Communication method, communication apparatus, and communication system

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system. The method comprises: determining a working mode corresponding to a first time unit on the basis of QoS requirements of different types of terminal devices, and forming a directional beam in the first time unit on the basis of the working mode, wherein the working mode is an exclusive time unit mode of the first type of terminal device, an exclusive time unit mode of the second type of terminal device, or a shared time unit mode of the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device, such that high-quality services can be provided for different types of terminal devices on the basis of the QoS requirements.

Description

Communication method, communication device and communication system

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on July 21, 2023, with application number 202310909340.5 and application name “Communication Method, Communication Device and Communication System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system. Background Art

[0004] In order to provide better service quality to the terminal device, the network device generally needs to transmit a directional beam to the terminal device, that is, to align the direction of the main beam with the terminal device.

[0005] With the development of communication technology, the types of terminal devices are increasing. How to provide high-quality services for different types of terminal devices remains to be solved.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system for providing high-quality services to different types of terminal devices.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or an apparatus for a network device, such as a chip. The method includes: determining a working mode corresponding to a first time unit according to a first quality of service (QoS) requirement of a first type of terminal device and a second QoS requirement of a second type of terminal device, wherein the first QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device within the first time unit, and the second QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device within the first time unit, and the working mode is a time unit exclusive mode for the first type of terminal device, a time unit exclusive mode for the second type of terminal device, or a time unit shared mode for the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device; and forming a directional beam within the first time unit according to the working mode.

[0009] The above scheme determines the working mode corresponding to the first time unit based on the QoS requirements of different types of terminal devices, and forms a directional beam within the first time unit based on the working mode. The working mode is a time unit mode exclusively occupied by the first type of terminal device, a time unit mode exclusively occupied by the second type of terminal device, or a time unit mode shared by the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device. It can provide high-quality services for different types of terminal devices based on QoS requirements.

[0010] In a possible implementation method, the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is determined based on the first QoS requirement of the first category terminal device and the second QoS requirement of the second category terminal device, including: determining that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the first category terminal device exclusive time unit mode based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, the QoS requirement of the first category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the first category terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second category terminal device has no scheduling requirement in the first time unit.

[0011] The above solution meets the scheduling requirements of the first type of terminal equipment and can improve the communication service quality of the first type of terminal equipment. At the same time, since the second type of terminal equipment has no scheduling requirements, it does not affect the communication service quality of the second type of terminal equipment.

[0012] In a possible implementation method, forming a directional beam within the first time unit according to the working mode includes: forming a directional beam for the first type of terminal device within the first time unit according to a full antenna array.

[0013] In a possible implementation method, the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is determined based on the first QoS requirement of the first category terminal device and the second QoS requirement of the second category terminal device, including: determining that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the second category terminal device exclusive time unit mode based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, the QoS requirement of the first category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the first category terminal device has no scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second category terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit.

[0014] The above solution meets the scheduling requirements of the second type of terminal equipment and can improve the communication service quality of the second type of terminal equipment. At the same time, since the first type of terminal equipment has no scheduling requirements, it does not affect the communication service quality of the first type of terminal equipment.

[0015] In a possible implementation method, forming a directional beam within the first time unit according to the working mode includes: forming a directional beam for the second type of terminal device within the first time unit according to a full antenna array.

[0016] In a possible implementation method, the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is determined based on the first QoS requirement of the first category terminal device and the second QoS requirement of the second category terminal device, including: determining that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is a time unit shared mode by the first category terminal device and the second category terminal device based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, the QoS requirement of the first category terminal device within the first time unit indicates that the first category terminal device has a scheduling requirement within the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second category terminal device within the first time unit indicates that the second category terminal device has a scheduling requirement within the first time unit.

[0017] The above solution not only meets the scheduling requirements of the first type of terminal equipment, but also meets the scheduling requirements of the second type of terminal equipment, and thus can improve the communication service quality of the first type of terminal equipment and the second type of terminal equipment.

[0018] In one possible implementation method, forming a directional beam within the first time unit according to the working mode includes: determining a first antenna array and a second antenna array according to the working mode, the first QoS requirement, the second QoS requirement, the first channel state information of the first type of terminal device, and the second channel state information of the second type of terminal device; forming a first directional beam for the first type of terminal device within the first time unit according to the first antenna array; and forming a second directional beam for the second type of terminal device within the first time unit according to the second antenna array.

[0019] In one possible implementation method, the forming of the first directional beam for the first type of terminal device within the first time unit based on the first antenna array includes: forming the first directional beam based on the weight of the first antenna array; the forming of the second directional beam for the second type of terminal device within the first time unit based on the second antenna array includes: forming the second directional beam based on the weight of the second antenna array.

[0020] In one possible implementation method, the first type of terminal device is a ground terminal device, and the ground terminal device includes a first terminal device and a second terminal device. The channel quality of the first terminal device is greater than the channel quality of the second terminal device, and the first directional beam is used for the first terminal device and not for the second terminal device.

[0021] The above solution can minimize the impact on the communication performance and quality of the ground terminal equipment when the ground terminal equipment and the air terminal equipment share the time unit mode.

[0022] In one possible implementation method, the first type of terminal device is a ground terminal device, and the ground terminal device includes a first terminal device and a second terminal device. The channel quality of the first terminal device is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the channel quality of the second terminal device is less than the first threshold, and the first directional beam is used for the first terminal device and not for the second terminal device.

[0023] The above solution can minimize the impact on the communication performance and quality of the ground terminal equipment when the ground terminal equipment and the air terminal equipment share the time unit mode.

[0024] In one possible implementation method, the first type of terminal device is a ground terminal device, and the second type of terminal device is an aerial terminal device; or, the first type of terminal device is an aerial terminal device, and the second type of terminal device is a ground terminal device.

[0025] In a possible implementation method, the first time unit is a time slot, a mini-time slot or a symbol.

[0026] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device or a module (such as a chip) for a network device. The device has the function of implementing any implementation method of the first aspect described above. The function may be implemented by hardware or by executing corresponding software implementations in hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0027] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device comprising a processor configured to execute any of the implementation methods described in the first aspect. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a memory configured to store computer instructions, wherein when the communication device is in operation, the processor executes the computer instructions in the memory to implement any of the implementation methods described in the first aspect.

[0028] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a unit or means for executing each step of any implementation method in the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0029] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit and execute any implementation method of the first aspect. The processor comprises one or more.

[0030] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to invoke a program stored in the memory to execute any of the implementation methods described in the first aspect. The memory may be located within or outside the device, and the processor may be one or more.

[0031] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when run on a communication device, enables any implementation method in the above-mentioned first aspect to be executed.

[0032] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run by a communication device, any implementation method in the above-mentioned first aspect is executed.

[0033] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, comprising: a processor for executing any implementation method of the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0034] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, comprising: a first-category terminal device, a second-category terminal device, and a network device for executing any implementation method of the first aspect. The first-category terminal device is configured to send a first QoS requirement, where the first QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the first-category terminal device within a first time unit. The second-category terminal device is configured to send a second QoS requirement, where the second QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the second-category terminal device within the first time unit.

[0035] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method, including: a first type of terminal device sends a first QoS requirement, wherein the first QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device within a first time unit; a second type of terminal device sends a second QoS requirement, wherein the second QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device within the first time unit; a network device determines a working mode corresponding to the first time unit based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, wherein the working mode is a time unit exclusive mode for the first type of terminal device, a time unit exclusive mode for the second type of terminal device, or a time unit shared mode for the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device; the network device forms a directional beam within the first time unit based on the working mode. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG1( a ) is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 1(b) shows a schematic diagram of a network device;

[0038] FIG1( c ) is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG2 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG3 is an example diagram of a mode in which a first type of terminal device exclusively occupies a time unit;

[0041] FIG4 is an example diagram of a second type of terminal device exclusive time unit mode;

[0042] FIG5 is an example diagram of a mode in which a first type of terminal device and a second type of terminal device share a time unit;

[0043] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 1000 shown in Figure 1(a) includes an access network 100 and a core network 200. Exemplarily, the communication system 1000 also includes the Internet 300. The access network 100 may include at least one network device (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1(a)) and may also include at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120j in Figure 1(a)). The terminal device is connected to the network device wirelessly, and the network device is connected to the core network wirelessly or by wire. The core network device and the network device may be independent and distinct physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the network device may be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the network device. Terminal devices and network devices may be connected to each other via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1(a) is merely a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1(a).

[0046] A network device is an access device that connects a terminal device to a communication system via wired or wireless means. A network device can be a base station, such as an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. It can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, such as a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete the functions of part of the physical layer or all of the physical layer. For detailed descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of 3GPP. The network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1(a)), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1(a)), or a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0047] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to or receive signals from a network device. Terminal devices include but are not limited to terminal devices, terminals, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal device can specifically be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, aircraft, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0048] Network devices and terminal devices can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of network devices and terminal devices.

[0049] The roles of network devices and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1(a) can be configured as a mobile network device. For terminal devices 120j that access the access network 100 through 120i, terminal device 120i is a network device; but for 110a, 120i is a terminal device, that is, communication between 110a and 120i is carried out through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also be carried out through an interface protocol between network devices. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, network devices and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1(a) can be referred to as communication devices with network device functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1(a) can be referred to as communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0050] Network devices and terminal devices, network devices and network devices, and terminal devices and terminal devices can communicate through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; can communicate through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz simultaneously. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communications.

[0051] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes the network device functions. The control subsystem that includes the network device functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or by a device that includes the terminal device functions.

[0052] In this application, a network device sends downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal device, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel. A terminal device sends uplink signals or uplink information to a network device, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. To communicate with a network device, a terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection with a cell controlled by the network device. The cell with which a terminal device has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of the terminal device.

[0053] The core network 200 includes one or more core network devices. The core network devices include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following network elements: an authentication server function (AUSF) network element, a unified data management (UDM) network element, a unified data repository (UDR) network element, a network repository function (NRF) network element, a network exposure function (NEF) network element, an application function (AF) network element, a policy control function (PCF) network element, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a session management function (SMF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, a binding support function (BSF) network element, and a network data analytics function (NWDAF) network element.

[0054] Figure 1(b) shows a schematic diagram of a network device. As shown in Figure 1(b), the network device includes one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and one or more radio units (RUs). For clarity, Figure 1(b) shows only one CU, DU, and RU. The CU is connected to the core network and one or more DUs. For example, the CU may have some of the core network's functionality. The CU may include a CU-control plane (CP) and a CU-user plane (UP).

[0055] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the CU is configured to implement the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and the protocol layers above it (such as the radio resource control (RRC) layer and / or the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, etc.); the DU is configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, and / or the physical (PHY) layer, etc.). For another example, the CU is configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC layer and / or the SDAP layer), and the DU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer and the protocol layers below it (such as the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and / or the PHY layer, etc.).

[0056] The above configuration of CU and DU is only an example, and the functions of CU and DU can also be configured as needed. For example, the CU or DU can be configured to have the functions of more protocol layers, or the CU or DU can be configured to have partial processing functions of the protocol layer. For example, some functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer are set in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer are set in the DU. For another example, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to the service type or other system requirements, such as by delay, and the functions whose processing time needs to meet the smaller delay requirement are set in the DU, and the functions that do not need to meet the delay requirement are set in the CU.

[0057] The DU and RU can work together to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and RU can be configured in various ways according to the design. For example, the DU is configured to implement the baseband function, and the RU is configured to implement the mid-RF function. For another example, the DU is configured to implement the high-layer functions in the PHY layer, and the RU is configured to implement the low-layer functions in the PHY layer or to implement the low-layer functions and the RF functions. The high-layer functions in the physical layer may include a part of the functions of the physical layer, which is closer to the MAC layer, and the low-layer functions in the physical layer may include another part of the functions of the physical layer, which is closer to the mid-RF side.

[0058] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open RAN (open RAN, ORAN) system, CU may also be called open CU (O-CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0059] Figure 1(c) is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes a network device, a first type of terminal device, and a second type of terminal device. The first type of terminal device includes one or more terminal devices, and the second type of terminal device includes one or more terminal devices. In one implementation method, the first type of terminal device is an aerial terminal device, such as a low-altitude drone, and the second type of terminal device is a ground terminal device, such as a mobile phone, a computer, etc. In another implementation method, the first type of terminal device is a ground terminal device, and the second type of terminal device is an aerial terminal device.

[0060] FIG2 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is executed by a network device or a module (such as a chip) for a network device. Taking the network device executing the method as an example, the method includes the following steps:

[0061] In step 201 , the network device determines a working mode corresponding to a first time unit according to a first QoS requirement of a first type of terminal device and a second QoS requirement of a second type of terminal device.

[0062] The first QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device within a first time unit. For example, the first QoS requirement includes at least one of a traffic requirement, a latency requirement, or a packet loss rate requirement of the first type of terminal device. The first time unit includes at least one time slot, at least one mini-slot, or at least one symbol.

[0063] The second QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device within the first time unit. For example, the second QoS requirement includes at least one of the traffic requirement, delay requirement or packet loss rate requirement of the second type of terminal device.

[0064] The working mode is a time unit mode exclusively occupied by the first type of terminal device, a time unit mode exclusively occupied by the second type of terminal device, or a time unit mode shared by the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device.

[0065] In one implementation method, when the QoS requirement of a first type of terminal device in a first time unit indicates that the first type of terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of a second type of terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second type of terminal device has no scheduling requirement in the first time unit, the network device determines that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the first type of terminal device exclusive time unit mode based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement.

[0066] In another implementation method, the QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the first type of terminal device has no scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second type of terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit. Then the network device determines that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the second type of terminal device exclusive time unit mode based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement.

[0067] In another implementation method, the QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the first type of terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second type of terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit. Then the network device determines that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is a time unit shared mode between the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement.

[0068] Step 202: The network device forms a directional beam within a first time unit according to the working mode.

[0069] The following describes different situations.

[0070] Scenario 1: When the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the first type of terminal device exclusive time unit mode, the network device forms a directional beam for the first type of terminal device in the first time unit based on the full antenna array.

[0071] Figure 3 shows an example of the exclusive time unit mode for a first-category terminal device. For example, if the first-category terminal device is a ground-based terminal device and the second-category terminal device is an airborne terminal device, in the exclusive time unit mode for the first-category terminal device, the network device uses the full antenna array to form a directional beam for the first-category terminal device within the first time unit. This directional beam, also known as a ground beam, has its main beam aligned with the ground-based terminal device. This approach meets the scheduling requirements of the ground-based terminal device and can improve the communication service quality of the ground-based terminal device. Furthermore, since the airborne terminal device does not require scheduling, it does not affect the communication service quality of the airborne terminal device.

[0072] In the second scenario, when the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the second type of terminal device exclusive time unit mode, the network device forms a directional beam for the second type of terminal device in the first time unit based on the full antenna array.

[0073] Figure 4 shows an example of a second-category terminal device exclusive time unit mode. For example, if the first-category terminal device is a ground-based terminal device and the second-category terminal device is an airborne terminal device, in the second-category terminal device exclusive time unit mode, the network device uses the full antenna array to form a directional beam for the second-category terminal device within the first time unit. This directional beam, also known as an air-to-air beam, has its main beam aligned with the airborne terminal device. This approach meets the scheduling requirements of the airborne terminal device and can improve the communication service quality of the airborne terminal device. Furthermore, since the ground-based terminal device does not require scheduling, it does not affect the communication service quality of the ground-based terminal device.

[0074] Scenario three: When the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is a time unit shared mode between the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device, the network device determines the first antenna array and the second antenna array based on the working mode, the first QoS requirement, the second QoS requirement, the first channel state information (CSI) of the first type of terminal device, and the second channel state information of the second type of terminal device, and forms a first directional beam for the first type of terminal device in the first time unit according to the first antenna array. Specifically, the first directional beam for the first type of terminal device in the first time unit can be formed according to the weight of the first antenna array (for example, the RF phase shifter weight corresponding to the first antenna array), and the second directional beam for the second type of terminal device in the first time unit can be formed according to the second antenna array. Specifically, the second directional beam for the second type of terminal device in the first time unit can be formed according to the weight of the second antenna array (for example, the RF phase shifter weight corresponding to the second antenna array).

[0075] The first antenna array and the second antenna array can be evenly divided (or called symmetrical division), that is, the full antenna array is evenly divided into the first antenna array and the second antenna array, or can be unevenly divided (or called asymmetric division). The first channel state information is reported by the first type of terminal device to the network device, and the first channel state information indicates the channel quality between the first type of terminal device and the network device, such as the signal strength of the channel. The second channel state information is reported by the second type of terminal device to the network device, and the second channel state information indicates the channel quality between the second type of terminal device and the network device, such as the signal strength of the channel.

[0076] Figure 5 is an example diagram of a time unit sharing mode between a first type of terminal device and a second type of terminal device. Taking the case where the first type of terminal device is a ground terminal device and the second type of terminal device is an air terminal device as an example, in the time unit sharing mode between the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device, the network device forms a first directional beam for the first type of terminal device within the first time unit based on the first antenna array. The first directional beam is also called a ground beam, and its main beam direction is aimed at the ground terminal device. The network device also forms a second directional beam for the second type of terminal device within the first time unit based on the second antenna array. The second directional beam is also called an air beam, and its main beam direction is aimed at the air terminal device. This method meets the scheduling requirements of both air terminal devices and ground terminal devices, and thus can improve the communication service quality of ground terminal devices and air terminal devices.

[0077] In the mode where the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device share a time unit, due to the use of two sub-arrays (i.e., the first antenna array and the second antenna array) to generate two beams, one to the air and the other to the ground, compared with the full antenna array generating a directional beam to the ground, part of the array gain and transmission power will be lost, resulting in a reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio of the ground terminal device, and a large communication performance loss for ground terminal devices with poor channel quality (such as cell edge terminal devices, etc.). Therefore, in the mode where the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device share a time unit, the network device can give priority to scheduling ground terminal devices with better channel quality (such as cell near-point terminal devices, etc.) in the first time unit, while ground terminal devices with poor channel quality (such as cell far-point terminal devices, etc.) are scheduled as much as possible under the ground terminal device exclusive time unit model. Exemplarily, in the mode where the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device share a time unit, for example, the ground terminal devices include the first terminal device and the second terminal device. For example, if the channel quality of the first terminal device is greater than the channel quality of the second terminal device, the above-mentioned first directional beam determined by the network device is used for the first terminal device and not for the second terminal device. For another example, if the channel quality of the first terminal device is greater than or equal to a first threshold, and the channel quality of the second terminal device is less than the first threshold, the first directional beam determined by the network device is used for the first terminal device and not for the second terminal device. This approach can minimize the impact on the communication performance and quality of the ground terminal device when the first and second terminal devices share the time unit.

[0078] In one implementation method, a network device used to execute the method embodiment of FIG2 may include a control and scheduling module, a radio frequency phase shifter module, a QoS requirement acquisition module, and a channel state information acquisition module. The QoS requirement acquisition module is used to obtain a first QoS requirement for a first type of terminal device and a second QoS requirement for a second type of terminal device. The channel state information acquisition module is used to obtain first channel state information for the first type of terminal device and second channel state information for the second type of terminal device. The radio frequency phase shifter module is a physical component of the radio frequency module in the network device, which can provide microwaves with a controllable phase difference for radio frequency signals and generate a directional beam based on the weights of the radio frequency phase shifter. The control and scheduling module is used to generate weights for the antenna array or the weights for the radio frequency phase shifter. The control and scheduling module can be used to implement step 201 of the embodiment of FIG2 above. The control and scheduling module can be combined with the radio frequency phase shifter module to implement step 202 of the embodiment of FIG2 above.

[0079] To implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device includes hardware structures and / or software modules that perform the corresponding functions. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the units and method steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or in a hardware-driven manner by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0080] Figures 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the network devices in the above-mentioned method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a network device or a module (such as a chip) applied to the network device.

[0081] The communication device 600 shown in Figure 6 includes a processing unit 610 and a transceiver unit 620. The communication device 600 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0082] When the communication device 600 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the above embodiment, the processing unit 610 is used to determine the working mode corresponding to the first time unit according to the first QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device and the second QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device, the first QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device within the first time unit, and the second QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device within the first time unit. The working mode is the first type of terminal device exclusive time unit mode, the second type of terminal device exclusive time unit mode, or the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device shared time unit mode; according to the working mode, a directional beam within the first time unit is formed.

[0083] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 620 is configured to receive the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement.

[0084] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 610 is used to determine the working mode corresponding to the first time unit based on the first QoS requirement of the first category terminal device and the second QoS requirement of the second category terminal device, specifically including: determining that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the first category terminal device exclusive time unit mode based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, the QoS requirement of the first category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the first category terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second category terminal device has no scheduling requirement in the first time unit.

[0085] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 610 is used to form a directional beam within the first time unit according to the working mode, specifically including: forming a directional beam for the first type of terminal device within the first time unit based on the full antenna array.

[0086] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 610 is used to determine the working mode corresponding to the first time unit based on the first QoS requirement of the first category terminal device and the second QoS requirement of the second category terminal device, specifically including: determining that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the second category terminal device exclusive time unit mode based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, the QoS requirement of the first category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the first category terminal device has no scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second category terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit.

[0087] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 610 is used to form a directional beam within the first time unit according to the working mode, specifically including: forming a directional beam for the second type of terminal device within the first time unit based on the full antenna array.

[0088] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 610 is used to determine the working mode corresponding to the first time unit based on the first QoS requirement of the first category terminal device and the second QoS requirement of the second category terminal device, specifically including: determining that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is a time unit shared mode by the first category terminal device and the second category terminal device based on the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, the QoS requirement of the first category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the first category terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second category terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second category terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit.

[0089] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 610 is used to form a directional beam within the first time unit according to the working mode, specifically including: determining the first antenna array and the second antenna array according to the working mode, the first QoS requirement, the second QoS requirement, the first channel state information of the first type of terminal device and the second channel state information of the second type of terminal device; forming a first directional beam for the first type of terminal device within the first time unit according to the first antenna array; forming a second directional beam for the second type of terminal device within the first time unit according to the second antenna array.

[0090] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 620 is configured to receive the first channel state information and the second channel state information.

[0091] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 610 is used to form a first directional beam for the first type of terminal device within the first time unit based on the first antenna array, specifically including: forming the first directional beam based on the weight of the first antenna array; the processing unit 610 is used to form a second directional beam for the second type of terminal device within the first time unit based on the second antenna array, specifically including: forming the second directional beam based on the weight of the second antenna array.

[0092] In one possible implementation method, the first type of terminal device is a ground terminal device, and the ground terminal device includes a first terminal device and a second terminal device. The channel quality of the first terminal device is greater than the channel quality of the second terminal device, and the first directional beam is used for the first terminal device and not for the second terminal device.

[0093] In one possible implementation method, the first type of terminal device is a ground terminal device, and the ground terminal device includes a first terminal device and a second terminal device. The channel quality of the first terminal device is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the channel quality of the second terminal device is less than the first threshold, and the first directional beam is used for the first terminal device and not for the second terminal device.

[0094] In one possible implementation method, the first type of terminal device is a ground terminal device, and the second type of terminal device is an aerial terminal device; or, the first type of terminal device is an aerial terminal device, and the second type of terminal device is a ground terminal device.

[0095] In a possible implementation method, the first time unit is a time slot, a mini-time slot or a symbol.

[0096] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 610 and the transceiver unit 620, reference can be made to the relevant description in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0097] The communication device 700 shown in Figure 7 includes a processor 710 and an interface circuit 720. The processor 710 and the interface circuit 720 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 720 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Exemplarily, the communication device 700 may also include a memory 730 for storing instructions executed by the processor 710, or storing input data required by the processor 710 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 710 executes instructions.

[0098] When the communication device 700 is used to implement the above method embodiment, the processor 710 is used to implement the functions of the above processing unit 610 , and the interface circuit 720 is used to implement the functions of the above transceiver unit 620 .

[0099] When the communication device is a module applied to a network device, the module of the network device implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The module of the network device receives information from other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device; or the module of the network device sends information to other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device.

[0100] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0101] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and can write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a network device or a terminal device as discrete components.

[0102] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. A computer program refers to a set of instructions that instruct an electronic computer or other device with message processing capabilities to perform each step of the action, usually written in a certain programming language and running on a certain target architecture. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a terminal device or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instruction can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0103] The protocol described in this application may refer to a communication protocol or specification, such as a 3GPP communication protocol.

[0104] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0105] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device, the network device, or the second network device may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are merely examples. In the embodiments of the present application, other operations or variations of various operations may also be performed. In addition, the various steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all of the operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed.

[0106] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next related objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next related objects are in a "division" relationship.

[0107] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determine a working mode corresponding to a first time unit according to a first quality of service QoS requirement of a first type of terminal device and a second QoS requirement of a second type of terminal device, wherein the first QoS requirement indicates a QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device within the first time unit, and the second QoS requirement indicates a QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device within the first time unit, and the working mode is a time unit exclusive mode for the first type of terminal device, a time unit exclusive mode for the second type of terminal device, or a time unit shared mode for the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device; According to the working mode, a directional beam is formed within the first time unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining, according to the first QoS requirement of the first category of terminal devices and the second QoS requirement of the second category of terminal devices, a working mode corresponding to the first time unit includes: According to the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, it is determined that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the time unit exclusive mode of the first type of terminal device, the QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the first type of terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second type of terminal device has no scheduling requirement in the first time unit.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The forming of a directional beam in the first time unit according to the working mode includes: A directional beam for the first type of terminal device in the first time unit is formed according to the full antenna array.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining, according to the first QoS requirement of the first category of terminal devices and the second QoS requirement of the second category of terminal devices, a working mode corresponding to the first time unit includes: According to the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, it is determined that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is the time unit exclusive mode of the second type of terminal device, the QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the first type of terminal device has no scheduling requirement in the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device in the first time unit indicates that the second type of terminal device has a scheduling requirement in the first time unit.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The forming of a directional beam in the first time unit according to the working mode includes: A directional beam for the second type of terminal device within the first time unit is formed according to the full antenna array.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining, according to the first QoS requirement of the first category of terminal devices and the second QoS requirement of the second category of terminal devices, a working mode corresponding to the first time unit includes: According to the first QoS requirement and the second QoS requirement, it is determined that the working mode corresponding to the first time unit is a time unit shared mode between the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device, the QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device within the first time unit indicates that the first type of terminal device has a scheduling requirement within the first time unit, and the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device within the first time unit indicates that the second type of terminal device has a scheduling requirement within the first time unit.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The forming of a directional beam in the first time unit according to the working mode includes: Determine a first antenna array and a second antenna array according to the working mode, the first QoS requirement, the second QoS requirement, the first channel state information of the first type of terminal device, and the second channel state information of the second type of terminal device; forming, according to the first antenna array, a first directional beam for the first type of terminal device within the first time unit; A second directional beam for the second type of terminal device within the first time unit is formed according to the second antenna array.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The forming, according to the first antenna array, a first directional beam for the first type of terminal device in the first time unit includes: forming the first directional beam according to the weight of the first antenna array; The forming, according to the second antenna array, a second directional beam for the second type of terminal device in the first time unit includes: The second directional beam is formed according to the weight of the second antenna array.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The first type of terminal equipment is a ground terminal equipment, which includes a first terminal equipment and a second terminal equipment. The channel quality of the first terminal equipment is greater than the channel quality of the second terminal equipment. The first directional beam is used for the first terminal equipment and not for the second terminal equipment.

10. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The first type of terminal equipment is a ground terminal equipment, which includes a first terminal equipment and a second terminal equipment. The channel quality of the first terminal equipment is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the channel quality of the second terminal equipment is less than the first threshold, and the first directional beam is used for the first terminal equipment and not for the second terminal equipment.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The first type of terminal equipment is a ground terminal equipment, and the second type of terminal equipment is an air terminal equipment; or, The first type of terminal equipment is an aerial terminal equipment, and the second type of terminal equipment is a ground terminal equipment.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The first time unit is a time slot, a mini-time slot or a symbol.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising modules for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the processor is used to call a program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed on a processor, the processor is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12 is implemented.

17. A communication system, characterized in that: comprising a first type of terminal device, a second type of terminal device and a network device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12; The first type of terminal device is used to send a first QoS requirement, where the first QoS requirement indicates a QoS requirement of the first type of terminal device within a first time unit; The second type of terminal device is used to send a second QoS requirement, where the second QoS requirement indicates the QoS requirement of the second type of terminal device within the first time unit.

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