices have beam consistency capability, while others do not. Similarly, the second beam can be a transmit beam, a receive beam, or both, depending on whether the network device has beam consistency capability. Some network devices have beam consistency capability, while others do not.

[0188] Specifically, when the terminal device has beam consistency capability, it can maintain the same or similar beam direction and beamwidth for its transmit and receive beams. In this case, the first beam can be either the terminal device's receive beam or its transmit beam; it doesn't need to distinguish between them. Similarly, when the network device also has beam consistency capability, the second beam can be either the network device's receive beam or its transmit beam; it also doesn't need to distinguish between them. In this case, the beam pair (BPL) formed by the first and second beams doesn't need to be distinguished as uplink or downlink.

[0189] When a terminal device lacks beam consistency capability, it cannot maintain the same or similar beamwidth for its transmit and receive beams. In this case, the terminal device can report information for the first uplink beam (or first transmit beam) and the first downlink beam (or first receive beam) separately. Similarly, when a network device lacks beam consistency capability, it can report information for the second uplink beam (or second receive beam) and the second downlink beam (or second transmit beam) separately. When either the terminal device or the network device lacks beam consistency capability, the beam pair between them needs to be further divided into uplink and downlink beam pairs. In the uplink beam pair, the terminal device's beam (i.e., the first beam) is the transmit beam, and the network device's beam (i.e., the second beam) is the receive beam. Similarly, in the downlink beam pair, the terminal device's beam (i.e., the first beam) is the receive beam, and the network device's beam (i.e., the second beam) is the transmit beam.

[0190] Optionally, terminal devices and network devices can send a message to the first network element indicating whether they possess beam consistency capabilities.

[0191] Optionally, when the terminal device or network device does not have beam consistency capability, the information of the first beam may also include whether the first beam is an uplink beam (or a transmit beam) or a downlink beam (or a receive beam), and the information of the second beam may also include whether the second beam is an uplink beam (or a receive beam) or a downlink beam (or a transmit beam).

[0192] In one implementation, the terminal device can report information about a first beam set (or list) to the first network element before S510. The information for each beam in the first beam set includes beam direction information or information including {beam index + beam direction}. When the beam index is not included, the beam index can be determined based on the order of the beam in the set or list. In this case, the first beam reported by the terminal device in S510 can be a beam from the first beam set. The information for the first beam reported by the terminal device may not directly include the direction of the first beam, but may include the beam index of the first beam in the first beam set. Optionally, if the information for each beam in the first beam set also includes information such as whether the beam is an uplink or downlink beam and the beam width, the information for the first beam reported by the terminal device may also exclude this information, which can be determined by the beam index. It should be understood that this implementation can also be understood as the information for the first beam indirectly including the direction information of the first beam, and indirectly including information such as whether the first beam is an uplink or downlink beam and the beam width. It should be understood that the beam index may be different from the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0193] Similarly, network devices can report information about a second beam set (or list) to the first network element before S520. The information for each beam in the second beam set includes beam direction information or information including {beam index + beam direction}. When the beam index is not included, the beam index can be determined based on the order of the beam in the set or list. In this case, the second beam reported by the network device in S520 can be a beam from the second beam set. The information of the second beam reported by the network device may not directly include the direction of the second beam, but may include the beam index of the second beam in the second beam set. Optionally, if the information for each beam in the second beam set also includes information such as whether the beam is an uplink or downlink beam and the beam width, the information of the second beam reported by the network device may not include this information, which can be determined by the beam index. It should be understood that this implementation can also be understood as the second beam information indirectly including the direction information of the second beam, as well as indirectly including information such as whether the second beam is an uplink or downlink beam and the width of the second beam. It should be understood that the beam index may be different from the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0194] For example, the first identifier is used to identify the first beam. For instance, for a terminal device, the first identifier is used to identify the first beam. Since the beams of two devices are usually corresponding and can form a beam pair, but each device may only know its own beam, for a terminal device, the first identifier can also be used to identify the first beam, but not the second beam.

[0195] For example, the first identifier is used to identify the second beam. For instance, for a network device, the first identifier can also be used to identify the second beam. Since the beams of two devices are usually corresponding and can form a beam pair, but each device may only know its own beam, for a network device, the first identifier can also be used to identify the second beam instead of the first beam.

[0196] For example, the first identifier is used to identify the first beam and the second beam. For instance, the first beam and the second beam are associated, and the first beam and the second beam form a beam pair currently used for communication between the terminal device and the network device. Therefore, for the first network element, the first identifier can also be understood as being used to identify the first beam and the second beam, or to identify the first beam pair formed by the first beam and the second beam, or to determine the association between the first beam and the second beam by the first network element, that is, to determine that the first beam and the second beam form a beam pair currently used for communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0197] Optionally, when multiple BPLs exist between the terminal device and the network device, the terminal device can report multiple first beams to the first network element, and the network device can also report multiple second beams to the first network element. These multiple first beams and second beams are associated, for example, in a one-to-one relationship. Therefore, the information of each first beam may include its corresponding first identifier, and the information of each second beam may include its corresponding first identifier. For associated first and second beams, the information of these beams includes the same first identifier. Based on the first identifier, the first network element can associate the multiple first beams reported by the terminal device and the multiple first beams reported by the network device to form a BPL, which is used to subsequently determine whether these BPLs will fail. For example, there are two beam pairs between the terminal device and the network device, namely beam pair 1 and beam pair 2. Beam pair 1 includes the first beam-1 of the terminal device and the second beam-1 of the network device, and beam pair 2 includes the first beam-2 of the terminal device and the second beam-2 of the network device. The terminal device and the network device can agree on the association of beam pair 1 with the first identifier-1 and beam pair 2 with the first identifier-2 through configuration information. Then, the terminal device reports two first beams. The information of the first beam-1 includes the direction of the first beam-1 and the first identifier-1, and the information of the first beam-2 includes the direction of the first beam-1 and the first identifier-1. The network device reports two second beams: the direction of the second beam-1 and the first identifier-1, and the direction of the second beam-2 and the first identifier-2. Upon receiving this information, the first network element can combine the first beam-1 and the second beam-2 into beam pair 1, and combine the first beam-2 and the second beam-2 into beam pair 2. Subsequently, it is only necessary to determine whether beam failure will occur between these two beam pairs, without needing to determine the performance of the beam pairs formed by the first beam-1 and the second beam-2, or the performance of the beam pairs formed by the first beam-2 and the second beam-1. When only one BPL exists or is established between the terminal device and the network device, the information of the first beam may not include the first identifier, and the information of the second beam may also not include the first identifier.

[0198] In this application, the first identifier can be referred to as a beam identifier, beam pair identifier, etc. Specifically, the first identifier can be an identifier of the reference signal associated with the first beam and / or the second beam, such as the identifier of CSI-RS, the identifier of SRS, etc.; it can be an identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the first beam and / or the second beam, such as the identifier of CSI-RS resource, the identifier of SRS resource, etc.; or it can be an identifier of the TCI state associated with the first beam and / or the second beam. Details will be explained later.

[0199] For example, a network device identifier is used to identify the network device with which the terminal device communicates using the first beam. For instance, when the terminal device can communicate with multiple network devices or communicate via beam (e.g., establish a BPL), the network device identifier can be used to indicate which network device the first beam is used to communicate with. When the terminal device communicates with only one network device using beam-based communication, the information of the first beam may not include the network device identifier. The first network element can determine the network device with which the terminal device communicates using the first beam in other ways, such as determining from other network elements in the core network (e.g., the AMF) which network device the terminal device is currently communicating with using beam-based communication.

[0200] For example, the terminal device identifier is used to identify the terminal device that the network device communicates with using the second beam. For instance, when the network device can communicate with multiple terminal devices via beams, the terminal device identifier can be used to indicate which terminal device the second beam is used to communicate with.

[0201] The width of the first beam refers to the angle between the two half-power points of the first beam, or the angle between two directions where the radiated power drops by 3dB on either side of the maximum radiation direction of the first beam. The width of the first beam can include both horizontal and vertical widths. Similarly, the width of the second beam refers to the angle between the two half-power points of the second beam, or the angle between two directions where the radiated power drops by 3dB on either side of the maximum radiation direction of the second beam. The width of the second beam can also include both horizontal and vertical widths. Reporting the width information of both the first and second beams to the first network element helps it more accurately determine whether beam failure will occur.

[0202] It should be understood that there can be multiple terminal devices implementing S510, without any restriction.

[0203] It should be understood that there can be multiple network devices implementing S520, without any restriction.

[0204] As an example, the first identifier is the identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the first beam and / or the second beam, or the identifier of the reference signal.

[0205] When the reference signal resource is a downlink reference signal resource, since each reference signal resource can correspond to a transmit beam of a network device and a receive beam of a terminal device, the identifier of the reference signal resource can be used to index the first downlink beam of the terminal device (the receive beam in the downlink scenario) and the second downlink beam of the network device (the transmit beam in the downlink scenario), i.e., the first downlink beam pair. When the reference signal resource is an uplink reference signal resource, since each reference signal resource can correspond to a receive beam of a network device and a transmit beam of a terminal device, the identifier of the reference signal resource can be used to index the first uplink beam of the terminal device (the transmit beam in the uplink scenario) and the second uplink beam of the network device (the receive beam in the uplink scenario), i.e., the first uplink beam pair. When both the network device and the terminal device have beam consistency capability, there is no need to distinguish between uplink and downlink beams; therefore, the identifier of the reference signal resource (whether uplink or downlink) can be used to index the first beam of the terminal device and the second beam of the network device, i.e., the first beam pair.

[0206] For example, the identifier of the reference signal resource can be a CSI-RS resource identifier, which refers to the reference signal resource used to determine channel state information. Typically, the CSI-RS resource is a downlink reference signal resource, i.e., a reference signal sent by a network device to a terminal device. Therefore, it can be used to identify downlink beam pairs, or beam pairs in beam-coherence scenarios.

[0207] Optionally, in this example, the information of the first beam may also include the type of CSI-RS resource associated with the first beam pair, for example, the type of CSI-RS resource is a synchronization sign block (SSB) resource or a non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resource.

[0208] For example, terminal device 1 maintains the correspondence between CSI-RS resource identifiers and first beams as shown in the second and third columns of Table 1-1. Each first beam pair can correspond to one CSI-RS resource identifier.

[0209] Table 1-1

[0210] Network device identification First Beam CSI-RS Resource Identifier Network device 1 First Beam-1 CSI-RS Resource ID 1 Network device 1 First Beam-2 CSI-RS Resource ID 2 Network device 2 First Beam-3 CSI-RS Resource ID 3

[0211] Similarly, network device 1 maintains the correspondence between CSI-RS resource identifiers and second beams as shown in the second and third columns of Table 1-2, where each second beam can correspond to one CSI-RS resource identifier.

[0212] Table 1-2

[0213] Terminal device identification Second beam CSI-RS Resource Identifier Terminal device 1 Second Beam-1 CSI-RS Resource ID 1 Terminal device 1 Second Beam-2 CSI-RS Resource ID 2 Terminal device 2 Second Beam-4 CSI-RS Resource ID 4

[0214] The first network element can maintain the correspondence between the CSI-RS resource identifier and the first beam pair based on the information of the first beam reported by the terminal device and the information of the second beam reported by the network device, as shown in the third and fourth columns of Table 1-3.

[0215] Table 1-3

[0216] Network device identification Terminal device identification First beam pair CSI-RS Resource Identifier Network device 1 Terminal device 1 First beam -1 + Second beam -1 CSI-RS Resource ID 1 Network device 1 Terminal device 1 First beam -2 + Second beam -2 CSI-RS Resource ID 2 Network device 2 Terminal device 1 First beam -3 + Second beam -3 CSI-RS Resource ID 3 Network device 1 Terminal device 2 First beam -4 + Second beam -4 CSI-RS Resource ID 4

[0217] For example, the identifier of the reference signal resource can be an SRS resource identifier. Typically, the SRS resource is an uplink reference signal resource, that is, a reference signal sent by the terminal device to the network device. Therefore, it can be used to identify uplink beam pairs, or beam pairs in beam consistency scenarios.

[0218] For example, terminal device 1 maintains the correspondence between SRS resource identifiers and first beams as shown in the second and third columns of Table 2-1. Each first beam pair can correspond to one SRS resource identifier.

[0219] Table 2-1

[0220] Network device identification First Beam SRS Resource Identifier Network device 1 First Beam-1 SRS Resource ID 1 Network device 1 First Beam-2 SRS Resource ID 2 Network device 2 First Beam-3 SRS Resource ID 3

[0221] Similarly, network device 1 maintains the correspondence between SRS resource identifiers and second beams as shown in the second and third columns of Table 2-2, where each second beam can correspond to one SRS resource identifier.

[0222] Table 2-2

[0223] Terminal device identification Second beam SRS Resource Identifier Terminal device 1 Second Beam-1 SRS Resource ID 1 Terminal device 1 Second Beam-2 SRS Resource ID 2 Terminal device 2 Second Beam-4 SRS Resource ID 4

[0224] The first network element can maintain the correspondence between the SRS resource identifier and the first beam pair based on the information of the first beam reported by the terminal device and the information of the second beam reported by the network device, as shown in the third and fourth columns of Table 2-3.

[0225] Table 2-3

[0226] Network device identification Terminal device identification First beam pair SRS Resource Identifier Network device 1 Terminal device 1 First beam -1 + Second beam -1 SRS Resource ID 1 Network device 1 Terminal device 1 First beam -2 + Second beam -2 SRS Resource ID 2 Network device 2 Terminal device 1 First beam -3 + Second beam -3 SRS Resource ID 3 Network device 1 Terminal device 2 First beam -4 + Second beam -4 SRS Resource ID 4

[0227] As yet another example, the first identifier is the identifier of the TCI state associated with the first beam and / or the second beam.

[0228] The TCI state is used to indicate the quasi-colocation (QCL) information of a signal or channel. This TCI state can include a type D QCL source reference signal. It should be understood that QCL information, also called QCL relationship or QCL assumption, indicates the association between two reference signals or between a reference signal and a channel. The standard defines four types of QCL: Type A, Type B, Type C, and Type D. Type D reflects spatial reception parameters, i.e., beam information. If the QCL information of two reference signals is type D, then they have similar spatial reception parameters. For example, through beam training, the network device and the terminal device can determine that the BPL signal associated with RS resource 1 has good quality. Therefore, the network device can set the type D QCL source reference signal resource in TCI state 1 as RS resource 1 and configure it for the terminal device. Subsequently, the network device can indicate to the terminal device that the TCI state identifier of the control channel or data channel is TCI state 1. Then, the receiving beam used by the terminal device when receiving the corresponding control channel or data channel can be the same as the receiving beam used when receiving RS1.

[0229] For example, the terminal device 1 maintains the correspondence between TCI status and first beam as shown in the second and third columns of Table 3-1. Each first beam can correspond to a TCI status or TCI status identifier.

[0230] Table 3-1

[0231] Network device identification First Beam TCI Status Indicator Network device 1 First Beam-1 TCI Status ID 1 Network device 1 First Beam-2 TCI Status ID 2 Network device 2 First Beam-3 TCI Status ID 3

[0232] Similarly, the correspondence between the TCI status and the second beam maintained by network device 1 is shown in the second and third columns of Table 3-2. Each second beam can correspond to a TCI status identifier.

[0233] Table 3-2

[0234] Terminal device identification Second beam TCI Status Indicator Terminal device 1 Second Beam-1 TCI Status ID 1 Terminal device 1 Second Beam-2 TCI Status ID 2 Terminal device 2 Second Beam-4 TCI Status ID 4

[0235] The first network element can maintain the correspondence between the TCI status and the first beam pair based on the information of the first beam reported by the terminal device and the information of the second beam reported by the network device, as shown in the third and fourth columns of Table 3-3.

[0236] Table 3-3

[0237] Network device identification Terminal device identification First beam pair TCI Status Indicator Network device 1 Terminal device 1 First beam -1 + Second beam -1 TCI Status ID 1 Network device 1 Terminal device 1 First beam -2 + Second beam -2 TCI Status ID 2 Network device 2 Terminal device 1 First beam -3 + Second beam -3 TCI Status ID 3 Network device 1 Terminal device 2 First beam -4 + Second beam -4 TCI Status ID4

[0238] It should be understood that when the terminal equipment and network equipment have beam consistency, the terminal equipment, network equipment, and the first network element can use any of the above-mentioned identifiers to identify the first beam and / or the second beam. When the terminal equipment and network equipment do not have beam consistency, the terminal equipment, network equipment, and the first network element can use the SRS resource identifier to identify the uplink beam or uplink beam pair, and use the CSI-RS resource identifier and TCI status identifier to identify the downlink beam or downlink beam pair.

[0239] It should also be understood that, taking the first identifier as the identifier of a reference signal resource as an example, a terminal device can use the first beam to transmit a reference signal on that reference signal resource, and correspondingly, a network device can use the second beam to receive a reference signal on that reference signal resource; or, a network device can use the second beam to transmit a reference signal on that reference signal resource, and correspondingly, a terminal device can use the first beam to receive a reference signal on that reference signal resource. In this process, for the terminal device, it can identify the first beam using the identifier of the reference signal resource. Since the terminal device does not have information about the second beam, the identifier of the reference signal resource is not used to identify the second beam, as shown in Tables 1-1 and 2-1. Similarly, for the network device, it can identify the second beam using the identifier of the reference signal resource. Since the network device does not have information about the first beam, the identifier of the reference signal resource is not used to identify the first beam, as shown in Tables 1-2 and 2-2. For the first network element, it can identify both the first and second beams using the identifier of the reference signal resource, as shown in Tables 1-3 and 2-3.

[0240] Optionally, terminal device 1 can also maintain the correspondence between the first beam and the network device identifier, as shown in the first and second columns of Table 1-1, the first and second columns of Table 2-1, and the first and second columns of Table 3-1. Network device 1 can also maintain the correspondence between the second beam and the terminal device identifier, as shown in the first and second columns of Table 1-2, the first and second columns of Table 2-2, and the first and second columns of Table 3-2. The first network element can also maintain the correspondence between the network device identifier, the terminal device identifier, the first beam, and the second beam, as shown in the first to third columns of Table 1-3, the first to third columns of Table 2-3, and the first to third columns of Table 3-3.

[0241] It should be understood that the second column of Table 1-1, the second column of Table 2-1, and the second column of Table 3-1 can be specific physical parameters of the first beam, such as the direction and width of the first beam. The second column of Table 1-1, the second column of Table 2-1, and the second column of Table 3-1 can also be the beam index of the first beam in the first beam set maintained by terminal device 1. Similarly, the second column of Table 1-2, the second column of Table 2-2, and the second column of Table 3-2 can be specific physical parameters of the second beam, such as the direction and width of the second beam. The second column of Table 1-2, the second column of Table 2-2, and the second column of Table 3-2 can also be the beam index of the second beam in the second beam set maintained by network device 1. Similarly, the third column of Table 1-3, the third column of Table 2-3, and the third column of Table 3-3 can be specific physical parameters of the first and second beams, such as the direction and width of the first beam and the direction and width of the second beam. The third column of Table 1-3, the third column of Table 2-3, and the third column of Table 3-3 can also be the beam index of the first beam in the first beam set and the beam index of the second beam in the second beam set maintained by the first network element.

[0242] Optionally, in a scenario where the terminal device is currently communicating with the network device using a first beam, the information of the first beam may not include the first identifier and / or the terminal device identifier, meaning the first beam is unique. Similarly, in a scenario where the network device is currently communicating with the network device using a second beam, the information of the second beam may not include the first identifier, meaning the second beam is unique.

[0243] Optionally, the information of the first beam and the information of the second beam can be determined by measuring the set of reference signals q0 used for beam failure detection by the network device and the terminal device. For example, the source reference signal of the type D QCL corresponding to the TCI status ID reported by the network device and the terminal device to the first network element is the reference signal in q0, or the reference signal corresponding to the reported CSI-RS resource identifier is the reference signal in q0.

[0244] Optionally, S520 can be executed before S510. In this case, before S510, the method 500 may further include: the sensing function network element sending fourth indication information to the terminal device, the fourth indication information being used to instruct the terminal device to report information about the first beam, the fourth indication information including a first identifier.

[0245] Specifically, the first network element can instruct the terminal device to report the information of the beam corresponding to the first identifier based on the first identifier in the information of the second beam. For example, the first network element can first receive some TCI status IDs or CSI-RS resource IDs and corresponding beam information from the base station, and then instruct the UE on the CSI-RS resource ID or TCI status ID of the beam to be reported. The UE then reports the specific beam information according to the instruction of the first network element. Figure 4 For example, the base station can first send a transmission q to the first network element. 0-1 and q 0-2 Information about the beam used, i.e., q 0-1 and q 0-2 The corresponding beam information, the beam identifiers can be q respectively. 0-1 and q 0-2 That is, the beam is identified by a reference signal identifier. Furthermore, the first network element can send information A (an example of the fourth indication information) to the UE, where information A includes q 0-1 and q 0-2 Thus, the UE can report its transmission q 0-1 The beam information used and the transmission q 0-2 The beam information used. In this case, the first beam information sent by the terminal device may not include the first identifier. In this case, the terminal device needs to report the first beam information in the order of the first identifier in the fourth indication information. For example, information A includes q. 0-1 and q 0-2 If the UE reports the directions of two beams but not their corresponding identifiers, then the first network element can determine that the first beam is associated with q. 0-1 The second beam is associated with q 0-2 .

[0246] Optionally, S510 can be executed before S520. In this case, before S520, the method 500 may further include: the sensing function network element sending fifth indication information to the network device, the fifth indication information being used to instruct the network device to report second beam information, the fifth indication information including a first identifier.

[0247] Specifically, the first network element can instruct the network device to report the information of the beam corresponding to the first identifier based on the first identifier in the information of the first beam. For example, the first network element can first receive some TCI status IDs or CSI-RS resource IDs and corresponding beam information from the UE, and then instruct the base station on the CSI-RS resource ID or TCI status ID of the beam to be reported. The base station then reports the specific beam information according to the instruction of the first network element. Figure 4 For example, the UE can first send a transmission q to the first network element. 0-1 and q 0-2Information about the beam used, i.e., q 0-1 and q 0-2 The corresponding beam information, the beam identifiers can be q respectively. 0-1 and q 0-2 That is, the beam is identified by a reference signal identifier. Furthermore, the first network element can send information B (an example of the fifth indication information) to the base station, where information B includes q. 0-1 and q 0-2 Thus, the base station can report its transmitted q 0-1 The beam information used and the transmission q 0-2 The beam information used. In this case, the information of the second beam sent by the network device may not include the first identifier. In this case, when the network device needs to report the beam information, it should report the information of the second beam in the order of the first identifier in the fifth instruction information.

[0248] Optionally, S510 and S520 can be executed simultaneously. For example, the terminal device and the network device can report their beam information, namely the information of the first beam and the information of the second beam, respectively.

[0249] In S530, the first network element sends the first information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information.

[0250] The first information is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail.

[0251] It should be understood that when the first beam pair is about to fail, the first network element can send the first information to the terminal device, indicating that the first beam or the first beam pair is about to fail. That is, for the terminal device, it can determine that its own first beam is about to fail based on the first information.

[0252] In this application, beam failure can also be referred to as beam failure or beam malfunction. The impending failure of the first beam pair includes the impending failure of both the first and second beams. The impending failure of the first beam pair refers to the situation where, at some point in the future or within a certain time period, the first beam pair will be blocked by a scattering object, preventing the terminal device and network device from communicating normally via the first beam pair. Specifically, for the terminal device, the impending failure of the first beam means that, at the aforementioned point in time or within a certain time period, the terminal device will be unable to communicate normally with the network device via the first beam. For the network device, the impending failure of the second beam means that, at the aforementioned point in time or within a certain time period, the network device will be unable to communicate normally with the terminal device via the second beam.

[0253] In S540, the first network element sends the second information to the network device, and the network device receives the second information accordingly.

[0254] Similarly, the second information is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0255] It should be understood that when the first beam pair is about to fail, the first network element can send the first information to the network device, indicating that the second beam or the first beam pair is about to fail. That is, for the network device, it can determine that its own second beam is about to fail based on the first information.

[0256] Optionally, the first information and the second information can be located in the same information set, that is, the information set includes the first information and the second information. This information set is used not only to indicate that the first beam is about to fail, but also to indicate that the second beam is about to fail. In other words, this information set can be used to indicate that the first beam pair is about to fail.

[0257] Optionally, the first network element can send the information set to the network device and the terminal device respectively, that is, send the first information and the second information to both the network device and the terminal device. Alternatively, the first network element can send the information set to both the network device and the terminal device at the same time. Or, the first network element can send the information set to the network device, and then the network device can forward the information set or the first information in the information set to the terminal device.

[0258] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can promptly indicate to the terminal equipment and network equipment that the first and second beams are about to fail. This helps the terminal equipment and network equipment to make timely communication decisions, such as identifying candidate beams in advance, avoiding beam failure, and reducing the impact on user experience.

[0259] Optionally, the method 500 further includes: S550, the first network element determines that the first beam and the second beam are about to fail.

[0260] Specifically, in one implementation, the first network element can determine that the first beam and the second beam are about to fail based on the location of the terminal device, the location of the network device, the direction of the first beam, the direction of the second beam, and the location of the first scatterer.

[0261] The location of the terminal device can be in a local coordinate system or a global coordinate system, and can be represented by coordinates in a Cartesian coordinate system or by angles and distances in a polar coordinate system. Similarly, the location of the network device and the location of the first scattering body are also represented in this way.

[0262] Optionally, prior to S530, the first network element can obtain the location of the terminal device, the location of the network device, and the location of the first scatterer.

[0263] In this process, network devices can report their location to the first network element, or the first network element can obtain the location of the network device from the network device's operation and management (OAM) network element.

[0264] The first network element integrates a location management function (LMF), which can determine the location of the terminal device, or the LMF or the terminal device can send information such as the terminal device's real-time location and movement speed to the first network element. Optionally, the terminal device or the LMF can also predict its own movement trajectory based on sensor or historical data and report it to the first network element, enabling the first network element to predict the potential location of the terminal device.

[0265] In this application, the first network element can obtain the position of the first scatterer through sensing. The first scatterer can also be referred to as a first obstruction, a first sensing target, a first target, a first point (in sensing, the perceived information can typically be represented by the position, coefficient, velocity, Doppler frequency, etc. of a point in a point cloud), or a set of first points, etc., referring to the sensing target that affects the first beam pair. During sensing, the sensing transmitter can send a sensing signal, which can directly reach the first scatterer or reach it after one or more spatial interactions, such as refraction, scattering, reflection, or diffraction. Furthermore, after the sensing signal is reflected by the first scatterer, the sensing receiver can receive the echo signal. The sensing receiver processes the received echo signal to obtain the position of the first scatterer.

[0266] For example, in Figure 6 In this context, the RAN (an example of a network device) and UE (an example of a terminal device) can report their beam information, including q, to ​​the SF (an example of a first network element). 0-1 and q 0-2 The corresponding beam information allows the SF to determine the BPL used between the RAN and UE, including q. 0-1 and q 0-2 The corresponding BPL. At time t1, the UE's position is p1, and the RAN and UE can communicate using q. 0-1 The corresponding BPL communicates, and at time t2, the UE's position will move to p2. The RAN and UE can communicate using q. 0-2 The corresponding BPL communicates. Based on the RAN's location, the UE's location, and the predicted UE trajectory, SF can predict the value of q at time t2. 0-2 The corresponding BPL is about to be occluded by an object (an example of the first scatterer), thus determining q. 0-2 The corresponding BPL is about to expire.

[0267] Specifically, in another implementation, the first network element determines that the first and second beams are about to fail based on the location of the terminal device, the location of the network device, the direction of the first beam, the direction of the second beam, and a channel knowledge map of the beams. For example, if the channel knowledge map stores the signal quality of the terminal device and the network device using different beams at different locations, the first network element can determine that the first and second beams are about to fail. The first network element itself can store the channel knowledge map, or it can request the channel knowledge map from other network elements.

[0268] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can determine that the first beam and the second beam are about to fail based on the information from the first beam from the terminal device and the information from the second beam from the network device. This can help the terminal device and the network device to detect beam failure and improve the efficiency of beam failure detection.

[0269] In addition, this avoids the terminal devices and network devices performing beam failure detection only after the first and second beams have failed, reducing the impact on user experience.

[0270] As one implementation of method 500, the first information includes information about the third beam, the second information includes information about the fourth beam, the third beam and the fourth beam are associated, and the third beam and the fourth beam are used for communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0271] For example, the first network element can determine the location of potential scatterers in the network that can be used to reflect signals through sensing information, and determine candidate beam pairs between the terminal device and the network device based on the location of the network device and the location of the terminal device. Figure 4 For example, the first network element can sense scatterers (e.g., Figure 4 The location of the wall shown by the shaded strip on the right (another example of the first scatterer), the location of the UE, and the location of the base station are used to determine the q between the UE and the base station. 1-1 The identified beam pair can serve as a candidate beam pair, and therefore, it can indicate q to the UE and / or base station. 1-1 The information of the identified beam. For example, the first network element can also determine candidate beam pairs between the terminal device and the network device based on channel knowledge map information, the location of the network device, and the location of the terminal device. Specifically, the third beam can be understood as a candidate beam used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device, and the fourth beam can be understood as a candidate beam used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device. As mentioned above, the beams between the two devices are usually corresponding and can form a beam pair. Therefore, the third beam and the fourth beam are associated, and the third beam and the fourth beam form a beam pair used for communication between the terminal device and the network device. This beam pair can be called a candidate beam pair.

[0272] It should be understood that there can be one or more candidate beam pairs. When there are multiple candidate beam pairs, there are also multiple third beams and multiple fourth beams. There is a correlation between the multiple third beams and the multiple fourth beams, for example, they are one-to-one related or one-to-one corresponding.

[0273] The information for the third beam includes its direction.

[0274] For example, the direction of the third beam may include the angle of the third beam, which may be an angle in the global coordinate system or an angle in the local coordinate system of the terminal device. The angle may include the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction and the pitch angle in the vertical direction, etc.

[0275] Similarly, the information for the fourth beam includes its direction.

[0276] For example, the direction of the fourth beam may include the angle of the fourth beam, which may be an angle in the global coordinate system or an angle in the local coordinate system of the network device. The angle may include the azimuth angle in the horizontal direction and the pitch angle in the vertical direction, etc.

[0277] In another implementation, if the terminal device reports information about the first beam set before S510, the third beam can be a beam from the first beam set. The information about the third beam may not directly include its direction, but rather its beam index within the first beam set. It should be understood that this implementation can also be interpreted as the information about the third beam indirectly including its direction. Similarly, if the network device reports information about the second beam set before S520, the fourth beam can be a beam from the second beam set. The information about the fourth beam may not directly include its direction, but rather its beam index within the second beam set. It should be understood that this implementation can also be interpreted as the information about the fourth beam indirectly including its direction.

[0278] Based on the above scheme, the first network element sends the directions of the third and fourth beams to the terminal and network devices, which helps the terminal and network devices to quickly determine the candidate beams.

[0279] Optionally, the information for the third beam may also include a second identifier.

[0280] Optionally, the information for the fourth beam may also include a second identifier.

[0281] In this application, the second identifier is used to identify candidate beam pairs, or in other words, to identify the third and fourth beams. For example, for the first network element, the second identifier is used to identify the candidate beam pair composed of the third and fourth beams.

[0282] In this application, the second identifier can also be used to identify the third beam. For example, for a terminal device, the second identifier is used to identify the third beam, but not the fourth beam.

[0283] In this application, the second identifier can also be used to identify the fourth beam. For example, for a network device, the second identifier is used to identify the fourth beam, but not the third beam.

[0284] Specifically, the second identifier received by the terminal device is associated with the third beam of the terminal device, and the second identifier received by the network device is associated with the fourth beam of the network device. In other words, the second identifier is used to identify a candidate beam pair composed of the third and fourth beams. For example, on the first network element side, the second identifier is associated with a candidate beam pair composed of the third and fourth beams. Therefore, when allocating the second identifier, the first network element needs to assign the same second identifier to the beams associated with both the terminal device side and the network device side (i.e., the BPL constituting effective communication). Optionally, when the first network element only indicates one third beam and one fourth beam, the information of the third beam may not include the second identifier, and the information of the fourth beam may not include the second identifier either.

[0285] As an example, the second identifier can be the candidate beam pair identifier assigned to the first network element. Alternatively, the second identifier can be the candidate beam pair identifier for the third and fourth beams. It should be understood that in this example, the candidate beam pair identifier is simply a name for the second identifier, which can also be other names. Its primary function is for BPL pairing during subsequent reference signal resource configuration.

[0286] In this example, considering that subsequent network devices and terminal devices still need to confirm the quality of the candidate beam pair by transmitting and receiving reference signals in the direction of the candidate beam pair, when the first network element indicates multiple candidate beam pairs, in order to ensure that the network devices and terminal devices can use matching beams for measurement on a reference signal resource, the first network element predetermines the candidate beam pair identifiers associated with the beams of the network devices and terminal devices on one side. In this way, when configuring each reference signal resource, the network device can indicate the candidate beam pair identifier associated with each reference signal resource. The device that transmits the reference signal can determine the transmission beam according to the candidate beam pair identifier associated with the reference signal resource, and the device that receives the reference signal can determine the corresponding reception beam. The transmission beam and the reception beam are associated (i.e., they can form the candidate beam pair determined by the first network element). For the specific steps of configuring the reference signal resource and measuring the reference signal, please refer to S560 and S570 below.

[0287] For example, the first network element identifies two candidate beam pairs between network device 1 and terminal device 1, one candidate beam pair between network device 2 and terminal device 1, and one candidate beam pair between network device 1 and terminal device 2. Candidate beam pair 1 includes the third beam-1 of terminal device 1 and the fourth beam-1 of network device 1; candidate beam pair 2 includes the third beam-2 of terminal device 1 and the fourth beam-2 of network device 1; and candidate beam pair 3 includes the third beam-3 of terminal device 1 and... The fourth beam-3 of network device 2 and the candidate beam pair 4 include the third beam-4 of terminal device 2 and the fourth beam-4 of network device 1. Then, the first network element can assign candidate beam pair identifier 1 to candidate beam pair 1, candidate beam pair identifier 2 to candidate beam pair 2, candidate beam pair identifier 3 to candidate beam pair 3, and candidate beam pair identifier 4 to candidate beam pair 4. The correspondence between the candidate beam pair identifiers and candidate beam pairs maintained by the first network element can be shown in the third and fourth columns of Table 4-1.

[0288] Table 4-1

[0289] Network device identification Terminal device identification Candidate beam pairs Candidate beam pair identifier Network device 1 Terminal device 1 Third beam-1 + Fourth beam-1 Candidate beam pair identifier 1 Network device 1 Terminal device 1 Third Beam-2 + Fourth Beam-2 Candidate beam pair identifier 2 Network device 2 Terminal device 1 Third Beam-3 + Fourth Beam-3 Candidate beam pair identifier 3 Network device 1 Terminal device 2 Third Beam-4 + Fourth Beam-4 Candidate beam pair identifier 4

[0290] Furthermore, the first network element can indicate the information of the three third beams and the corresponding candidate beam pair identifiers to the terminal device 1 through the first information, as shown in the second and third columns of Table 4-2.

[0291] Table 4-2

[0292] Network device identification Third beam Candidate beam pair identifier Network device 1 Third Beam-1 Candidate beam pair identifier 1 Network device 1 Third Beam-2 Candidate beam pair identifier 2 Network device 2 Third Beam-3 Candidate beam pair identifier 3

[0293] Furthermore, the first network element can indicate the information of the three fourth beams and the corresponding candidate beam pair identifiers to the network device 1 through the second information, as shown in the second and third columns of Table 4-3.

[0294] Table 4-3

[0295] Terminal device identification Fourth beam Candidate beam pair identifier Terminal device 1 Fourth Beam-1 Candidate beam pair identifier 1 Terminal device 1 Fourth Beam-2 Candidate beam pair identifier 2 Terminal device 2 Fourth Beam-4 Candidate beam pair identifier 4

[0296] Optionally, the identifiers of candidate beam pairs should be different between the same network device and the same terminal device. For example, the identifiers of candidate beam pairs 1 and 2 in Tables 4-1 to 4-3 should be different.

[0297] Optionally, the candidate beam pair identifiers between the same network device and different terminal devices can be different or the same, the candidate beam pair identifiers between different network devices and the same terminal device can be different or the same, and the candidate beam pair identifiers between different network devices and different terminal devices can be different or the same. For example, candidate beam pair identifier 1 and candidate beam pair identifier 3 in Tables 4-1 and 4-2 can be the same or different.

[0298] As another example, the second identifier can be an identifier for a reference signal resource, or a reference signal resource identifier, or in other words, the second identifier is the reference signal resource identifier associated with the third and fourth beams. Optionally, this reference signal resource identifier is assigned by the first network element. In this example, considering that subsequent network devices and terminal devices still need to confirm the quality of the candidate beam pair by transmitting and receiving reference signals in the direction of the candidate beam pair, when the first network element indicates multiple candidate beam pairs, in order to ensure that the network devices and terminal devices can use matching beams for measurement on a reference signal resource, the first network element predetermines the reference signal resource identifier associated with each candidate beam or candidate beam pair for the network devices and terminal devices. In this way, for each reference signal resource, the device transmitting the reference signal can determine the transmitting beam according to the beam associated with the reference signal resource identifier of the reference signal resource, and the device receiving the reference signal can determine the corresponding receiving beam. Moreover, the transmitting beam and the receiving beam are associated (i.e., they can form the candidate beam pair determined by the first network element). For the specific steps of configuring the reference signal resource and measuring the reference signal, please refer to S560 and S570 below.

[0299] It should be understood that in this application, the reference signal resource identifier is a dedicated identifier for the reference signal resource, which can also be referred to as the identifier of the reference signal resource. The reference signal resource identifier is used to identify the reference signal resource, which is used by the terminal equipment and network equipment to transmit the reference signal using the candidate beam pair.

[0300] For example, if the first network element determines that there are two candidate beam pairs between network device 1 and terminal device 1, one candidate beam pair between network device 2 and terminal device 1, and one candidate beam pair between network device 1 and terminal device 2, where candidate beam pair 1 includes the third beam-1 of terminal device 1 and the fourth beam-1 of network device 1, candidate beam pair 2 includes the third beam-2 of terminal device 1 and the fourth beam-2 of network device 1, candidate beam pair 3 includes the third beam-3 of terminal device 1 and the fourth beam-3 of network device 2, and candidate beam pair 4 includes the third beam-4 of terminal device 2 and the fourth beam-4 of network device 1, then the first network element can assign reference signal resource identifier 1 to candidate beam pair 1, reference signal resource identifier 2 to candidate beam pair 2, reference signal resource identifier 3 to candidate beam pair 3, and reference signal resource identifier 4 to candidate beam pair 4. For example, the correspondence between the reference signal resource identifier and the candidate beam pair maintained by the first network element can be shown in the third and fourth columns of Table 5-1.

[0301] Table 5-1

[0302] Network device identification Terminal device identification Candidate beam pairs Reference signal resource identifier Network device 1 Terminal device 1 Third beam-1 + Fourth beam-1 Reference signal resource identifier 1 Network device 1 Terminal device 1 Third Beam-2 + Fourth Beam-2 Reference signal resource identifier 2 Network device 2 Terminal device 1 Third Beam-3 + Fourth Beam-3 Reference signal resource identifier 3 Network device 1 Terminal device 2 Third Beam-4 + Fourth Beam-4 Reference signal resource identifier 4

[0303] Furthermore, the first network element can indicate the information of the three third beams and the corresponding reference signal resource identifiers to the terminal device 1 through the first information, as shown in the second and third columns of Table 5-2.

[0304] Table 5-2

[0305] Network device identification Third beam Reference signal resource identifier Network device 1 Third Beam-1 Reference signal resource identifier 1 Network device 1 Third Beam-2 Reference signal resource identifier 2 Network device 2 Third Beam-3 Reference signal resource identifier 3

[0306] Furthermore, the first network element can indicate the information of the three fourth beams and the corresponding reference signal resource identifiers to the network device 1 through the second information, as shown in the second and third columns of Table 5-3.

[0307] Table 5-3

[0308] Terminal device identification Fourth beam Reference signal resource identifier Terminal device 1 Fourth Beam-1 Reference signal resource identifier 1 Terminal device 1 Fourth Beam-2 Reference signal resource identifier 2 Terminal device 2 Fourth Beam-4 Reference signal resource identifier 4

[0309] Optionally, in this example, the second identifier may also indicate the type of reference signal resource. For example, the reference signal resource identifier may be an identifier for a resource used to transmit a specific reference signal, which may be an SSB, an NZP-CSI-RS, or an SRS.

[0310] It should also be understood that, taking the second identifier as the reference signal resource identifier as an example, the terminal device can use the third beam to transmit the reference signal on the reference signal resource, and correspondingly, the network device can use the fourth beam to receive the reference signal on the reference signal resource; or, the network device can use the fourth beam to transmit the reference signal on the reference signal resource, and correspondingly, the terminal device can use the third beam to receive the reference signal on the reference signal resource. In this process, for the terminal device, it can identify the third beam using the identifier of the reference signal resource. Since the terminal device does not have information about the fourth beam, the identifier of the reference signal resource is not used to identify the fourth beam, as shown in Table 5-2. Similarly, for the network device, it can identify the fourth beam using the identifier of the reference signal resource. Since the network device does not have information about the third beam, the identifier of the reference signal resource is not used to identify the third beam, as shown in Table 5-3. For the first network element, it can use the identifier of the reference signal resource to identify both the third and fourth beams, as shown in Table 5-1.

[0311] Optionally, when there are multiple network devices and multiple terminal devices in the communication system, the first network element can also maintain the network device identifier and terminal device identifier corresponding to the candidate beam pair, as shown in the first and second columns of Table 4-1 and the first and second columns of Table 5-1.

[0312] Optionally, the information for the third beam may also include a network device identifier, as shown in the first column of Table 4-2 and the first column of Table 5-2. This network device identifier is used to identify which network device the third beam is a candidate beam used by the terminal device to communicate with. It should be understood that the network device identifier included in the information for the third beam may also implicitly indicate which network device will experience beam failure between the terminal device and the terminal device.

[0313] Optionally, the information for the fourth beam may also include a terminal device identifier, as shown in the first column of Table 4-3 and the first column of Table 5-3. This terminal device identifier is used to identify which terminal device the fourth beam is a candidate beam used by the network device to communicate with. It should be understood that the terminal device identifier included in the information for the fourth beam may also implicitly indicate which terminal device and the network device will experience beam failure.

[0314] Optionally, the information for the third beam may also include the activation time and / or deactivation time of the third beam. Similarly, the information for the fourth beam may also include the activation time and / or deactivation time of the fourth beam. Wherein, the activation times of the third and fourth beams are the same, and the activation times of the third and fourth beams can also be understood as the activation times of the candidate beam pair, for example: activation time is 10:10:01. Similarly, the deactivation times of the third and fourth beams are the same, and the deactivation times of the third and fourth beams can also be understood as the deactivation times of the candidate beam pair, for example: deactivation time is 10:10:10.

[0315] For example, the correspondence between the reference signal resource identifier and the candidate beam pair maintained by the first network element, as well as the effective time and ineffective time of the candidate beam pair, can be shown in Table 6-1.

[0316] Table 6-1

[0317] Candidate beam pairs Second Identifier Effective time Failure time Third beam-1 + Fourth beam-1 Second Identifier-1 Effective time a Failure time a Third Beam-2 + Fourth Beam-2 Second Identifier-2 Effective time b Failure time b Third Beam-3 + Fourth Beam-3 Second Identifier-3 Effective time c Failure time c

[0318] It should be understood that, similar to Table 6-1, Tables 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 5-1, 5-2, and 5-3 may also include the effective time and / or the expiration time, which will not be listed here.

[0319] It should also be understood that the third column of Table 4-1 and the third column of Table 5-1 can be the specific physical parameters of the third and fourth beams, such as the direction and width of the third beam, the direction and width of the fourth beam, etc. The third column of Table 4-1 and the third column of Table 5-1 can also be the beam index of the third beam in the third beam set and the beam index of the fourth beam in the fourth beam set maintained by the first network element. The second column of Table 4-2 and the second column of Table 5-2 can be the specific physical parameters of the third beam, such as the direction and width of the third beam. The second column of Table 4-2 and the second column of Table 5-2 can also be the beam index of the third beam in the third beam set maintained by terminal device 1. Similarly, the second column of Table 4-3 and the second column of Table 5-3 can be the specific physical parameters of the fourth beam, such as the direction and width of the fourth beam. The second column of Table 4-3 and the second column of Table 5-3 can also be the beam index of the fourth beam in the fourth beam set maintained by network device 1.

[0320] Optionally, the first information may also include information about the fourth beam. In other words, the first network element can send the information about the third beam and the information about the fourth beam together to the terminal device.

[0321] Similarly, the second information can also include the information of the third beam. In other words, the first network element can send the information of the third beam and the information of the fourth beam together to the network device.

[0322] It should be understood that in this implementation scenario, the information of the third beam can be used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail and the information of the candidate beams of the terminal device, or it can be used only to indicate the information of the candidate beams of the terminal device without indicating that the first beam is about to fail. Similarly, the information of the fourth beam can be used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail and the information of the candidate beams of the network device, or it can be used only to indicate the information of the candidate beams of the network device without indicating that the second beam is about to fail.

[0323] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can indicate the information of the third beam to the terminal device and the information of the fourth beam to the network device. This helps the terminal device and the network device to determine the candidate beam pair before the first and second beams fail, reducing the impact of the failure of the first and second beams on the user experience.

[0324] Optionally, in one implementation of this scenario, the information of the third beam is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail, and the information of the fourth beam is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0325] In this approach, although the first and second information only include information about candidate beams, the first network element will typically indicate candidate beams only when the first and second beams are about to fail. Therefore, the information about the third beam in the first information can implicitly indicate that the first beam is about to fail, and the information about the fourth beam in the second information can implicitly indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0326] Specifically, when the first network element sends information about the third beam to the terminal device, the terminal device can determine that the first beam is about to fail (or all first beams are about to fail). In other words, in this implementation, the first information may not contain any indication that the first beam is about to fail. Similarly, when the first network element sends information about the fourth beam to the network device, the network device can determine that the second beam is about to fail (or all second beams are about to fail). In other words, in this implementation, the second information may not contain any indication that the second beam is about to fail. Furthermore, if the information about the third beam includes a network device identifier, the terminal device can determine that all first beams between itself and that network device are about to fail. If the information about the fourth beam includes a terminal device identifier, the network device can determine that all second beams between itself and that terminal device are about to fail.

[0327] Alternatively, in this implementation, it can also be understood that the first information only indicates the information of the third beam and does not indicate that the first beam is about to fail, and the second information only indicates the information of the fourth beam and does not indicate that the fourth beam is about to fail.

[0328] Optionally, in this implementation, the first network element can send first information to the terminal device and second information to the network device if all beam pairs between the terminal device and the network device fail.

[0329] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can implicitly indicate that the first and second beams are about to fail through the information of the third beam and / or the fourth beam, thus saving resources.

[0330] Optionally, in another implementation of this scenario, the first information includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail. Similarly, the second information includes second indication information, which is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

[0331] Specifically, the first information may include not only information about the third beam, but also an indication that the first beam is about to fail, i.e., the first indication information. Similarly, the second information may include not only information about the fourth beam, but also an indication that the second beam is about to fail, i.e., the second indication information.

[0332] For example, the first indication information can be a 1-bit indication information, the value of which indicates whether the first beam is about to fail. Alternatively, the first indication information can be a field, which may include one or more pieces of information such as the first identifier associated with the first beam or the beam index of the first beam in the first beam set (used to indicate which first beam has failed), the failure time of the first beam, the failure type of the first beam, and the network device identifier associated with the first beam. Similarly, the second indication information can be a 1-bit indication information, the value of which indicates whether the second beam is about to fail. Alternatively, the second indication information can be a field, which may include one or more pieces of information such as the first identifier associated with the second beam or the beam index of the second beam in the second beam set (used to indicate which second beam has failed), the failure time of the second beam, the failure type of the second beam, and the terminal device identifier associated with the second beam.

[0333] The failure time of the first and second beams can be a specific point in time, such as 1:30 PM.

[0334] The failure types of the first and second beams can be understood as either temporary or long-term failures, and can also be interpreted as the types of obstruction that occur. For example, for small obstructions, such as vehicles, the obstruction may move to another location on its own within a certain period, or the terminal device may move itself, thus removing the obstruction and allowing the first and second beams to recover automatically; this type of failure is temporary. For large obstructions, such as buildings, the obstruction may persist for a period, and even if the terminal device moves a certain distance, the beam may still be blocked, preventing the first and second beams from recovering automatically; this type of failure is long-term.

[0335] Optionally, in the case of a temporary failure, network devices can continue to maintain measurements of the first and second beams, and can continue to use them after the obstruction disappears. In the case of a long-term failure, after the first and second beams fail, network devices and terminal devices can stop measuring that beam.

[0336] Optionally, the first network element may send first indication information and / or second indication information when all beam pairs between the network device and the terminal device fail, or when any one beam pair between the network device and the terminal device fails, or when a certain proportion of beam pairs between the network device and the terminal device fail. In the latter two cases, the first network element may indicate which specific beam (i.e., which beam pair) has failed. For example, the first indication information may indicate the first identifier corresponding to the beam or beam pair that has failed, or the first identifier plus the network device identifier, or the beam index of the first beam in the first beam set, or the beam index of the first beam in the first beam set plus the network device identifier; and the second indication information may indicate the second identifier corresponding to the beam or beam pair that has failed, or the second identifier plus the terminal device identifier, or the beam index of the second beam in the second beam set, or the beam index of the second beam in the second beam set plus the terminal device identifier. It should be understood that the first indication information may include information about multiple first beams that are about to fail, and the second indication information may include information about multiple second beams that are about to fail.

[0337] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can explicitly indicate that the first beam and the second beam are about to fail through the first indication information and the second indication information, so as to indicate the beam failure situation more flexibly.

[0338] Optionally, in this implementation scenario, the method 500 further includes: S560, the network device sends configuration information of the first reference signal resource to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the configuration information accordingly.

[0339] In this application, the first reference signal resource refers to the resource used to transmit the first reference signal. There is a one-to-one correspondence between reference signals and reference signal resources; each reference signal corresponds to one reference signal resource. The configuration information of the first reference signal resource includes the time-frequency position of the first reference signal, the sequence of the first reference signal, the identifier of the first reference signal resource, and the type of the first reference signal resource. The configuration information can indicate that the first reference signal resource is associated with a second identifier.

[0340] Specifically, associating the first reference signal resource with the second identifier means that when transmitting the first reference signal on the first reference signal resource, the candidate beam identified by the second identifier should be used. Specifically, the terminal device can receive or transmit the first reference signal on the first reference signal resource using the third beam identified by the second identifier (or a beam adjacent to the third beam), and the network device can determine to transmit or receive the first reference signal on the first reference signal resource using the fourth beam identified by the second identifier (or a beam adjacent to the fourth beam).

[0341] Optionally, the second identifier associated with the first reference signal resource can be part or all of the second identifier in the first and second information. For example, if the first network element indicates multiple third beams, multiple fourth beams, and multiple second identifiers, the network device can configure reference signal resources for only some of the third and fourth beams, so that the second identifier associated with the reference signal resource only includes a portion of the second identifiers in the first and second information. That is, although the first network element indicates multiple candidate beam pairs, the network device can select one or more suitable candidate beam pairs for measurement to determine the signal quality of the candidate beam pair. For example, the network device can remove beams in the candidate beam pair that it cannot transmit signals from.

[0342] As an example, the second identifier is the candidate beam pair identifier assigned to the first network element, and the identifier of the first reference signal resource is determined by the network device. The association between the first reference signal resource and the second identifier means that the first reference signal resource and the second identifier have a corresponding relationship.

[0343] In other words, in this example, the network device automatically assigns an identifier to the first reference signal resource and indicates the correspondence between the first reference signal resource and the second identifier through the configuration information of the first reference signal resource, that is, the configuration information of the first reference signal resource includes the correspondence.

[0344] For example, the configuration information of the first reference resource may be:

[0345] {Identifier of the first reference signal resource: xxx (any);}

[0346] Pattern of the first reference signal resource: xxx;

[0347] The identifier associated with the first reference signal resource: the second identifier}

[0348] For example, in S540, the first network element indicates to the network device 1 the angle of the fourth beam-1 and its associated candidate beam pair identifier 1, and the angle of the fourth beam-2 and its associated candidate beam pair identifier 2. In S530, the first network element indicates to the terminal device 1 the angle of the third beam-1 and its associated candidate beam pair identifier 1, and the angle of the third beam-2 and its associated candidate beam pair identifier 2. Then, the network device 1 can configure the first reference signal resource-1 and the first reference signal resource-2 to the terminal device 1 based on this information. Both the first reference signal resource-1 and the first reference signal resource-2 are downlink reference signal resources. The identifier of the first reference signal resource-1 is reference signal resource identifier 1, and the identifier of the first reference signal resource-2 is reference signal resource identifier 2. The configuration information of the first reference signal resource-1 indicates that it is associated with candidate beam pair identifier 1, and the configuration information of the first reference signal resource-2 indicates that it is associated with candidate beam pair identifier 2. Network device 1 should transmit a reference signal on the first reference signal resource-1 using a fourth beam-1 or a beam near the fourth beam-1 associated with candidate beam pair identifier 1, and on the first reference signal resource-2 using a fourth beam-2 or a beam near the fourth beam-2 associated with candidate beam pair identifier 2. Terminal device 1 can determine, based on the configuration information of the first reference signal resource, that on the first reference signal resource-1, reception and measurement should be performed using a third beam-1 or a beam near the third beam-1 associated with candidate beam pair identifier 1, and on the first reference signal resource-2, reception and measurement should be performed using a third beam-2 or a beam near the third beam-2 associated with candidate beam pair identifier 2. Since the third beam-1 and the fourth beam-1 constitute an effective candidate beam pair 1, and the third beam-2 and the fourth beam-2 constitute an effective candidate beam pair 2, this allows: on the one hand, network devices can perform beam scanning only in the vicinity of the direction corresponding to the effective beam pair, reducing the beam scanning space; on the other hand, terminal devices can use beams that match the network device beams for transmission and reception on the corresponding reference signal resources, improving the efficiency of beam alignment.

[0349] Based on the above scheme, the identifier of the first reference signal resource can be determined by the network device, which allows for more flexible configuration of the first reference signal resource.

[0350] As another example, the second identifier is the identifier of the first reference signal resource allocated to the first network element. Here, the association between the first reference signal resource and the second identifier means that the identifier of the first reference signal resource is the second identifier.

[0351] In other words, in this example, the first network element is assigned an identifier (i.e., the second identifier) ​​for the first reference signal resource. The network device uses the identifier assigned by the first network element to identify the first reference signal resource. In other words, when configuring the first reference signal resource, the network device sets the identifier of the first reference signal resource to the same value as the second identifier. At this time, the second identifier is used not only to identify the third and fourth beams but also to directly identify the first reference signal resource.

[0352] For example, the configuration information of the first reference signal resource can be:

[0353] {Identifier of the first reference signal resource: Second identifier;}

[0354] Pattern of the first reference signal resource: xxx;

[0355] Type of first reference signal resource (optional): The identifier is determined by the first network element.

[0356] For example, in S540, the first network element indicates to the network device 1 the angle of the fourth beam-1 and its associated reference signal resource identifier 1, and the angle of the fourth beam-2 and its associated reference signal resource identifier 2. In S530, the first network element indicates to the terminal device 1 the angle of the third beam-1 and its associated reference signal resource identifier 1, and the angle of the third beam-2 and its associated reference signal resource identifier 2. Then, the network device 1 can configure the first reference signal resource-1 and the first reference signal resource-2 to the terminal device 1 based on this information. Both the first reference signal resource-1 and the first reference signal resource-2 are downlink reference signal resources. The configuration information of the first reference signal resource-1 indicates that its identifier is reference signal resource identifier 1, and the configuration information of the first reference signal resource-2 indicates that its identifier is reference signal resource identifier 2. Network device 1 should transmit a reference signal on the first reference signal resource-1 using a fourth beam-1 associated with reference signal resource identifier 1 or a beam near the fourth beam-1, and on the first reference signal resource-2 using a fourth beam-2 associated with reference signal resource identifier 2 or a beam near the fourth beam-2. Terminal device 1 can determine, based on the configuration information of the first reference signal resource, that reception and measurement on the first reference signal resource-1 should be performed using a third beam-1 associated with reference signal resource identifier 1 or a beam near the third beam-1, and that reception and measurement on the first reference signal resource-2 should be performed using a third beam-2 associated with reference signal resource identifier 2 or a beam near the third beam-2. Since the third beam-1 and the fourth beam-1 constitute an effective candidate beam pair 1, and the third beam-2 and the fourth beam-2 constitute an effective candidate beam pair 2, this allows: on the one hand, network devices can perform beam scanning only in the vicinity of the direction corresponding to the effective beam pair, reducing the beam scanning space; on the other hand, terminal devices can use beams that match the network device beams for transmission and reception on the corresponding reference signal resources, improving the efficiency of beam alignment.

[0357] Based on the above scheme, the reference signal resource identifier can be determined by the first network element, which can save the configuration overhead of the first reference signal resource.

[0358] Optionally, in this example, the type of reference signal resource can include two main categories. The first category is where the identifier of the reference signal resource is determined by the network device. Specifically, the type of reference signal resource unrelated to the first network element belongs to the first category, such as reference signal resources normally used between network devices and terminal devices for measuring channel state information. The second category is where the identifier is determined by the first network element. In the above example, the first reference signal resource belongs to the second category. Therefore, the configuration information of the first reference signal resource can also include the type information of the first reference signal resource, that is, the type information indicates that the identifier of the reference signal resource is determined by the first network element. It should be understood that the definition of the second type of reference signal resource can also have other corresponding textual descriptions, such as its type being a sensing-assisted communication reference signal resource, or a channel knowledge map-assisted communication reference signal resource, or other definitions with similar functions.

[0359] Optionally, in any of the above examples, different first reference signal resources can be associated with the same second identifier. That is, the network device can configure multiple reference signal resources for a candidate beam pair. In this way, the network device and the terminal device can perform more detailed beam training around the same candidate beam pair to obtain more accurate beam training results.

[0360] As yet another example, the information for the third beam does not include the second identifier, and the information for the fourth beam does not include the second identifier.

[0361] Specifically, when the first information includes only information about a third beam and the second information includes only information about a fourth beam, the configuration information of the first reference signal resource may not include the second identifier, but may include type information indicating that the type of the first reference signal resource is the second type. It should be understood that since the first network element only indicates one candidate beam pair to the network device and the terminal device, there will be no matching problem between the network device and the terminal device for multiple beams on both sides; therefore, the configuration information of the first reference signal resource may not include the second identifier.

[0362] For example, the configuration information of the first reference resource may be:

[0363] {Identifier of the first reference signal resource: xxx (any);}

[0364] Pattern of the first reference signal resource: xxx;

[0365] Type of first reference signal resource (optional): The identifier is determined by the first network element.

[0366] It should be understood that in this application, when there are multiple first reference signal resources, the network device and the terminal device can transmit the first reference signal on multiple first reference signal resources respectively. On the one hand, the network device and the terminal device can perform measurements on multiple candidate beam pairs. On the other hand, for a candidate beam pair, the network device and the terminal device can perform further beam scanning near the direction of the beam indicated by the first network element to improve the beam alignment performance.

[0367] Optionally, in this implementation scenario, after S560, the method 500 further includes: S570, whereby the terminal device uses a first candidate beam to receive or transmit a first reference signal on the first reference signal resource, and the network device uses a second candidate beam to transmit or receive the first reference signal on the first reference signal resource.

[0368] Specifically, the first candidate beam can be a candidate beam of the terminal device, such as one of the third beams, or a beam near the third beam. The second candidate beam can be a candidate beam of the network device, such as one of the fourth beams, or a beam near the fourth beam. As mentioned above, the beams between the two devices are usually corresponding and can form a beam pair. Therefore, the first candidate beam and the second candidate beam are associated, and the first candidate beam and the second candidate beam form a candidate beam pair for communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0369] For example, the first candidate beam is determined based on information from the third beam. For instance, the direction of the first candidate beam is the same as the direction of the third beam, or the angle between the direction of the first candidate beam and the direction of the third beam is less than a first threshold. For example, the first candidate beam can be determined as a beam around the third beam, which allows for fine scanning around the basic beam direction provided by the first network element, improving the accuracy of beam alignment.

[0370] For example, the second candidate beam is determined based on information from the fourth beam. For instance, the direction of the second candidate beam is the same as the direction of the fourth beam, or the angle between the directions of the second candidate beam and the fourth beam is less than a second threshold. For example, the second candidate beam can be determined as a beam surrounding the fourth beam, allowing for fine scanning around the base beam direction provided by the first network element, thus improving beam alignment accuracy.

[0371] S570 can include two cases:

[0372] Scenario 1: The terminal device transmits a first reference signal using a first candidate beam on the first reference signal resource; correspondingly, the network device receives the first reference signal using a second candidate beam on the first reference signal resource. In this case, the first candidate beam is the transmitting beam, and the second candidate beam is the receiving beam.

[0373] Scenario 2: The network device uses the second candidate beam to transmit the first reference signal on the first reference signal resource; correspondingly, the terminal device uses the first candidate beam to receive the first reference signal on the first reference signal resource. In this case, the first candidate beam is the receiving beam, and the second candidate beam is the transmitting beam.

[0374] Optionally, the receiver of the first reference signal can measure the first reference signal and obtain the measurement result of the first reference signal.

[0375] Optionally, both Case 1 and Case 2 can occur, meaning that measurements are performed on both the uplink and downlink beam pairs.

[0376] It should be understood that if there are multiple first candidate beams and multiple second candidate beams, S570 can be executed multiple times, and therefore there will be multiple measurement results. For example, the terminal device can measure measurement result 1 on the first reference signal resource-1 and measurement result 2 on the first reference signal resource-2.

[0377] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device and the network device can determine the first candidate beam and the second candidate beam used to transmit the first reference signal according to the information of the third beam and the fourth beam from the first network element. This enables the first network element to assist the terminal device and the network device in beam training and improve the efficiency of beam training.

[0378] Optionally, in this implementation scenario, the method 500 further includes: the network device determining the beam pair to be used based on the measurement results of multiple first reference signals, and then the network device sending third indication information to the terminal device, the third indication information being used to activate the beam pair to be used; in the event that the first beam and the second beam fail or are about to fail, the network device using the beam pair to be used to communicate with the terminal device.

[0379] Specifically, if the terminal device is the receiver of the first reference signal, it can measure the first reference signal and report the measurement result to the network device. For example, as mentioned above, after the terminal device measures measurement result 1 and measurement result 2, it can send measurement result 1 and measurement result 2 to the network device. In the case of RSRP, measurement result 1 corresponds to RSRP1, and measurement result 2 corresponds to RSRP2. If both RSRP1 and RSRP2 are large, the network device can determine the beam pair formed by the third beam-1 and the fourth beam-1, as well as the beam pair formed by the third beam-2 and the fourth beam-2. All beam pairs can be used as candidate beam pairs for subsequent communication. If RSRP1 is large and RSRP2 is small, the network device can determine that the beam pair consisting of the third beam-1 and the fourth beam-1 can be used as a candidate beam pair for subsequent communication. If RSRP1 is small and RSRP2 is large, the network device can determine that the beam pair consisting of the third beam-2 and the fourth beam-2 can be used as a candidate beam pair for subsequent communication. If both RSRP1 and RSRP2 are small, the network device can determine that the first and second information provided by the first network element are invalid. In this case, the terminal device and the network device can perform beam training. If the network device is the receiver of the first reference signal, the network device can determine the above information itself.

[0380] Subsequently, the network device can activate the beam pair to be used through the third indication information. For example, the third indication information is the TCI status identifier corresponding to the beam pair to be used. For example, the third indication information can indicate the first TCI status, where the type D source in the first TCI status is the first reference signal resource identifier 1 (i.e., associated with the third beam-1 and the fourth beam-1). The third indication information can configure the TCI status of the control channel or the TCI status of the data channel to the first TCI status. Then, the network device and the terminal device can use the activated candidate beam pair to communicate.

[0381] Optionally, the network device may determine the execution time of S550 to S570 based on the failure time of the second beam. For example, it may start configuring the first reference signal resource before the second beam fails, or start measuring and reporting the first reference signal resource before the second beam fails, or activate the candidate beam determined based on the measurement results before the second beam fails.

[0382] Optionally, the network device can also determine the switching time of the candidate beam based on the measurement results of the first beam pair. For example, after receiving the first and second information, the network device and the terminal device can start measuring the candidate beam first, and then still measure the first beam pair. When the RSRP of the first beam pair is less than a certain threshold (for example, the threshold can be greater than the threshold for beam failure), the candidate beam is activated.

[0383] For example, continue with Figure 6 For example, in Figure 6 In the middle, the SF can indicate q to the RAN and UE. 1-1 The corresponding BPL (an example of a candidate beam pair) and q 1-2 The information for the corresponding BPL (another example of a candidate beam pair) is given as q. 1-1 The corresponding BPL configuration candidate beam pair identifier is 1, which is q. 1-2 The corresponding BPL configuration candidate beam pair identifier 2, further, the RAN can configure q to the UE 1-1 Reference signal resources 1 and q 1-2 Reference signal resource 2, RAN and UE can use q 1-1 The corresponding BPL information and reference signal resources 1 transmit and receive the measurement reference signal, using q 1-2 The corresponding BPL information and reference signal resources 2 transmit and receive and measure reference signals, based on q 1-1 and q 1-2 The measurement results can determine the beam pair to be used, for example, q. 1-1 When RAN and UE determine q 0-2 When the corresponding BPL transmit beam is about to fail, for example, when the RAN and UE measure q 0-2 When the RSRP is below the third threshold, the RAN and UE can directly switch to q. 1-1 The corresponding BPL communicates to ensure the continuity of communication.

[0384] Optionally, in Figure 6 In the middle, regarding q 1-1 or q 1-2 The RAN can configure multiple reference signal resources for the UE, for example, for q 1-1 Configure two reference signal resources, including reference signal resource 1 and reference signal resource 3, so that the RAN and UE can use q on both reference signal resource 1 and reference signal resource 3. 1-1 The corresponding BPL and nearby beams are used to transmit and receive and measure reference signals. Based on the measurement results on reference signal resource 1 and reference signal resource 3, beam training can be achieved, thereby obtaining more accurate beam training results.

[0385] Based on the above scheme, terminal devices and network devices can determine the beam pair to be used from the candidate beam pairs. Before the first and second beams fail, terminal devices and network devices can directly use the beam pair to be used for communication, avoiding the time delay caused by the beam failure detection process and beam failure recovery process, and reducing the impact on user experience.

[0386] Optionally, as another implementation scenario of method 500, S530 is not executed, and S540 is replaced by S540a, in which the first network element sends third information to the network device, and the network device receives the third information accordingly.

[0387] The third information is similar to the second information, except that it includes information about the fourth beam and the beam index of the third beam in the first beam set. This beam index can be used by the network device to indicate the beam used by the terminal device on the reference signal resource when configuring the reference signal resource for the terminal device. Furthermore, in this implementation scenario, the information about the fourth beam can include all information in the fourth beam information of S540 except for the second identifier.

[0388] The configuration information of the first reference signal resource in the corresponding S560 may include the beam index information of the third beam in the first beam set, without being associated with the second identifier.

[0389] For example, the configuration information of the first reference resource may be:

[0390] {Identifier of the first reference signal resource: xxx (any);}

[0391] Pattern of the first reference signal resource: xxx;

[0392] The beam index associated with the first reference signal resource: the beam index of the third beam in the first beam set}.

[0393] In the corresponding S570, the terminal device determines the third beam based on the beam index corresponding to the third beam in the configuration information of the first reference signal resource, and then determines the first candidate beam for receiving or transmitting the first reference signal based on the third beam.

[0394] For specific details regarding this implementation scenario, please refer to the preceding text; they will not be repeated here.

[0395] In another implementation of method 500, the first information does not include information about the third beam. In other words, the first network element only indicates to the terminal device that the first beam is about to fail, and does not send information about candidate beams to the terminal device. Similarly, the second information does not include information about the fourth beam; in other words, the first network element only indicates to the network device that the second beam is about to fail, and does not send information about candidate beams to the network device.

[0396] For example, in this implementation scenario, the first information can be a first indication information, which indicates that the first beam is about to fail. The second information is a second indication information, which indicates that the second beam is about to fail.

[0397] The specific details of the first and second instruction information can be found in the preceding text and will not be repeated here.

[0398] Optionally, in this implementation scenario, after S530, after the terminal device receives the first information and the network device receives the second information, that is, before the first beam and the second beam fail, the terminal device and the network device can measure the reference signal set q1 for beam failure recovery, so that the terminal device and the network device can determine the beam pair to be used, and then communicate through the beam pair to be used after the first beam and the second beam fail.

[0399] Specifically, after S530, method 500 further includes: the network device transmitting q1 using the beam corresponding to q1, the terminal device receiving q1 using the beam corresponding to q1, and the terminal device sending the measurement result of q1 to the network device; or, the terminal device transmitting q1 using the beam corresponding to q1, the network device receiving q1 using the beam corresponding to q1, and the network device obtaining the measurement result of q1. Further, a beam pair to be used is determined based on the measurement result of q1, and then the network device sends third indication information to the terminal device, the third indication information being used to activate the beam pair to be used; in the event that the first and second beams fail or are about to fail, the network device uses the beam pair to be used to communicate with the terminal device. The specific process is similar to S570 and will not be described in detail here.

[0400] Optionally, in this implementation scenario, the first network element may not send the first indication information to the terminal device, but only send the second indication information to the network device. After receiving the second indication information, the network device triggers the terminal device to search for candidate beams, such as measuring and reporting the reference signal in q1.

[0401] Optionally, in this implementation scenario, the first network element may not send the second indication information to the network device, but only send the first indication information to the terminal device. After receiving the first indication information, the terminal device starts measuring the reference signal in q1, and then reports the measurement result to the network device, or initiates random access on the RO corresponding to the reference signal resource with stronger signal quality, so that the network device knows that the second beam used before is about to fail or has already failed, and needs to communicate on the new candidate beam pair.

[0402] Based on the above scheme, terminal devices and network devices can determine the beam pair to be used based on the set of reference signals used for beam failure recovery. When the first and second beams are about to fail, the terminal devices and network devices can directly use the beam pair to be used for communication, avoiding the delay caused by the beam failure detection process and beam failure recovery process, and reducing the impact on user experience.

[0403] Figure 7This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 700 provided in this application. Method 700 can be considered as an implementation of method 500. Figure 7 As shown, the method 700 includes the following steps.

[0404] S701, SF (an example of the first network element) obtains the location of the base station.

[0405] S702, SF continuously acquires the UE's location.

[0406] S703, the SF obtains the current beam information (an example of the second beam information) from the base station and obtains the current beam information (an example of the first beam information) from the UE.

[0407] For details on S703, please refer to the descriptions of S510 and S520.

[0408] S704, SF determines, based on base station location and beam information, UE location and beam information, and scatterer distribution information, that one or more beam pairs currently used by the UE and base station are about to fail.

[0409] For example, the beam pair is about to be blocked by a scatterer.

[0410] For details on S704, please refer to the description of S550.

[0411] S705, SF sends information #1 (an example of second indication information) to the base station.

[0412] Information #1 indicates a beam pair that is about to fail (e.g., identified by the reference signal resource identifier or TCI-stateID).

[0413] Optionally, SF may also indicate the failure type (such as occlusion type) and failure time (such as the approximate time when occlusion occurs and / or the approximate time when occlusion disappears).

[0414] S706, SF sends information #2 (an example of the second information) to the base station.

[0415] Information #2 includes candidate beam information from multiple base station sides.

[0416] Optionally, each candidate beam information includes: a candidate beam pair identifier + base station-side beam angle information, and optionally may also indicate the effective time and / or ineffective time of the beam.

[0417] For details on S706, please refer to the description of S540.

[0418] S707, SF sends information #3 (an example of the first information) to UE.

[0419] Among them, information #3 indicates candidate beam information on multiple UE sides.

[0420] Optionally, each candidate beam information includes: a candidate beam pair identifier + UE-side beam angle information, and optionally may also indicate the effective time and / or ineffective time of the beam.

[0421] For details on S707, please refer to the description of S530.

[0422] S708, the base station sends the configuration information of the reference signal resources to the UE.

[0423] Specifically, the base station can configure reference signal resources for each candidate beam according to information #2 sent by the SF, and each reference signal resource is associated with a candidate beam pair identifier. Further, the base station sends the configuration information of this reference signal resource to the UE.

[0424] For details on S708, please refer to the description of S560.

[0425] S709, the base station sends multiple first reference signals to the UE or the UE sends multiple first reference signals to the base station.

[0426] Specifically, for each first reference signal, the base station or UE transmits a signal using the candidate beam pair associated with the reference signal to identify the corresponding beam angle (e.g., a beam adjacent to that angle), and the UE or base station receives a signal using the candidate beam pair associated with the reference signal to identify the corresponding beam angle (e.g., a beam adjacent to that angle). If the UE is the receiver of the reference signal, it can send the measurement results of the reference signal to the base station.

[0427] For details on S709, please refer to the description of S570.

[0428] S710: Based on the measurement results of S709, the base station determines the candidate beam and activates the TCI state ID corresponding to the candidate beam.

[0429] In S711, the base station and the UE continuously monitor the current beam. When the RSRP of the current beam decreases to a certain level, the base station and the UE use the beam corresponding to the new TCI state for communication. For example, to transmit control information or data.

[0430] It should be understood that the sequence number of each process in this application does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0431] The above, combined with Figures 1 to 7The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is described in detail. The above-described communication method is mainly introduced from the perspective of interaction between terminal devices and network devices. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the terminal devices and network devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function.

[0432] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device and network device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0433] Figure 8 and Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be as follows: Figure 1 The UE shown can also be as follows: Figure 1 The RAN shown can also be Figure 1 The SF shown can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to UE, RAN or SF.

[0434] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 2000 includes a transceiver unit 2020. The communication device 2000 is used to implement the above-mentioned... Figure 5 or Figure 7 The method embodiment shown illustrates the functions of the first network element, terminal device, or network device. Optionally, the communication device 200 further includes a processing unit 2010.

[0435] When the communication device 2000 is used to achieve Figure 5 or Figure 7 In the method embodiment shown, the function of the first network element (or SF) is as follows: the transceiver unit 2020 is used to receive information from the first beam of the terminal device and information from the second beam of the network device. The transceiver unit 2020 is also used to send first information to the terminal device and send second information to the network device.

[0436] When the communication device 2000 is used to achieve Figure 5 or Figure 7In the method embodiment shown, the terminal device (or UE) functions as follows: the transceiver unit 2020 is used to send information of the first beam to the first network element; the transceiver unit 2020 is also used to receive first information from the first network element.

[0437] When the communication device 2000 is used to achieve Figure 5 or Figure 7 In the method embodiment shown, the network device (or base station) functions as follows: the transceiver unit 2020 is used to send information of the second beam to the first network element; the transceiver unit 2020 is also used to receive second information from the first network element.

[0438] For a more detailed description of the aforementioned processing unit 2010 and transceiver unit 2020, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 5 The relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown.

[0439] like Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 3000 includes a processor 3010 and an interface circuit 3020. The processor 3010 and the interface circuit 3020 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 3020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 3000 may also include a memory 3030 for storing instructions executed by the processor 3010, or storing input data required by the processor 3010 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 3010 executes instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 3020 can also be understood as part of the processor 3010, in which case the communication device 3000 includes the processor 3010.

[0440] When the communication device 3000 is used to achieve Figure 5 In the method shown, the processor 3010 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 2010, and the interface circuit 3020 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 2020.

[0441] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receiving information can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. The terminal chip sending information can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent by these modules.

[0442] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the base station in the above method embodiments. The base station chip receiving information can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the base station (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. The base station chip sending information can be understood as the information being sent down to other modules in the base station (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent by these modules.

[0443] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a first network element, the first network element chip implements the functions of the first network element in the above method embodiments. The first network element chip receiving information can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the first network element, and then sent to the first network element chip by these modules. The first network element chip sending information can be understood as the information being sent down to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the first network element, and then sent by these modules.

[0444] In this application, entity A sends information to entity B, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Entities A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. Information transmission and reception can be between RAN nodes and terminals, such as between a base station and a terminal; between two RAN nodes, such as between a CU and a DU; or between different modules within a single device, such as between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules of the base station.

[0445] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0446] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a base station or terminal.

[0447] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0448] In the above embodiments, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0449] In this document, "at least one" means one or more. "More than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates that the related objects before and after are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0450] In this application, "for indication" can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing indication information as indicating A, it can include whether the indication information directly or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the indication information includes A. The information indicated by the indication information is called the information to be indicated. In specific implementation, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. Moreover, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be predefined, for example, predefined according to the protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device. The configuration information can be, but is not limited to, one or a combination of at least two of RRC signaling, MAC layer signaling, and physical layer signaling. MAC layer signaling includes, for example, MAC control elements (CE), and physical layer signaling includes, for example, downlink control information (DCI).

[0451] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above processes does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0452] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0453] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0454] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units 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; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0455] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0456] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0457] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion 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 steps 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 (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0458] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive information from a first beam from a terminal device, wherein the first beam is the beam that the terminal device currently uses to communicate with network devices; Receive information from the network device about a second beam, which is the beam that the network device is currently using to communicate with the terminal device; The terminal device is sent a first message indicating that the first beam is about to fail, and the first message includes information about the third beam. The network device sends a second message indicating that the second beam is about to fail. The second message includes information about a fourth beam. The third beam is a candidate beam used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device, and the fourth beam is a candidate beam used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first beam and the second beam are associated, and the first beam and the second beam form the beam pair currently used for communication between the terminal device and the network device. The third beam and the fourth beam are associated, and the third beam and the fourth beam form a candidate beam pair for communication between the terminal device and the network device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The information of the first beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the first beam, the width of the first beam, and a first identifier; wherein the first identifier is used to identify the first beam and / or the second beam; The information of the second beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the second beam, the width of the second beam, and the first identifier.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first identifier is either an identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the first beam and / or the second beam, or a TCI status identifier associated with the first beam and / or the second beam.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The information of the third beam includes the direction of the third beam or includes the direction of the third beam and a second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the third beam and / or the fourth beam; The information of the fourth beam includes the direction of the fourth beam or includes the direction of the fourth beam and the second identifier.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second identifier is the identifier of the reference signal resource associated with the third beam and / or the fourth beam.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The information from the third beam indicates that the first beam is about to fail, and / or the information from the fourth beam indicates that the second beam is about to fail.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send information about the second beam to the first network element. The second beam is the beam that the network device currently uses to communicate with the terminal device. The network receives second information from the first network element, the second information indicating that the second beam is about to fail, the second information including information about a fourth beam, the fourth beam being a candidate beam used by the network device to communicate with the terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The information of the fourth beam includes the direction of the fourth beam or includes the direction of the fourth beam and a second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the fourth beam.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The configuration information of the first reference signal resource is sent to the terminal device, wherein the configuration information indicates that the first reference signal resource is associated with the second identifier; The first reference signal is transmitted or received on the first reference signal resource using a second candidate beam, the second candidate beam being determined based on information from the fourth beam.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The configuration information includes the identifier of the first reference signal resource, and the identifier of the first reference signal resource is the second identifier.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The configuration information includes type information of the first reference signal resource, wherein the type information indicates that the identifier of the first reference signal resource is determined by the first network element.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that, The information of the second beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the second beam, the width of the second beam, and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the second beam.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that, The information from the fourth beam is used to indicate that the second beam is about to fail.

15. A method of communication, characterized in that, include: Send information about the first beam to the first network element, where the first beam is the beam that the terminal device currently uses to communicate with the network device; The terminal device receives first information from the first network element, the first information indicating that the first beam is about to fail, the first information including information about a third beam, the third beam being a candidate beam used by the terminal device to communicate with the network device.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The information of the third beam includes the direction of the third beam or includes the direction of the third beam and a second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the third beam.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive configuration information from the network device for a first reference signal resource, the configuration information indicating that the first reference signal resource is associated with the second identifier; A first reference signal is received or transmitted on the first reference signal resource using a first candidate beam, the first candidate beam being determined based on information from the third beam.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The configuration information includes the identifier of the first reference signal resource, and the identifier of the first reference signal resource is the second identifier.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The configuration information includes type information of the first reference signal resource, wherein the type information indicates that the identifier of the first reference signal resource is determined by the first network element.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that, The information of the first beam includes at least one of the following: the direction of the first beam, the width of the first beam, and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the first beam.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that, The information from the third beam is used to indicate that the first beam is about to fail.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14, or includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes one or more processors, the processors being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory, causing the device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14, or causing the device to perform the method of any one of claims 15 to 21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14, or implement the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 21.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when run, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14, or implements the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 21.

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