Communication method, terminal and network equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method, a terminal and network equipment. The communication method comprises: a terminal receiving a TCI state sent by a network device, the TCI state comprising a QCL relationship between a downlink channel and an SSB, the SSB being associated with N sending beams, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2; and determining a receiving beam of the downlink channel according to the N sending beams. In the embodiment of the invention, the downlink beam indication is indicated through the TCI state, for the condition that one SSB is associated with a plurality of sending beams, the terminal determines the associated SSB according to the QCL relationship in the TCI state, and determines the receiving beam of the downlink channel according to the plurality of sending beams associated with the SSB.

Description

Communication methods, terminals and network devices Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to communication methods, terminals and network devices. Background Technology

[0002] In New Radio (NR) systems, due to the rapid attenuation of high-frequency channels, beam-based transmission and reception are required to ensure coverage.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure presents a communication method, a terminal, and a network device.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a terminal, the method comprising:

[0006] The network device receives a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) status, which includes the quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between the downlink channel and the synchronization signal block (SS / PBCH block, SSB), wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0007] The receiving beam of the downlink channel is determined based on the N transmitting beams.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0009] Send a TCI status to the terminal. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB. The SSB is associated with N transmit beams. The receive beam of the downlink channel is determined by the N transmit beams. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0010] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising:

[0011] The transceiver module is configured to receive TCI status sent by the network device. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0012] The processing module is configured to determine the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmit beams.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising:

[0014] The transceiver module is configured to send a TCI status to the terminal. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, and the receive beam of the downlink channel is determined by the N transmit beams, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0015] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising:

[0016] One or more processors;

[0017] The terminal is used to execute the communication method proposed in the first aspect.

[0018] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising:

[0019] One or more processors;

[0020] The network device is used to execute the communication method proposed in the second aspect.

[0021] According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0022] The terminal is configured to implement the communication method proposed in the first aspect; and,

[0023] The network device is configured to implement the communication method proposed in the second aspect.

[0024] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform a communication method as described in the first or second aspect.

[0025] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed by a communication device, implements the communication method as proposed in the first or second aspect.

[0026] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the downlink beam indication is indicated by the TCI state indication. When an SSB is associated with multiple transmit beams, the terminal determines the associated SSB according to the QCL relationship in the TCI state, and determines the receive beam of the downlink channel according to the multiple transmit beams associated with the SSB. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments are introduced below. The following drawings are only some embodiments of this disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 1A is an exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 1B is an exemplary schematic diagram of beam squint provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 1C is an exemplary schematic diagram of a radio frequency link provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 1D is an exemplary schematic diagram of beam behavior 1 provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 1E is an exemplary schematic diagram of beam behavior-2 provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 1F is a simulation diagram of beam energy provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 2 is an exemplary interactive schematic diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 3 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 4A is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 4B is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 5A is an exemplary schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 5B is an exemplary schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 6A is an exemplary schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 6B is an exemplary schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0042] This disclosure presents a communication method, a terminal, and a network device.

[0043] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method executed by a terminal, the method comprising:

[0044] The TCI status sent by the receiving network device includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2;

[0045] The receiving beam of the downlink channel is determined based on the N transmitting beams.

[0046] In the above embodiments, the downlink beam indication is indicated by the TCI state indication. When an SSB is associated with multiple transmit beams, the terminal determines the associated SSB based on the QCL relationship in the TCI state, and determines the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the multiple transmit beams associated with the SSB.

[0047] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0048] Determine the index of the SSB associated with the QCL relationship;

[0049] Based on the index of the SSB, determine the N transmission beams associated with the SSB.

[0050] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the N frequency domain sub-bands of the SSB are associated with the N transmit beams.

[0051] In the above embodiment, a frequency domain subband of an SSB is defined to be associated with a transmit beam.

[0052] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmit beams includes:

[0053] The transmit beams of the downlink channel are determined, wherein the transmit beams of the downlink channel are M transmit beams out of the N transmit beams, where M is an integer from 1 to N;

[0054] The corresponding receive beam is determined based on the transmit beam of the downlink channel.

[0055] In the above embodiments, the terminal determines the transmission beam used by the transmitting end when transmitting the downlink channel based on the multiple transmission beams associated with the SSB, and selects the corresponding receiving beam based on the transmission beam.

[0056] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the transmission beam of the downlink channel includes:

[0057] According to the first indication information, the transmission beam of the downlink channel is determined to be the M transmission beams associated with the M frequency domain sub-bands of the SSB, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate the M frequency domain sub-bands of the SSB.

[0058] In the above embodiments, when an SSB is associated with multiple transmit beams, the first indication information indicates the M frequency domain sub-bands of the SSB, thereby assisting the terminal in selecting the corresponding receive beam.

[0059] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first indication information is included in the TCI state.

[0060] In the above embodiments, a first indication information is defined to be included in the TCI state.

[0061] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmit beams includes:

[0062] The downlink channel's receive beam is determined to be the N receive beams corresponding to the N transmit beams; or,

[0063] The receiving beam of the downlink channel is determined to be a default receiving beam corresponding to the N transmitting beams.

[0064] In the above embodiments, when an SSB is associated with multiple transmit beams, the terminal can determine the receive beam of the downlink channel in a predefined manner. For example, the N receive beams corresponding to the N transmit beams can be used as the receive beam of the downlink channel, or a default receive beam (which may be a wide beam) can be selected as the receive beam of the downlink channel. Therefore, even if the network device does not indicate the frequency domain subband to the terminal, the terminal can still select the receive beam of the downlink channel and complete the reception of the downlink channel.

[0065] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the default receiving beam is agreed upon by a protocol or configured by a network device.

[0066] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method executed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0067] Send a TCI status to the terminal. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB. The SSB is associated with N transmit beams. The receive beam of the downlink channel is determined by the N transmit beams. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0068] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the QCL relationship is associated with the index of the SSB, and the N transmit beams associated with the SSB are determined by the index of the SSB.

[0069] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the N frequency domain sub-bands of the SSB are associated with the N transmit beams.

[0070] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the receiving beam of the downlink channel corresponds to the transmitting beam of the downlink channel, and the transmitting beam of the downlink channel is M of the N transmitting beams, where M is an integer from 1 to N.

[0071] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the transmit beam of the downlink channel is M transmit beams associated with M frequency domain subbands of the SSB, and the M frequency domain subbands are indicated by first indication information.

[0072] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first indication information is included in the TCI state.

[0073] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the receiving beam of the downlink channel is the N receiving beams corresponding to the N transmitting beams; or, the receiving beam of the downlink channel is a default receiving beam corresponding to the N transmitting beams.

[0074] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the default receiving beam is agreed upon by a protocol or configured by the network device.

[0075] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a terminal, including:

[0076] The transceiver module is configured to receive TCI status sent by the network device. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0077] The processing module is configured to determine the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmit beams.

[0078] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a network device, including:

[0079] The transceiver module is configured to send a TCI status to the terminal. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, and the receive beam of the downlink channel is determined by the N transmit beams, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0080] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a terminal, including:

[0081] One or more processors;

[0082] The terminal is used to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect.

[0083] Sixthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a network device, including:

[0084] One or more processors;

[0085] The network device is used to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0086] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system, comprising:

[0087] The terminal is configured to implement the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect; and

[0088] The network device is configured to implement the method described in the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0089] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0090] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program product including a computer program that, when executed by a communication device, implements the method as described in the optional implementations of the first or second aspect.

[0091] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the methods described in optional implementations of the first or second aspect.

[0092] It is understood that the aforementioned terminals, network devices, communication systems, storage media, computer program products, chips, or chip systems are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0093] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0094] In each of the disclosed embodiments, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0095] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0096] In this embodiment of the disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0097] In the embodiments of this disclosure, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0098] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one (at least one item, at least one)”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0099] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0100] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execution of A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execution of B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0101] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0102] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0103] In some embodiments, the terms “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, “if…”, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0104] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0105] In some embodiments, the apparatus and device may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they may also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "body", etc.

[0106] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network devices, core network devices, etc.

[0107] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," or "fixed station." In some embodiments, it may also be understood as "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," or "bandwidth part (BWP)."

[0108] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "user equipment (UE)," "user terminal," "mobile station (MS)," "mobile terminal (MT)," "subscriber station," "mobile unit," "subscriber unit," "wireless unit," "remote unit," "mobile device," "wireless device," "wireless communication device," "remote device," "mobile subscriber station," "access terminal," "mobile terminal," "wireless terminal," "remote terminal," "handset," "user agent," "mobile client," "client," etc.

[0109] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0110] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0111] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0112] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102.

[0113] In some embodiments, terminal 101 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, smart door lock, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home.

[0114] In some embodiments, network device 102 may include at least one of access network device and core network device.

[0115] In some embodiments, the access network device may be a node or device that connects terminal 101 to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0116] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a single device comprising one or more network elements, or it may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each comprising all or part of the aforementioned one or more network elements. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), or a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0117] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0118] In some embodiments, the access network device may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can separate the protocol layer of the access network device. Some of the protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0119] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0120] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1A, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1A are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1A, or it may include other main bodies outside of FIG1A. The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. Each main body may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0121] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them, etc. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0122] With the continuous development of wireless communication, the requirements for communication capabilities are also increasing. For future applications such as Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR), connected vehicles, the Internet of Things (IoT), holographic communication, and ultra-high-definition video transmission, ultra-high speed, ultra-low latency, and ultra-large bandwidth communication are becoming the norm. The existing Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2) have limited bandwidth and cannot support these services. Therefore, higher frequency bands, such as sub-THz and terahertz (THz), are needed. According to the electromagnetic wave path loss model, higher frequencies have higher free-space path loss, resulting in shorter radiation distances for the same transmission power. Therefore, large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) beamforming is needed to address the short transmission distance issue.

[0123] The beamwidth is related to the size and frequency of the antenna array; that is, the higher the frequency, the narrower the beam, and the larger the antenna array, the narrower the beam. This results in extremely narrow beams for high-frequency massive MIMO, so a high-frequency massive MIMO system requires more beams than a NR system to cover the same cell. Furthermore, due to the poor reflection and diffraction capabilities of high-frequency electromagnetic waves, they can generally be considered to have only a line-of-sight (LoS) path.

[0124] In high-frequency systems, bandwidth is generally large. Due to the significant wavelength differences between different subcarriers, beam squint occurs under the same analog beamforming vector. The beam will deviate from the aiming line and spread in other directions, similar to the dispersion of light, and the angle of beam deviation from the aiming line changes with the signal frequency. This phenomenon causes a loss of gain in the transmitting antenna array, turning the original narrow beam into a wide beam dependent on the subcarrier, as shown in Figure 1B.

[0125] To address the beam squint phenomenon, on the one hand, beam squint may lead to array gain loss. Existing research shows that a true-time delay (TTD) or delay-phase-precoding (DPP) network can be added before the antenna array phase shifter, and the array gain loss caused by beam squint can be compensated by designing the TTD or DPP parameters.

[0126] On the other hand, beam squint extends the width of a single analog beam, transforming it from a narrow beam into a wide beam. Based on this, base stations (such as gNBs) can simultaneously cover more users, and the direction of beam offset for different subcarriers can be controlled by designing TTD or DPP parameters to align the beam with the target user.

[0127] Referring to Figures 1C, 1D, and 1E, in a TTD-based system, by designing the values ​​of each delay unit, beam behavior 1 (beambehavior-1) in Figure 1D and beam behavior 2 (beambehavior-2) in Figure 1E can be achieved. Here, beambehavior-1 indicates that the beams corresponding to different subcarriers cover a continuous angular range, and beambehavior-2 indicates that the beam directions corresponding to different subcarriers are independent and unrelated. The simulation results are shown in Figure 1F. In Figure 1C, τ... 1～N This indicates the value of the delay unit. The value represents the phase value, and 1 to M represent the antenna.

[0128] In the future, with the increase in antenna array size and communication frequency, beams will become narrower, requiring more beams to cover the same area. Therefore, during the beam scanning phase, more beams are needed to cover the entire cell. The aforementioned TTD-based technology can achieve simultaneous transmission of multiple analog beams, thereby shortening the beam scanning cycle. Taking the synchronization signal block (SS / PBCH block, SSB) as an example, one SSB index can simultaneously associate multiple analog beams, such as two analog beams. Optionally, one SSB index corresponds to multiple frequency domain sub-bands, and each frequency domain sub-band corresponds to one analog beam.

[0129] Currently, downlink beam indication is indicated through a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) status. This TCI status includes the quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between the downlink channel and a reference signal (e.g., a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) or an SSB, but not limited to these). The TCI status is associated with an index of the reference signal, such as SSB index #1. Therefore, the TCI status instructs the terminal to use the receive beam corresponding to the transmit beam associated with SSB index #1 (the optimal receive beam when receiving SSB index #1) to receive the downlink channel. Optionally, the downlink channel can be a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), but is not limited to these. If an SSB index is associated with multiple analog beams, when the QCL relationship in the TCI status points to an SSB, the terminal cannot determine which receive beam to use.

[0130] In some embodiments, terms such as “transmit beam / receive beam”, “analog beam”, “downlink beam”, and “beam” may be used interchangeably in the description.

[0131] Figure 2 is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, which includes:

[0132] Step S2101: The network device sends the TCI status to the terminal. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, and the SSB is associated with N transmit beams.

[0133] In some embodiments, the TCI state is used to indicate the beam for transmitting / receiving the downlink channel. Optionally, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, for example, N = 2. When N = 2, the SSB is associated with two transmit beams. Optionally, the downlink channel can be PDSCH and / or PDCCH, but is not limited thereto.

[0134] In some embodiments, the QCL relationship is associated with an SSB index, such as SSB index#1. Optionally, the method further includes: determining the index of the SSB associated with the QCL relationship, and determining N transmit beams associated with the SSB based on the SSB index.

[0135] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the network device sending downlink control information (DCI) to the terminal, the DCI being used to activate one or more TCI states.

[0136] Step S2102: The terminal determines the receiving beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmitting beams.

[0137] In some embodiments, the number of receive beams for the downlink channel is M, where M can be an integer from 1 to N, and the terminal uses these M receive beams to receive the downlink channel. For example, if M = 1, the terminal determines one receive beam for the downlink channel. If M = N, the terminal determines N receive beams for the downlink channel.

[0138] In some embodiments, when N=2 and M=1, the SSB is associated with two transmit beams, and the terminal determines one receive beam of the downlink channel based on these two transmit beams. For example, when M=N=2, the SSB is associated with two transmit beams, and the terminal determines two receive beams of the downlink channel based on these two transmit beams.

[0139] In some embodiments, during the above steps, the terminal determines the transmit beam of the downlink channel, which is M transmit beams out of the N transmit beams, and determines the corresponding receive beam based on the transmit beam of the downlink channel.

[0140] In some embodiments, the terminal may determine the transmit beam of the downlink channel based on the first indication information, thereby determining the receive beam of the downlink channel.

[0141] In some embodiments, the N frequency domain subbands of the SSB are associated with the N transmit beams. Optionally, one frequency domain subband of the SSB is associated with one transmit beam. Optionally, the transmit beams of the downlink channel are determined to be the M transmit beams associated with the M frequency domain subbands of the SSB according to the first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate the M frequency domain subbands of the SSB. The terminal determines the corresponding M receive beams based on the M transmit beams. Based on beam scanning, the terminal can know the receive beam corresponding to each transmit beam. The first indication information can be k bits, where k is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0142] Optionally, the first indication information indicates the M frequency domain sub-bands by indicating the sub-band index / frequency domain position of the M frequency domain sub-bands.

[0143] In some embodiments, the name of the first indication information is not limited, and it may be, for example, "frequency domain index information", "frequency domain location information", "sub-band index information", etc.

[0144] For example, the first indication information is a single bit. When this bit is in a first state, it indicates the first frequency domain sub-band of the SSB, which corresponds to the first transmit beam associated with the SSB. When this bit is in a second state, it indicates the second frequency domain sub-band of the SSB, which corresponds to the second transmit beam associated with the SSB. Assuming the first indication information indicates the first frequency domain sub-band, the terminal determines the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the first transmit beam corresponding to the first frequency domain sub-band. For example, based on beam scanning, the first transmit beam corresponds to the first receive beam, therefore the terminal selects the first receive beam as the receive beam of the downlink channel. Similarly, assuming the first indication information indicates the second frequency domain sub-band, the terminal determines the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the second transmit beam corresponding to the second frequency domain sub-band. For example, based on beam scanning, the second transmit beam corresponds to the second receive beam, therefore the terminal selects the second receive beam as the receive beam of the downlink channel.

[0145] In some embodiments, the first indication information is included in the TCI state. Optionally, k bits can be added to the indication field of the SSB index to indicate the frequency domain subband. For example, in the case where one SSB is associated with two analog beams, one information bit can be added to either the high or low bit of the SSB index. Optionally, an information indication field can be added to the information indication field included in the current TCI state to indicate the frequency domain subband.

[0146] In the above embodiments, by adding first indication information to the TCI state, the terminal is assisted in selecting the corresponding receiving beam.

[0147] In some embodiments, the terminal may determine the receive beam of the downlink channel without relying on the first indication information. For example, the terminal may determine the receive beam of the downlink channel according to a predefined method.

[0148] In some embodiments, the terminal determines that the receiving beam of the downlink channel is the N receiving beams corresponding to the N transmitting beams.

[0149] In some embodiments, the terminal determines the receive beam of the downlink channel as a default receive beam corresponding to the N transmit beams.

[0150] Optionally, the default receive beam may be a wide beam. Optionally, the default receive beam may be agreed upon by a protocol or configured by the network device.

[0151] Optionally, if the TCI state does not contain the first indication information, such as the SSB index not containing k bits of the first indication information, and the TCI state also does not contain the information indication field of the first indication information, the terminal can determine the receiving beam of the downlink channel in one of the above methods.

[0152] Optionally, the terminal may use the N receive beams corresponding to the N transmit beams as the receive beams of the downlink channel, or select a default receive beam (which may be a wide beam) as the receive beam of the downlink channel. The default receive beam can receive the N transmit beams simultaneously. Therefore, even if the network device does not indicate the frequency domain subband to the terminal, the terminal can still select the receive beam of the downlink channel and complete the reception of the downlink channel.

[0153] Step S2103: The network device sends a downlink channel to the terminal.

[0154] In some embodiments, the network device transmits the downlink channel through M of the N transmit beams. For example, the network device transmits the downlink channel through one of the N transmit beams. Optionally, the network device transmits the downlink channel according to the corresponding beam in the TCI state sent (instructed) to the terminal.

[0155] In one example, this TCI state is associated with an SSB index, such as SSB index #1. SSB index #1 is associated with two transmit beams, denoted as the first transmit beam and the second transmit beam. The first transmit beam corresponds to the first frequency domain subband of SSB index #1, and the second transmit beam corresponds to the second frequency domain subband of SSB index #1. This TCI state contains first indication information. Assume that the first indication information indicates the first frequency domain subband of SSB index #1. The network device transmits the downlink channel through the first transmit beam. Based on the first indication information, the terminal can determine that the transmit beam used by the network device to transmit the downlink channel is the first transmit beam, thereby determining that the first receive beam corresponding to the first transmit beam is the receive beam for the downlink channel, and receiving the downlink channel through the first receive beam.

[0156] In the above embodiments, the downlink beam indication is indicated by the TCI state indication. When an SSB is associated with multiple transmit beams, the terminal determines the associated SSB based on the QCL relationship in the TCI state, and determines the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the multiple transmit beams associated with the SSB.

[0157] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0158] In some embodiments, the terms "downlink", "downlink", and "physical downlink" can be used interchangeably.

[0159] In some embodiments, the terms “downlink control information (DCI),” “downlink (DL) assignment,” “DL DCI,” “uplink (UL) grant,” and “UL DCI” can be used interchangeably.

[0160] In some embodiments, terms such as "physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)" and "DL data" can be used interchangeably.

[0161] In some embodiments, the terms "synchronization signal (SS)," "synchronization signal block (SSB)," "reference signal (RS)," "pilot," and "pilot signal" can be used interchangeably.

[0162] In some embodiments, the terms “resource block (RB)”, “physical resource block (PRB)”, “sub-carrier group (SCG)”, “resource element group (REG)”, “PRB pair”, “RB pair”, “resource element (RE)”, and “sub-carrier” can be used interchangeably.

[0163] In some embodiments, the terms "precoding", "precoder", "weight", "precoding weight", "quasi-co-location (QCL)", "transmission configuration indication (TCI) status", "spatial relation", "spatial domain filter", "transmission power", "phase rotation", "antenna port", "antenna port group", "layer", "the number of layers", "rank", "resource", "resource set", "resource group", "beam", "beam width", "beam angular degree", "antenna", "antenna element", and "panel" can be used interchangeably.

[0164] In some embodiments, “get,” “obtain,” “receive,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” and “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining through self-processing, or autonomous implementation, among other meanings.

[0165] In some embodiments, terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “report,” “distribute,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably.

[0166] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2103. For example, steps S2101+S2102 may be implemented as independent embodiments, step S2102 may be implemented as independent embodiments, and step S2103 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0167] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the specification corresponding to FIG2 may be referred to.

[0168] In the embodiments disclosed herein, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations in other embodiments.

[0169] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the present disclosure relates to a communication method executed by a terminal, the method comprising:

[0170] Step S3101: Obtain the TCI status, which includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, and the SSB is associated with N transmit beams.

[0171] The optional implementation of step S3101 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0172] In some embodiments, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. For example, N = 2.

[0173] In some embodiments, the terminal receives the TCI status sent by the network device, but is not limited thereto.

[0174] Step S3102: Determine the receiving beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmitting beams.

[0175] The optional implementation of step S3102 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0176] In some embodiments, the number of receive beams in the downlink channel is M, where M is an integer from 1 to N. For example, M = 1. For example, M = N.

[0177] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining the index of the SSB associated with the QCL relationship, and determining the N transmit beams associated with the SSB based on the index of the SSB.

[0178] In some embodiments, the N frequency domain subbands of the SSB are associated with the N transmit beams. Optionally, one frequency domain subband of the SSB is associated with one transmit beam.

[0179] In some embodiments, in the above steps, the transmit beam of the downlink channel is determined, and the transmit beam of the downlink channel is M transmit beams out of the N transmit beams. Based on the transmit beam of the downlink channel, the corresponding receive beam is determined.

[0180] In some embodiments, the transmit beam of the downlink channel can be determined as the M transmit beams associated with the M frequency domain subbands of the SSB based on the first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate the M frequency domain subbands of the SSB.

[0181] In some embodiments, the first indication information is included in the TCI status.

[0182] In some embodiments, the receive beam of the downlink channel is determined to be the N receive beams corresponding to the N transmit beams.

[0183] In some embodiments, the receive beam of the downlink channel is determined to be a default receive beam corresponding to the N transmit beams. Optionally, the default receive beam may be a wide beam. Optionally, the default receive beam may be agreed upon by a protocol or configured by the network device.

[0184] Figure 4A is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4A, the present disclosure relates to a communication method executed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0185] Step S4101: Send TCI status to the terminal. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, and the SSB is associated with N transmit beams.

[0186] The optional implementation of step S4101 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0187] In some embodiments, step S4101 is an optional step.

[0188] Step S4102: Send downlink channel.

[0189] The optional implementation of step S4102 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2103 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0190] In some embodiments, step S4102 is an optional step.

[0191] Figure 4B is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4B, the present disclosure relates to a communication method executed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0192] Step S4201: Send the TCI status to the terminal. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, and the SSB is associated with N transmit beams.

[0193] The optional implementation of step S4201 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0194] In some embodiments, the receive beam of the downlink channel is determined by the N transmit beams. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0195] In some embodiments, the QCL relationship is associated with the index of the SSB, and the N transmit beams associated with the SSB are determined by the index of the SSB.

[0196] In some embodiments, the N frequency domain subbands of the SSB are associated with the N transmit beams. Optionally, one frequency domain subband of the SSB is associated with one transmit beam.

[0197] In some embodiments, the receiving beam of the downlink channel corresponds to the transmitting beam of the downlink channel, and the transmitting beam of the downlink channel is M of the N transmitting beams, where M is an integer from 1 to N.

[0198] In some embodiments, the transmit beam of the downlink channel is M transmit beams associated with M frequency domain subbands of the SSB, and the M frequency domain subbands are indicated by first indication information.

[0199] In some embodiments, the first indication information is included in the TCI status.

[0200] In some embodiments, the receiving beam of the downlink channel is the N receiving beams corresponding to the N transmitting beams.

[0201] In some embodiments, the receive beam of the downlink channel is a default receive beam corresponding to the N transmit beams. Optionally, the default receive beam may be a wide beam. Optionally, the default receive beam may be agreed upon by a protocol or configured by the network device.

[0202] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when one SSB index in the system is associated with two analog beams, meaning the base station transmits two SSB beams in different directions at the same time, this disclosure assists the terminal in determining the transmitting beam used by the base station by adding frequency domain index information / frequency domain location information indication to the TCI state, thereby assisting the terminal in selecting the corresponding receiving beam. Alternatively, the terminal determines the corresponding receiving beam based on protocol agreements.

[0203] In some embodiments, the terminal receives a TCI state indicated by the base station, determines the corresponding reference signal index (such as an SSB index) based on the QCL relationship in the TCI state, determines the transmit beam used by the transmitter based on the reference signal index, and selects the corresponding receive beam based on the transmit beam. The optional implementation methods for determining the transmit beam of the transmitter may include, but are not limited to, the following embodiments:

[0204] Example 1:

[0205] Assume that the QCL relationship contained in this TCI state corresponds to the SSB index, and one SSB index is associated with two beams. Add a 1-bit frequency domain index information indicator to this SSB index. For example, when this bit is zero, it indicates that the beam corresponding to the reference signal indicated by the current TCI state is the beam corresponding to the high-frequency portion; when this bit is one, it indicates that the beam corresponding to the reference signal indicated by the current TCI state is the beam corresponding to the low-frequency portion. The high-frequency portion and the low-frequency portion each correspond to a frequency domain sub-band. Alternatively, if the SSB index already contains frequency domain index information, then the above-mentioned frequency domain index information indicator bit does not need to be added.

[0206] Example 2:

[0207] Assume that the QCL relationship contained in this TCI state corresponds to the SSB index, and one SSB index is associated with two beams. A frequency domain position information indication field is added to the information indication field contained in the current TCI state to indicate the specific beam associated with the current SSB index. This indication field contains 1 bit of information. When this bit is zero, it indicates that the beam corresponding to the reference signal indicated by the current TCI state is the beam corresponding to the high-frequency portion; when this bit is one, it indicates that the beam corresponding to the reference signal indicated by the current TCI state is the beam corresponding to the low-frequency portion.

[0208] Example 3:

[0209] Assume that the QCL relationship contained in this TCI state corresponds to the SSB index, and one SSB index is associated with two beams. For cases where the TCI state does not include frequency domain index information (i.e., the reference signal index in the TCI state does not indicate frequency information, and the TCI state does not include a frequency domain position information indication field), the terminal can select the corresponding receiving beam using one of the following methods:

[0210] Method 1: If the reference signal corresponding to the QCL relationship is configured with resources of multiple frequency domain subbands, the terminal assumes that the reference signal has multiple QCL relationships and by default uses multiple receive beams to simultaneously receive multiple transmit beams corresponding to the reference signal.

[0211] Method 2: The terminal selects a default receiving beam (which may be a wide beam). The default receiving beam can be agreed upon by the protocol or configured to the terminal in advance by the base station.

[0212] This disclosure also provides an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Alternatively, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0213] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0214] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0215] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the terminal structure proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5A, the terminal 5100 may include at least one of a transceiver module 5101, a processing module 5102, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is used to receive a TCI state sent by a network device, the TCI state including the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The processing module 5102 is used to determine the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmit beams. Optionally, the transceiver module 5101 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here. Optionally, the processing module 5102 is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods (e.g., step S2102, but not limited thereto), which will not be described in detail here.

[0216] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the network device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5B, the network device 5200 may include at least one of a transceiver module 5201, a processing module 5202, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5201 is used to send a TCI status to a terminal, the TCI status including the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, and the receive beam of the downlink channel is determined by the N transmit beams, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Optionally, the transceiver module 5201 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps S2101, S2103, but not limited thereto) performed by the network device in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here. Optionally, the processing module 5202 is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the network device in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0217] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with a transceiver.

[0218] In some embodiments, the processing module may be a single module or may include multiple sub-modules. Optionally, the multiple sub-modules may each perform all or part of the steps required by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module may be interchangeable with a processor.

[0219] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 6100 proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 6100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 6100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0220] As shown in Figure 6A, the communication device 6100 includes one or more processors 6101. The processor 6101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The communication device 6100 is used to execute any of the above methods.

[0221] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more memories 6102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 6102 may also be located outside the communication device 6100.

[0222] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more transceivers 6103. When the communication device 6100 includes one or more transceivers 6103, the transceivers 6103 perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., steps S2101, S2103, but not limited thereto), and the processor 6101 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., step S2102, but not limited thereto).

[0223] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0224] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 may include one or more interface circuits 6104. Optionally, the interface circuit 6104 is connected to the memory 6102, and the interface circuit 6104 can be used to receive signals from the memory 6102 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 6102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 6104 can read instructions stored in the memory 6102 and send the instructions to the processor 6101.

[0225] The communication device 6100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 6100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 6100 may not be limited by FIG. 6A. The communication device may be a standalone device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0226] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 6200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 6100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of chip 6200 shown in Figure 6B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0227] Chip 6200 includes one or more processors 6201, which are used to perform any of the above methods.

[0228] In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more interface circuits 6202. Optionally, the interface circuit 6202 is connected to memory 6203, and the interface circuit 6202 can be used to receive signals from memory 6203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 6202 can be used to send signals to memory 6203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 6202 can read instructions stored in memory 6203 and send the instructions to processor 6201.

[0229] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 6202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., steps S2101, S2103, but not limited thereto), and the processor 6201 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., step S2102, but not limited thereto).

[0230] In some embodiments, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0231] In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more memories 6203 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 6203 may be located outside of chip 6200.

[0232] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on the communication device 6100, cause the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0233] This disclosure also provides a program product that, when executed by the communication device 6100, causes the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0234] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, executed by a terminal, includes: The receiving network device sends a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status, which includes the quasi-co-addressable (QCL) relationship between the downlink channel and the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The receiving beam of the downlink channel is determined based on the N transmitting beams.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determine the index of the SSB associated with the QCL relationship; Based on the index of the SSB, determine the N transmission beams associated with the SSB.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The N frequency sub-bands of the SSB are associated with the N transmission beams.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Determining the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmit beams includes: The transmit beams of the downlink channel are determined, wherein the transmit beams of the downlink channel are M transmit beams out of the N transmit beams, where M is an integer from 1 to N; The corresponding receive beam is determined based on the transmit beam of the downlink channel.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Determining the transmission beam of the downlink channel includes: According to the first indication information, the transmission beam of the downlink channel is determined to be the M transmission beams associated with the M frequency domain sub-bands of the SSB, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate the M frequency domain sub-bands of the SSB.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first indication information is included in the TCI state.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Determining the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmit beams includes: The downlink channel's receive beam is determined to be the N receive beams corresponding to the N transmit beams; or, The receiving beam of the downlink channel is determined to be a default receiving beam corresponding to the N transmitting beams.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The default receiving beam is determined by the protocol or configured by the network device.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, Performed by a network device, the method includes: Send a TCI status to the terminal. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB. The SSB is associated with N transmit beams. The receive beam of the downlink channel is determined by the N transmit beams. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The QCL relationship is associated with the index of the SSB, and the N transmit beams associated with the SSB are determined by the index of the SSB.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The N frequency sub-bands of the SSB are associated with the N transmission beams.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9-11, characterized in that, The receiving beam of the downlink channel corresponds to the transmitting beam of the downlink channel, and the transmitting beam of the downlink channel is M of the N transmitting beams, where M is an integer from 1 to N.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The downlink channel transmit beams are M transmit beams associated with M frequency domain subbands of the SSB, and the M frequency domain subbands are indicated by the first indication information.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first indication information is included in the TCI state.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9-11, characterized in that, The downlink channel's receive beam is the N receive beams corresponding to the N transmit beams; or, The receiving beam of the downlink channel is a default receiving beam corresponding to the N transmitting beams.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The default receiving beam is determined by the protocol or configured by the network device.

17. A terminal, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is configured to receive TCI status sent by the network device. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The processing module is configured to determine the receive beam of the downlink channel based on the N transmit beams.

18. A network device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is configured to send a TCI status to the terminal. The TCI status includes the QCL relationship between the downlink channel and the SSB, wherein the SSB is associated with N transmit beams, and the receive beam of the downlink channel is determined by the N transmit beams, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

19. A terminal, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The terminal is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-8.

20. A network device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The network device is used to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 9-16.

21. A communication system, characterized in that, include: The terminal is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1-8; as well as, A network device configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 9-16.

22. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed on the communication device, it causes the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-8 or any one of claims 9-16.

23. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the communication device, it implements the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-8 or any one of claims 9-16.

Images