Beam scanning method, network device, terminal, medium and program product

Abstract

The invention discloses a beam scanning method, network equipment, a terminal, a medium and a program product, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The method is applied to network equipment, and comprises the following steps: acquiring at least one space grid in a network coverage range, and determining a time slot offset of the at least one space grid according to a service target; sending the time slot offset of the at least one space grid to a target terminal corresponding to the space grid; and determining relative air interface time of the at least one space grid according to the absolute air interface time and the time slot offset in a preset period, and performing beam scanning of the SSB corresponding to the at least one space grid in the relative air interface time. Thus, a plurality of SSBs can be transmitted in the same absolute air interface time, the air interface resource utilization rate is improved, meanwhile, one beam can send uplink service and the other beam can send downlink service in the same absolute air interface time, and the service forms of different terminals can be flexibly adapted.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communication, and in particular, to a beam scanning method, a network device, a terminal, a medium and a program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] In order to support intelligent networking and flexible zoning, a fifth generation cellular mobile communication network (i.e., a 5G network) realizes on-demand use of different frame structure types between different sectors by slicing typical application scenarios. Although the 5G network supports different frame structures for different sectors, the same frame structure is still used in the same sector, i.e., the absolute air interface time is aligned within the sector. Under the unified benchmark of the absolute air interface time within the sector, due to the use of analog beams in millimeter wave communication, there is a strong binding relationship between the time slot and the synchronization broadcast block index, and only one synchronization broadcast block (SSB) in the same time can be transmitted in the same time, and the remaining beams cannot perform data transmission and reception, resulting in waste of air interface resources and low timeliness. In addition, the alignment of the absolute time within the sector can only exist in one downlink or uplink direction at the same time, which greatly affects the user experience of users with different service forms within the sector. SUMMARY

[0003] Embodiments of the present application provide a beam scanning method, a network device, a terminal, a medium and a program product to at least solve the problem that only one synchronization broadcast block in the same time can be transmitted in the same time within the network coverage range, and different service direction data concurrency cannot be supported.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a beam scanning method applied to a network device, comprising: acquiring at least one spatial grid within a network coverage range of the network device, and determining a time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid according to a pre-configured service target; transmitting the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid to a target terminal corresponding to the spatial grid, so that the target terminal adjusts an absolute air interface time according to the time slot offset within a preset period; determining a relative air interface time of the at least one spatial grid according to the absolute air interface time and the time slot offset within the preset period, and performing beam scanning of a SSB corresponding to the at least one spatial grid in the relative air interface time.

[0005] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a beam scanning method, applied to a terminal, comprising: receiving a target time slot offset sent by a network device; wherein the target time slot offset is a time slot offset of a target spatial grid where the terminal is located, determined by the network device according to a pre-configured service target; determining a relative air interface time of the target spatial grid according to a pre-determined absolute air interface time and the time slot offset within a preset period, and performing beam scanning of SSB at the relative air interface time.

[0006] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a network device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores programs or instructions executable on the processor, and the programs or instructions are executed by the processor to implement the steps of the method according to the first aspect.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a terminal, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores programs or instructions executable on the processor, and the programs or instructions are executed by the processor to implement the steps of the method according to the second aspect.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a computer readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer readable storage medium stores programs or instructions, and the programs or instructions are executed by a processor to implement the steps of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product, comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer program comprises program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to perform the steps of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0010] In the embodiments of the present application, at least one spatial grid in the network coverage range of the network device is acquired, a time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid is determined according to a pre-configured service target, the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid is sent to a target terminal corresponding to the spatial grid, so that the target terminal adjusts an absolute air interface time according to the time slot offset in a preset period, the relative air interface time of the at least one spatial grid is determined according to the absolute air interface time and the time slot offset in the preset period, and the beam scanning of the SSB corresponding to the at least one spatial grid is performed in the relative air interface time. In this way, at the same absolute air interface time, the at least one spatial grid in the network coverage range performs the beam scanning of the SSB at the corresponding relative air interface time, the transmission of multiple SSBs in the same absolute air interface time can be realized, the air interface resource utilization rate is improved, and at the same absolute air interface time, the uplink service can be sent by one beam and the downlink service can be sent by another beam, which flexibly adapts to the service mode of different terminals.

[0011] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0013] Figure 1 Fig. 1 shows a flow diagram of a beam scanning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 2 Fig. 2 shows another flow diagram of a beam scanning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 3 Fig. 3 shows a data transmission example diagram in a same time slot position synchronization transmission scenario of multiple synchronization signal blocks provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 4 Fig. 4 shows a data scheduling example diagram of different time slot positions provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 5 Fig. 5 shows a data transmission example diagram in a same time slot position synchronization transmission uplink service and downlink service scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 6 Fig. 6 shows an example diagram of re-issuing a time slot offset when a beam switches provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 7 Fig. 7 shows another flow diagram of a beam scanning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the beam scanning device provided in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0021] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the network device provided in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0022] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the terminal structure provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0024] Fourth-generation (4G) cellular mobile communication networks employ a uniform frame structure, lacking the ability to flexibly slice and intelligently network based on specific service types. To support intelligent networking and flexible sector division, fifth-generation (5G) cellular mobile communication networks slice typical application scenarios, enabling different sectors to use different frame structure types as needed. Specifically, for sectors with frequent downlink traffic, a frame structure with more downlink time slots is flexibly adopted; for sectors with frequent uplink traffic, a frame structure with more uplink time slots can be adopted as needed.

[0025] Although 5G networks support different frame structures for different sectors, they still use the same frame structure within the same sector, meaning that the absolute air interface time is aligned within the sector. Under this unified absolute air interface time benchmark, because millimeter-wave communication uses analog beams, time slots and synchronization broadcast block indices are strongly bound together. Only one beam direction's synchronization broadcast block can be transmitted at any given time; other beams cannot transmit or receive data, resulting in wasted air interface resources and low timeliness. Furthermore, absolute time alignment within a sector means that only one downlink or uplink service direction can exist at any given time, significantly impacting the user experience for different service types within the sector.

[0026] To address the problems existing in the aforementioned communication process, this application provides a beam scanning method applied to network devices. This method determines the relative air interface time of the spatial grid based on the absolute air interface time and the time slot offset of the spatial grid. Under the same absolute air interface time, at least one spatial grid within the network coverage area performs beam scanning of the Synchronous Broadcast Block (SSB) at the corresponding relative air interface time, so as to realize the transmission of multiple SSBs at the same absolute air interface time. At the same time, it can realize that one beam transmits uplink services and another beam transmits downlink services at the same absolute air interface time, thereby at least solving the problem that only one beam direction of the synchronous broadcast block can be transmitted at the same time within the network coverage area, and the concurrent transmission of data in different service directions at the same time cannot be supported.

[0027] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This paper illustrates a flowchart of a beam scanning method provided in an embodiment of this application. This beam scanning method can be applied to network devices such as New Radio (NR) base stations and wireless access points. As shown in the figure, the beam scanning method 100 includes:

[0028] S101: Obtain at least one spatial grid within the network coverage area of ​​the network device, and determine the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid according to the pre-configured service objectives.

[0029] The time slot offset is used to indicate the time slot difference between the relative airtime and the absolute airtime of the spatial grid.

[0030] In practical implementation, the network coverage area (i.e., sector) of a network device can be divided into at least one spatial grid according to preset rules. For example, spatial grids can be divided based on the beam coverage of multiple beams of the network device, or based on the location of terminals and their service types within the network coverage area. Furthermore, the time slot offset of at least one spatial grid is determined according to pre-configured service objectives. The service objective can be the synchronous transmission of multiple Synchronization Signal / PBCH Blocks (SSBs) at the same time slot location, or the synchronous transmission of uplink and downlink services at the same time slot location. Different service objectives can be calculated using time slot offset calculation methods corresponding to the service objectives.

[0031] In this way, by acquiring the spatial grids within the network coverage area and determining the time slot offset of each spatial grid, resource management in both time and space dimensions can be achieved, ensuring that different spatial grids can use air interface resources in an orderly manner.

[0032] S102: Send the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid to the target terminal corresponding to the spatial grid, so that the target terminal adjusts the absolute air interface time according to the time slot offset within a preset period.

[0033] In practical implementation, network devices can carry time slot offset fields in MACCE (MAC Control Channel Elements) signaling, broadcast signaling, or handover signaling. These time slot offsets for each spatial grid are sent to the target terminal located in the corresponding spatial grid within the Downlink Control Information (DCI). Upon receiving the signaling, the target terminal adjusts its absolute air interface time according to the time slot offset in the signaling within a preset period. For example, after determining the absolute air interface time T0 and the time slot offset ΔTn, the relative air interface time for the target terminal in the nth spatial grid can be determined as Fn(T0, ΔTn), where Fn() represents the mapping relationship between T0, ΔTn, and the relative air interface time. For instance, when the three are linearly mapped, Fn(T0, ΔTn) represents T0 + ΔTn.

[0034] This ensures time synchronization between the target terminal and network devices, avoiding communication conflicts or interference caused by time asynchrony.

[0035] S103: Within the preset period, determine the relative air interface time of the at least one spatial grid based on the absolute air interface time and the time slot offset, and perform beam scanning of the SSB corresponding to the at least one spatial grid during the relative air interface time.

[0036] In practical implementation, the network device determines the relative air interface time of a spatial grid within a preset period based on the absolute air interface time and the time slot offset of the spatial grid. It then performs beam scanning of the SSB corresponding to that spatial grid within the relative air interface time. Since target terminals under different spatial grids have different relative air interface times, simultaneous transmission of data from different SSB beams, as well as simultaneous uplink and downlink data transmission from different beams, can be supported. For example, under absolute air interface time, beam X can only transmit data at absolute air interface time Tx, and beam Y can only transmit data at absolute air interface time Ty. Due to the time slot offset between different spatial grids, under relative air interface time, the network device and the target terminal perceive the relative air interface time. Beam X perceives the current time as Tx (absolute air interface time is Tx) and transmits data, while beam Y perceives the current time as Ty = Fy(T0, ΔTy) (absolute air interface time is Tx) and transmits data. Therefore, this method can achieve simultaneous transmission of data from different beams under the same absolute air interface time. Since SSB data from multiple different beams are integrated into the same time slot for transmission, the time slot originally intended for transmitting SSBs can be used for the transmission of other data services, thereby improving the utilization rate of time slot resources.

[0037] Through the above steps, the relative air interface time of the spatial grid is determined based on the absolute air interface time and the time slot offset of the spatial grid. Under the same absolute air interface time, at least one spatial grid within the network coverage area performs beam scanning of the synchronous broadcast block (SSB) at the corresponding relative air interface time. This enables multiple SSBs to transmit at the same absolute air interface time, improving air interface resource utilization. At the same time, it allows uplink services to be transmitted in one beam and downlink services to be transmitted in another beam at the same absolute air interface time, flexibly adapting to the service patterns of different terminals.

[0038] In one possible implementation, before sending the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid to the target terminal corresponding to the spatial grid in step S102, the method further includes:

[0039] S104: Broadcast a master system message on the physical broadcast channel, so that the target terminal determines the absolute air interface time based on the master system message.

[0040] In this embodiment, during the cell search phase, the target terminal detects the synchronization channel and signal. The network device sends a Master System Message (MSS) on the Physical Broadcast Channel, which includes a Synchronization Broadcast Block Index (SSB Index) and a pattern of the set of SSBs used in the current frequency band. The target terminal receives the MSS, determines the time slot of the current synchronization signal based on the SSB Index and the pattern of the SSB set, and extracts the system frame number and time slot number from the synchronization signal. Using the obtained system frame number and time slot number, it adjusts and aligns its internal clock to the absolute air interface time T0.

[0041] In one exemplary embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the beam scanning method described above may include the following steps:

[0042] Step 201: The network device broadcasts the main system message on the physical broadcast channel, enabling the target terminal to obtain the system frame number and timeslot number, and adjusts and aligns its internal clock to the absolute air interface time T0 based on the system frame number and timeslot number.

[0043] Step 202: The network device calculates the time slot offset for different spatial grids;

[0044] Step 203: The network device sends a MACCE / broadcast signaling message, which includes a timeslot offset; the relative air interface time is determined based on the timeslot offset.

[0045] Step 204: The network device transmits different beams simultaneously based on the relative air interface time;

[0046] Step 205: The additional saved idle time slots are used for other uplink or downlink data services.

[0047] In one possible implementation, before obtaining at least one spatial grid within the network coverage area of ​​the network device in step S101, the method further includes:

[0048] Based on the beam coverage range of the network device, the network coverage area of ​​the network device is divided into at least one spatial grid.

[0049] In this embodiment, the network coverage area is first determined based on the network device's power, antenna type, etc., and then further divided into at least one spatial grid based on the coverage area of ​​the generated beam. Specifically, the spatial grid division method can include considering the coverage area of ​​one beam as a spatial grid, i.e., the size of one spatial grid corresponds to the size of one beam's coverage area. It can also include considering the coverage areas of multiple beams as a spatial grid, where the terminal service demand direction under the coverage of these beams is the same; that is, under this division method, all target terminals within a spatial grid have a high demand for uplink services or a high demand for downlink services. The spatial grid division can be flexibly adjusted according to actual target requirements, including but not limited to the two methods mentioned above.

[0050] After the network device divides the network coverage area into N spatial grids, each spatial grid is numbered 0, 1, ..., n, ..., N, and the initialization time of each spatial grid is aligned to the absolute air interface time T0, where n is a positive integer.

[0051] After completing the spatial grid division, the network device calculates the time slot offset corresponding to different spatial grids. When calculating the time slot offset, the base station can comprehensively consider service objectives, network configuration parameters, and historical uplink and downlink traffic, so as to calculate the time slot offset of the nth spatial grid as ΔTn.

[0052] In one possible implementation, when the service objective is for multiple synchronous broadcast blocks to be transmitted synchronously at the same timeslot location, in step S101 above, determining the timeslot offset of the at least one spatial grid according to the pre-configured service objective includes:

[0053] Obtain the Synchronous Broadcast Block (SSB) pattern, which includes an SSB bitmap and an SSB period; determine the time slot interval between each SSB index based on the SSB bitmap and the SSB period; and determine the time slot offset of at least one spatial grid within the network coverage area of ​​the network device based on the time slot interval between each SSB index.

[0054] The SSB bitmap is a binary sequence whose length usually corresponds to the number of SSB indices. Each bit indicates whether the SSB of the corresponding index is active. If a bit is 1, it means that the SSB of the corresponding index is currently active; if it is 0, it means that the SSB is currently inactive. The SSB period refers to the transmission period of the SSB signal.

[0055] In practical implementation, the time slot interval between each SSB index can be determined based on the SSB bitmap and SSB period. Based on the time slot interval between each SSB index, the time slot offset of at least one spatial grid within the network coverage area of ​​the network device can be determined. For example, the time slot interval between each SSB index can be used as the time slot offset between spatial grids.

[0056] In one exemplary embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, one spatial grid corresponds to the coverage area of ​​one beam. For example, spatial grid #0 corresponds to the coverage area of ​​the SSB0 beam, spatial grid #2 corresponds to the coverage area of ​​the SSB2 beam, and spatial grid #4 corresponds to the coverage area of ​​the SSB4 beam. During cell search, network devices (e.g., base stations) broadcast master system messages, and terminals synchronize absolute air interface time T0 according to the master system messages. Under absolute air interface time T0, the SSB0 beam can only be transmitted in time slot 0, the SSB2 beam can only be transmitted in Slot 1, and the SSB4 beam can only be transmitted in Slot 2; that is, only one SSB beam can be transmitted at any given time.

[0057] The base station determines the time slot offset △Tn for each spatial grid based on configuration parameters such as the SSB bitmap and SSB period. This time slot offset is the offset that can be shifted to the SSB transmission time. Specifically, the time slot offset △T0 for spatial grid #0 is 0, the time slot offset △T2 for spatial grid #2 is 1 time slot, and the time slot offset △T4 for spatial grid #4 is 2 time slots. The base station sends the time slot offset to the target terminals in different spatial grids in MACCE signaling or broadcast signaling. After receiving the offset, the target terminal combines the absolute air interface time, the position number of its own spatial grid, and the time slot offset to calculate its own relative air interface time. At absolute air interface time T0 (i.e., Slot 0), the SSB0 beam transmits SSB0 at a relative air interface time F0(T0, ΔT0) = T0 = Slot 0; the SSB2 beam senses a relative air interface time F2(T0, ΔT2) = T0 + ΔT2 = Slot 1, considers itself ready to transmit SSB, and can transmit SSB2; the SSB4 beam senses a relative air interface time F4(T0, ΔT4) = T0 + ΔT4 = Slot 2, considers itself ready to transmit SSB, and can transmit SSB4. Therefore, at this time, it can be considered that the SSB0, SSB2, and SSB4 beams are all transmitting SSBs at absolute air interface time T0, thus achieving synchronous transmission of different SSB beams at the same time.

[0058] like Figure 4 As shown, under absolute air interface time, the SSB0 beam can only be transmitted in Slot 0, the SSB2 beam can only be transmitted in Slot 1, and the SSB4 beam can only be transmitted in Slot 2; that is, only one SSB beam can be transmitted at a time. By introducing a time slot offset to form a relative air interface time based on the absolute air interface time, SSB0, SSB2, and SSB4 can be transmitted simultaneously in Slot 0. Slots 1 and 2, originally used for SSB transmission, can now be used for data scheduling. Therefore, using the beam scanning method provided in this application embodiment, the utilization rate of time domain resources can be improved by approximately 67%.

[0059] In another possible implementation, where the service objective is to synchronously transmit uplink and downlink services at the same time slot location, in step S101 above, determining the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid according to the pre-configured service objective includes:

[0060] Obtain a first spatial grid from the at least one spatial grid that is expected to carry out uplink services, and a second spatial grid from the at least one spatial grid that is expected to carry out downlink services; determine the time slot interval at which the frame header is offset to the uplink time slot as the time slot offset of the first spatial grid; determine the time slot interval at which the frame header is offset to the downlink time slot as the time slot offset of the second spatial grid.

[0061] In practical implementation, historical uplink and downlink traffic volumes can be obtained to determine whether the target terminal under the corresponding beam expects to perform uplink or downlink traffic. This allows for the identification of at least one spatial grid where uplink traffic is expected, and at least one spatial grid where downlink traffic is expected. The frame structure configuration of the network device is read, and the time slot offset corresponding to the spatial grid where the target terminal under the beam expects uplink traffic is located is determined as the time slot interval from frame header offset to uplink time slot (U slot); the time slot offset corresponding to the spatial grid where the target terminal under the beam expects downlink traffic is located is determined as the time slot interval from frame header offset to downlink time slot (D slot).

[0062] The process of acquiring a first spatial grid within the at least one spatial grid that is expected to receive uplink traffic, and a second spatial grid within the at least one spatial grid that is expected to receive downlink traffic, includes:

[0063] Based on the historical traffic volume corresponding to the at least one spatial grid, determine the uplink data transmission index and downlink data transmission index of each spatial grid; based on the uplink data transmission index and downlink data transmission index of each spatial grid, determine the first spatial grid in the at least one spatial grid that is expected to carry out uplink traffic, and the second spatial grid in the at least one spatial grid that is expected to carry out downlink traffic.

[0064] The uplink data transmission metrics include uplink throughput and uplink physical resource block utilization; the downlink data transmission metrics include downlink throughput and downlink physical resource block utilization.

[0065] In one exemplary embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, a spatial grid can correspond to the coverage area of ​​multiple beams, and the desired service direction of terminals within a spatial grid is the same. For example, the coverage areas of beam 0 and beam 1 together form spatial grid #0, where terminals have more frequent downlink services. The coverage areas of beam 2 and beam 3 together form spatial grid #1, where terminals have more frequent uplink services. During cell search, network devices (e.g., base stations) broadcast master system messages, and the target terminal synchronizes its absolute air interface time T0 according to the master system messages. When the absolute air interface time is... Figure 5 During the first downlink D slot, under that absolute air interface time D slot, terminals in spatial grid #0 and spatial grid #1 can only perform downlink services, meaning that only one service direction of data can be transmitted at any given time.

[0066] Based on parameters such as frame structure and historical traffic volume, the base station determines the time slot offset ΔT as an offset that allows for the coexistence of uplink and downlink traffic in the network. Specifically, the time slot offset ΔT0 for spatial grid #0 is 0, and the time slot offset ΔT1 for spatial grid #1 is 4 time slots. The base station sends the time slot offset to target terminals in different spatial grids in MACCE signaling or broadcast signaling. After receiving the offset, the terminal combines the absolute air interface time, its own spatial grid position number, and the time slot offset to calculate its own relative air interface time. When the absolute air interface time is T0 (D slot), the target terminal in spatial grid #0 considers itself to be in the relative air interface time D slot and performs downlink traffic. The terminal in spatial grid #1, after the time slot offset is 4 slots, considers itself to be in the relative air interface time of D slot plus 4 slots offset, i.e., U slot, and performs uplink traffic. Therefore, it can be assumed that there are both downlink and uplink data services under the absolute air interface time T0, thus enabling the synchronous transmission of data in different service directions at the same time.

[0067] In one possible implementation, after sending the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid to the target terminal corresponding to the spatial grid in step S102, the method further includes:

[0068] Monitor the beam information of the target terminal; if it is determined that the beam of the target terminal has changed based on the beam information of the target terminal, obtain the target beam of the target terminal; determine the destination spatial grid corresponding to the target beam, and send the time slot offset of the destination spatial grid to the target terminal.

[0069] In one exemplary embodiment, such as Figure 6As shown, the time slot offsets of each spatial grid are all sent to the target terminal when the target terminal accesses the network. The target terminal was originally within the coverage area of ​​beam 0, and the coverage area of ​​beam 0 corresponds to spatial grid #0. Therefore, the time slot offset obtained by the target terminal from the signaling sent by the network device (e.g., the base station) when it accesses the network is the time slot offset corresponding to spatial grid #0. In this embodiment, the target terminal is mobile. When the target terminal moves from the coverage area of ​​beam 0 to the coverage area of ​​beam 1, beam switching occurs, and the corresponding spatial grid also changes, i.e., it moves from spatial grid #0 to spatial grid #1. Therefore, the time slot offset corresponding to spatial grid #0 obtained by the target terminal before also needs to be changed. The base station monitors the beam information of the target terminal. When it determines that the beam of the target terminal has changed based on the beam information, it obtains the time slot offset corresponding to the target spatial grid mapped by the target beam of the target terminal, and sends a new time slot offset to the terminal again in the form of signaling during the beam switching process. The terminal obtains the new time slot offset in the handover signaling, so it can still know the time slot offset of the destination spatial grid when the terminal moves the beam to switch.

[0070] This application provides a beam scanning method applied to a network device. The method involves acquiring at least one spatial grid within the network coverage area, determining the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid based on service objectives, sending the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid to the target terminal corresponding to the spatial grid, determining the relative air interface time of the at least one spatial grid within a preset period based on the absolute air interface time and the time slot offset, and performing beam scanning of the SSB corresponding to the at least one spatial grid during the relative air interface time. Compared to existing technologies, the method provided in this application overcomes the limitation that only a single beam can transmit services at any given time during beam scanning. By superimposing the time slot offset, it achieves synchronous transmission of service data from different beams within a preset period, improving air interface resource utilization efficiency. Furthermore, it solves the problem of data from different service directions not being able to be transmitted concurrently at the same time. By adjusting the time slot offset, it can adapt to different service types as needed, flexibly meeting the diverse service patterns of target terminals within the network coverage area.

[0071] Figure 7 The figure shows another schematic flowchart of the beam scanning method provided in this application embodiment. This beam scanning method can be applied to target terminals such as mobile phones, 5G mobile routers, and vehicle-mounted devices. As shown in the figure, the beam scanning method 700 includes the following steps:

[0072] S701: Receive the target timeslot offset sent by the network device; wherein, the target timeslot offset is the timeslot offset of the target spatial grid where the terminal is located, determined by the network device according to the pre-configured service target;

[0073] S702: Within a preset period, determine the relative air interface time of the target spatial grid based on the predetermined absolute air interface time and the time slot offset, and perform beam scanning of the SSB at the relative air interface time.

[0074] In one possible implementation, after performing beam scanning of the SSB relative to the air interface time in S702 above, the following is also included:

[0075] Send beam information to the network device;

[0076] The time slot offset of the destination spatial grid sent by the network device is obtained, wherein the time slot offset of the destination spatial grid is sent by the network terminal when it is determined that the beam of the terminal has changed based on the beam information of the terminal.

[0077] In one possible implementation, the method for determining the absolute air interface time in S702 above includes:

[0078] Obtain the main system message broadcast by the network device on the physical broadcast channel;

[0079] The absolute air interface time is determined based on the main system message.

[0080] This application provides a beam scanning method applied to a terminal, which receives a target timeslot offset sent by a network device. The target timeslot offset is the timeslot offset of the target spatial grid where the terminal is located, determined by the network device based on pre-configured service targets. Within a preset period, the relative air interface time of the target spatial grid is determined based on a pre-determined absolute air interface time and the timeslot offset. Beam scanning of the Synchronization Broadcast Block (SSB) is then performed during this relative air interface time. This method allows terminals in different spatial grids to acquire the Synchronization Broadcast Block (SSB) at the same absolute air interface time, improving air interface resource utilization. Simultaneously, terminals in different spatial grids can perform uplink and downlink services at the same absolute air interface time, adapting to the service patterns of terminals within the spatial grid.

[0081] Figure 8 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the beam scanning device provided in an embodiment of this application. This beam scanning device can be applied to network equipment such as New Radio (NR) base stations and wireless access points. As shown in the figure, the beam scanning device includes:

[0082] Storage module 810 is used to store network configuration parameters and historical traffic volume;

[0083] The network configuration parameters may include frame structure configuration information, the number of Synchronous Broadcast Blocks (SSBs), the SSB bitmap and SSB period, the number of beams, the beam shape and the beam coverage, etc.; historical traffic volume includes uplink throughput and physical resource block utilization per unit time, downlink throughput and physical resource block utilization, etc.

[0084] In some instances, the information stored in storage module 810 further includes input parameters that can be used by calculation module 820 to calculate the spatial grid size and slot offset;

[0085] The calculation module 820 is used to calculate the size of the spatial grid and the time slot offset based on the output parameters of the storage module 810;

[0086] The processing module 830 is used to carry the time slot offset output by the calculation module 820 into the signaling field for signaling field distribution.

[0087] Figure 9 The diagram illustrates the structure of a network device 900 implementing the embodiments of this application. Referring to the diagram, at the hardware level, the network device 900 includes a processor 910, and optionally includes an internal bus 920, a network interface 930, and a memory 940. The memory 940 may include main memory 941, such as high-speed random-access memory (RAM), and may also include non-volatile memory 942, such as at least one disk storage device. Of course, the network device 900 may also include other hardware required for other services.

[0088] The processor 910, network interface 930, and memory can be interconnected via an internal bus 920. This internal bus 920 can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be categorized as an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only a single bidirectional arrow is used in this diagram, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0089] Memory 940 stores programs. Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 940 may include main memory 941 and non-volatile memory 942, and provides instructions and data to processor 910.

[0090] Processor 910 reads the corresponding computer program from non-volatile memory 942 into memory and then runs it, forming a device for locating the target user at the logical level. Processor 910 executes the program stored in memory and specifically performs the following: Figure 1 or Figure 2 The methods disclosed in the embodiments shown achieve the functions and beneficial effects of the methods described in the preceding method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0091] The above is as stated in this application. Figure 1 or Figure 2 The methods disclosed in the illustrated embodiments can be applied to or implemented by processor 910. Processor 910 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above methods can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the hardware or by instructions in software form within processor 910. The processor 910 can be a general-purpose processor, including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the field, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0092] The network device can also execute the methods described in the preceding method embodiments and achieve the functions and beneficial effects of the methods described in the preceding method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0093] Of course, in addition to software implementation, the network device of this application does not exclude other implementation methods, such as logic devices or a combination of hardware and software, etc. In other words, the execution subject of the following processing flow is not limited to each logic unit, but can also be hardware or logic devices.

[0094] Figure 10 The diagram illustrates the structure of a terminal implementing the embodiments of this application. Referring to the diagram, at the hardware level, the terminal 1000 includes a processor 1010, and optionally includes an internal bus 1020, a network interface 1030, and a memory 1040. The memory 1040 may include RAM 1041, such as high-speed random-access memory (RAM), and may also include non-volatile memory 1042, such as at least one disk drive. Of course, the terminal 1000 may also include other hardware required for other services.

[0095] The processor 1010, network interface 1030, and memory can be interconnected via an internal bus 1020. This internal bus 1020 can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be categorized as an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only a single bidirectional arrow is used in this diagram, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0096] Memory 1040 stores programs. Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 1040 may include main memory 1041 and non-volatile memory 1042, and provides instructions and data to processor 1010.

[0097] Processor 1010 reads the corresponding computer program from non-volatile memory 1042 into memory and then runs it, forming a device for locating the target user at the logical level. Processor 1010 executes the program stored in memory and specifically performs the following: Figure 7 The methods disclosed in the embodiments shown achieve the functions and beneficial effects of the methods described in the preceding method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0098] The above is as stated in this application. Figure 7The methods disclosed in the illustrated embodiments can be applied to or implemented by processor 1010. Processor 1010 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the hardware or by instructions in software form within processor 1010. The processor 1010 can be a general-purpose processor, including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the field, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0099] The terminal can also execute the methods described in the preceding method embodiments and achieve the functions and beneficial effects of the methods described in the preceding method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0100] Of course, in addition to software implementation, the terminal of this application does not exclude other implementation methods, such as logic devices or a combination of hardware and software, etc. In other words, the execution subject of the following processing flow is not limited to each logic unit, but can also be hardware or logic devices.

[0101] This application also proposes a computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more programs, which, when executed by an electronic device including multiple applications, cause the electronic device to perform... Figure 1 or Figure 2 or Figure 7 The methods disclosed in the embodiments shown achieve the functions and beneficial effects of the methods described in the preceding method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0102] The computer-readable storage medium includes read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks, etc.

[0103] Furthermore, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product, which includes a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program includes program instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the following process. Figure 1 or Figure 2 or Figure 7 The methods disclosed in the embodiments shown achieve the functions and beneficial effects of the methods described in the preceding method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0104] The systems, devices, modules, or units described in the above embodiments can be implemented by computer chips or entities, or by products with certain functions. A typical implementation device is a computer. Specifically, a computer can be, for example, a personal computer, laptop computer, cellular phone, camera phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant, media player, navigation device, email device, game console, tablet computer, wearable device, or any combination of these devices.

[0105] Computer-readable media includes both permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can store information by any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, magnetic magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transferable medium that can store information accessible to a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transient computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0106] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0107] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments.

Claims

1. A beam scanning method applied to network equipment, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: acquiring at least one spatial grid within the network coverage range of the network device, and determining a time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid according to a preconfigured service target; sending the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid to a target terminal corresponding to the spatial grid, so that the target terminal adjusts an absolute air interface time according to the time slot offset within a preset period; determining a relative air interface time of the at least one spatial grid according to the absolute air interface time and the time slot offset within the preset period, and performing beam scanning of an SSB corresponding to the at least one spatial grid at the relative air interface time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before the step of acquiring at least one spatial grid within the network coverage range of the network device, the method further comprises the following steps: dividing the network coverage range of the network device into at least one spatial grid according to the beam coverage range of the network device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, In the case where the service target is the synchronous sending of multiple synchronization broadcast blocks (SSBs) at the same time slot position, the step of determining the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid according to the preconfigured service target comprises the following steps: acquiring an SSB pattern, wherein the SSB pattern comprises an SSB bitmap and an SSB period; determining a time slot interval between each SSB index according to the SSB bitmap and the SSB period; determining the time slot offset of at least one spatial grid within the network coverage range of the network device according to the time slot interval between each SSB index.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, In the case where the service target is the synchronous sending of uplink services and downlink services at the same time slot position, the step of determining the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid according to the preconfigured service target comprises the following steps: acquiring a first spatial grid in which uplink services are expected to be performed and a second spatial grid in which downlink services are expected to be performed in the at least one spatial grid; determining a time slot interval in which a frame header is offset to an uplink time slot as the time slot offset of the first spatial grid; determining a time slot interval in which a frame header is offset to a downlink time slot as the time slot offset of the second spatial grid.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The step of acquiring the first spatial grid in which uplink services are expected to be performed and the second spatial grid in which downlink services are expected to be performed in the at least one spatial grid comprises the following steps: determining an uplink data transmission index and a downlink data transmission index of each spatial grid according to historical service amounts corresponding to the at least one spatial grid; determining the first spatial grid in which uplink services are expected to be performed and the second spatial grid in which downlink services are expected to be performed in the at least one spatial grid according to the uplink data transmission index and the downlink data transmission index of each spatial grid.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, After the step of sending the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid to the target terminal corresponding to the spatial grid, the method further comprises the following steps: monitoring beam information of the target terminal; in the case where it is determined that the beam of the target terminal changes according to the beam information of the target terminal, acquiring a target beam of the target terminal; determining a target spatial grid corresponding to the target beam, and sending a time slot offset of the target spatial grid to the target terminal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Before the sending of the time slot offset of the at least one spatial grid to the target terminal corresponding to the spatial grid, the method further comprises: broadcasting a main system message on a physical broadcast channel, and causing the target terminal to determine the absolute air interface time according to the main system message.

8. A beam scanning method applied to a terminal, characterized in that, comprising: receiving a target time slot offset sent by a network device, wherein the target time slot offset is a time slot offset of a target spatial grid in which the terminal is located, which is determined by the network device according to a pre-configured service target; determining a relative air interface time of the target spatial grid according to a pre-determined absolute air interface time and the time slot offset within a preset period, and performing beam sweeping of SSB at the relative air interface time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, After the beam sweeping of SSB at the relative air interface time, the method further comprises: sending beam information to the network device; obtaining a time slot offset of a target spatial grid sent by the network device, wherein the time slot offset of the target spatial grid is sent by the network terminal in a case where the beam of the terminal is determined to change according to the beam information of the terminal.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, The determination manner of the absolute air interface time comprises: obtaining a main system message broadcasted by the network device on a physical broadcast channel; determining the absolute air interface time according to the main system message.

11. A network device, comprising: The network device comprises a processor and a memory, the memory stores programs or instructions executable on the processor, and the programs or instructions are executed by the processor to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

12. A terminal, characterized by comprising: The terminal comprises a processor and a memory, the memory stores programs or instructions executable on the processor, and the programs or instructions are executed by the processor to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores programs or instructions, and the programs or instructions are executed by the processor to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. A computer program product, comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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