Communication methods and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides communication methods and a related apparatus, which can reduce signaling overheads when a network device notifies a first apparatus of a weight value of a beam. A method comprises: a network device generates first indication information, and sends the first indication information to a first apparatus, the first indication information indicating a first weight value and a parameter for determining a plurality of weight values on the basis of the first weight value, the plurality of weight values corresponding to a plurality of first time-frequency resources, and the plurality of first time-frequency resources not overlapping each other; and correspondingly, the first apparatus receives the first indication information and, on the basis of the first indication information, determines the plurality of weight values corresponding to the plurality of first time-frequency resources.

Description

Communication method and related device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on August 31, 2023, with application number 202311129325.5 and application name “Communication Methods and Related Devices”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and related devices. Background Art

[0003] In real-world communication scenarios, obstructions such as buildings and walls can result in a lack of line of sight (LOS) between terminals and network devices. This means that communication between the terminal and network devices occurs over a non-LOS path. This non-LOS path can result in poor signal quality, impacting communication performance. Currently, improving communication performance can be achieved by deploying devices with receiving, reflecting, and forwarding capabilities, such as intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS).

[0004] For example, the IRS can adjust the phase distribution of the reflecting surface through the weight indicated by the network device, thereby changing the direction of the reflected beam, thereby reflecting the signal transmitted to the IRS by the network device or terminal to the desired direction, thereby improving the non-LOS path to the LOS path, thereby improving the communication performance between the terminal and the network device.

[0005] Currently, when the IRS performs beam scanning, the network device needs to immediately notify the IRS of the weight of each beam before each beam scan, which may result in a large signaling overhead.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method and related devices, which can reduce the signaling overhead when a network device notifies a first device of a weight.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method that can be applied to a first device. For example, the method can be performed by the first device, or by a component configured in the first device (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device, which is not limited by the present application.

[0009] Exemplarily, the method includes: receiving first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first weight, and indicating parameters for determining multiple weights based on the first weight, the multiple weights corresponding to multiple first time-frequency resources, and the multiple first time-frequency resources do not overlap; based on the first indication information, determining multiple weights corresponding to the multiple first time-frequency resources.

[0010] The non-overlapping of multiple first time-frequency resources can be understood as the non-overlapping of multiple first time-frequency resources in the time domain, or the non-overlapping of multiple first time-frequency resources in the frequency domain, or the non-overlapping of multiple first time-frequency resources in both the time domain and the frequency domain.

[0011] The size of the first time-frequency resource may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0012] In the present application, the first device can determine multiple weights corresponding to multiple time-frequency resources from one weight based on the received first indication information, so that the first device can use corresponding weights to reflect the beam in different time-frequency resources to achieve beam scanning, without the need for the network device to indicate the weight corresponding to the current time-frequency resource through control signaling each time the beam scanning direction is switched, effectively reducing the signaling overhead used to notify the weight of the reflected beam.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a first parameter, the first parameter being used to indicate information included in the first indication information. In other words, the first parameter indicates a format of signaling carrying the first indication information.

[0014] In a second aspect, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a network device. For example, the method can be executed by the network device, or by a component configured in the network device (such as a chip, chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions, which is not limited by this application.

[0015] Exemplarily, first indication information is generated, wherein the first indication information indicates a first weight and parameters of multiple weights determined by the first weight, the multiple weights correspond to multiple first time-frequency resources, and the multiple first time-frequency resources do not overlap; the first indication information is sent to the first device.

[0016] In the present application, the network device sends a first indication message to the first device for indicating a first weight and parameters of multiple weights determined by the first weight, so that the first device can determine multiple weights corresponding to multiple time-frequency resources based on the received first indication message. In this way, the first device can use corresponding weights to reflect beams in different time-frequency resources to achieve beam scanning, without the network device having to indicate the weight corresponding to the current time-frequency resource through control signaling each time the beam scanning direction is switched, thereby effectively reducing the signaling overhead for notifying the weight of the reflected beam.

[0017] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending a first parameter, where the first parameter is used to indicate information included in the first indication information. In other words, the first parameter indicates a format of signaling carrying the first indication information.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in some implementations, the first device is a device having receiving, forwarding, and reflecting functions.

[0019] Exemplarily, the first device may also be called IRS, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) or other names.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in some implementations, the parameter includes a change in the index of the first weight.

[0021] Exemplarily, the amount of change of the first index may be one or more. When there are multiple amounts of change of the first index, the multiple amounts of change are different.

[0022] When the parameter includes a plurality of changes in the indexes of the first weights, the plurality of changes may satisfy a preset relationship, or there may be no regularity among the plurality of variables.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in some implementations, the parameter further includes the number of times the index of the first weight changes.

[0024] In this application, the shift of the index of the first weight by one time according to the change amount of the index of the first weight is referred to as one change.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in some implementations, the parameter includes a validity period of the first weight.

[0026] Optionally, in the case where the parameter includes the validity period of the first weight, the parameter may further include the number of periods of the validity period of the first weight.

[0027] The validity period can be indicated by a duration or the number of subcarriers. For example, the validity period of the first weight value is the first duration, or the validity period of the first weight value is the first number of subcarriers. The number of periods in the validity period of the first weight value can be understood as the number of times the first weight value takes effect.

[0028] Exemplarily, the first device can determine on which time-frequency resources the first weight is effective based on the effective period; in other words, the first device can determine on which time-frequency resources the weight corresponding to the first weight is based on the effective period; in other words, the first device can determine on which time-frequency resources the first weight is used to reflect signals from network equipment or terminals based on the effective period.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in some implementations, the parameters also include the effective period of each weight in the first weight set, the first weight set including the first weight, and the weight determined based on the change in the index of the first weight and the number of changes in the index of the first weight.

[0030] Optionally, when the parameter includes the validity period of each weight in the first weight set, the parameter also includes the number of periods of the validity period of each weight in the first weight set.

[0031] For the description of the effective period, please refer to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in some implementations, the first indication information further indicates a second weight, and indicates parameters for determining multiple weights based on the second weight.

[0033] The parameters of the multiple weights determined by the second weights correspond to the multiple second time-frequency resources, and the multiple second time-frequency resources do not overlap.

[0034] Similar to the first time-frequency resources described above, the non-overlapping of multiple second time-frequency resources can be understood as the non-overlapping of multiple second time-frequency resources in the time domain, or in the frequency domain, or in both the time domain and the frequency domain. The size of the second time-frequency resources can be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0035] It can be understood that when the first indication information indicates the first weight and the second weight, the initial time-frequency resources corresponding to the first weight and the second weight are different.

[0036] The description of the parameters for determining multiple weights by the second weight can be referred to the description of the parameters for determining multiple weights by the first weight, which will not be repeated here. That is, the first weight and the first time-frequency resource in the previous text are replaced by the second weight and the second time-frequency resource.

[0037] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method that can be applied to a first device. For example, the method can be executed by the first device, or by a component configured in the first device (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device, which is not limited by the present application.

[0038] Exemplarily, the method includes: receiving third indication information, the third indication information including an index of a third weight and a third time-frequency resource corresponding to the index of the third weight; and determining a third weight corresponding to the third time-frequency resource based on the third indication information and the first mapping relationship.

[0039] For the description of the first mapping relationship, please refer to the relevant description above and will not be repeated here.

[0040] For example, assume that the first device stores 2000 beams, and the indexes of the 2000 beams are 1 to 2000. In a non-periodic scenario, even if the network device notifies the first device of the weight by indicating the index of the beam, 11 bits are required for indication, and the signaling overhead is large. Since the service range of the first device is limited, among the above 2000 beams, only a very small number of beams (for example, 5 beams, with beam indices of {10, 100, 200, 1000, 1500}) may have limited gain for the terminal. The quantization bits corresponding to these 5 beams are respectively represented as {00000001010, 00001100100, 00011001000, 01111101000, 10111011100}. This application reassigns index numbers to the weights corresponding to this small number of beams. For example, the weights of five beams are assigned indices 1 to 5, and the corresponding quantization bits are {001, 010, 011, 100, 101}. This allows the network device to indicate the index of a weight using three bits in the third indication information sent, significantly reducing signaling overhead.

[0041] Fourthly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a network device. For example, the method can be executed by the network device, or by a component configured in the network device (such as a chip, chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions, which is not limited by this application.

[0042] Exemplarily, the method includes: generating third indication information according to the beam management result, the third indication information including the index of the third weight and the third time-frequency resource corresponding to the index of the third weight; and sending the third indication information to the first device.

[0043] For example, assume that the first device stores 2000 beams, and the indexes of the 2000 beams are 1 to 2000. In a non-periodic scenario, even if the network device notifies the IRS weight by indicating the beam index, 11 bits are required for indication, and the signaling overhead is large. Since the service range of the first device is limited, only a very small number of the 2000 beams (for example, 5 beams with beam indices of {10, 100, 200, 1000, 1500}) may have limited gain for the terminal. The quantization bits corresponding to these 5 beams are respectively represented as {00000001010, 00001100100, 00011001000, 01111101000, 10111011100}. This application re-indexes the weights corresponding to this very small number of beams. For example, the weights of the five beams correspond to indices 1 to 5, and the corresponding quantization bits are {001, 010, 011, 100, 101}. In this way, in the third information sent by the network device, the index of a weight can be indicated by 3 bits, which greatly reduces the signaling overhead.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising modules or units for implementing the method in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation of any of the aspects. It should be understood that each module or unit can implement the corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0045] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising a processor, wherein the processor executes a computer program and / or a logic circuit to execute the method described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation of any of the aspects.

[0046] The apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the above aspects may be implemented.

[0047] The apparatus may further include a communication interface, where the communication interface is used for the apparatus to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interfaces.

[0048] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip system comprising at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation of any aspect, for example, receiving or processing the data and / or information involved in the above method.

[0049] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0050] The chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0051] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to implement the method in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0052] In the ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables a computer to execute the method in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation of any of the aspects.

[0053] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system comprising the aforementioned first apparatus and network equipment.

[0054] Optionally, the communication system may further include a terminal.

[0055] It should be understood that the fifth to tenth aspects of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first to fourth aspects of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to a method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] 3 to 6 are schematic diagrams of a method for determining a weight corresponding to a first time-frequency resource provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams of a method for determining weights corresponding to multiple time-frequency resources provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG9 is another schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] 10 and 11 are schematic block diagrams of the apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained:

[0063] First, in the embodiments of this application, prefixes such as "first" and "second" are used solely to distinguish between different things belonging to the same category and do not constrain the order, size, or quantity of the things. For example, "first weight" and "second weight" are simply different weights and do not define a size relationship or priority relationship.

[0064] Second, the "sending" and "receiving" in the embodiments of the present application indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "the network device sends a first indication message to the first device" can be understood as the destination end of the information is the first device, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving the first indication message from the network device" can be understood as the source end of the information is the network device, which can include direct receiving from the network device through the air interface, and also includes indirect receiving from the network device through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0065] In other words, sending and receiving can be performed between devices, for example, between a network device and a first apparatus; or it can be performed within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, wiring or interface.

[0066] It is understood that before information is sent from the source to the destination, it may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation. After receiving the information from the source, the destination may also perform corresponding processing, such as decoding and demodulation, to interpret the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0067] Third, in the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to 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 represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship, but does not exclude the situation where the previous and next associated objects are in an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in conjunction with the context. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0068] Fourth, in the embodiments of the present application, "indication" may include direct indication and indirect indication, and may also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by a certain information (such as the indication information described below) is called information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated may also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein the other information has an association relationship with the information to be indicated; or only a part of the information to be indicated may be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information may be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (such as predefined by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The present application does not limit the specific method of indication.

[0069] It can be understood that, for the sender of the indication information, the indication information can be used to indicate the information to be indicated, and for the receiver of the indication information, the indication information can be used to determine the information to be indicated.

[0070] Fifth, the predefined in this application can be understood as: define, predefine, store, pre-store, pre-negotiate, pre-configure, solidify, or pre-burn.

[0071] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, sidelink (SL) communication system, world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system or new radio access technology (NR), satellite communication system, etc. Among them, the 5G mobile communication system can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networking.

[0072] The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0073] In this application, a radio access network (RAN) device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. It can provide wireless communication services and connect terminals to a wireless network. It can be a node in a radio access network, referred to as a RAN node.

[0074] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a home evolved NodeB (HNB), a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), a mobile switching center, a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation NodeB in a 6G mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can also be a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. A RAN node can also be a RAN node in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), meaning that the RAN node can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite. A RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor base station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or a node in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) scenario. Alternatively, a RAN node can be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an onboard device. For example, a RAN node in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). Of course, a RAN node can also be a node in the core network.

[0075] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0076] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may be referred to as Open CU (O-CU), DU may be referred to as Open DU (O-DU), CU-CP may be referred to as Open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP may be referred to as Open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU may be referred to as Open RU (O-RU).

[0077] Among them, any unit among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. That is, the wireless access network device in this application can be a virtualized device, for example, implemented by general hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or by dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. Among them, the general hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0078] The terminal in this application may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal equipment, wireless communication equipment, user agent or user device.

[0079] A terminal can be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to a user, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connection function. At present, some examples of terminals may include: mobile phones, tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver functions (such as laptops, PDAs, etc.), mobile internet devices (MIDs), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, drones, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication functions, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks or future evolved public land mobile communication networks (PLMNs). terminals in network, PLMN, etc.

[0080] Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for wearable devices that use wearable technology to intelligently design and develop wearable devices for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. In a broad sense, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve full or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0081] Furthermore, terminals can also be terminals in IoT systems. IoT is a crucial component of future information technology development. Its primary technical feature is connecting objects to the internet through communications, enabling intelligent networks that interconnect humans and machines, and objects and things. IoT technology, for example, utilizes narrowband (NB) technology to achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and power-saving terminals.

[0082] In addition, the terminal can also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Its main functions include collecting data (partial terminals), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0083] The terminal in this application may be a virtualized device, for example, implemented by general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or by dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware may be a server, for example, a cloud server.

[0084] It should be understood that the present application does not limit the specific forms of the wireless access network device and the terminal.

[0085] In real-world communication scenarios, obstructions such as buildings and walls can result in a loss of the LOS path between the terminal and network equipment. This can lead to poor signal quality at the terminal, thus impacting communication performance. To improve communication performance between the terminal and network equipment, we propose deploying an IRS between the network equipment and the terminal to enhance terminal signal quality and improve communication performance.

[0086] To facilitate understanding of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, a communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced below in conjunction with Figure 1.

[0087] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 applicable to the method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system 100 includes a network device 110, an IRS device 120, and a terminal 130. Network device 110 and terminal 130 can communicate via IRS 120. Specifically, downlink signals transmitted by network device 110 are reflected by IRS 120 to terminal 130, and uplink signals transmitted by terminal 130 are reflected by IRS 120 to network device 110.

[0088] The IRS shown in Figure 1 includes an antenna array and a processing module. The processing module receives and processes control signals from network devices and, based on these signals, adjusts the reflection phase of each array element. The antenna array is used to reflect uplink and downlink signals. In other words, the IRS can change the direction of the reflected beam by adjusting the phase distribution of the reflective surface, thereby reflecting signals transmitted from network devices to the IRS in the desired direction. This improves the channel environment in weak coverage areas and converts non-LOS paths into LOS paths.

[0089] The IRS includes an antenna array and a processing module for receiving control signaling from network devices. Therefore, the IRS needs to adjust the reflection beam weights based on instructions from network devices. For example, when the IRS performs enhanced scheduling, the network device needs to notify the current terminal of the corresponding reflection weights at the transmission time interval (TTI) level. When the IRS performs beam scanning, the scanning beams are predetermined and regular, which means that the IRS weight switching has a certain periodicity. However, currently, network devices need to notify the IRS of the reflection beam weights during each scanning cycle, which may result in significant signaling overhead.

[0090] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and related devices. In this method, for regular or periodic beams, the network device can indicate the weight of the reflected beam corresponding to each time-frequency resource in multiple future time-frequency resources through information for indicating at least one weight and a switching rule for the weight, thereby effectively reducing the signaling overhead of the network device notifying the IRS of the weight of the reflected beam.

[0091] The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The method can be applied to the communication scenario shown in FIG1 , but the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

[0092] In the flowchart shown in Figure 2, the method is illustrated from the perspective of device interaction, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the method. For example, the first device in Figure 2 can be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the device to implement the method, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device; the first device in this application can be the IRS described above, or other devices with receiving, reflecting and forwarding functions. The first device can also be called a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) or other names, which is not limited in this application. The network device in Figure 2 can be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the network device to implement the method, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0093] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the method 200 may include steps S201 to S203. Each step in the method 200 is described in detail below.

[0094] S201: A network device generates first indication information.

[0095] The first indication information indicates a first weight and parameters of multiple weights determined by the first weight, the multiple weights correspond to multiple first time-frequency resources, and the multiple first time-frequency resources do not overlap.

[0096] The first weight is a weight. The multiple weights corresponding to the multiple first time-frequency resources include the first weight. In other words, the multiple first time-frequency resources include the time-frequency resource corresponding to the first weight indicated by the first indication information.

[0097] The weights in this application can be understood as the phase distribution states of the reflection array elements of the first device, that is, the network device indicates different weights to the first device, and the reflection array elements of the first device correspond to different phase distributions, thereby realizing signal reflection in different directions.

[0098] It can be understood that the non-overlapping of multiple first time-frequency resources may mean that the multiple first time-frequency resources do not overlap in the time domain, or do not overlap in the frequency domain, or do not overlap in both the time domain and the frequency domain.

[0099] It can also be understood that the size of each first time-frequency resource in the multiple first time-frequency resources can be predefined or configured by the network device, and this application does not limit this.

[0100] S202: The network device sends first indication information to the first apparatus. Correspondingly, the first apparatus receives the first indication information from the network device.

[0101] The first indication information may be carried in control signaling and sent by the network device to the first apparatus.

[0102] S203: The first device determines multiple weights corresponding to multiple first time-frequency resources based on the first indication information.

[0103] It is understood that each of the multiple first time-frequency resources corresponds to a weight, and the multiple weights corresponding to the multiple first time-frequency resources can be the same or different. Whether the multiple weights are the same is determined by the parameter indicated by the first indication information.

[0104] Exemplarily, N first time-frequency resources correspond one-to-one to N weights (N is an integer greater than 1), and the first device uses the nth weight among the N weights to reflect the signal from the network device or terminal in the nth first time-frequency resource among the N first time-frequency resources, and the value of n is any integer between 1 and N.

[0105] Optionally, the first device may determine the weights corresponding to other time-frequency resources other than the multiple first time-frequency resources as preset weights.

[0106] Exemplarily, the first device may use preset weights to reflect signals from the network device or terminal in other time-frequency resources.

[0107] In an embodiment of the present application, the first device can determine multiple weights corresponding to multiple time-frequency resources from one weight based on the received first indication information, so that the first device can use corresponding weights to reflect the beam in different time-frequency resources to achieve beam scanning, without the network device having to indicate the weight corresponding to the current time-frequency resource through control signaling each time the beam scanning direction is switched, effectively reducing the signaling overhead used to notify the weight of the reflected beam.

[0108] The following describes in detail the parameters indicated by the first indication information and how the first device determines multiple weights corresponding to multiple first time-frequency resources based on the first indication information, using two examples.

[0109] In example 1, the weights corresponding to the multiple first time-frequency resources are the same, that is, the weights corresponding to the multiple first time-frequency resources are all first weights.

[0110] Optionally, the parameters indicated by the first indication information include a validity period of the first weight.

[0111] The validity period may be indicated by a duration and / or the number of subcarriers. For example, the validity period of the first weight value is a first duration and / or the validity period of the first weight value is a first number of subcarriers.

[0112] Exemplarily, the first device can determine on which time-frequency resources the first weight is effective based on the effective period; in other words, the first device can determine on which time-frequency resources the weight corresponding to the first weight is based on the effective period; in other words, the first device can determine on which time-frequency resources the first weight is used to reflect signals from network equipment or terminals based on the effective period.

[0113] In this application, the time-frequency resources in which the first weight determined by the first device based on the effectiveness period is effective are referred to as first time-frequency resources.

[0114] The following takes the example where the duration of each time-frequency resource in the time domain is 1 second (s) and the validity period is 3s, and introduces multiple first time-frequency resources corresponding to the first weight determined by the first device in conjunction with Figure 3.

[0115] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining a first time-frequency resource provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the first weight indicated by the first indication information is X. When the initial time-frequency resource of the first weight X is time-frequency resource 0, the first device determines that the effective time slot of the first weight is time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6, and so on, time-frequency resource R1 = 3×i (the value of i is all integers greater than 2), that is, the first device can use the first weight to reflect the signal from the network device or terminal on time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6 and time-frequency resource R1 = 3×i.

[0116] Among them, time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6 and time-frequency resource R1 are multiple first time-frequency resources.

[0117] The following takes the example where the number of subcarriers occupied by each time-frequency resource in the frequency domain is 1 and the effective period is 3 subcarriers, and describes multiple first time-frequency resources corresponding to the first weight determined by the first device in conjunction with Figure 4.

[0118] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another method for determining the first time-frequency resource provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the first weight indicated by the first indication information is X. When the initial time-frequency resource of the first weight X is time-frequency resource 0, the first device determines that the effective time slot of the first weight is time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6, and so on, time-frequency resource R1 = 3×i (the value of i is all integers greater than 2), that is, the first device can use the first weight to reflect the signal from the network device or terminal on time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6 and time-frequency resource R1 = 3×i.

[0119] Among them, time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6 and time-frequency resource R1 are multiple first time-frequency resources.

[0120] It can be understood that the time-frequency resources in FIG3 refer to time-frequency resources that do not overlap in the time domain, and the time-frequency resources in FIG4 refer to time-frequency resources that do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0121] Optionally, the parameters indicated by the first indication information also include the number of periods of the validity period.

[0122] For example, the first device can further determine the number of time-frequency resources for which the first weight is effective based on the number of periods of the effective period. That is, the first device can determine the number of multiple first time-frequency resources based on the number of periods of the effective period.

[0123] In conjunction with the examples shown in FIG3 and FIG4 , when the number of periods of the effective period is 5 (for FIG3 , the number of periods of the effective period may be 5 seconds, and for FIG4 , the number of periods of the effective period may be 5 subcarriers), the value of i may be determined to be 5. That is, the first weight may be effective on six time-frequency resources, namely, time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6, time-frequency resource 9, time-frequency resource 12, and time-frequency resource 15, and the number of the multiple first time-frequency resources is i+1.

[0124] Example 2: The multiple weights corresponding to the multiple first time-frequency resources are different. That is, there are at least two different weights among the multiple weights corresponding to the multiple first time-frequency resources.

[0125] Optionally, the parameter indicated by the first indication information may include a change in the index of the first weight. For ease of description, the index of the first weight is referred to as the first index below.

[0126] Exemplarily, the first device can determine the indexes of multiple weights corresponding to multiple first time-frequency resources based on the first index and the change in the first index; and then determine the weights corresponding to the weight indexes based on the first mapping relationship.

[0127] The first mapping relationship indicates a one-to-one correspondence between multiple indices and multiple weights, and the multiple indexes include the first index. The multiple weights included in the first mapping relationship may be weights corresponding to beams that provide gain to the terminal. The first mapping relationship includes multiple weights corresponding to beams that provide gain to the terminal, and the multiple weights corresponding to beams that provide gain to the terminal may be obtained based on the beam management result.

[0128] Exemplarily, the beam management process is as follows: the network device indicates multiple weights to the first device, and sends a downlink reference signal when the first device switches to a different weight. For example, at time t1, the network device indicates to the first device a weight of Φ1. The first device reflects the downlink signal from the network device to the terminal based on the weight Φ1. The terminal receives the downlink reference signal and reports a first reference signal receiving power (RSRP) corresponding to the downlink reference signal to the network device, referred to as RSRP1.

[0129] The downlink reference signal received by the terminal and the RSRP1 corresponding to the downlink reference signal satisfy the following relationship:

[0130] RSRP1=‖Y1‖2;

[0131] Among them, ‖Y1‖2 represents the second norm of Y1, Y1=(H d +H r Φ1G)W, represents the downlink reference signal received by the terminal, represents the precoding matrix of the network device, is the channel from the network device to the terminal, is the channel from the first device to the terminal, is the channel from the network device to the terminal, where N R 、N T 、N E They respectively represent the number of antennas of the terminal, the network device, and the first apparatus, and C represents a complex number set.

[0132] The network device can obtain the first device reported by the terminal and use multiple weights to reflect the downlink reference signal sent by the network device, where the multiple weights correspond to multiple RSRPs, and the weight corresponding to the RSRP greater than a preset threshold among the multiple RSRPs obtained is determined as a weight with a gain for the terminal, or the weight corresponding to the maximum RSRP among the multiple RSRPs obtained is determined as a weight with a gain for the terminal.

[0133] For example, if the first device stores 2000 beams, the indexes of the 2000 beams are 1 to 2000. The network device needs 11 bits to indicate the index of the beam to notify the first device of the weight, and the signaling overhead is large. Since the service range of the first device is limited, among the above 2000 beams, only a very small number of beams may have limited gain to the terminal. Based on the beam management results, for example, 5 beams with gain to the terminal can be determined from the 2000 beams, and the indexes of the beams are {10, 100, 200, 1000, 1500} respectively. The present application re-indexes the weights corresponding to the beams determined based on beam management. For example, the weights of the 5 beams correspond to indices 1 to 5, and the corresponding quantization bits are {001, 010, 011, 100, 101} respectively. In this way, the network device can indicate the index of a weight using 3 bits in the first indication information sent, which greatly reduces the signaling overhead.

[0134] It is understood that the change amount of the first index may be one or more. When the change amount of the first index is multiple, the multiple change amounts are different.

[0135] Solution 1: The change amount of the first index is one, that is, the parameter indicated by the first indication information includes the change amount of one weight index.

[0136] Exemplarily, the change amount of the first index is change amount 1. When the first index is index 1, the first device can determine the indexes of multiple weights based on index 1 and change amount 1.

[0137] Among them, the difference between the indexes of any two weights among the multiple weight indexes determined by the first device is an integer multiple of the change 1.

[0138] Exemplarily, the indexes of multiple weights can be: index 2 = index 1 + change 1, index 3 = index 1 + 2× change 1, index 4 = index 1 + 3× change 1, and so on, index N = index 1 + (N-1) change 1, where N is an integer greater than 4.

[0139] Alternatively, the indexes of multiple weights can be: index 2 = index 1 - change 1, index 3 = index 1 - 2 × change 1, index 4 = index 1 - 3 × change 1, and so on, index N = index 1 - (N-1) change 1.

[0140] Taking the first index as X and the index change amount as Δx as an example, multiple weights corresponding to multiple first time-frequency resources determined by the first device are described below in conjunction with FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 .

[0141] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another method for determining the first time-frequency resource provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, when the initial time-frequency resource of X is time-frequency resource 0, the first device can determine that the index of the weight corresponding to time-frequency resource 1 is X+Δx, the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X+2×Δx, the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 3 is X+3×Δx, and so on. The weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource R2 is X+R2×Δx (the value of R2 is all integers greater than 3).

[0142] Similarly, when the change in the index is Δx and the initial time-frequency resource of the first index X is time-frequency resource 0, the first device determines that the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 1 is X-Δx, the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X-2×Δx, and the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 3 is X-3×Δx. By analogy, the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource R2 is X-R2×Δx.

[0143] Among them, time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 2, time-frequency resource 3, and time-frequency resource R2 are multiple first time-frequency resources; time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 2, time-frequency resource 3, and time-frequency resource R2 are multiple time-frequency resources that are continuous in the time domain.

[0144] It can be understood that the time-frequency resources corresponding to the above-mentioned X-Δx, the time-frequency resources corresponding to X-2×Δx, the time-frequency resources corresponding to X-3×Δx, and the time-frequency resources corresponding to X-R2×Δx can also be discontinuous time-frequency resources in the time domain.

[0145] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another method for determining the first time-frequency resource provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, when the initial time-frequency resource of X is time-frequency resource 3, the first device can determine that the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X-Δx, the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 1 is X-2×Δx, the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 1 is X-3×Δx, the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 4 is X+Δx, and so on. The weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource R3 is X+(R3-3)×Δx (the value of R3 is all integers greater than 4).

[0146] Similarly, when the change in the index is Δx and the initial time-frequency resource of the first weight X is time-frequency resource 3, the first device can determine that the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X+Δx, the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 1 is X+2Δx, and the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource 4 is X-Δx. Similarly, the weight index corresponding to time-frequency resource R is X-(R3-3)×Δx (the value of R3 is all integers greater than 4).

[0147] Among them, time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 2, time-frequency resource 3, and time-frequency resource R3 are multiple first time-frequency resources. Time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 2, time-frequency resource 3, and time-frequency resource R3 are multiple time-frequency resources that are continuous in the time domain.

[0148] It can be understood that the time-frequency resources corresponding to the above X-Δx, the time-frequency resources corresponding to X+2×Δx, the time-frequency resources corresponding to X+Δx, and the time-frequency resources corresponding to X+(R3-3)×Δx can also be discontinuous time-frequency resources in the time domain.

[0149] Solution 2: The change amount of the index of the first weight is multiple.

[0150] Exemplarily, when the first index is index 1 and the changes of the first index are change 1, change 2, ..., change K, the first device can determine the indexes of K weights based on index 1 and K changes, where K is an integer greater than 2.

[0151] Exemplarily, the indexes of multiple weights may be: index 2 = index 1 + change 1, index 3 = index 2 + change 2, index 4 = index 3 + change 3, and so on, index K = index K-1 + change K.

[0152] Alternatively, the indexes of multiple weights can be: index 2 = index 1 + change 1, index 3 = index 1 + change 2, index 4 = index 1 + change 3, and so on, index K = index 1 + change K.

[0153] In the first example, the K changes satisfy a predetermined relationship. For example, when the change 1 is Δx, the change k is k×Δx, where k is any integer between 1 and K, and the values ​​of k can include 1 and K. For another example, when the change 1 is Δx, the change k is Δx+k×q, where q is any non-zero integer.

[0154] Exemplarily, when K=3, the K changes can be Δx, 2×Δx, and 3×Δx, respectively. When the initial time-frequency resource of the first index X is time-frequency resource 0, the first device can determine that the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 1 is X+Δx, the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X+Δx+2×Δx, and the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 3 is X+Δx+2×Δx+3×Δx. Alternatively, the first device can determine that the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 1 is X-Δx, the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X-Δx-2Δx, and the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 3 is X-Δx-2×Δx-3×Δx.

[0155] Among them, time-frequency resources 0, time-frequency resources 1, time-frequency resources 2, and time-frequency resources 3 are multiple first time-frequency resources, and time-frequency resources 0, time-frequency resources 1, time-frequency resources 2, and time-frequency resources 3 can be continuous time-frequency resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain, or time-frequency resources 0, time-frequency resources 1, time-frequency resources 2, and time-frequency resources 3 are discontinuous time-frequency resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0156] Similarly, when K=3, the K changes can be Δx, 2×Δx, and 3×Δx, respectively. When the initial time-frequency resource with the first index X is time-frequency resource 1, the first device can determine that the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 0 is X-Δx, the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X+2×Δx, and the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 3 is X+2×Δx+3×Δx. Alternatively, the first device can determine that the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 0 is X+Δx, the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X-2×Δx, and the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 3 is X-2×Δx-3×Δx.

[0157] Among them, time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 2, and time-frequency resource 3 are multiple first time-frequency resources, and time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 2, and time-frequency resource 3 can be continuous time-frequency resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain, or discontinuous time-frequency resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0158] In the second example, there is no regularity between the changes in the K indexes, which is similar to a random number sequence of length K.

[0159] For example, the changes of the K indexes are Δx1, Δx2, Δx3, ..., Δx K , where Δx1 to Δx KThere is no regularity in the sequence. When the initial time-frequency resource of the first index X is time-frequency resource 0, the first device can determine that the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 1 is X+Δx1, the index corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X+Δx1+Δx2, ..., and the index corresponding to time-frequency resource K is X+Δx1+...+Δx K .

[0160] Among them, time-frequency resources 0 to time-frequency resources K are multiple first time-frequency resources, and time-frequency resources 0 to time-frequency resources K can be continuous time-frequency resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain, or time-frequency resources 0 to time-frequency resources K are discontinuous time-frequency resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0161] Optionally, the parameters indicated by the first indication information also include the number of times the first index changes.

[0162] In this application, the shift of the first index by the change amount of the index is referred to as one change.

[0163] Exemplarily, the first device may further determine the number of the plurality of first time-frequency resources based on the number of times the first index changes.

[0164] For example, when the first indication information indicates that the number of changes of the first index is C (C is a positive integer), the number A of the multiple first time-frequency resources satisfies: A=C+1.

[0165] In combination with the examples shown in Figure 5 or Figure 6, when the number of changes in the first index is 5, it can be determined that R2=R3=5, that is, the first device determines the six time-frequency resources of time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 2, time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 4 and time-frequency resource 5 as multiple first time-frequency resources.

[0166] It should be understood that the time-frequency resources shown in Figures 5 and 6 are time-frequency resources that do not overlap in the time domain. Similar to the example of Figure 4 shown in Example 1, in the solution shown in Example 2, the multiple first time-frequency resources determined may also be time-frequency resources that do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0167] Optionally, the parameters indicated by the first indication information also include a validity period of the first weight, or a validity period of each weight in the first weight set.

[0168] The first weight set includes the first weight and a weight determined based on the amount of change of the index of the first weight and the number of times the index of the first weight is changed.

[0169] In a first possible implementation manner, the parameters indicated by the first indication information include a change amount of the first index, a number of changes of the first index, and an effective period of the first weight.

[0170] Regarding the description of the effective period and the time-frequency resources in which the first weight value is effective determined by the first device based on the effective period of the first weight value, please refer to the relevant description of Example 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0171] It can be understood that the first time-frequency resource corresponding to each weight in the first weight set does not overlap with the multiple time-frequency resources for which the first weight is effective, determined by the first device based on the effective period of the first weight.

[0172] Optionally, the first device may determine the time-frequency resources in which each weight in the first weight set is effective based on the effectiveness period of the first weight.

[0173] Optionally, the parameters indicated by the first indication information also include the number of periods during which the first weight is valid.

[0174] Regarding the number of periods of the effective period and the description of determining the number of first time-frequency resources based on the number of periods, please refer to the relevant description in the previous example 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0175] In a second possible implementation manner, the parameters indicated by the first indication information include a change amount of the first index, a number of changes of the first index, and a validity period of each weight in the first weight set.

[0176] For the description of the first weight set, please refer to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0177] Exemplarily, the first device may determine a plurality of time-frequency resources in which each weight in the first weight set is effective based on the effective period of each weight in the first weight set.

[0178] For example, when the first index is X, the change of the first index is Δx, and the number of changes of the first index is 2, the multiple weights in the first weight set can be: X, X+Δx, X+2×Δx; and X corresponds to time-frequency resource 0, X+Δx corresponds to time-frequency resource 3, and X+2×Δx corresponds to time-frequency resource 6.

[0179] When the parameters indicated by the first indication information include three effective periods corresponding to three weights of X, X+Δx, and X+2×Δx: effective period 1, effective period 2, and effective period 3, the first device can determine the time-frequency resources for which index X is effective based on time-frequency resources 0 and effective period 1, determine the time-frequency resources for which index X+Δx is effective based on time-frequency resources 3 and effective period 2, and determine the time-frequency resources for which index X+2×Δx is effective based on time-frequency resources 6 and effective period 3.

[0180] Optionally, the parameters indicated by the first indication information also include the number of periods of validity period of each weight in the first weight set.

[0181] For the description of the number of cycles and determining the number of first time-frequency resources based on the number of cycles, please refer to the relevant description in Example 1 above and will not be repeated here.

[0182] Optionally, the first indication information further indicates a second weight and a parameter indicating multiple weights determined by the second weight. The multiple weights determined by the second weight may correspond one-to-one to multiple second time-frequency resources, and the multiple second time-frequency resources do not overlap.

[0183] The second weight is a weight. The multiple weights corresponding to the multiple second weights include the second weight. In other words, the multiple time-frequency resources include the time-frequency resources corresponding to the second weight.

[0184] Similar to the first time-frequency resources described above, the non-overlapping of multiple second time-frequency resources can be understood as the non-overlapping of multiple second time-frequency resources in the time domain, or in the frequency domain, or in both the time domain and the frequency domain. The size of each second time-frequency resource can be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0185] It can be understood that when the first indication information indicates the first weight and the second weight, the initial time-frequency resources corresponding to the first weight and the second weight are different.

[0186] It can also be understood that the first weight and the second weight may be the same or different, and the size of the first time-frequency resource and the size of the second time-frequency resource may be the same or different.

[0187] When the first weight and the second weight are the same, the parameters corresponding to the first weight and the parameters corresponding to the second weight are different. Alternatively, when the first weight and the second weight are different, the parameters corresponding to the first weight and the parameters corresponding to the second weight are the same or different. The parameters corresponding to the first weight are the parameters of the multiple weights determined by the first weight as indicated by the first indication information, and the parameters corresponding to the second weight are the parameters of the multiple weights determined by the second weight.

[0188] Exemplarily, the corresponding parameters of the first weight are different from the corresponding parameters of the second weight, which may be that the effective period of the first weight is different from the effective period of the second weight, and / or the number of periods of the effective period of the first weight is different from the number of periods of the effective period of the second weight.

[0189] Exemplarily, the corresponding parameters of the first weight are different from the corresponding parameters of the second weight, which may be that the change in the index of the first weight is different from the change in the index of the second weight, and / or the number of changes in the index of the first weight is different from the number of changes in the index of the second weight, and / or the effective period of the first weight is different from the effective period of the first weight, and / or the number of periods of the effective period of the first weight is different from the number of periods of the effective period of the second weight.

[0190] Regarding the description of the parameters for determining multiple weights from the second weight, please refer to the description of the parameters for determining multiple weights from the first weight above, which will not be repeated here. That is, the first weight and the first time-frequency resource above are replaced with the second weight and the second time-frequency resource.

[0191] In summary, the first indication information can indicate M weights, and parameters of multiple weights corresponding to N time-frequency resources determined by the M weights, the N time-frequency resources do not overlap, M and N are both positive integers, and N is greater than M.

[0192] When the M weights include the first weight and the second weight, the N time-frequency resources include multiple first time-frequency resources and multiple second time-frequency resources.

[0193] The following takes the example that the duration of each time-frequency resource in the time domain is 1s and the first indication information simultaneously indicates the first weight and the second weight, and introduces the multiple weights corresponding to the multiple frequency resources determined by the first device in combination with Figures 7 and 8.

[0194] Figure 7 is a method for determining the weights corresponding to multiple time-frequency resources provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, the first weight indicated by the first indication information is X, the second weight is Y, and the effective period of the indicated weight is 3s. When the initial time-frequency resource of the first weight X is time-frequency resource 0 and the initial resource of the second weight is 1, the first device determines the effective time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6, and so on of X, and the time-frequency resource R1=3×i (i is all integers greater than 2), and the first device determines the effective time-frequency resource 4, time-frequency resource 7, and so on of Y, and the time-frequency resource R4=3×i+1 (i is all integers greater than 2). That is, the first device can use the first weight X to reflect the signal from the network device or terminal on time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6 and time-frequency resource R1=3×i; and can use the second weight Y to reflect the signal from the network device or terminal on time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 4, time-frequency resource 7 and time-frequency resource R4=3×i+1.

[0195] Among them, time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 3, time-frequency resource 6 and time-frequency resource R1=3×i are multiple first time-frequency resources, and time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 4, time-frequency resource 7 and time-frequency resource R4=3×i+1 are multiple second time-frequency resources.

[0196] Figure 8 is another method for determining the weights corresponding to multiple time-frequency resources provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, the index of the first weight indicated by the first indication information is X, the index of the second weight is Y, the change in the index of the indicated first weight is Δx=1, and the change in the index of the indicated second weight is Δy=2. When the initial time-frequency resource of X is time-frequency resource 0 and the initial time-frequency resource of X is time-frequency resource 5, the first device can determine that the index of the weight corresponding to time-frequency resource 1 is X+1, the index of the weight corresponding to time-frequency resource 2 is X+2, the index of the weight corresponding to time-frequency resource 3 is X+3, and the index of the weight corresponding to time-frequency resource 3 is X+4; and the first device can determine that the index of the weight corresponding to time-frequency resource 6 is Y+1, the index of the weight corresponding to time-frequency resource 7 is Y+2, the index of the weight corresponding to time-frequency resource 8 is Y+3, and the index of the weight corresponding to time-frequency resource 9 is Y+4.

[0197] Among them, time-frequency resource 0, time-frequency resource 1, time-frequency resource 2, time-frequency resource 3, and time-frequency resource 4 are multiple first time-frequency resources, and time-frequency resource 5, time-frequency resource 6, time-frequency resource 7, time-frequency resource 8, and time-frequency resource 9 are multiple second time-frequency resources.

[0198] It can be understood that the 10 time-frequency resources corresponding to index X, index X+1, index X+2, index X+3, index X+4, index Y, index Y+1, index Y+2, index Y+3, and index Y+4 may be discontinuous in the time domain.

[0199] Optionally, the method 200 further includes: the network device sending second indication information to the first apparatus, where the second indication information is used to indicate the first mapping relationship. Correspondingly, the first apparatus receives the second indication information.

[0200] Optionally, the method 200 further includes: the network device sending a first parameter to the first apparatus, where the first parameter indicates information included in the first indication information, or in other words, the first parameter indicates a format of signaling carrying the first indication information.

[0201] For example, when the first parameter indicates format 1, the corresponding first indication information should include: the first weight and the effective period of the first weight; when the first parameter indicates format 2, the corresponding first indication information should include: the first weight, the effective period of the first weight, and the number of periods in the effective period of the first weight; when the first parameter indicates format 3, the corresponding first indication information should include: the first weight, the second weight, the effective period of the first weight, and the effective period of the second weight. Other formats are not further described here.

[0202] The communication method shown in FIG2 is applicable to periodic or regular beams. For example, in a scenario where an IRS performs beam scanning, the weight of the reflected beam of the IRS in each time period can be determined by the method shown in FIG2. For non-periodic beams, the network device also needs to immediately indicate the weight corresponding to each time period. In order to reduce the signaling overhead required when the network device notifies the first device of the weight corresponding to each time-frequency resource in a non-periodic scenario, the present application proposes a method as shown in FIG9 to reduce the signaling overhead.

[0203] FIG9 is another schematic flow chart of a communication method 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the method 900 may include steps S901 to S903. Each step shown in the method 900 is described in detail below.

[0204] S901: A network device generates third indication information according to a beam management result. The third indication information includes an index of a third weight and a third time-frequency resource corresponding to the index of the third weight.

[0205] The third weight is the same as the number of the third time-frequency resources. The size of the third time-frequency resources can be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0206] The process of beam management can be referred to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0207] S902: The network device sends third indication information to the first apparatus. Correspondingly, the first apparatus receives the third indication information.

[0208] The third indication information is carried in the control signaling and sent by the network device to the first apparatus.

[0209] For the description of the first device, please refer to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0210] S903: The first device determines a third weight corresponding to the third time-frequency resource based on the third indication information and the first mapping relationship.

[0211] Exemplarily, the first device transmits the received beam using a third weight on a third time-frequency resource.

[0212] For the description of the first mapping relationship, please refer to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0213] For example, assume that the first device stores 2000 beams, and the indexes of the 2000 beams are 1 to 2000. In a non-periodic scenario, even if the network device notifies the first device of the weight by indicating the index of the beam, 11 bits are required for indication, and the signaling overhead is large. Since the service range of the first device is limited, among the above 2000 beams, only a very small number of beams (for example, 5 beams, with beam indices of {10, 100, 200, 1000, 1500}) may have limited gain for the terminal. The quantization bits corresponding to these 5 beams are respectively represented as {00000001010, 00001100100, 00011001000, 01111101000, 10111011100}. This application reassigns index numbers to the weights corresponding to this small number of beams. For example, the weights of five beams are assigned indices 1 to 5, and the corresponding quantization bits are {001, 010, 011, 100, 101}. This allows the network device to indicate the index of a weight using three bits in the third indication information sent, significantly reducing signaling overhead.

[0214] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams of possible devices provided by embodiments of the present application. These devices can be used to implement the functions of the first device or network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0215] FIG10 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG10 , the apparatus 1000 includes a transceiver module 1010 and a processing module 1020 .

[0216] In one possible design, the apparatus 1000 is used to implement the function of the first apparatus in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2 or Figure 9. For example, the apparatus 1000 may correspond to the IRS device 120 in Figure 1.

[0217] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 1010 is used to: receive first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates a first weight, and indicates parameters of multiple weights determined by the first weight, and the multiple first time-frequency resources do not overlap; the processing module 1020 is used to: determine multiple weights corresponding to the multiple first time-frequency resources based on the first indication information.

[0218] Optionally, the transceiver module 1010 is further used to: receive a first parameter, where the first parameter is used to indicate information included in the first indication information.

[0219] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 1010 is used to: receive third indication information, the third indication information including the index of the third weight and the third time-frequency resource corresponding to the index of the third weight; the processing module 1020 can be used to: determine the third weight corresponding to the third time-frequency resource based on the third indication information and the first mapping relationship.

[0220] A more detailed description of the transceiver module 1010 and the processing module 1020 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 9 , and will not be repeated here.

[0221] Another possible design is that the apparatus 1000 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2 or Figure 9. For example, the apparatus 1000 may correspond to the network device 110 in Figure 1.

[0222] Exemplarily, the processing module 1020 is used to: generate first indication information, the first indication information indicates a first weight, and indicates parameters of multiple weights determined by the first weight, the multiple weights correspond to multiple first time-frequency resources, and the multiple first time-frequency resources do not overlap; the transceiver module 1010 is used to: send the first indication information.

[0223] Optionally, the transceiver module 1010 is used to: send a first parameter, where the first parameter is used to indicate information included in the first indication information.

[0224] Exemplarily, the processing module 1020 is used to: generate third indication information based on the beam management result, the third indication information including the index of the third weight and the third time-frequency resource corresponding to the index of the third weight; the transceiver module 1010 is used to: send the third indication information to the first device.

[0225] A more detailed description of the transceiver module 1010 and the processing module 1020 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 9 , and will not be repeated here.

[0226] It should be noted that device 1000 may include a sending module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, device 1000 may include a receiving module but not a sending module. This may depend on whether the above-mentioned solution executed by device 1000 includes both sending and receiving actions. It is understood that since device 1000 has communication functionality, it can also be referred to as a communication device.

[0227] Figure 11 is another schematic block diagram of an apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 11, apparatus 1100 includes one or more processors 1110. The processor 1110 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the apparatus (e.g., the first apparatus, network device, or chip), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs.

[0228] Optionally, in one design, the processor 1110 may include a program (also referred to as code or instructions), which may be executed on the processor 1110 to cause the apparatus 1100 to perform the method performed by the first apparatus or network device in the above method embodiment. In another possible design, the apparatus 1100 includes a circuit (not shown in FIG. 11 ) configured to implement the functions of the first apparatus or network device in the above method embodiment.

[0229] Exemplarily, the processor 1110 may be configured to execute a computer program or instruction in a memory to implement the steps performed by the first apparatus or network device in the method embodiment shown in any one of the embodiments shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 9 .

[0230] Optionally, the device 1100 may include one or more memories 1120 on which programs (sometimes also referred to as codes or instructions) are stored. The programs can be run on the processor 1110 so that the device 1100 executes the method executed by the first device or network device in the above embodiment.

[0231] Optionally, the processor 1110 and / or the memory 1120 may include an artificial intelligence (AI) module, which is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​module may be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module may include a wireless intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0232] Optionally, data may be stored in the processor 1110 and / or the memory 1120. The processor and the memory may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0233] Optionally, the apparatus 1100 may further include a communication interface 1130. The processor 1110 may also be referred to as a processing unit, which controls the apparatus (e.g., the first apparatus or the network device). The communication interface 1130 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, etc., which is used to implement the transceiver function of the apparatus.

[0234] Optionally, the apparatus 1100 further includes a communication interface 1130. The processor 1110 and the communication interface 1130 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1130 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0235] It is understandable that, since the device 1100 has a communication function, it can also be called a communication device.

[0236] When apparatus 1100 is used to implement the method of FIG. 2 or FIG. 8 , processor 1110 is used to perform the functions of the aforementioned processing unit, and communication interface 1130 is used to perform the functions of the aforementioned transceiver module. Whether communication interface 1130 is used for sending or receiving can be determined by whether it is used to perform a sending action or a receiving action in the solution implemented by apparatus 1100.

[0237] When the device 1100 is a chip used in a first device, the chip implements the functions of the first device in the above method embodiment. The chip of the first device receives a signal from another module (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the first device, and the signal may be sent by a network device to the first device.

[0238] When the device 1100 is a chip used in a network device, the chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiment. The chip of the network device sends a signal to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the signal can be sent by the network device to the first device.

[0239] It is understood that when the apparatus 1100 is a first apparatus or network device, the communication interface 1130 may be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver, where the transmitter is used to transmit signals and the receiver is used to receive signals. When the apparatus 1100 is a chip used in the first apparatus or network device, the communication interface 1130 may be an input / output circuit, where the input circuit may be used for receiving and the output interface may be used for transmitting.

[0240] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. 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 includes one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium, or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0241] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which implements the steps of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0242] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the steps of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0243] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0244] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0245] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0246] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0247] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0248] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0249] The above is only a specific implementation method of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with this technical field can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in this application, which should be covered by the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first device, the method comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first weight and a parameter of a plurality of weights determined by the first weight, the plurality of weights corresponding to a plurality of first time-frequency resources, and the plurality of first time-frequency resources not overlapping; Based on the first indication information, multiple weights corresponding to the multiple first time-frequency resources are determined.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The parameters include a validity period of the first weight.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The parameter includes a change in the index of the first weight.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The parameters also include the number of changes in the index of the first weight.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The parameters also include a validity period of the first weight.

6. The method according to claim 2 or 5, characterized in that: The parameters also include the number of periods during which the first weight is valid.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The parameters also include a validity period of each weight in a first weight set, wherein the first weight set includes a first weight and a weight determined based on a change amount of an index of the first weight and a number of changes of the index of the first weight.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The parameters also include the number of periods during which each weight in the first weight set is valid.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The first indication information further indicates a second weight, and indicates parameters of a plurality of weights determined by the second weight.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first parameter is received, where the first parameter is used to indicate information included in the first indication information.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: Generate first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first weight and a parameter of multiple weights determined by the first weight, the multiple weights corresponding to multiple first time-frequency resources, and the multiple first time-frequency resources do not overlap; Send the first indication information.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The parameters include a validity period of the first weight.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The parameter includes a change in the index of the first weight.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The parameters also include the number of changes in the index of the first weight.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The parameters also include a validity period of the first weight.

16. The method according to claim 12 or 15, characterized in that The parameters also include the number of periods during which the first weight is valid.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The parameters also include a validity period of each weight in a first weight set, wherein the first weight set includes a first weight and a weight determined based on a change amount of an index of the first weight and a number of changes of the index of the first weight.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The parameters also include the number of periods during which each weight in the first weight set is valid.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that The first indication information further indicates a second weight, and indicates parameters of a plurality of weights determined by the second weight.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first parameter is sent, where the first parameter is used to indicate information included in the first indication information.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising modules for implementing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor configured to cause the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 by executing a computer program and / or a logic circuit.

23. The device according to claim 22, characterized in that The system also includes a memory for storing a computer program and / or a configuration file of the logic circuit.

24. The device according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that A communication interface is also included for inputting and / or outputting signals.

25. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 is performed.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises a computer program, and when the computer program is run, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 is performed.

27. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a first device and a network device, wherein the first device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and the network device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

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