Link quality determination method and device, chip system, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application discloses a link quality determination method and device, a chip system, and a storage medium, for use in determining quality information of at least one link between two devices on the basis of measurement results of at least two reference signals. In the method, a first device acquires first information, the first information indicating the relationship between transmission power values of at least two reference signals transmitted by a second device. The first device determines quality information of at least one link on the basis of the first information and measurement information of the at least two reference signals. A first link among the at least one link comprises a link from the second device to a second relay device or a link from a third device to a first relay device. The quality information of the at least one link can be used for the control of a transmission power value of at least one of the third device, the second device, or a relay device, and can also be used for the selection of the working mode of the relay device, thus reducing power consumption as much as possible while ensuring the quality of the link.

Description

Link quality determination method, device, chip system and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a link quality determination method, device, chip system and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) has moved from standardization to commercial deployment. NR standards are designed based on the characteristics of terrestrial communications, providing high-speed, high-reliability, and low-latency communications for user terminals. Compared to terrestrial communications, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) offer wide coverage and flexible networking. Currently, various research institutes, communications organizations, and companies are participating in the research of NTN communication technologies and standards, striving to build a unified communication network for space, air, and ground communications.

[0003] NTN communications involve networking using equipment such as drones, high-altitude platforms, and satellites to provide data transmission, voice communication, and other services to user equipment (UE). In NTN communications scenarios involving satellites, network elements previously located on the ground may be deployed to satellites. For example, radio access network (RAN) equipment and user plane function (UPF) network elements may be deployed on satellites.

[0004] In NTN communications, data travels from the transmitter to the receiver through one or more relays. This can also be understood as involving one or more relay devices between the transmitter and receiver. These relay devices may include drones, high-altitude platforms, satellites, or other devices within these devices. The quality of the link from the transmitter to the receiver is a crucial parameter in communications scenarios. This parameter can aid in data scheduling and / or device power control, thereby achieving power savings.

[0005] In summary, how to obtain link quality information has become an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a link quality determination method, device, chip system and storage medium, which are used to determine the quality information of at least one link between two devices by combining the relationship between the transmission power values ​​of at least two reference signals and the measurement results of at least two reference signals.

[0008] In one implementation, the link between a transmitter and a receiver typically includes one or more relays. The transmitter sends a reference signal to the receiver, which measures the reference signal and obtains link quality information based on the measurement results. This link quality information refers to the quality of the entire link from the transmitter to the receiver, not just a segment of the link between the transmitter and the receiver (at least one end of which is a relay).

[0009] In the solution provided by this application, a first device can obtain quality information of a first link, at least one end of which is a relay device. This quality information can assist in controlling the transmit power of a third device, a second device, or a relay device, and can also be used to determine the operating mode of the relay device, thereby minimizing the power consumption of each device while ensuring satisfactory link quality.

[0010] In a first aspect, the present application provides a link quality determination method applicable to a first device. The first device may be a terminal or a chip system within a terminal. The first device may also be a network device or a chip system within a network device. The first device may also be other devices, such as an NTN device or a chip system within an NTN device. For example, the first device may be a satellite or a chip system within a satellite.

[0011] In this method, a first device obtains first information. The first information indicates a relationship between transmit power values ​​of at least two reference signals sent by a second device. The first device obtains at least two pieces of measurement information. The at least two pieces of measurement information are obtained based on at least two reference signals from the second device. The first device determines quality information of at least one link based on the first information and the at least two pieces of measurement information. At least one relay device is included between the third device and the second device, and the first relay device and the second relay device are the same or different relay devices in the at least one relay device. The at least one link includes a first link, and the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device or a link from the third device to the first relay device.

[0012] Because the second device transmits at least two reference signals, and the first information obtained by the first device also indicates a relationship between the transmit power values ​​of the at least two reference signals, the first device can determine quality information for a link from the third device or the second device to the relay device by combining the first information and the measurement results of the at least two reference signals. This link quality information can be used to control the transmit power value of at least one of the third device, the second device, or the relay device, and can also be used to select an operating mode for the relay device, thereby minimizing power consumption while ensuring link quality.

[0013] The first device and the third device may be the same device or two different devices. In one possible implementation, if the first device and the third device are the same device, the first device receives at least two reference signals from the second device, measures the at least two reference signals, and obtains at least two pieces of measurement information. If the first device and the third device are different devices, the first device receives at least two pieces of measurement information. For example, the first device receives at least two pieces of measurement information from the third device.

[0014] In one possible implementation, in the link between the third device and the second device, no other relay devices are included between the second device and the second relay device, and no other relay devices are included between the first relay device and the third device. As can be seen, the first link is a segment of the link between the second device (or third device) and its adjacent relay device. Therefore, adjusting the transmit power values ​​of each device based on this segment of the link can more effectively adjust the quality of data reaching the receiving end and reduce power consumption at the transmitting end.

[0015] In one possible implementation, when the third device includes a terminal and the second device includes a network device, the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device. In another possible implementation, when the third device includes a network device and the second device includes a terminal, the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device. In these two implementations, the first device can obtain quality information of the user link on the terminal side, and then the quality information of the first link can be used to adjust the transmission power value of each device and / or select the working mode of the relay device, so as to minimize the power consumption of the terminal and / or relay device while keeping the quality of the user link within a reasonable range.

[0016] In one possible implementation, at least one link includes a second link. In the case where the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device, the second link includes a link from the first relay device to the second device. In the case where the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device, the second link includes a link from the second relay device to the third device. In this way, the quality information of the two links between the third device and the second device can provide more reference basis for adjusting the transmission power value of each device and / or selecting the working mode of the relay device, thereby making the adjustment of the transmission power value of each device and / or the selection of the working mode of the relay device more accurate.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the quality information of at least one link is used to determine at least one of the following: a transmission power value of a third device; a transmission power value of a second device; a transmission power value of a relay device in at least one relay device; or a working mode of a relay device in at least one relay device. In the embodiment of the present application, the device that determines the transmission power value of each device and / or the working mode of a relay device based on the quality information of at least one link may be the first device. For example, the first device determines, based on the quality information of at least one link: the transmission power value of the third device, the second device, or at least one device in at least one relay device; and / or; the working mode of the relay device in at least one relay device.

[0018] Alternatively, in the embodiments of the present application, the device for determining the transmit power value of each device based on the quality information of at least one link and / or the operating mode of the relay device may not be the first device. For example, the first device sends the quality information of at least one link, so that the device (such as the fourth device) that receives the quality information of the at least one link determines the transmit power value of each device and / or the operating mode of the relay device based on the quality information of the at least one link.

[0019] There are many ways for the first device to obtain the first information, such as the first device generating the first information, or the first device receiving the first information, such as the first device receiving the first information from the second device.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the first information includes information indicating a relationship between transmit power values ​​of multiple reference signals among at least two reference signals transmitted by the second apparatus. For example, the first information includes information indicating multiples of the transmit power values ​​of the multiple reference signals transmitted by the second apparatus. The first apparatus may use the multiples to determine quality information of at least one link.

[0021] In another possible implementation, the first information includes information indicating a transmit power value of a reference signal among at least two reference signals sent by the second device. In this way, the first device can directly use the transmit power values ​​of the reference signals to calculate the quality information of at least one link.

[0022] In a second aspect, the present application provides a link quality determination method applicable to a fourth device. The fourth device may be a terminal or a chip system within a terminal. The fourth device may also be a network device or a chip system within a network device. The fourth device may also be other devices, such as an NTN device or a chip system within an NTN device. For example, the fourth device may be a satellite or a chip system within a satellite.

[0023] In this method, a fourth device obtains quality information of at least one link. At least one relay device is located between the third device and the second device. The at least one link includes a first link. The first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device or a link from the third device to the first relay device. The first relay device and the second relay device may be the same or different relay devices in the at least one relay device. The fourth device determines a transmit power value for at least one of the third device, the second device, or the at least one relay device based on the quality information of the at least one link.

[0024] Since the fourth device can control the transmission power value of at least one of the third device, the second device or the relay device based on the quality information of at least one link, power consumption can be saved as much as possible while ensuring the quality of the link.

[0025] In one possible implementation, where the third device comprises a terminal, the second device comprises a network device, and the first link comprises a link from the third device to a first relay device, if the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than a quality threshold, the fourth device determines to increase the transmit power value of the first relay device. This improves the quality of the signal received by the third device, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0026] In one possible implementation, where the third device comprises a terminal, the second device comprises a network device, and the first link comprises a link from the third device to a first relay device, if the quality information of the first link indicates a link quality greater than a quality threshold, the fourth device determines to reduce the transmit power value of the first relay device. This can reduce power consumption of the first relay device.

[0027] In one possible implementation, when the third device includes a network device, the second device includes a terminal, and the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device: the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than the quality threshold, and the fourth device determines to increase the transmission power value of the second device; or, in this way, the quality of the signal received by the third device can be improved, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0028] In one possible implementation, where the third device comprises a network device, the second device comprises a terminal, and the first link comprises a link from the second device to a second relay device, if the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is greater than a quality threshold, the fourth device determines to reduce the transmit power value of the second device. This can reduce power consumption of the second device.

[0029] In one possible implementation, when the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than the quality threshold, and the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is greater than the difference threshold: the fourth device determines the transmission power value of at least one device among the third device, the second device or at least one relay device based on the quality information of at least one link.

[0030] When the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is greater than the difference threshold, the fourth device adjusts the transmission power value of the first relay device (or the second device, or other relay devices (such as the second relay device)) to obtain greater benefits. For example, when the fourth device adopts this implementation, it can improve the reliability of the data received by the third device or reduce the power consumption of the relay device (or the second device) more through a smaller transmission power value adjustment amount.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the fourth device may also perform at least one of the following: the fourth device sends information indicating the transmission power value of the third device; the fourth device sends information indicating the transmission power value of the second device; or the fourth device sends information indicating the transmission power value of the relay device in at least one relay device.

[0032] The fourth device may send information indicating the transmit power value of a device (the third device, the second device, or the relay device) to the device only if it determines that the transmit power value of the device needs to be adjusted. Alternatively, the fourth device may not determine whether the transmit power value of the device needs to be adjusted, but instead send the information indicating the transmit power value of the device to the device so that the device can independently determine whether the current transmit power value needs to be adjusted.

[0033] In a third aspect, the present application provides a link quality determination method applicable to a fourth device. The fourth device may be a terminal or a chip system within a terminal. The fourth device may also be a network device or a chip system within a network device. The fourth device may also be other devices, such as an NTN device or a chip system within an NTN device. For example, the fourth device may be a satellite or a chip system within a satellite.

[0034] The method includes: a fourth device acquiring quality information of at least one link. At least one relay device is located between the third device and the second device. The at least one link includes a first link. The first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device or a link from the third device to the first relay device. The first relay device and the second relay device may be the same or different relay devices in the at least one relay device. The fourth device determines an operating mode of the at least one relay device based on the quality information of the at least one link.

[0035] Since the fourth device can determine the working mode of the relay device based on the quality information of at least one link, the power consumption of the relay device can be saved as much as possible while ensuring the quality of the link.

[0036] In one possible implementation, when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is not greater than a difference threshold, the operating mode of the relay device in at least one relay device is the first mode. For example, when the relay device operates in the first mode, it includes: the relay device decodes and forwards the received signal. The relay device is an NTN device such as a satellite. When the quality of the links on both sides of the relay device is relatively close, the capacity (number of bits transmitted per second) of the relay device in the two modes differs significantly. In this case, the relay device can be operated in the first mode as much as possible. In the first mode, the capacity (number of bits transmitted per second) of the relay device is larger, so this solution can improve the overall performance of the system.

[0037] In one possible implementation, when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is greater than the difference threshold, the working mode of the relay device in at least one relay device is the second mode. For example, when the relay device operates in the second mode, it includes: the relay device amplifies and forwards the received signal. It can also be understood that when the relay device operates in the second mode, the relay device will not perform decoding operations on the received signal. When the quality of the links on both sides of the relay device is greatly different, the difference in the capacity of the relay device (the number of bits transmitted per second) in the two modes is small. In this case, the relay device can be made to operate in the second mode as much as possible. In the second mode, the power consumption overhead of the relay device is small, so this solution can save the power consumption of the relay device.

[0038] In a possible implementation, when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is equal to a difference threshold, the operating mode of the relay device in at least one relay device is the first mode or the second mode.

[0039] In the embodiments of the present application, the fourth device and the relay device whose operating mode needs to be adjusted may be located in the same device or in different devices. When located in different devices, the fourth device sends information indicating the operating mode of at least one relay device. In this way, the relay device that receives the information can adjust its own operating mode based on the information.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the fourth device may send information indicating the working mode of the relay device to the relay device when determining that the relay device needs to adjust the working mode.

[0041] In another possible implementation, the fourth device does not need to determine whether the relay device needs to switch operating modes. Instead, the fourth device sends information indicating the relay device's operating mode to the relay device. The relay device that receives the information can independently determine whether to switch operating modes. For example, the relay device can determine that a switch in operating mode is required if its current operating mode differs from the operating mode indicated by the information.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a link quality determination method applicable to a second device. The second device may be a terminal or a chip system within a terminal. The second device may also be a network device or a chip system within a network device. The second device may also be other devices, such as an NTN device or a chip system within an NTN device. For example, the fourth device may be a satellite or a chip system within a satellite.

[0043] In the method, a second device obtains first information indicating a relationship between transmit power values ​​of at least two reference signals sent by the second device, and sends the at least two reference signals according to the first information.

[0044] In this way, the transmit power values ​​of the at least two reference signals emitted by the second device meet the requirements of the first information. The first device can then combine the first information and the measurement results of the at least two reference signals to determine the quality information of a link from the third device or the second device to the relay device. This link quality information can be used to control the transmit power value of at least one of the third device, the second device, or the relay device, and can also be used to select the operating mode of the relay device, thereby minimizing power consumption while ensuring link quality.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the second device may receive the first information from another device, or the second device may generate the first information itself. In another possible implementation, the second device may send the first information. For example, the second device may send the first information to the first device.

[0046] In one possible embodiment, the first information includes information for indicating at least one of the following: the relationship between the transmission power values ​​of multiple reference signals in at least two reference signals sent by the second device; and / or the transmission power value of the reference signal in at least two reference signals sent by the second device.

[0047] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a link quality determination method applicable to a third device. The third device may be a terminal or a chip system within a terminal. The third device may also be a network device or a chip system within a network device. The third device may also be other devices, such as an NTN device or a chip system within an NTN device. For example, the fourth device may be a satellite or a chip system within a satellite.

[0048] The method includes: a third device receives at least two reference signals, and the third device measures the at least two reference signals to obtain at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0049] The measurement results of the at least two reference signals can be used to determine quality information of a link from the third device or the second device to the relay device. This link quality information can be used to control the transmit power value of at least one of the third device, the second device, or the relay device, and can also be used to select an operating mode of the relay device to minimize power consumption while ensuring link quality.

[0050] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned first device, second device, third device, or fourth device. The communication device may include a communication unit and a processing unit to perform any aspect of the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects. The communication unit is used to perform functions related to sending and receiving. Optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit may be an input / output circuit or port of the communication chip.

[0051] In another design, the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0052] Optionally, the communication device further includes modules that can be used to execute any one of the first to fifth aspects above, or execute any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects.

[0053] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned first device, second device, third device, or fourth device. The communication device may include a processor and a memory to perform any aspect of the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects. Optionally, it also includes a transceiver, the memory is used to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program or instruction from the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction in the memory, the communication device performs any aspect of the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects.

[0054] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0055] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0056] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0057] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be the aforementioned first device, second device, third device, or fourth device. The communication device may include a processor to perform any of the aforementioned first to fifth aspects, or any possible implementation of the aforementioned first to fifth aspects. The processor is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0058] In one implementation, when the communication device is the first device, the second device, the third device, or the fourth device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0059] In another implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0060] In a ninth aspect, a system is provided, which includes the first device mentioned above.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the system may further include a fourth device. In another possible implementation, the system may further include a second device and a third device.

[0062] In the tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when run, enables the computer to execute any one of the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects.

[0063] In the eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes any one of the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects, or executes any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects.

[0064] In the twelfth aspect, a chip system is provided, which may include a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and may be used to perform any of the above-mentioned aspects 1 to 5, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects. Optionally, the chip system further includes a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program (also referred to as code, or instruction). The processor is used to call and run the computer program from the memory so that the device equipped with the chip system performs any of the above-mentioned aspects 1 to 5, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects.

[0065] In a thirteenth aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising: an interface circuit and a processing circuit. The interface circuit may include an input circuit and an output circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals via the input circuit and transmit signals via the output circuit, thereby implementing any of the first to fifth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects.

[0066] In a specific implementation, the processing device may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0067] In one implementation, when the communication device is a first device, a second device, a third device, or a fourth device, the interface circuit may be a radio frequency processing chip in the first device, the second device, the third device, or the fourth device, and the processing circuit may be a baseband processing chip in the first device, the second device, the third device, or the fourth device.

[0068] In another implementation, the communication device may be a component of the first, second, third, or fourth device, such as an integrated circuit product such as a system-on-chip (SoC) or a communication chip. The interface circuit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processing circuit may be a logic circuit on the chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0069] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of another communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of another communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of another communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of another communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG7 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG8 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] The following is an introduction to the nouns and terms involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0080] (1) Reference signal.

[0081] The reference signal in the embodiment of the present application may include at least one of the following: a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and may also include other reference signals, such as a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), or a synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB). The reference signal may also include, for example, a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), or a DMRS in an SSB.

[0082] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to NR systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) systems, or can also be applied to next-generation mobile communication systems or other similar communication systems. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to vehicle to everything (V2X) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, etc.

[0083] As an example, FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG1 , collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG1 , collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG1 ). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be independent and different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device that integrates the logical functions of the core network devices and the logical functions of the RAN nodes. Terminals and RAN nodes may be connected to each other via wired or wireless means.

[0084] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), or a WiFi system. RAN100 can also include two or more of the aforementioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0085] A RAN node, also known as a radio access network device, RAN entity, or access node, facilitates wireless access to a communication system by a terminal. In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, 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 WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station, an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node, or a donor node.

[0086] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functions. For example, a RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU implements the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) functions, as well as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions. The DU implements the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer functions, as well as some or all of the physical layer functions. For detailed descriptions of each of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement the transmission and reception of radio frequency signals. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated into the same RAN node, such as in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0087] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU may be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU may be called an open DU (O-DU), and a RU may be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For example, the RAN node may be a server loaded with the corresponding software module. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the RAN node. For ease of description, the following description takes a base station as an example of a RAN node.

[0088] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to a base station or receive signals from a base station. A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals 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. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, 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.

[0089] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0090] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. To terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, to base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality, while 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0091] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be carried out through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; communication can be carried out through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0092] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes the base station functions. The control subsystem that includes the base station 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 may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal, or by a device that includes the terminal functions.

[0093] In this application, a base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a wireless connection with the cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the serving cell, it will also be subject to interference from signals in neighboring cells.

[0094] As two other examples, please refer to Figures 2 and 3, which are schematic diagrams of the network architecture of several communication systems applicable to the embodiments of the present application. The communication system includes satellites, terminals and gateways. The satellites can be high elliptical orbiting (HEO) satellites, geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. In addition, the NTN system can also include high altitude platform stations (HAPS), etc., which are not limited here. Gateways (also known as ground stations, earth stations, gateways, and gateways) can be used to connect satellites and ground base station gateways / gateways. One or more satellites can be connected to one or more ground base stations through one or more gateways, which are not limited here. Terminals, for example, include mobile phones, airplanes, etc. (Figures 2 and 3 are used as examples). The link between the satellite and the terminal is called a service link, and the link between the satellite and the gateway is called a feeder link.

[0095] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the operating mode of the satellite. For example, the operating mode of the satellite can be a transparent mode or a regenerative mode. Figure 2 illustrates the operation of the satellite in the transparent mode as an example, and Figure 3 illustrates the operation of the satellite in the regenerative mode as an example.

[0096] Refer to Figure 2 for transparent transmission mode. In this mode, the satellite acts as an analog RF repeater, performing relay and forwarding functions. It can perform wireless frequency conversion and amplification, transparently transmitting or replicating signals between the base station and the terminal. For example, signals sent by the terminal can be transparently transmitted via the satellite, and then forwarded by the gateway to the ground base station. The gateway has some or all of the functions of a base station, so it can be considered a base station. Network elements and base stations can be deployed together or separately. If the gateway is deployed separately from the base station, the feeder link latency includes both the satellite-to-gateway latency and the gateway-to-base station latency.

[0097] Refer to Figure 3. In regeneration mode, a satellite acts as a wireless communication base station, performing some or all of the base station's functions. This allows it to regenerate signals received from the ground, understanding and processing these signals. For example, the satellite can be a base station on an artificial satellite or high-altitude aircraft, such as an evolved base station (eNB) or a 5G base station (gNB). The gateway forwards signaling between the satellite (i.e., base station) and the core network.

[0098] The satellites in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 may also be replaced by other relay equipment, such as a high altitude platform station (HAPS) or other NTN equipment.

[0099] The embodiments of the present application may also be applied to other communication system architectures, such as an air-to-ground (ATG) communication system, which includes at least one network device and at least one high-altitude terminal. The high-altitude terminal may include, for example, a high-altitude aircraft and an onboard terminal.

[0100] Based on the system architectures shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 above, Figures 4 and 5 exemplarily illustrate schematic diagrams of several communication system architectures applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , at least one relay device is provided between the third device and the second device.

[0102] The third device in the embodiments of the present application may be a terminal in FIG1, FIG2, or FIG3 or a chip system inside the terminal. The third device may also be a network device (such as an access network device) in FIG1, FIG2, or FIG3 or a chip system inside the network device. The third device may also be other devices in FIG1, FIG2, or FIG3, such as an NTN device or a chip system inside an NTN device. For example, the third device may be a satellite or a chip system inside a satellite.

[0103] The second device in the embodiments of the present application may be a terminal in FIG1 , FIG2 , or FIG3 , or a chip system within the terminal. The second device may also be a network device (such as an access network device) in FIG1 , FIG2 , or FIG3 , or a chip system within the network device. The second device may also be other devices in FIG1 , FIG2 , or FIG3 , such as an NTN device or a chip system within an NTN device. For example, the second device may be a satellite or a chip system within a satellite.

[0104] There is no limiting relationship between the third device and the second device in the embodiments of the present application. The third device and the second device can be of the same or different device types, including, for example, a terminal, a network device, or an NTN device. For example, the third device and the second device can be a terminal or a network device (the third device is a terminal or the second device is a terminal), or an NTN device and a network device, or an NTN device and a terminal. For another example, the third device and the second device can both be terminals, or both be network devices, or both be NTN devices such as satellites.

[0105] FIG4 illustrates an example of a connection between a third device and a second device via a relay device. FIG5 illustrates an example of a connection between a third device and a second device via multiple relay devices (e.g., relay device #1, relay device #3, and relay device #2). In actual applications, more relay devices may be included between the third device and the second device, such as more than three relay devices. In the embodiment of the present application, other devices may also be included between the third device and the second device, such as a gateway, a base station, etc., which are not shown in FIG4 and FIG5.

[0106] The relay device in the embodiments of the present application can be a relay device or a chip system within the relay device. The relay device can be a satellite, such as those shown in Figures 2 and 3, or other devices, such as high-altitude platforms, drones, HAPS, and other NTN devices. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the relay device as a satellite.

[0107] Based on the system architecture of Figures 4 and 5, it can be seen that the third device and the second device usually transmit data through one or more relay devices. A reference signal can be sent between the third device and the second device, and the measurement result of the reference signal can be used to determine the quality information of the link (such as the signal-noise ratio (SNR), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SNR)), etc.). However, the quality information of the link currently determined by the measurement result of the reference signal transmitted between the third device and the second device is the quality information of the entire link between the third device and the second device. There is currently no solution that can be used to determine the quality information of one or more links between the third device and the second device (such as the link from the third device to the relay device, and the link from the second device to the relay device).

[0108] Based on the above content, an embodiment of the present application provides a solution, in which the second device sends at least two reference signals. The first information obtained by the first device indicates the relationship between the transmission power values ​​of the at least two reference signals. The first device determines the quality information of one or more links between the third device and the second device (such as the link from the third device to the relay device, and the link from the second device to the relay device) in combination with the first information and the measurement result information of the at least two reference signals. The link quality information can be used for power control of at least one of the third device, the second device or the relay device, and can also be used for selecting the working mode of the relay device.

[0109] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and the other contents mentioned above, Figure 6 exemplarily shows a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0110] For ease of understanding, Figure 6 describes the interaction between various devices. The third device involved in Figure 6 is the third device in Figure 4 or Figure 5, the second device involved in Figure 6 is the second device in Figure 4 or Figure 5, and the relay device involved in Figure 6 is the relay device in Figure 4 or Figure 5. For relevant details, please refer to the description of Figures 4 and 5 above and will not be repeated here.

[0111] The first device and the third device involved in FIG6 may be the same device, or the first device and the third device may be integrated into the same device, or the first device and the third device may be located in different devices.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, the first device is a device for determining quality information of at least one link. The first device can be the terminal of Figure 1, Figure 2, or Figure 3, or a chip system inside the terminal. The first device can also be the network device (such as an access network device) of Figure 1, Figure 2, or Figure 3, or a chip system inside the network device. The first device can also be the device of Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, or Figure 5, such as an NTN device or a chip system inside the NTN device. For example, the first device can be a satellite or a chip system inside a satellite.

[0113] In an embodiment of the present application, the fourth device is a device for controlling power control or adjusting the working mode of the relay device based on the quality information of at least one link. The fourth device can also be understood as a device that uses the quality information of at least one link. The fourth device and the first device can be the same device, or the fourth device and the first device can be integrated into the same device, or the fourth device and the first device can be located in different devices. The fourth device can be the terminal of Figure 1, Figure 2 or Figure 3 or the chip system inside the terminal. The fourth device can also be the network device of Figure 1, Figure 2 or Figure 3 (such as an access network device) or the chip system inside the network device. The fourth device can also be the device of Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4 or Figure 5, such as an NTN device or the chip system inside the NTN device. For example, the fourth device can be a satellite or the chip system inside the satellite.

[0114] As shown in FIG6 , the method includes:

[0115] Step 601: The second device obtains first information.

[0116] The first information indicates a relationship between transmit power values ​​of at least two reference signals sent by the second device.

[0117] The first information may be used to indicate information of the following content A1 and / or content A2.

[0118] Content A1: Relationship between transmit power values ​​of multiple reference signals in at least two reference signals sent by the second device.

[0119] There may be multiple possible relationships between the transmit power values ​​of the multiple reference signals sent by the second device. For example, there may be a mathematical relationship between the transmit power values ​​of the multiple reference signals, such as a multiple relationship or a difference relationship between two transmit power values. For example, the second device sends reference signal #1 and reference signal #2. The transmit power value of reference signal #1 sent by the second device is 3 decibels (dB), and the transmit power value of reference signal #2 sent by the second device is 6 dB. The transmit power value of reference signal #2 sent by the second device is twice the transmit power value of reference signal #1 sent by the second device. It can be said that the transmit power values ​​of reference signal #1 and reference signal #2 sent by the second device are in a 2-fold relationship. The first information may include information indicating that the transmit power values ​​of reference signal #2 sent by the second device are in a 2-fold relationship with reference signal #1.

[0120] Content A2: a transmission power value of a reference signal among at least two reference signals sent by the second device.

[0121] In combination with the above example, the first information may include information for indicating a transmit power value of 3dB for the reference signal #2 and a transmit power value of 6dB for the reference signal #1 sent by the second device.

[0122] The first information may also include configuration information for multiple reference signals sent by the second device. For example, the first information may include at least one of time domain information, frequency domain information, or polarization information for the multiple reference signals. For another example, the first information may include a resource identifier and / or resource set identifier for reference signal #1 and a resource identifier and / or resource set identifier for reference signal #2, so that the device receiving the first information can determine the corresponding reference signal based on the first information.

[0123] In the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple ways for the second device to obtain the first information. For example, the second device can generate the first information, or the second device can receive the first information from another device (such as a third device).

[0124] Step 602: The second device sends at least two reference signals according to the first information.

[0125] Correspondingly, the third device receives at least two reference signals.

[0126] The transmit power values ​​of at least one reference signal transmitted by the second device are consistent with the requirements of the first information. For example, if the first information indicates that the transmit power values ​​of reference signal #2 and reference signal #1 are 2 times each other, the transmit power values ​​of reference signal #2 and reference signal #1 transmitted by the second device must satisfy the 2-times relationship.

[0127] Step 603: The third device measures at least two reference signals to obtain at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0128] The at least two pieces of measurement information are obtained based on at least two reference signals from the second device.

[0129] Step 604: The first device obtains first information.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present application, there are multiple ways for the first device to obtain the first information. The first device can generate the first information or receive the first information from another device (such as a second device). For example, the second device generates the first information and sends the first information to the first device. For another example, the first device generates the first information and sends the first information to the second device.

[0131] The first information obtained by the first device is consistent with the first information content in the aforementioned step 601 and will not be repeated here.

[0132] Step 605: The third device sends at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0133] Correspondingly, the first device receives at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0134] The above step 605 may also be replaced by: the first device obtains at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0135] If the first device and the third device are the same device, step 603 may be performed by the first device. That is, the first device receives at least two reference signals from the second device, measures the at least two reference signals, and obtains at least two pieces of measurement information. In this case, step 605 may not be performed.

[0136] Step 606: The first device determines quality information of at least one link based on the first information and at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0137] In the embodiment of the present application, the quality information of at least one link includes SNR, SNIR or channel quality indication (CQI), etc.

[0138] At least one relay device is included between the third device and the second device. The first relay device and the second relay device are the same or different relay devices in the at least one relay device.

[0139] The at least one link includes a first link. The first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device or a link from the third device to the first relay device.

[0140] The at least one link includes a second link. Where the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device, the second link includes a link from the first relay device to the second device. Where the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device, the second link includes a link from the second relay device to the third device.

[0141] For example, when the third device includes a terminal and the second device includes a network device, the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device. For another example, when the third device includes a network device and the second device includes a terminal, the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device.

[0142] In a possible implementation, in the link between the third device and the second device: no other relay devices are included between the second device and the second relay device, and no other relay devices are included between the first relay device and the third device.

[0143] For example, with reference to Figure 5, relay device #1 can be considered the first relay device, and relay device #2 can be considered the second relay device. If the link from the third device to relay device #1 is considered the first link, the link from relay device #1 to the second device can be considered the second link. If the link from the second device to relay device #2 is considered the first link, the link from relay device #2 to the third device can be considered the second link.

[0144] There are many methods for obtaining the quality information of the first link and / or the second link. The following is an example of a possible implementation method. In this example, for example, the second device is a base station, the third device is a terminal, the first link is the link from the third device to the relay device #1, and the second link is the link from the relay device #1 to the second device. The second device sends reference signal #1 and reference signal #2. The transmission power value of the reference signal #2 sent by the second device is 2 times that of the reference signal #1. The first device can calculate the link quality information of the first link and / or the second link by the following formula (1):

[0145] In formula (1), SNR1 is measurement information obtained by the third device measuring reference information #1, SNR2 is measurement information obtained by the third device measuring reference information #2, SNR0 is quality information of the second link, SNR1 is quality information of the first link, and δ is a multiple value 2 between the transmission power values ​​of reference signal #2 and reference signal #1 sent by the second device.

[0146] In another embodiment, for example, the second device is a terminal, the third device is a base station, the first link is a link from the second device to the relay device #2, and the second link is a link from the relay device #2 to the third device. The second device sends reference signal #1 and reference signal #2. The transmission power value of the reference signal #2 sent by the second device is 2 times that of the reference signal #1. The first device can calculate the link quality information of the first link and / or the second link by formula (1). Similarly, in formula (1), SNR1 is the measurement information obtained by the third device measuring the reference information #1, SNR2 is the measurement information obtained by the third device measuring the reference information #2, SNR0 is the quality information of the second link, SNR1 is the quality information of the first link, and δ is the multiple value 2 between the transmission power value of the reference signal #2 sent by the second device and the reference signal #1.

[0147] In the above example, since the transmitter adjusts the power only to directly change the SNR of the link directly connected to the transmitter, SNR0 does not change, and the transmitter power adjustment is equivalent to SNR1 being multiplied by δ in the formula corresponding to SNR2. In other scenarios, the above formula (1) can also be modified. For example, if SNR0 also changes, SNR0 can also be multiplied by δ in the formula corresponding to SNR2. Alternatively, the relationship between the reference signals sent by the transmitter is not a multiple relationship, but other relationships, such as a difference relationship, etc. The (SNR1×δ) in the formula for calculating SNR2 in the above formula (1) can be replaced accordingly and will not be repeated.

[0148] In an embodiment of the present application, the quality information of at least one link is used to determine at least one of the following: the transmission power value of the third device; the transmission power value of the second device; the transmission power value of the relay device in at least one relay device; or the operating mode of the relay device in at least one relay device.

[0149] In the solution shown in FIG6 , in one possible implementation, the solution further includes steps 607, 608, and 609:

[0150] Step 607: The first device sends quality information of at least one link.

[0151] Correspondingly, the fourth device receives quality information of at least one link.

[0152] Step 607 may be replaced by: the fourth device obtains quality information of at least one link.

[0153] In the case where the fourth device and the first device are the same device, the fourth device obtains quality information of at least one link through the above step 606. In this case, step 607 may not be performed.

[0154] Step 608: The fourth device determines, based on the quality information of at least one link: a transmission power value of the third device, the second device, or at least one of the at least one relay devices; and / or an operating mode of the relay device of the at least one relay device.

[0155] In the embodiments of the present application, the quality information of at least one link can provide assistance in various scenarios. The following describes how the fourth device uses the quality information of at least one link through implementation mode B1 and implementation mode B2 respectively.

[0156] In implementation mode B1, the fourth device determines, based on quality information of at least one link, a transmission power value of at least one of the third device, the second device, or at least one relay device.

[0157] In implementation B1.1, when the third device includes a terminal, the second device includes a network device, and the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device, the fourth device may adjust the transmission power value of the first relay device based on the quality information of the first link.

[0158] The following describes two adjustment methods by way of example: adjustment method B1.1.1 and adjustment method B1.1.2.

[0159] Adjustment method B1.1.1: When the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than the quality threshold, the fourth device increases the transmit power value of the first relay device. This can improve the quality of the signal received by the third device, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0160] Adjustment mode B1.1.2: When the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is greater than the quality threshold, the fourth device reduces the transmit power value of the first relay device, thereby saving power consumption of the first relay device.

[0161] In a scenario where the first relay device is a device with high power consumption requirements, such as a satellite, if the fourth device obtains quality information of the overall link between the second device and the third device, the fourth device cannot determine whether the signal transmission power value of a particular relay device needs to be adjusted based on the overall link quality information. In the embodiment of the present application, the first link is the link between the third device and the first relay device. Therefore, the fourth device can more accurately determine whether the transmission power value of the first relay device needs to be reduced based on the quality information of the first link. In this way, a better value can be achieved between power consumption savings of the first relay device and reliability of signal quality transmission, thereby achieving a better balance between the two aspects.

[0162] In another possible implementation, when the third device includes a terminal, the second device includes a network device, and the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device, the fourth device may also adjust the transmission power value of at least one of the second device or other relay devices (such as the second relay device). For example, when the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than the quality threshold, the fourth device increases the transmission power value of the second device (or other relay device). This can improve the quality of the signal received by the third device, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission. For another example, when the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is greater than the quality threshold, the fourth device reduces the transmission power value of the second device (or other relay device). In this way, the power consumption of the second device (or other relay device) can be saved.

[0163] In implementation B1.2, when the third device includes a network device, the second device includes a terminal, and the first link includes a link from the second device to a second relay device, the fourth device may adjust the transmission power value of the second device based on the quality information of the first link.

[0164] The following describes two adjustment methods by way of example: adjustment method B1.2.1 and adjustment method B1.2.2.

[0165] Adjustment mode B1.2.1: When the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than the quality threshold, the fourth device increases the transmit power value of the second device. This can improve the quality of the signal received by the third device, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0166] Adjustment mode B1.2.2: When the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is greater than the quality threshold, the fourth device reduces the transmit power value of the second device, thereby saving power consumption of the second device.

[0167] In another possible implementation, when the third device includes a network device, the second device includes a terminal, and the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device, the fourth device may also adjust the transmission power value of at least one of the relay devices (such as the second relay device, etc.). For example, when the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than the quality threshold, the fourth device increases the transmission power value of the relay device. This can improve the quality of the signal received by the third device, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission. For another example, when the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is greater than the quality threshold, the fourth device reduces the transmission power value of the relay device. In this way, the power consumption of the relay device can be saved.

[0168] In another possible implementation, the fourth device may determine the transmit power value of at least one of the third device, the second device, or at least one relay device based on the quality information of the first link and the quality information of the second link. For example, the fourth device may adjust the transmit power value of at least one of the third device, the second device, or at least one relay device based on the quality information of the first link when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is greater than the difference threshold (for specific adjustment methods, refer to the aforementioned adjustment method B1.1.1, adjustment method B1.1.2, adjustment method B1.2.1, and adjustment method B1.2.2, which will not be repeated). For another example, the fourth device may not adjust the transmit power value of the third device, the second device, or the relay device when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is not greater than the difference threshold.

[0169] When the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is greater than the difference threshold, the fourth device adjusts the transmission power value of the first relay device (or the second device, or other relay devices (such as the second relay device)) to obtain greater benefits. For example, when the fourth device adopts this implementation, it can improve the reliability of the data received by the third device or reduce the power consumption of the relay device (or the second device) more through a smaller transmission power value adjustment amount.

[0170] In implementation mode B2, the fourth device determines, based on quality information of at least one link, an operating mode of a relay device in at least one relay device.

[0171] In the embodiment of the present application, the working mode of the relay device may include a first mode and a second mode.

[0172] Several possible forms of the first mode and the second mode are exemplarily introduced below through the following examples B2.1, B2.2 and B2.3.

[0173] Example B2.1

[0174] In example B2.1, the first mode includes the regeneration mode, and the second mode includes the transparent mode.

[0175] For the description of transparent transmission mode and regeneration mode, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0176] Example B2.2

[0177] In Example B2.2, when a relay device meets the following conditions, the relay device can be said to be operating in the first mode, or the relay device's operating mode can be said to be the first mode: The relay device is a device capable of signal regeneration. For example, the relay device can be considered a wireless communication base station, having some or all of the functions of a base station, regenerating signals received from the ground, and being able to understand and process these signals.

[0178] In Example B2.2, when the relay device satisfies the following conditions, the relay device can be said to be operating in the second mode, or the relay device's operating mode can be said to be the second mode: the relay device transparently transmits or copies and forwards the received signal. It can also be understood that the relay device does not regenerate the signal. For example, the relay device can be regarded as an analog RF repeater, which has the function of relaying and forwarding, can realize wireless frequency conversion and amplification, and can transparently transmit or copy the signal between the second device and the third device. It can also be understood that when the relay device operates in the second mode, the relay device does not have the function of a base station and will not regenerate or process the received signal.

[0179] Example B2.3

[0180] In Example B2.3, when the relay device satisfies the following conditions, the relay device can be said to be operating in the first mode, or the operating mode of the relay device can be said to be the first mode: the relay device decodes and forwards (DF) the received signal. In this example, the first mode can also be called the DF mode.

[0181] In Example B2.3, when the relay device satisfies the following conditions, the relay device can be said to be operating in the second mode, or the relay device's operating mode can be said to be the second mode: the relay device amplifies and forwards (AF) the received signal. In this example, the first mode can also be referred to as the AF mode. It can also be understood that when the relay device operates in the second mode, the relay device does not decode the received signal.

[0182] The fourth device determines the working mode of the relay device in the at least one relay device according to the quality information of the at least one link, so as to improve the working performance of the relay device and reduce the power consumption of the relay device.

[0183] In one possible implementation, when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is no greater than a difference threshold, the operating mode of the relay device in at least one relay device is the first mode. For example, if the first mode is the regeneration mode, and the relay device is an NTN device such as a satellite, and the link quality on both sides of the relay device is relatively close, then the capacity (number of bits transmitted per second) of the relay device in the two modes may differ significantly. In this case, the relay device can be operated in the first mode as much as possible. In the first mode, the capacity (number of bits transmitted per second) of the relay device is greater, and thus this solution can improve overall system performance.

[0184] In another possible implementation, when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is greater than a difference threshold, the operating mode of the relay device in at least one relay device is the second mode. For example, if the second mode is transparent transmission mode, and the relay device is an NTN device such as a satellite, and the link quality difference on both sides of the relay device is large, then the difference in the capacity (number of bits transmitted per second) of the relay device in the two modes is small. In this case, the relay device can be operated in the second mode as much as possible. In the second mode, the power consumption overhead of the relay device is low, so this solution can save power consumption of the relay device.

[0185] In another possible implementation, when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is equal to a difference threshold, the operating mode of the relay device in the at least one relay device is the first mode or the second mode. This can improve the flexibility of the solution.

[0186] In an embodiment of the present application, the quality information of at least one link can also provide assistance for other scenarios. For example, when the second device is a base station or the third device is a base station, the quality information of at least one link can also assist the base station in uplink scheduling and / or downlink scheduling.

[0187] In step 609, the fourth device performs at least one of the following: sending information indicating the transmission power value of the third device; sending information indicating the transmission power value of the second device; sending information indicating the transmission power value of the relay device in at least one relay device; or sending information indicating the working mode of the relay device in at least one relay device.

[0188] Step 609 is associated with step 608. In one possible implementation, if the fourth device determines that a certain device needs to adjust the transmit power value and / or operating mode, then in step 609 the fourth device may send corresponding information (or instructions) to the device to adjust the transmit power value and / or operating mode of the device. In another possible implementation, the fourth device does not need to determine whether a certain device needs to adjust the transmit power value and / or operating mode. The fourth device determines the transmit power value and / or operating mode of a certain device and sends information indicating the transmit power value and / or operating mode of the device to the device, so that the device can independently determine whether the current transmit power value and / or operating mode needs to be adjusted.

[0189] Figure 6 exemplifies several forms of information that may be sent by the fourth device, but does not mean that the fourth device needs to send all the information in step 609 shown in Figure 6. The fourth device may not perform every item in step 609 of Figure 6, or may perform at least one item in step 609 of Figure 6.

[0190] In an embodiment of the present application, when the fourth device is not the same device as the device whose transmit power value or operating mode is to be adjusted, the fourth device may send an instruction so that the receiving end adjusts the transmit power value and / or operating mode according to the instruction. When the fourth device is the same device as the device whose transmit power value or operating mode is to be adjusted, the fourth device may not perform step 609, and the fourth device may adjust its own transmit power value and / or operating mode through internal circuits or other unit modules.

[0191] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 and the other contents described above, Figure 7 exemplarily illustrates a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 can be regarded as a possible implementation of Figure 6. In the example shown in Figure 7, the second device is a base station, the first relay device is relay device #1 in Figure 5, the third device is a terminal, and the first device and the third device are devices on the same device, or the first device and the third device are the same device.

[0192] As shown in FIG7 , the method includes:

[0193] Step 701: The base station generates first information.

[0194] For the relevant content of step 701, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 601 and will not be repeated here.

[0195] Step 702: The base station sends at least two reference signals according to the first information.

[0196] For the relevant content of step 702, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 602 and will not be repeated here.

[0197] Step 703: The terminal measures at least two reference signals to obtain at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0198] The base station can send more reference signals so that the terminal can obtain more reference signal measurement results. More reference signal measurement results help improve positioning accuracy. On the other hand, after obtaining more measurement results, the terminal can smooth the measurement results of multiple reference signals, for example, by using alpha filtering to smooth the multiple measurement results.

[0199] For the relevant content of step 703, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 603 and will not be repeated here.

[0200] Step 704: The base station sends first information.

[0201] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information.

[0202] For the relevant content of step 704, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 604 and will not be repeated here.

[0203] Step 705: The terminal determines quality information of at least one link according to the first information and at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0204] For the relevant content of step 705, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 606 and will not be repeated here.

[0205] Step 706: The terminal sends quality information of at least one link.

[0206] Correspondingly, the fourth device receives quality information of at least one link.

[0207] In step 706, the terminal may first send the quality information of the at least one link to the base station, and then the base station may send the quality information of the at least one link to the fourth device.

[0208] For the relevant content of step 706, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 607 and will not be repeated here.

[0209] Step 707: The fourth apparatus determines the transmission power value of relay apparatus #1 based on the quality information of at least one link.

[0210] For the relevant content of step 707, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 608 and will not be repeated here.

[0211] Step 708: The fourth apparatus sends information indicating the transmission power value of relay apparatus #1 to relay apparatus #1.

[0212] Correspondingly, relay apparatus #1 receives information indicating the transmission power value of relay apparatus #1.

[0213] In one possible implementation, the fourth device determines that relay device #1 needs to adjust the transmission power value. In step 709, the fourth device may send corresponding information (or instructions) to relay device #1 to adjust the transmission power value of relay device #1.

[0214] In another possible implementation, the fourth device does not need to determine whether relay device #1 needs to adjust the transmission power value. The fourth device determines the transmission power value of relay device #1 and sends information indicating the determined transmission power value of relay device #1 to relay device #1, so that relay device #1 determines whether the current transmission power value needs to be adjusted based on the current transmission power value and the received transmission power value.

[0215] In another possible implementation, in the embodiment shown in FIG7 , the relay device #1 is operating in the second mode (such as transparent transmission mode or AF mode). In this implementation, the fourth device (or relay device #1) can determine that the relay device #1 needs to adjust the transmission power value based on the quality information of the first link and / or the second link when the relay device #1 is operating in the second mode and the current transmission power value of the relay device #1 is different from the transmission power value of the relay device #1 determined by the fourth device based on the quality information of the first link. It can be seen that the embodiment of the present application provides a method for adjusting the transmission power for the relay device operating in the second mode (such as transparent transmission mode or AF mode), so that the relay device operating in the second mode can reduce power consumption as much as possible while meeting the link quality.

[0216] In another possible implementation, in the embodiment shown in FIG7 , when relay device #1 operates in the first mode (e.g., regeneration mode or DF mode) or not in the second mode, the fourth device (or relay device #1) does not need to adjust the transmit power value of relay device #1 based on the quality information of the first link and / or the second link. Since relay device #1 operating in the first mode functions as a base station, relay device #1 can adjust its transmit power value in other ways. For example, relay device #1 can adjust its transmit power value in a manner similar to that of a base station, such as adjusting its transmit power value based on measurement results of received signals.

[0217] In one possible implementation, the information sent by the fourth device indicating the transmit power value of relay #1 may include the adjusted transmit power value of relay #1, or include certain adjustment parameters. The information indicating the transmit power value of relay #1 includes information indicating the adjustment amplitudes of relay #1 in the analog and digital domains. For example, relay #1's digital domain is amplified by 4 times, while relay #1's analog domain is amplified by 2 times. In this way, the total transmit power value of relay #1 can be amplified by 8 times.

[0218] As can be seen from the example of Figure 7, the base station sends multiple reference signals to the terminal. In the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal can determine the quality information of the link between the terminal and the relay device #1 based on the measurement results obtained by measuring the multiple reference signals, and then the quality information can be fed back to the fourth device. The fourth device can determine whether it is necessary to adjust the transmission power value of the relay device #1 based on the quality information of the link between the terminal and the relay device #1. If the quality of the link between the terminal and the relay device #1 is poor, the fourth device can instruct to increase the transmission power value of the relay device #1 so as to improve the quality of the signal received on the terminal side. If the quality of the link between the terminal and the relay device #1 is good, the fourth device can instruct to reduce the transmission power value of the relay device #1 so as to reduce the power consumption of the relay device #1.

[0219] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 and the other contents described above, Figure 8 exemplarily shows a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 can be regarded as a possible implementation of Figure 6. In the example shown in Figure 8, the second device is a terminal, the second relay device is relay device #2 in Figure 5, the third device is a base station, the first device, the third device, and the fourth device are devices on the same device, or the first device, the third device, and the fourth device are the same device.

[0220] As shown in FIG8 , the method includes:

[0221] Step 801: A base station generates first information.

[0222] For the relevant content of step 801, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 601 and will not be repeated here.

[0223] Step 802: The base station sends first information.

[0224] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information.

[0225] For the relevant content of step 802, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 604 and will not be repeated here.

[0226] Step 803: The terminal sends at least two reference signals according to the first information.

[0227] For the relevant content of step 803, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 602 and will not be repeated here.

[0228] Step 804: The base station measures at least two reference signals to obtain at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0229] The terminal can send more reference signals so that the base station can obtain more reference signal measurement results. More reference signal measurement results help improve positioning accuracy. Furthermore, after obtaining more measurement results, the base station can smooth the measurement results of multiple reference signals, for example, by using alpha filtering to smooth the multiple measurement results.

[0230] For the relevant content of step 804, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 603 and will not be repeated here.

[0231] Step 805: The base station determines quality information of at least one link according to the first information and at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0232] For the relevant content of step 805, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 606 and will not be repeated here.

[0233] Step 806: The base station determines a transmit power value of the terminal according to quality information of at least one link.

[0234] For the relevant content of step 806, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step 608 and will not be repeated here.

[0235] Step 807: The base station sends information indicating the transmit power value of the terminal to the terminal.

[0236] Correspondingly, the terminal receives information indicating the transmit power value of the terminal.

[0237] In a possible implementation, the base station determines that the terminal needs to adjust the transmit power value, and then in step 807 the base station may send corresponding information (or instructions) to the terminal to adjust the transmit power value of the terminal.

[0238] In another possible implementation, the base station does not need to determine whether the terminal needs to adjust the transmission power value. The base station determines the transmission power value of the terminal and sends information indicating the determined transmission power value of the terminal to the terminal, so that the terminal can determine whether the current transmission power value needs to be adjusted based on the current transmission power value and the received transmission power value.

[0239] In another possible implementation, in the embodiment shown in FIG8 , relay device #2 operates in a second mode (such as transparent transmission mode or AF mode). In this implementation, the base station (or terminal) can determine that the terminal needs to adjust its transmit power value when relay device #2 operates in the second mode and the current transmit power value of the terminal is different from the transmit power value of the terminal determined by the base station based on the quality information of the first link. Since relay device #2 operates in the second mode (such as transparent transmission mode or AF mode), the power adjustment efficiency of the terminal may be reduced. Therefore, when the base station determines the transmit power value of the terminal, it can more accurately adjust the transmit power value of the terminal in combination with the quality information of the first link and / or the second link.

[0240] In another possible implementation, in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, when the relay device #2 operates in the first mode (such as regeneration mode or DF mode) or non-second mode, the base station (or terminal) may also adjust the transmission power value of the terminal. However, since the power adjustment efficiency of the terminal may be higher when the relay device operates in the first mode, the base station does not need to adjust the transmission power value of the terminal in combination with the quality information of the first link and / or the second link. For example, the transmission power value of the terminal can be adjusted more accurately based on the measurement information of the reference signal.

[0241] In one possible implementation, the information sent by the base station indicating the transmit power value of the terminal may include the terminal's adjusted transmit power value, or include some adjustment parameters. The information indicating the transmit power value of the terminal includes information indicating the adjustment amplitudes in the analog and digital domains. For example, the digital domain of the terminal may be amplified by 4 times, while the analog domain of the terminal may be amplified by 2 times. In this way, the total transmit power value of the terminal can be amplified by 8 times.

[0242] As can be seen from the example in Figure 8, the terminal sends multiple reference signals to the base station. The base station can determine the quality information of the link between the terminal and relay device #2 based on the measurement results obtained from measuring the multiple reference signals. Then, based on the quality information of the link between the terminal and relay device #2, it can determine whether the terminal's transmit power value needs to be adjusted. If the quality of the link between the terminal and relay device #2 is poor, the base station can instruct the terminal to increase the transmit power value to improve the quality of the signal received on the base station side. If the quality of the link between the terminal and relay device #2 is good, the base station can instruct the terminal to decrease the transmit power value to reduce the terminal's power consumption.

[0243] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the base station and the terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. 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 in this application, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0244] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or base station 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 the terminal 120 shown in Figure 1, or the RAN node 110 shown in Figure 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal 120 or the RAN node 110. The communication device can also be a satellite as shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3, or a module (such as a chip) applied to a satellite.

[0245] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the first device, the second device, the third device or the fourth device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 6, 7 or 8 above.

[0246] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8: the processing unit 1310 is used to execute through the transceiver unit 1320: obtain first information, obtain at least two measurement information, and determine quality information of at least one link based on the first information and the at least two measurement information.

[0247] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8, the processing unit 1310 is specifically used to: when the first device and the third device are the same device, receive at least two reference signals from the second device through the transceiver unit 1320, measure the at least two reference signals, and obtain at least two measurement information.

[0248] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 , or FIG. 8 , the transceiver unit 1320 is specifically configured to receive at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0249] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8, the processing unit 1310 is specifically used to determine, based on the quality information of at least one link: the transmission power value of the third device, the second device, or at least one device in at least one relay device; and / or; the working mode of the relay device in at least one relay device.

[0250] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 , or FIG. 8 , the processing unit 1310 is specifically used to generate the first information.

[0251] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 , or FIG. 8 , the transceiver unit 1320 is specifically used to receive the first information.

[0252] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 , or FIG. 8 , the transceiver unit 1320 is further used to send quality information of at least one link.

[0253] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8: the processing unit 1310 is used to execute through the transceiver unit 1320: obtain quality information of at least one link, and determine the transmission power value of at least one device among the third device, the second device or at least one relay device based on the quality information of at least one link.

[0254] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8, the processing unit 1310 is specifically used to: when the third device includes a terminal, the second device includes a network device, and the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device: when the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than the quality threshold, determine to increase the transmission power value of the first relay device; or, when the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is greater than the quality threshold, determine to reduce the transmission power value of the first relay device.

[0255] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8, the processing unit 1310 is specifically used to: when the third device includes a network device, the second device includes a terminal, and the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device: the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than the quality threshold, and it is determined to increase the transmission power value of the second device; or, the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is greater than the quality threshold, and it is determined to reduce the transmission power value of the second device.

[0256] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8, the processing unit 1310 is specifically used to: when the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link is not greater than the quality threshold, and the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is greater than the difference threshold: determine the transmission power value of at least one device among the third device, the second device or at least one relay device based on the quality information of at least one link.

[0257] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8, the transceiver unit 1320 is specifically used to perform at least one of the following: sending information for indicating the transmission power value of the third device; sending information for indicating the transmission power value of the second device; or sending information for indicating the transmission power value of the relay device in at least one relay device.

[0258] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8: the processing unit 1310 is used to execute through the transceiver unit 1320: obtain quality information of at least one link, and determine the working mode of the relay device in at least one relay device based on the quality information of the at least one link.

[0259] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8, the processing unit 1310 is specifically used to: when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is not greater than the difference threshold, the working mode of the relay device in at least one relay device is the first mode; or, when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is greater than the difference threshold, the working mode of the relay device in at least one relay device is the second mode.

[0260] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8, the processing unit 1310 is specifically used to: when the difference between the link quality indicated by the quality information of the first link and the link quality indicated by the quality information of the second link is equal to the difference threshold, the working mode of the relay device in at least one relay device is the first mode or the second mode.

[0261] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to: send information for indicating the working mode of the relay device in at least one relay device.

[0262] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the second device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8: the processing unit 1310 is used to execute through the transceiver unit 1320: obtain first information, and send at least two reference signals according to the first information.

[0263] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the second device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 , or FIG. 8 , the transceiver unit 1320 is further used to: send the first information.

[0264] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the third device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 , FIG7 , or FIG8 : the transceiver unit 1320 is used to receive at least two reference signals. The processing unit 1310 is used to measure the at least two reference signals to obtain at least two pieces of measurement information.

[0265] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320 , reference may be made to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 .

[0266] As shown in Figure 10, communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. Processor 1410 and interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by processor 1410, input data required by processor 1410 to execute instructions, or data generated after processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0267] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 , the processor 1410 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1310 , and the interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0268] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the terminal chip receives information from the base station, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. When the terminal chip sends information to the base station, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0269] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the base station chip receives information from the terminal, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. When the base station chip sends information to the terminal, it can be understood that the information is sent to other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0270] In this application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be done directly from A to B or indirectly through another entity. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be done directly from entity B or indirectly through another entity. Entities A and B herein can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within a RAN node or terminal. The sending and receiving of information can be information exchange between a RAN node and a terminal, for example, between a base station and a terminal; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between two RAN nodes, for example, between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between different modules within a device, for example, between a terminal chip and other modules in the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules within the base station.

[0271] 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.

[0272] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, 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 write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0273] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions of the embodiments of the present application are performed. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media, such as floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes; optical media, such as digital video disks; or semiconductor media, such as solid-state drives. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0274] 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.

[0275] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may 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 associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of this application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0276] It is understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of this application (such as the numerical numbers "first" and "second", and the letter numbers "parameter A", "parameter B", "parameter C", etc.) are only for the convenience 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 mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A method for determining link quality, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a first device, and the method comprises: Acquire first information, where the first information indicates a relationship between transmit power values ​​of at least two reference signals sent by the second device; Acquire at least two pieces of measurement information, where the at least two pieces of measurement information are obtained based on the at least two reference signals from the second device; Quality information of at least one link is determined based on the first information and the at least two measurement information, at least one relay device is included between the third device and the second device, the at least one link includes a first link, the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device or a link from the third device to the first relay device, and the first relay device and the second relay device are the same or different relay devices in the at least one relay device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The obtaining of at least two pieces of measurement information includes: In a case where the first device and the third device are the same device, receiving the at least two reference signals from the second device, the first device measuring the at least two reference signals to obtain at least two pieces of measurement information; or, The at least two measurement information are received.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that In the case where the third device includes a terminal and the second device includes a network device, the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device; or; In the case where the third device includes a network device and the second device includes a terminal, the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The at least one link comprises a second link; In the case where the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device, the second link includes a link from the first relay device to the second device; or; When the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device, the second link includes a link from the second relay device to the third device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The quality information of the at least one link is used to determine at least one of the following: The transmission power value of the third device; a transmission power value of the second device; a transmission power value of a relay device in the at least one relay device; or, An operating mode of a relay device in the at least one relay device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Determine according to the quality information of the at least one link: a transmission power value of at least one of the third device, the second device, or the at least one relay device; and / or; An operating mode of a relay device in the at least one relay device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The obtaining of the first information includes: generating the first information; or, The first information is received.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: After determining the quality information of at least one link according to the first information and the at least two measurement information, the method further includes: Quality information of the at least one link is sent.

9. A link quality determination device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and an interface circuit: The processor is used to execute, through the interface circuit: Acquire first information, where the first information indicates a relationship between transmit power values ​​of at least two reference signals sent by the second device; Acquire at least two pieces of measurement information, where the at least two pieces of measurement information are obtained based on the at least two reference signals from the second device; Quality information of at least one link is determined based on the first information and the at least two measurement information, at least one relay device is included between the third device and the second device, the at least one link includes a first link, the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device or a link from the third device to the first relay device, and the first relay device and the second relay device are the same or different relay devices in the at least one relay device.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that The first device obtains at least two pieces of measurement information, including: In the case where the first device and the third device are the same device, the first device receives the at least two reference signals from the second device, and the first device measures the at least two reference signals to obtain at least two pieces of measurement information; or, The first device receives the at least two measurement information.

11. The device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that In the case where the third device includes a terminal and the second device includes a network device, the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device; or; In the case where the third device includes a network device and the second device includes a terminal, the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device.

12. The device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that: The at least one link comprises a second link; In the case where the first link includes a link from the third device to the first relay device, the second link includes a link from the first relay device to the second device; or; When the first link includes a link from the second device to the second relay device, the second link includes a link from the second relay device to the third device.

13. The device according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that: The quality information of the at least one link is used to determine at least one of the following: The transmission power value of the third device; a transmission power value of the second device; a transmission power value of a relay device in the at least one relay device; or, An operating mode of a relay device in the at least one relay device.

14. The device according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that: The processor is further configured to: Determine according to the quality information of the at least one link: a transmission power value of at least one of the third device, the second device, or the at least one relay device; and / or; An operating mode of a relay device in the at least one relay device.

15. The device according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that: The processor is specifically used for: generating the first information; or, The first information is received through the interface circuit.

16. The device according to any one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that: The interface circuit is also used for: Quality information of the at least one link is sent.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 through a logic circuit or executing a code instruction.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising modules for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

20. A chip system, characterized in that: It includes a processor, which is used to execute a computer executable program so that a device equipped with the chip system executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product stores a computer program, wherein the computer program includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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