Method for determining beam type and related apparatus

Abstract

Provided are a method for determining a beam type and a related apparatus. The method comprises: on the basis of a physical sidelink feedback message received in a predefined time window, determining a beam type of channel access, wherein the beam type comprises a narrow beam or a wide beam; and on the basis of the beam type, executing a channel access procedure. A solution for rationally determining a beam type of channel access is provided, and, compared with fixedly using a certain beam type for channel access, the solution is conducive to improving the accuracy of a listening result while improving the resource utilization rate.

Description

A method for determining beam type and related device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 29, 2023, with application number 202311626821.1 and application name “A method for determining beam type and related device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a method for determining a beam type and a related device. Background Art

[0003] In the new radio (NR) system, terminals can not only occupy authorized frequency bands for transmission, but also occupy unlicensed frequency bands for transmission to improve the utilization of spectrum resources. Terminals transmitting on unlicensed frequency bands generally perform a channel access process in a certain transmission beam direction, or perform a channel access process on a wide beam that covers all transmission beam directions. If the channel access process is performed in a certain transmission beam direction, resource utilization can be improved, but there is a problem of low accuracy in the channel status monitoring results. Although performing the channel access process on a wide beam produces more accurate monitoring results, there is a problem of low resource utilization. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a method and related apparatus for determining a beam type, in order to reasonably determine the beam type for channel access, thereby improving resource utilization and the accuracy of monitoring results.

[0005] In the first aspect, the present application provides a method for determining a beam type, which can be performed by a communication device. The communication device can be a second terminal, or a component configured in the second terminal (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the second terminal. The present application does not limit this.

[0006] Exemplarily, the method includes: determining a beam type for channel access based on a physical sideline feedback message received within a predefined / preconfigured / configured time window, the beam type including a narrow beam or a wide beam; and performing a channel access procedure based on the above beam type.

[0007] It should be understood that in this application, predefined can be replaced by preset, pre-stored, pre-configured, or configured, and the above terms can be interchangeable. For the sake of brevity, the following description uses predefined as an example for illustration, but this should not constitute any limitation to this application.

[0008] It should also be understood that in the present application, wide beam and narrow beam are relative concepts. The width of the beam refers to the angular size of the beam, or in other words, the angle between the two half-power points of the beam, which can affect the coverage range of the beam, where the coverage range refers to the projection range of the beam on the ground. The wide beam in the present application has a larger angle and a wider coverage range, while the narrow beam has a smaller angle and a smaller coverage range. The coverage range of the wide beam in the present application includes the coverage range of one or more narrow beams mentioned above. For example, the coverage range of a wide beam may include the coverage range of multiple (such as 3) narrow beams (or so-called fine beams). In other words, a wide beam may include multiple (such as 3) narrow beams, namely beam #1, beam #2 and beam #3.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the second terminal can determine the beam type for channel access based on the physical side feedback message received within the time window, providing a solution for reasonably determining the beam type for channel access. Compared with fixed use of a certain beam type for channel access, it is beneficial to improve resource utilization while improving the accuracy of the listening results.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the above-mentioned physical sidelink feedback message is an acknowledgment (ACK) message, and the above-mentioned determination of the beam type for channel access based on the physical sidelink feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining the beam type for channel access based on the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within the above-mentioned time window to the number of ACK messages to be received; and, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within the time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within the time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is less than the first preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam.

[0011] The number of ACK messages to be received may correspond to the number of physical sidelink shared channels (PSSCHs) configured / preconfigured within the time window. Generally, the number of preconfigured PSSCHs within the time window is consistent with the number of physical sidelink feedback channels (PSFCHs), and the number of ACK messages to be received is the same as the number of PSFCHs.

[0012] It can be understood that the larger the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within the above-mentioned time window to the number of ACK messages to be received, the higher the possibility that the receiving end (such as the first terminal) receives data normally, that is, the better the channel state of the first terminal on the receiving beam, therefore, the second terminal can perform the channel access process based on the narrow beam to improve resource utilization; the smaller the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within the above-mentioned time window to the number of ACK messages to be received, the lower the possibility that the receiving end (such as the first terminal) receives data normally, that is, the worse the channel state of the first terminal on the receiving beam, therefore, the second terminal can perform the channel access process based on the wide beam to improve the accuracy of channel listening.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the above-mentioned physical sidelink feedback message is a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message, and the above-mentioned determining the beam type for channel access based on the physical sidelink feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining the beam type for channel access based on the ratio of the number of NACK messages received within the time window to the number of NACK messages to be received; and, when the ratio of the number of NACK messages received within the time window to the number of NACK messages to be received is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the ratio of the number of NACK messages received within the time window to the number of NACK messages to be received is less than the second preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0014] The number of NACK messages to be received may correspond to the number of PSSCHs configured / preconfigured within the time window. Generally, the number of PSSCHs configured / preconfigured within the time window is consistent with the number of PSFCHs, and the number of NACK messages to be received is the same as the number of PSFCHs.

[0015] It can be understood that the larger the ratio of the number of NACK messages received within the above-mentioned time window to the number of NACK messages to be received, the higher the possibility that the receiving end (such as the first terminal) cannot receive data normally (or the lower the possibility of receiving data normally), that is, the worse the channel state of the first terminal on the receiving beam, therefore, the second terminal can perform a channel access process based on a wide beam to improve the accuracy of channel listening; the smaller the ratio of the number of NACK messages received within the above-mentioned time window to the number of NACK messages to be received, the lower the possibility that the receiving end (such as the first terminal) cannot receive data normally (or the higher the possibility of receiving data normally), that is, the better the channel state of the first terminal on the receiving beam, therefore, the second terminal can perform a channel access process based on a narrow beam to improve resource utilization.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the above-mentioned physical sidelink feedback message is an ACK message, and the above-mentioned determining the beam type for channel access based on the physical sidelink feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining the beam type for channel access based on the number of ACK messages continuously received within the time window; and, when the number of ACK messages continuously received within the time window is greater than or equal to a third preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, when the number of ACK messages continuously received within the time window is less than the third preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam.

[0017] Among them, the above-mentioned third preset threshold is the threshold corresponding to the number of received ACK messages, which can be a specific number value of ACK messages. The first preset threshold mentioned above is the threshold of the ratio of the number of received ACK messages to the number of ACK messages to be received, which can be a percentage.

[0018] It should be noted that the number of ACK messages continuously received within the above time window can also be understood as the number of ACK messages continuously received within the time window, or the number of ACK messages received uninterruptedly within the time window. For example, if the number of pre-configured PSSCHs within the above time window is 5, then the number of PSFCHs is 5. Assuming that the third preset threshold is 4, if ACK messages are received on 3 consecutive PSFCHs among the above 5 PSFCHs, the beam type is wide beam.

[0019] It can be understood that the larger the number of ACK messages received continuously within the above-mentioned time window, the higher the possibility that the receiving end (such as the first terminal) receives data normally, that is, the better the channel state of the first terminal on the receiving beam, therefore, the second terminal can perform the channel access process based on the narrow beam to improve resource utilization; the smaller the number of ACK messages received continuously within the above-mentioned time window, the lower the possibility that the receiving end (such as the first terminal) receives data normally, that is, the worse the channel state of the first terminal on the receiving beam, therefore, the second terminal can perform the channel access process based on the wide beam to improve the accuracy of channel listening.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the above-mentioned physical sidelink feedback message is a NACK message, and the above-mentioned determining the beam type for channel access based on the physical sidelink feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining the beam type for channel access based on the number of NACK messages received continuously within the time window; and, when the number of NACK messages received continuously within the time window is greater than or equal to a fourth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the number of NACK messages received continuously within the time window is less than the fourth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0021] Among them, the above-mentioned fourth preset threshold is the threshold corresponding to the number of received NACK messages, which can be a specific number value of NACK messages. The second preset threshold mentioned above is the threshold of the ratio of the number of received NACK messages to the number of NACK messages to be received, which can be a percentage.

[0022] It should be noted that the number of NACK messages received continuously within the above time window can also be understood as the number of NACK messages received continuously within the time window, or the number of NACK messages received uninterruptedly within the time window. For example, if the number of pre-configured PSSCHs within the above time window is 5, then the number of PSFCHs is 5. Assuming that the fourth preset threshold is 3, if NACK messages are received on two consecutive PSFCHs among the above five PSFCHs, the beam type is narrow beam.

[0023] It can be understood that the larger the number of NACK messages received continuously within the above-mentioned time window, the higher the possibility that the receiving end (such as the first terminal) cannot receive data normally (or the lower the possibility of receiving data normally), that is, the worse the channel state of the first terminal on the receiving beam, therefore, the second terminal can perform a channel access process based on a wide beam to improve the accuracy of channel listening; the smaller the number of NACK messages received continuously within the above-mentioned time window, the lower the possibility that the receiving end (such as the first terminal) cannot receive data normally (or the higher the possibility of receiving data normally), that is, the better the channel state of the first terminal on the receiving beam, therefore, the second terminal can perform a channel access process based on a narrow beam to improve resource utilization.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam used to send information.

[0025] The narrow beam is a directional beam. In other words, the second terminal performs a channel access process based on the directional beam. The wide beam is an omnidirectional beam. In other words, the second terminal performs a channel access process based on the omnidirectional beam. A directional beam can be a beam used to transmit information, while an omnidirectional beam can cover all beams used to transmit information.

[0026] On the second aspect, the present application provides a method for determining the beam type, which can be executed by a communication device. The communication device can be a second terminal, or a component configured in the second terminal (such as a chip, chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the second terminal. The present application does not limit this.

[0027] Exemplarily, the method includes: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information is used to determine a beam type for channel access, where the beam type includes a narrow beam or a wide beam; and performing a channel access process based on the determined beam type.

[0028] In the above technical solution, the second terminal can determine the beam type for channel access based on the received first indication information, providing a solution for reasonably determining the beam type for channel access. Compared with fixedly using a certain beam type for channel access, it is beneficial to improve resource utilization while improving the accuracy of the listening results.

[0029] On the third aspect, the present application provides a method for determining the beam type, which can be executed by a communication device. The communication device can be a first terminal, or a component configured in the first terminal (such as a chip, chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first terminal. The present application does not limit this.

[0030] Exemplarily, the method includes: generating first indication information, where the first indication information is used to determine a beam type for channel access, where the beam type includes a narrow beam or a wide beam; and sending the first indication information.

[0031] In the above technical solution, the first terminal can generate and send first indication information for determining the beam type for channel access, so that the second terminal can determine the beam type for channel access based on the above first indication information, providing a solution for reasonably determining the beam type for channel access. Compared with fixed use of a certain beam type for channel access, it is beneficial to improve resource utilization while improving the accuracy of the listening results.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect and the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information indicates a beam type, and the first indication information is carried in sidelink control information (SCI).

[0033] That is, the first terminal may indicate the beam type (e.g., narrow beam or wide beam) to the second terminal through the SCI. For example, one bit may be reserved in the SCI to indicate the beam type, such as 0 for narrow beam and 1 for wide beam; or 1 for narrow beam and 0 for wide beam.

[0034] Optionally, the above SCI may be a first-level SCI or a second-level SCI, which is not limited in this application.

[0035] The physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) carries the first-level SCI, and the first-level SCI is used to schedule the second-level SCI and PSSCH.

[0036] When the first indication information indicates the beam type, the first terminal may determine the beam type.

[0037] One possible design is that the first terminal determines the beam type based on the energy value, which is obtained based on the signal received by the first terminal; and, when the energy value is greater than or equal to the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0038] The energy value is obtained based on the signal received by the first terminal. It can be understood that the first terminal determines the energy value based on the signal received in the receiving beam direction.

[0039] Another possible design is that the first terminal determines the beam type based on the channel status within a predefined time window. The channel status includes whether the channel is busy or idle; and when the channel is busy, the beam type is determined to be a wide beam; when the channel is idle, the beam type is determined to be a narrow beam. Exemplarily, when the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within the predefined time window is greater than or equal to a sixth preset threshold, the first terminal determines that the channel status is busy; when the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within the time window is less than the sixth preset threshold, the first terminal determines that the channel status is idle.

[0040] In combination with the second aspect and the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information is an ACK or NACK in a physical sidelink feedback message; and the beam type is determined based on a correspondence between the physical sidelink feedback message and a predefined / configured / preconfigured relationship, and the predefined / configured / preconfigured correspondence is used to indicate a physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to a wide beam and a physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to a narrow beam.

[0041] For example, the above correspondence may include: a narrow beam corresponds to ACK, and a wide beam corresponds to NACK; or, a wide beam corresponds to ACK, and a narrow beam corresponds to NACK.

[0042] When the first indication information is an ACK or NACK in a physical sidelink feedback message, the first terminal may determine the beam type. The method for determining the beam type by the first terminal can be found above and will not be described in detail here. After determining the beam type, the first terminal may determine the physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to the beam type based on the corresponding relationship.

[0043] After receiving the physical sideline feedback message, the second terminal can determine the beam type based on the physical sideline feedback message and the corresponding relationship. For example, if the second terminal receives an ACK message, it can determine that the beam type is a narrow beam based on the corresponding relationship (narrow beam corresponds to ACK, wide beam corresponds to NACK).

[0044] In combination with the second aspect and the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information indicates an energy value, which is used to determine the beam type, and the energy value is obtained based on the signal received by the first terminal; and, when the energy value is greater than or equal to a fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0045] The energy value can be understood as the energy value of the signal received by the first terminal in the receiving beam direction. The first terminal can indicate the energy value to the second terminal, and the second terminal determines the beam type based on the energy value.

[0046] Optionally, the first indication information may be carried in an SCI or a physical sidelink feedback message, wherein the SCI may be carried by the PSCCH, and the physical sidelink feedback message may be carried by the PSFCH, for example, a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback message.

[0047] In combination with the second aspect and the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information indicates the channel state detected by the first terminal on the receiving beam, where the channel state includes a busy channel or an idle channel; and, when the channel is busy, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the channel is idle, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0048] The first terminal can determine the channel state detected on the receive beam and indicate the channel state to the second terminal. The second terminal, in turn, receives the channel state indication and determines the beam type based on the channel state. For example, if the channel is busy, the beam type is wide; if the channel is idle, the beam type is narrow.

[0049] The first terminal can determine the channel state on the receiving beam according to the following conditions: when the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within the predefined time window is greater than or equal to the sixth preset threshold, the channel state is busy; when the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within the time window is less than the sixth preset threshold, the channel state is idle.

[0050] Optionally, the first indication information may be carried in an SCI or a physical sidelink feedback message, wherein the SCI may be carried by a PSCCH, and the physical sidelink feedback message may be carried by a PSFCH, for example, a HARQ feedback message.

[0051] In combination with the second aspect and the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam used to send information.

[0052] The narrow beam is a directional beam. In other words, the second terminal performs a channel access process based on the directional beam. The wide beam is an omnidirectional beam. In other words, the second terminal performs a channel access process based on the omnidirectional beam. A directional beam can be a beam used to transmit information, while an omnidirectional beam can cover all beams used to transmit information.

[0053] In combination with the first, second and third aspects, in some possible implementations, the second terminal is configured with a first listening threshold and a second listening threshold, the first listening threshold is the listening threshold corresponding to the narrow beam, the second listening threshold is the listening threshold corresponding to the wide beam, and the second listening threshold is greater than or equal to the first listening threshold.

[0054] The first listening threshold is the listening threshold corresponding to the energy value of the signal detected by the second terminal when performing a channel access process based on a narrow beam. For example, when the energy value is greater than or equal to the first listening threshold, the channel is determined to be busy; when the energy value is less than the first listening threshold, the channel is determined to be idle. The second listening threshold is the listening threshold corresponding to the energy value of the signal detected by the second terminal when performing a channel access process based on a wide beam.

[0055] It can be understood that the second listening threshold is greater than or equal to the first listening threshold, so that the second terminal does not overly sensitively consider the channel to be busy when performing a channel access process based on a wide beam, thereby facilitating improved resource utilization.

[0056] Optionally, the second terminal may further adjust a listening threshold according to a channel state detected by the second terminal, where the listening threshold includes the first listening threshold and / or the second listening threshold. The channel state includes a busy channel or an idle channel.

[0057] Dynamically adjusting the listening threshold based on channel conditions helps improve resource utilization. For example, when a second terminal performs a channel access process based on a narrow beam, if it continues to determine the channel state based on the initial preset first listening threshold, it may be unable to access the channel due to interference from other terminals. However, if the second terminal lowers the first listening threshold, it may determine that the channel is idle and can then spatially multiplex the same resources with other terminals for transmission, which helps improve resource utilization.

[0058] Optionally, adjusting the listening threshold according to the channel state sensed by the second terminal includes: raising the listening threshold when the channel is busy; or lowering the listening threshold when the channel is idle.

[0059] The specific adjustment amount of the listening threshold may be pre-configured (or configured) by the network device, or may be pre-defined by the protocol, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0060] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communications device that can implement the methods described in aspects 1 through 3 and any possible implementation of aspects 1 through 3. The device includes corresponding modules for executing the methods described above. The modules included in the device can be implemented in software and / or hardware.

[0061] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising a processor, which can be used to execute a computer program in a memory to implement the method described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation of the first to third aspects.

[0062] Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface. The communication interface is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the device and transmit them to the processor, or to transmit signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin, or other type of communication interface.

[0063] Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a memory, the processor being coupled to the memory. The memory is configured to store program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes instructions stored in the memory, the methods described in the above aspects can be implemented.

[0064] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, wherein the processor implements the method described in any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 3 and aspects 1 to 3 through a logic circuit or by executing code instructions. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin, or other type of communication interface.

[0065] Optionally, the device further includes a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory may be coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in any one of the first to third aspects and any possible implementation of the first to third aspects is implemented.

[0066] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store instructions and data. When the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, it can implement the methods described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation methods of the first to third aspects.

[0067] Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, which is used for the device to communicate with other communication devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin or other types of communication interfaces.

[0068] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation method of the first to third aspects is implemented.

[0069] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed, implement the method described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation of the first to third aspects.

[0070] In the tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system comprising at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation of the first to third aspects, such as receiving or processing the data involved in the above method.

[0071] 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.

[0072] The chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0073] It should be understood that the fourth to tenth aspects of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first to third 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. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of vehicle-to-everything communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a PSFCH configuration in a resource pool provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of time domain resources occupied by a PSSCH corresponding to a PSFCH provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the allocation of frequency domain resources occupied by the PSFCH provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a wide beam and a narrow beam provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method for determining a beam type provided in the present application;

[0080] FIG7 is a schematic flowchart of a method for determining a beam type according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG8 is a schematic flowchart of another method for determining a beam type provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG10 is another schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0085] Before introducing the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained.

[0086] First, in this application, indications include explicit indications (also called direct indications) and implicit indications (also called indirect indications). Specifically, explicit indication information A refers to including information A; implicit indication information A refers to indicating information A through the correspondence between information A and information B and directly indicating information B. The correspondence between information A and information B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured; or, it can also refer to indicating information A through information B and preset rules.

[0087] Second, in this application, information C is used to determine information D, which includes both information D being determined solely based on information C and information D being determined based on information C and other information. Furthermore, information C can also be used to determine information D indirectly, for example, when information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

[0088] Third, in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship, but it 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 mean: 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.

[0089] Fourth, in this application, prefixes such as "first" and "second" are used solely to distinguish between different items within the same category and do not constrain the order, size, or quantity of the items. For example, "first terminal" and "second terminal" are simply different terminals; there is no temporal, size, or priority relationship between them.

[0090] Fifth, the "sending" and "receiving" in this application indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to the first terminal" can be understood as the destination end of the information is the first terminal, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also include indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from the first terminal" can be understood as the source end of the information is the first terminal, which can include direct receiving from the first terminal through the air interface, and also include indirect receiving from the first terminal 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.

[0091] In other words, sending and receiving can be performed between devices, for example, between a first terminal and a second terminal; 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.

[0092] Sixth, in this application, "when", "if" and "if" all mean that the device will take corresponding actions under certain objective circumstances, which does not limit the time, nor does it require that the device must perform judgment actions when it is implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0093] Seventh, in this application, words such as "example," "exemplarily," "for example," or "such as" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "example," "exemplarily," "for example," or "such as" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "example," "exemplarily," "for example," or "such as" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0094] Eighth, in the present application, the words "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "less than", "less than or equal to" and other size relationships are only examples and should not constitute any limitation to the present application. Simple transformations based on similar judgment ideas as the present application should also fall within the protection scope of the present application. For example, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within a predefined time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within a predefined time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is less than a first preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam. Simple transformations based on this idea should also fall within the protection scope of the present application. For example, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within a predefined time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is greater than a first preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within a predefined time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam. For another example, the second terminal may also determine the beam type based on the ratio of the number of ACK messages received to the number of NACK messages received within a predefined time window. As an example, if the ratio of the number of ACK messages received to the number of NACK messages received within the predefined time window is greater than or equal to a seventh preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; if the ratio of the number of ACK messages received to the number of NACK messages received within the predefined time window is less than the seventh preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam. These examples are not listed here.

[0095] Ninth, in this application, the time window, corresponding relationship, preset thresholds corresponding to various parameters (such as energy value, the number of received ACK messages, etc.), etc. can be predefined, preset, pre-stored, preconfigured or configured. The above statements can be replaced with each other. In the description below, predefined is used as an example for explanation.

[0096] In order to better understand the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the terms involved in the present application are briefly explained below.

[0097] 1. Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication: This refers to data communication between vehicles and everything else. V2X includes vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication (as shown in Figure 1a), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication (as shown in Figure 1b), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication (as shown in Figure 1c). As cellular systems evolve from long-term evolution (LTE) to NR, V2X is evolving from LTE-V2X to NR-V2X.

[0098] V2X communication in vehicle systems can be extended to device-to-device (D2D) communication in other systems. The method provided in this application can be applied not only to V2X communication systems, but also to other end-to-end direct communication systems such as D2D, and this application does not limit this.

[0099] In V2X and D2D communications, terminals communicate with each other over the PC5 interface via sidelink (SL). In SL communication, resources are allocated primarily through two methods: First, network equipment allocates resources to terminals within its coverage area via the Uu interface; second, terminals reserve resources by sensing whether other terminals are actively transmitting.

[0100] 2. SCI: In the NR SL system, SCI can be divided into first-level SCI and second-level SCI. PSCCH is used to carry the first-level SCI, and the first-level SCI is used to decode the second-level SCI and PSSCH. Since SL is a distributed system, all terminals need to correctly decode the first-level SCI before decoding the second-level SCI and PSSCH. However, in order to reduce the complexity of the terminal's blind decoding of PSCCH, the resource location of PSCCH is relatively fixed, and the first-level SCI format information carried on PSCCH is also relatively unique. That is, the terminal does not need to blindly detect the time-frequency resource location where the PSCCH is located, nor does it need to blindly detect SCI of different formats. The terminal only needs to detect whether there is a first-level SCI at the fixed PSCCH time-frequency resource location. The "Frequency resource assignment" field and the "Time resource assignment" field in the first-level SCI are used to indicate the frequency domain resources and time domain resources for transmitting PSSCH respectively. The "Resource reservation period" field is used to indicate the periodic reservation resources for transmitting PSSCH. The value of the "Resource reservation period" field is configured, pre-configured, or pre-defined by the network device, for example, through the first RRC signaling configuration. The format of the second-level SCI is determined by the "2 nd -stage SCI format" field indicates.

[0101] 3. PSFCH: used to carry physical side feedback messages, such as HARQ feedback messages. For example, if the transmitter carries HARQ-ACK feedback enable information when sending data, the receiver needs to feedback the ACK / NACK message of the response based on the decoding result, where the ACK / NACK message is transmitted through PSFCH. For PSFCH feedback, ACK and NACK form a pair, both represented by different orthogonal sequences, that is, the code domain. The valid number of pairs can be configured by parameters, for example, "numMaxCSPair = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6}", and correspondingly, a maximum of {2, 4, 6, 8, 12} information can be fed back, that is, a maximum of 12 codewords can be fed back. The PSFCH will be described in detail below.

[0102] PSFCH is a periodic resource configured in the resource pool. It can be configured as 0, 1, 2, or 4. Indicates that PSFCH is not configured in the resource pool, that is, physical layer HARQ feedback is not supported.

[0103] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of PSFCH configuration in a resource pool provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0104] As shown in Figure 2, Indicates that within a time window, there will be a PSFCH feedback slot every other SL slot (or SL transmission slot) (the PSFCH feedback slot indicates that feedback messages can be transmitted within the slot); Indicates that there will be a PSFCH feedback slot every 2 SL slots in a time window; This indicates that within a time window, there is a PSFCH feedback slot every four SL slots. In the PSFCH slot, the PSFCH occupies the last two symbols before the symbol corresponding to the gap in that slot (the gap corresponding to symbol 13). Furthermore, the gap corresponding to symbol 10 is the interval for switching between transmit and receive.

[0105] If PSFCH is configured in the resource pool, PSFCH is configured once per SL time slot. The network device can indicate whether each physical resource block (PRB) on the frequency domain resources where the resource pool is located can be used as PSFCH by configuring the bit map of the frequency domain resources occupied by PSFCH, that is, the length of the bit information contained in the bit map is equal to the number of PRBs in the resource pool. For example, a bit value of 1 in the bit map indicates that the corresponding PRB can be used as PSFCH, and a bit value of 0 in the bit map indicates that the corresponding PRB cannot be used as PSFCH, and the leftmost bit of the bit map refers to the lowest resource block index in the resource pool. For example, PSFCH can be used for HARQ-ACK transmission, and its resources can be represented by the SL-PSFCH-RB-Set bit map, and a bit value of 1 in the bit map indicates that the corresponding resource block can be used as HARQR-ACK feedback. In addition, in the inter-UE coordination (IUC) mechanism, PSFCH can also be used to carry information indicating whether there is a conflict. For example, it can be represented by the bit map corresponding to SL-RB-Set-PSFCH. The bit value of 1 in the bit map indicates that the corresponding resource block can be used to carry information indicating whether there is a conflict. It should be noted that the positions of the bit value 1 in SL-PSFCH-RB-Set and SL-RB-Set-PSFCH do not overlap.

[0106] For example, in a time slot configured with PSFCH, assuming that a subchannel contains 10 PRBs and there are 3 subchannels in the resource pool, the bit map in the resource pool indicating the frequency domain resources occupied by PSFCH contains a total of 3*10=30 bits, and these 30 bits respectively indicate whether each PRB can be used as PSFCH.

[0107] Because every PSSCH time slots (the PSSCH time slot indicates that PSSCH transmission can be performed in the time slot) correspond to a PSFCH feedback time slot. subch For a resource pool of sub-channels, the number of PSFCH resource blocks corresponding to each sub-channel is in Indicates the number of PRBs in the frequency domain resources occupied by the PSFCH, that is, the total number of bits with a bit value of 1 in the bit map indicating the frequency domain resources occupied by the PSFCH.

[0108] Considering the decoding capability limitation of the receiving end, the receiving end cannot provide feedback immediately after receiving the PSSCH. Therefore, a PSSCH feedback time interval K can be defined, that is, the time slot where the PSFCH is located is at least K time slots away from the time slot where the PSSCH is located. The value of K can be pre-configured or configured.

[0109] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the time domain resources occupied by the PSSCH corresponding to the PSFCH provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, when K = 2, the PSSCH carried on time slots 0 and 1 can be fed back on the PSFCH on time slot 3, and the PSSCH carried on time slots 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 can be fed back on the PSFCH on time slot 7. Since time slots 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 are fed back on the PSFCH resources of a time slot, time slots 2, 3, 4, and 5 can be called a PSSCH bundling window length.

[0110] The PSFCH available resources in a PSFCH feedback time slot are sequentially allocated to each subchannel in the feedback cycle according to a mapping method of first time domain and then frequency domain.

[0111] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the allocation of frequency domain resources occupied by the PSFCH provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0112] As shown in Figure 4, when When , 4 bundled PSSCH time slots are mapped to PSFCH as a group, that is, a PSFCH with one PRB is allocated to each subchannel in each PSSCH time slot. For the i-th time slot in the bound PSSCH time slots, if the frequency domain subchannel number in its resource pool is j, then its corresponding PSFCH is For example, when the PSSCH occupies two subchannels numbered 5 and 9 to transmit data, the corresponding PRBs occupied by the PSFCH are numbered 5 and 9, which are discontinuous in the frequency domain. For another example, when the PSSCH occupies subchannel numbered 0 to transmit data, the corresponding PRB occupied by the PSFCH is numbered 0. For another example, when the PSSCH occupies subchannel numbered 6 to transmit data, the corresponding PRB occupied by the PSFCH is numbered 6.

[0113] For PSFCH feedback, ACK and NACK form a pair, both represented by different orthogonal sequences, i.e., the code domain. The number of valid pairs can be configured by a parameter, for example, it can be configured by "numMaxCSPair = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6}", and a maximum of {2, 4, 6, 8, 12} information can be fed back accordingly.

[0114] From the above, we can see that if a PSSCH occupies sub-channels, then the corresponding PSFCH feedback resource pairs, where Indicates the number of PSFCH sequence pairs that can be multiplexed on the PSFCH of a PRB configured in the resource pool. Indicates the number of PRBs allocated to each subchannel for PSFCH. At the same time, the resource pool can also be configured Limit the PSFCH feedback resources that can be used by the PSSCH receiver.

[0115] One possible design is that if the resource pool configuration The receiving end of the PSSCH can only use the PSFCH corresponding to its first sub-channel, that is, For example, when the PSSCH occupies two sub-channels numbered 5 and 9 to transmit data, the receiving end of the PSSCH can only use the PSFCH numbered 5 for feedback.

[0116] Another possible design is that if the resource pool configuration The receiving end of the PSSCH can use the PSFCH resources corresponding to all its sub-channels for feedback, that is,

[0117] The receiving end selects The resource feedback PSFCH corresponding to the PSFCH resource pair, where P ID Indicates the physical layer source address identifier carried in the control information. For multicast 2, M ID Indicates the identifier of the upper layer of each receiving end for the PSSCH information transmission configuration. For multicast 1, M ID =0. The PSFCH resource pairs are arranged in ascending order according to the frequency domain index first and the code domain index later. That is, the PRB index corresponding to the PSFCH feedback is Cyclic shift index corresponding to PSFCH feedback in this PRB Table 1 is used to determine m0 for generating the PSFCH feedback sequence.

[0118] Table 1

[0119] From the above analysis, we can see that due to M ID Different from multicast 2, each user in the group uses a different PSFCH resource pair for feedback, and the transmitter will also receive each resource pair separately (the premise is that the M ID , known to all members in the group). For multicast 1, since M ID =0, so for source address P ID For the determined PSSCH, each member in the group uses the same PSFCH to feedback NACK information.

[0120] 4. Beam: refers to the main lobe of the radiation pattern of an antenna or antenna array, which is formed by superimposing the radiation signals of each antenna module. The transmit beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after the signal is transmitted by the antenna, and the receive beam can refer to the signal strength distribution of the wireless signal received from the antenna in different directions in space. It can be understood that one or more antenna ports forming a beam can also be regarded as an antenna port set, or an antenna port group (referred to as port group). A beam can include one or more antenna ports for transmitting reference signals, data channels, control channels or sounding signals, etc.

[0121] Beams can be represented in the protocol as spatial filters, spatial parameters, transmission methods, or modes. The transmission method represents digital weighting and / or analog weighting. Different transmission methods correspond to different digital weights, analog weights, or a combination of these. In actual communication systems, beams can be represented by resources (or signals, reference signals, or port groups).

[0122] In this application, beams can be divided into wide beams and narrow beams. Wide beams and narrow beams are relative concepts. The width of a beam refers to the angular size of the beam, or in other words, the angle between the two half-power points of the beam, which can affect the coverage of the beam, where the coverage refers to the projection range of the beam on the ground. The wide beam in this application has a larger angle and a wider coverage, while the narrow beam has a smaller angle and a smaller coverage. The coverage of the wide beam in this application includes the coverage of one or more narrow beams mentioned above. An example will be given below in conjunction with Figure 5.

[0123] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a wide beam and a narrow beam provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0124] As shown in Figure 5(a), for example, the coverage of a wide beam can include the coverage of multiple (e.g., three) narrow beams (or beamlets). In other words, a wide beam can include multiple (e.g., three) narrow beams, namely Beam #1, Beam #2, and Beam #3. As shown in Figure 5(b), the terminal can transmit data through Beam #1, Beam #2, and Beam #3, respectively.

[0125] The narrow beam may be a directional beam. The second terminal may perform a channel access process based on the directional beam. The wide beam may be an omnidirectional beam. The second terminal may also perform a channel access process based on the omnidirectional beam. The directional beam may be a beam used to transmit information, and the omnidirectional beam may cover all beams used to transmit information.

[0126] 5. Beam management: This is an important technology proposed by NR for frequency range 2 (FR2). It refers to the process by which base stations (BS) and terminals obtain and maintain beam sets for transmission and reception. Beam management mainly includes: beam determination, beam measurement, beam reporting, and beam sweeping. Beam determination refers to the process by which a base station or terminal selects its transmit or receive beam; beam measurement refers to the process by which a base station or terminal measures the received beam; beam reporting refers to the process by which a terminal reports the beam measurement results to the base station; and beam sweeping refers to the process by which a base station or terminal sequentially selects beams for transmission or reception in a specified scanning manner within a time period to cover a spatial area. Beams can be divided into transmit beams and receive beams. A base station or terminal can sequentially select beams for transmission or reception in a specified scanning manner within a time period to determine the best quality transmit beam and corresponding receive beam.

[0127] 6. Listen before talk (LBT): In the NR system, the terminal can not only occupy the authorized frequency band for transmission, but also occupy the unauthorized frequency band for transmission to improve the utilization rate of spectrum resources. The terminal that transmits on the unauthorized frequency band generally adopts the LBT mechanism. In the present application, the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the narrow beam, which can be understood as the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the directional beam, or based on the directional LBT; the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the wide beam, which can be understood as the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the omnidirectional beam, or based on the omnidirectional LBT.

[0128] 7. Predefine, configure, preconfiguration: Predefine means that the protocol predefines a fixed parameter. Configuration means that the network device or server sends the configuration information of some parameters or the values ​​of parameters to the terminal through messages or signaling, so that the terminal can determine the communication parameters or resources during transmission based on these values ​​or information. Preconfiguration is similar to configuration. It can be a way for the network device or server to send parameter information or values ​​to the terminal through another link or carrier that is different from the side line; it can also be a way to define the corresponding parameters or parameter values, or to write the relevant parameters or values ​​into the terminal in advance. In addition, configuration / preconfiguration can be a configuration at the resource pool granularity, a configuration of a bandwidth part (BWP), or a configuration at the cell granularity. This application does not limit this. Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0129] It should be noted that, in this application, pre-defined, configured, and pre-configured can be replaced with each other.

[0130] For example, the above access methods generally use energy-based detection and signal type detection. For example, NR-U uses energy detection, while Wi-Fi uses a combination of the two detection methods. Energy-based detection specifically includes setting a listening threshold (energy detection threshold). When the detected energy value exceeds the listening threshold, it is determined that the channel is busy and access to the channel is not allowed. When the detected energy value is lower than the listening threshold and remains below the listening threshold for a period of time, access to the channel is allowed.

[0131] Currently, terminals transmitting in unlicensed frequency bands typically perform channel access in a specific transmit beam direction, or in a wide beam that covers all transmit beam directions. While performing channel access in a specific transmit beam direction improves resource utilization, it also results in inaccurate channel state monitoring. While performing channel access in a wide beam provides more accurate monitoring results, it also results in lower resource utilization.

[0132] To this end, the present application provides a method for determining the beam type. The second terminal can determine the beam type for channel access based on the physical side feedback message received within the time window, and provides a solution for reasonably determining the beam type for channel access. Compared with the fixed use of a certain beam type for channel access, it is beneficial to improve resource utilization while improving the accuracy of the listening results.

[0133] Before describing in detail the method for determining the beam type provided by the present application, the communication system to which the present application is applicable is first described in detail below.

[0134] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method for determining a beam type provided in the present application.

[0135] The method provided in this application is mainly used in systems for direct communication between user terminals such as V2X and D2D, and is suitable for communication scenarios with and without network coverage.

[0136] As shown in Figure 6 (a), multiple terminals are within the coverage of the network device. For example, both terminal A and terminal B are within the coverage of the network device. In other words, both terminal A and terminal B can communicate with the network device. The interface through which terminal A and terminal B communicate with the network device is the Uu interface. Terminal A and terminal B can communicate with each other via the PC5 interface.

[0137] As shown in b) of Figure 6, some of the multiple terminals are within the coverage of the network device. For example, terminal A is outside the coverage of the network device (terminal A cannot communicate directly with the network device), while terminal B is within the coverage of the network device (terminal B can communicate directly with the network device). The interface used by terminal B to communicate with the network device is the Uu interface. Terminal A and terminal B can communicate with each other via the PC5 interface.

[0138] As shown in c) of Figure 6, multiple terminals are not within the coverage of the network device. For example, both terminal A and terminal B are outside the coverage of the network device. In other words, neither terminal A nor terminal B can directly communicate with the network device through the Uu interface. Terminal A and terminal B can communicate through the PC5 interface for sidelink communication.

[0139] It should be understood that the system shown in FIG6 is only an example of two terminals and should not constitute any limitation to the present application. In actual applications, a larger number of terminals may be included.

[0140] In addition, the present application does not limit the types of network devices and terminals. In the present application, the network device can be any device with wireless transceiver function. The network device includes, but is not limited to, an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., a home evolved Node B, or a home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission and reception point (TRP), etc. It may also be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G (such as NR) system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or it may also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc. The network device may also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario.

[0141] In this application, a terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver functions, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0142] The following describes in detail the method for determining the beam type provided by the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0143] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a method 700 for determining a beam type provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 only describes the method using the second terminal as an example and should not constitute any limitation to the present application. The second terminal in Figure 7 can be replaced by a component configured in the second terminal (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second terminal. Among them, the second terminal can be a terminal in any of the network coverage scenarios shown in Figure 6.

[0144] The method 700 shown in Figure 7 includes step 710 and step 720. The steps in the method 700 are described in detail below.

[0145] In step 710, the second terminal determines a beam type for channel access based on a physical sidelink feedback message received within a preconfigured time window.

[0146] Among them, the above-mentioned preconfigured time window can also be replaced by a configured time window, a predefined time window, a preset time window, etc., which is not limited in this application. The above-mentioned beam types include narrow beams or wide beams. Wide beam and narrow beam are relative concepts. The width of the beam refers to the angular size of the beam, or the angle between the two half-power points of the beam, which can affect the coverage range of the beam, wherein the coverage range refers to the projection range of the beam on the ground. The wide beam in this application has a larger angle and a wider coverage range, while the narrow beam has a smaller angle and a smaller coverage range. The coverage range of the wide beam in this application includes the coverage range of one or more narrow beams mentioned above.

[0147] As an example, the time window may be configured by the network device for the second terminal, or may be predefined by a protocol.

[0148] The above-mentioned physical sidelink feedback message can be carried by PSFCH, for example, it can be a HARQ feedback message. This application does not limit the type of the feedback message.

[0149] A first possible implementation method is that the above-mentioned physical side feedback message is an ACK message, and the above-mentioned determination of the beam type for channel access based on the physical side feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining the beam type for channel access based on the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within the above-mentioned time window to the number of ACK messages to be received; and, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within the above-mentioned time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received within the above-mentioned time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is less than the first preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam.

[0150] The number of ACK messages to be received may correspond to the number of PSSCHs preconfigured within the time window. Generally, the number of PSSCHs preconfigured within the time window is consistent with the number of PSFCHs. That is, there are as many PSFCHs as there are configured PSSCHs, and the number of ACK messages to be received is the same as the number of PSFCHs. For example, if the network device configures 5 PSSCHs for the second terminal, the number of PSFCHs is 5, and the number of ACK messages to be received is also 5.

[0151] In one example, the number of ACK messages received by the second terminal within the above-mentioned time window is 3, the number of ACK messages to be received is 5, and the first preset threshold is 70%. The ratio of the number of received ACK messages to the number of ACK messages to be received is 60%. If the ratio is less than the first preset threshold, the second terminal determines that the beam type is a wide beam.

[0152] It should be understood that the above-mentioned conditions for determining the beam type for channel access are only examples and should not constitute any limitation to the embodiments of the present application. Simple transformations based on the above-mentioned concept should also fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received in the above-mentioned time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is greater than the first preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received in the above-mentioned time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is less than or equal to the first preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam. For another example, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received in the predefined time window to the number of NACK messages is greater than or equal to the seventh preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received in the predefined time window to the number of NACK messages is less than the seventh preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam. They are not listed one by one here. Among them, the sum of the number of ACK messages received in the predefined time window and the number of NACK messages can be consistent with the number of PSSCHs preconfigured in the above-mentioned time window.

[0153] A second possible implementation method is that the above-mentioned physical side feedback message is a NACK message, and the above-mentioned determination of the beam type for channel access based on the physical side feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining the beam type for channel access based on the ratio of the number of NACK messages received within the time window to the number of NACK messages to be received; and, when the ratio of the number of NACK messages received within the time window to the number of NACK messages to be received is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the ratio of the number of NACK messages received within the time window to the number of NACK messages to be received is less than the second preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0154] The number of NACK messages to be received may correspond to the number of PSSCHs preconfigured within the time window. Generally, the number of PSSCHs preconfigured within the time window is consistent with the number of PSFCHs, and the number of NACK messages to be received is the same as the number of PSFCHs. For example, if the network device configures 6 PSSCHs for the second terminal, the number of PSFCHs is 6, and the number of NACK messages to be received is also 6.

[0155] In one example, the number of NACK messages received by the second terminal within the above-mentioned time window is 3, the number of NACK messages to be received is 6, and the second preset threshold is 60%. The ratio of the number of received NACK messages to the number of NACK messages to be received is 50%. If the ratio is less than the second preset threshold, the second terminal determines that the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0156] It can be understood that the above-mentioned first preset threshold is the threshold of the ratio of the number of received ACK messages to the number of ACK messages to be received, and the second preset threshold is the threshold of the ratio of the number of received NACK messages to the number of NACK messages to be received. The first preset threshold and the second preset threshold can be a percentage or a fraction, and this application does not limit this.

[0157] A third possible implementation method is that the above-mentioned physical side feedback message is an ACK message, and the above-mentioned determining the beam type for channel access based on the physical side feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining the beam type for channel access based on the number of ACK messages continuously received within the time window; and, when the number of ACK messages continuously received within the time window is greater than or equal to a third preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, when the number of ACK messages continuously received within the time window is less than the third preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam.

[0158] The number of ACK messages continuously received within the time window can also be understood as the number of ACK messages continuously received within the time window, or the number of ACK messages received uninterruptedly within the time window. For example, if the number of preconfigured PSSCHs within the time window is 5, then the number of PSFCHs is 5. Assuming the third preset threshold is 4, if ACK messages are received on three consecutive PSFCHs out of the five PSFCHs, the beam type is a wide beam.

[0159] A fourth possible implementation method is that the above-mentioned physical sidelink feedback message is a NACK message, and the above-mentioned determining the beam type for channel access based on the physical sidelink feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining the beam type for channel access based on the number of NACK messages continuously received within the time window; and, when the number of NACK messages continuously received within the time window is greater than or equal to a fourth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the number of NACK messages continuously received within the time window is less than the fourth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0160] It should be noted that the number of NACK messages received continuously within the above time window can also be understood as the number of NACK messages received continuously within the time window, or the number of NACK messages received uninterruptedly within the time window. For example, if the number of pre-configured PSSCHs within the above time window is 5, then the number of PSFCHs is 5. Assuming that the fourth preset threshold is 3, if NACK messages are received on two consecutive PSFCHs among the above five PSFCHs, the beam type is narrow beam.

[0161] It should be understood that the above-mentioned third preset threshold is the threshold corresponding to the number of received ACK messages, which can be a specific number value of ACK messages. Similarly, the above-mentioned fourth preset threshold is the threshold corresponding to the number of received NACK messages, which can be a specific number value of NACK messages.

[0162] Optionally, the narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam used to send information.

[0163] If the narrow beam is a directional beam, the second terminal can perform a channel access process based on the directional beam; if the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, the second terminal can perform a channel access process based on the omnidirectional beam. The directional beam can be a beam used to transmit information, and the omnidirectional beam can cover all beams used to transmit information.

[0164] The above-mentioned narrow beam is a directional beam, and the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam. That is to say, the second terminal can determine whether to perform the channel access process based on a directional beam or an omnidirectional beam based on the above-mentioned first to fourth implementation methods.

[0165] The second terminal performs the channel access process based on the directional beam, which can also be understood as the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the directional LBT; the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the omnidirectional beam, which can also be understood as the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the omnidirectional LBT, wherein directional LBT refers to listening to the channel status in a certain beam direction, and when the channel status is idle, performing the channel access process, or allowing access to the channel; omnidirectional LBT refers to listening to the channel status in all directions, and when the channel status in each beam direction is idle, performing the channel access process, or allowing access to the channel.

[0166] In step 720, the second terminal performs a channel access process based on the above beam type.

[0167] After determining the beam type, the second terminal performs a channel access procedure. In one example, if the second terminal determines that the beam type is a narrow beam, the second terminal monitors the channel status in the beam direction. If the channel status is idle, the second terminal performs a channel access procedure. In another example, if the second terminal determines that the beam type is a wide beam, the second terminal monitors the channel status in the beam direction covering all information transmission directions. If the channel status is idle, the second terminal performs a channel access procedure.

[0168] The second terminal performs a channel access process, obtains a channel occupancy time (COT), and uses resources in the COT to send information to the first terminal, such as PSSCH, PSFCH, SSB (sideband SSB) and other information.

[0169] Based on the above technical solution, the second terminal can determine the beam type for channel access based on the physical side feedback message received within the time window, providing a solution for reasonably determining the beam type for channel access. Compared with fixed use of a certain beam type for channel access, it is beneficial to improve resource utilization while improving the accuracy of the listening results.

[0170] Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of another method 800 for determining the beam type provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 only describes the method by taking the interaction between the first terminal and the second terminal as an example, and should not constitute any limitation to the present application. The first terminal in Figure 8 can be replaced by a component configured in the first terminal (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first terminal; the second terminal in Figure 8 can be replaced by a component configured in the second terminal (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second terminal. Among them, the first terminal and the second terminal can be terminals in any of the network coverage scenarios shown in Figure 6.

[0171] The method 800 shown in Figure 8 includes steps 810 to 830. The steps in the method 800 are described in detail below.

[0172] In step 810, the first terminal generates first indication information, where the first indication information is used to determine a beam type for channel access.

[0173] Among them, the above-mentioned beam types include narrow beams or wide beams. Wide beam and narrow beam are relative concepts. The width of the beam refers to the angular size of the beam, or in other words, the angle between the two half-power points of the beam, which can affect the coverage range of the beam, wherein the coverage range refers to the projection range of the beam on the ground. The wide beam in this application has a larger angle and a wider coverage range, while the narrow beam has a smaller angle and a smaller coverage range. The coverage range of the wide beam in this application includes the coverage range of one or more narrow beams mentioned above.

[0174] The possible designs of the first indication information are described in detail below.

[0175] Design 1: The first indication information indicates the beam type, and the first indication information is carried in the SCI. In other words, the first terminal can indicate the beam type (e.g., narrow beam or wide beam) to the second terminal through the SCI. For example, one bit can be reserved in the SCI to indicate the beam type, such as 0 for narrow beam and 1 for wide beam; or 1 for narrow beam and 0 for wide beam.

[0176] Optionally, the above SCI may be a first-level SCI or a second-level SCI, which is not limited in this application.

[0177] Exemplarily, the first indication information may be carried in a preset field of the first-level SCI, or may be carried in a preset field of the second-level SCI. For a detailed description of the first-level SCI and the second-level SCI, please refer to the above.

[0178] When the first indication information indicates the beam type, the first terminal may determine the beam type. That is, after determining the beam type, the first terminal indicates the beam type to the second terminal.

[0179] One possible implementation method is that the first terminal determines the beam type based on the energy value, where the energy value is obtained based on the signal received by the first terminal, and can be a reference signal received power (RSRP) measured on multiple reference signals such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) and a channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS); and, when the energy value is greater than or equal to a fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0180] The energy value is obtained based on the signal received by the first terminal. It can be understood that the first terminal determines the energy value based on the signal received in the receiving beam direction.

[0181] Exemplarily, the first terminal determines an energy value based on a signal received in the receive beam direction. If the energy value is greater than or equal to a fifth preset threshold, the beam type is determined to be a wide beam; if the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is determined to be a narrow beam.

[0182] Another possible implementation is that the first terminal determines the beam type based on a channel state within a predefined time window, where the channel state includes whether the channel is busy or idle; and if the channel is busy, the beam type is determined to be a wide beam; if the channel is idle, the beam type is determined to be a narrow beam.

[0183] Exemplarily, the first terminal determines that the channel state is busy when the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within a predefined time window is greater than or equal to a sixth preset threshold; and determines that the channel state is idle when the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within the time window is less than the sixth preset threshold. If the channel is busy, the first terminal determines the beam type to be a wide beam; if the channel is idle, the first terminal determines the beam type to be a narrow beam.

[0184] Design 2: The first indication information is the ACK or NACK in the physical sidelink feedback message; and the beam type is determined based on the physical sidelink feedback message and a predefined correspondence, which is used to indicate the physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to the wide beam and the physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to the narrow beam.

[0185] Exemplarily, the above correspondence may include: a narrow beam corresponds to ACK, and a wide beam corresponds to NACK; or, a wide beam corresponds to ACK, and a narrow beam corresponds to NACK.

[0186] When the first indication information is an ACK or NACK in a physical sidelink feedback message, the first terminal may determine the beam type. The method for determining the beam type by the first terminal can be found above and will not be described in detail here. After determining the beam type, the first terminal may determine the physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to the beam type based on the corresponding relationship.

[0187] After receiving the physical sideline feedback message, the second terminal can determine the beam type based on the physical sideline feedback message and the corresponding relationship. For example, if the second terminal receives an ACK message, it can determine that the beam type is a narrow beam based on the corresponding relationship (e.g., narrow beam corresponds to ACK, wide beam corresponds to NACK).

[0188] Design three: The first indication information indicates an energy value, which is used to determine the beam type, and the energy value is obtained based on the signal received by the first terminal; and, when the energy value is greater than or equal to the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0189] The energy value can be understood as the energy value of the signal received by the first terminal in the receive beam direction. The first terminal can indicate the energy value to the second terminal, and the second terminal determines the beam type based on the energy value. For example, if the energy value is greater than or equal to a fifth preset threshold, the second terminal determines the beam type as a wide beam; or if the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the second terminal determines the beam type as a narrow beam.

[0190] Optionally, in Design 3, the first indication information may be carried in an SCI or a physical sidelink feedback message. The SCI may be carried via the PSCCH, and the physical sidelink feedback message may be carried via the PSFCH, such as a HARQ feedback message. The SCI may be either a first-level SCI or a second-level SCI, which is not limited in this application.

[0191] In one example, when the first indication information is carried in the SCI, the first indication information may be a specific energy value.

[0192] In another example, when the first indication information is carried in the physical sidelink feedback message, the quantized energy value can be represented by using the "cycle shift" field. For example, different codewords are used to represent different energy value ranges, and the "cycle shift" field can indicate up to 12 codewords. For example, the first terminal determines that the energy value is 1.5, and different codewords correspond to different energy value ranges. For example, 1.5 is within the energy value range of 1 to 2. Therefore, the first terminal can indicate the codeword corresponding to the energy value range of 1 to 2, and then the second terminal determines the energy value range corresponding to the codeword indicated by the first terminal based on the correspondence between the energy value range and the codeword. One possible implementation is that the second terminal further determines the beam type based on the lower bound of the energy value range (for example, the lower bound of the energy value range is 1) and a fifth preset threshold. Exemplarily, the second terminal determines that the beam type is a wide beam when the lower bound of the energy value range is greater than or equal to the fifth preset threshold; or, when the lower bound of the energy value range is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is determined to be a narrow beam. Another possible implementation is that the fifth preset threshold is consistent with the boundary of a certain energy value range. For example, if the fifth preset threshold is 2, and the first terminal indicates the codeword corresponding to the energy value range of 1 to 2, the second terminal determines the beam type as narrow beam; if the first terminal indicates the codeword corresponding to the energy value range of 2 to 3, the second terminal determines the beam type as wide beam.

[0193] Design 4: The first indication information indicates the channel state detected by the first terminal on the receiving beam, where the channel state includes a busy channel or an idle channel; and, when the channel is busy, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the channel is idle, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0194] The first terminal can determine the channel state detected on the receive beam and indicate the channel state to the second terminal. The second terminal, in response, receives the channel state indication and determines the beam type based on the channel state. For example, if the channel is busy, the beam type is determined to be a wide beam; or if the channel is idle, the beam type is determined to be a narrow beam.

[0195] The first terminal can determine the channel state on the receiving beam according to the following conditions: when the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within the predefined time window is greater than or equal to the sixth preset threshold, the channel state is busy; when the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within the time window is less than the sixth preset threshold, the channel state is idle.

[0196] Optionally, in Design 4, the first indication information may be carried in an SCI or a physical sidelink feedback message. The SCI may be carried via the PSCCH, and the physical sidelink feedback message may be carried via the PSFCH, such as a HARQ feedback message. The SCI may be either a first-level SCI or a second-level SCI, which is not limited in this application.

[0197] Exemplarily, the first terminal may indicate the channel status via 1 bit in the SCI or physical sidelink feedback message, such as 0 for busy channel and 1 for idle channel; or 1 for busy channel and 0 for idle channel.

[0198] Optionally, the first terminal may periodically feed back the first indication information. The specific period may be pre-configured (or configured) by the network device or pre-defined by the protocol, which is not limited in this application.

[0199] Optionally, the narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam used to transmit information.

[0200] If the narrow beam is a directional beam, the second terminal can perform a channel access process based on the directional beam; if the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, the second terminal can perform a channel access process based on the omnidirectional beam. The directional beam can be a beam used to transmit information, and the omnidirectional beam can cover all beams used to transmit information.

[0201] The above-mentioned narrow beam is a directional beam, and the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam. That is to say, the second terminal can determine whether to perform the channel access process based on a directional beam or an omnidirectional beam based on the above-mentioned first to fourth implementation methods.

[0202] The second terminal performs the channel access process based on the directional beam, which can also be understood as the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the directional LBT; the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the omnidirectional beam, which can also be understood as the second terminal performs the channel access process based on the omnidirectional LBT, wherein directional LBT refers to listening to the channel status in a certain beam direction, and performing the channel access process when the channel status is channel idle; omnidirectional LBT refers to listening to the channel status in all directions, and performing the channel access process when the channel status in each beam direction is channel idle.

[0203] In step 820, the first terminal sends the first indication information, and correspondingly, the second terminal receives the first indication information.

[0204] After the first terminal generates the first indication information, it can send the first indication information to the second terminal. Correspondingly, the second terminal receives the first indication information. Specific signaling carrying the first indication information can be found in the description of step 410 and will not be repeated here.

[0205] In step 830, the second terminal performs a channel access procedure based on the determined beam type.

[0206] After receiving the first indication information, the second terminal determines the beam type based on the first indication information. After determining the beam type, the second terminal performs a channel access process based on the beam type. In one example, if the second terminal determines that the beam type is a narrow beam, the second terminal monitors the channel status in the beam direction, and if the channel status is channel idle, the second terminal performs a channel access process. In another example, if the second terminal determines that the beam type is a wide beam, the second terminal monitors the channel status in the beam direction covering all beams used to send information, and if the channel status is all channel idle, the second terminal performs a channel access process.

[0207] Optionally, in the method shown in Figure 7 or the method shown in Figure 8, the second terminal is configured with a first listening threshold and a second listening threshold, the first listening threshold is the listening threshold corresponding to the narrow beam, the second listening threshold is the listening threshold corresponding to the wide beam, and the second listening threshold is greater than or equal to the first listening threshold.

[0208] The first listening threshold is the listening threshold corresponding to the energy value of the signal detected by the second terminal when performing a channel access process based on a narrow beam. For example, when the energy value is greater than or equal to the first listening threshold, the channel is determined to be busy; when the energy value is less than the first listening threshold, the channel is determined to be idle. The second listening threshold is the listening threshold corresponding to the energy value of the signal detected by the second terminal when performing a channel access process based on a wide beam.

[0209] In the unlicensed frequency band, in known technologies, the terminal generally performs the channel access process either in a certain beam direction or on a wide beam, where the wide beam covers all beam directions. Therefore, a listening threshold is pre-configured in the terminal (i.e., the channel is considered idle only when the received signal energy value is less than the listening threshold). In the present application, the terminal can perform the channel access process in a certain beam direction or switch to performing the channel access process on a wide beam. Therefore, the terminal can configure different listening thresholds for the above beam types.

[0210] It can be understood that if terminal 3 performs a channel access process based on a wide beam, it will be interfered with by information sent by both terminal 1 and terminal 5. If the channel access process is performed based on a narrow beam, it will only be interfered with by terminal 5. Therefore, in order to make the channel access process based on a wide beam not too sensitive, that is, to sensitively consider the channel to be busy when only terminal 1 interferes, in this application, the second listening threshold is greater than or equal to the first listening threshold. For example, the listening threshold corresponding to the wide beam is -10 decibels (dB), and the listening threshold corresponding to the narrow beam can be -20dB.

[0211] Optionally, the second terminal may further adjust a listening threshold according to a channel state detected by the second terminal, where the listening threshold includes the first listening threshold and / or the second listening threshold. The channel state includes a busy channel or an idle channel.

[0212] The second terminal can dynamically adjust the listening threshold based on the channel state, which helps improve resource utilization. For example, when performing a channel access process based on a narrow beam, if the second terminal always determines the channel state according to the initial preset first listening threshold, it may be unable to access the channel due to interference from other terminals. However, if the second terminal lowers the first listening threshold, it may determine that the channel is idle and can then use the same resources for spatial division multiplexing with other terminals for transmission, which helps improve resource utilization.

[0213] Optionally, adjusting the listening threshold according to the channel state sensed by the second terminal includes: raising the listening threshold when the channel is busy; or lowering the listening threshold when the channel is idle.

[0214] The specific adjustment amount of the listening threshold may be pre-configured (or configured) by the network device, or may be pre-defined by the protocol, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0215] In one example, when the channel is busy, the second terminal can increase the first listening threshold and / or the second listening threshold and reduce the transmit power. When the channel is idle, the second terminal can lower the first listening threshold and / or the second listening threshold and increase the transmit power. The specific adjustment amounts of the listening threshold and the transmit power can be preconfigured by the network device or predefined by the protocol. Furthermore, this application does not limit the relationship between the adjustment amounts of the listening threshold and the transmit power. For example, the adjustment amount of the listening threshold can be greater than or less than the adjustment amount of the transmit power.

[0216] Based on the above technical solution, the second terminal can determine the beam type for channel access based on the received first indication information, providing a solution for reasonably determining the beam type for channel access. Compared with fixedly using a certain beam type for channel access, it is beneficial to improve resource utilization while improving the accuracy of the listening results.

[0217] The above is a detailed description of the method for determining the beam type provided by the embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following is a detailed description of the device provided by the embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0218] It should be understood that the devices shown in Figures 9 and 10 can be used to implement the functions of the first terminal or the second terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned method embodiment. In the embodiment of the present application, the device can be the second terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 7, or it can be a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the second terminal, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement some or all of the functions of the second terminal; or, the device can be the second terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 8, or it can be a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the second terminal, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement some or all of the functions of the second terminal, or, the device can be the first terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 8, or it can be a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the first terminal, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement some or all of the functions of the first terminal.

[0219] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0220] As shown in Figure 9 , the apparatus 900 includes a transceiver module 910 and a processing module 920. The apparatus 900 can be used to implement the functions of the second terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 7 , or to implement the functions of the second terminal or the first terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 8 .

[0221] When the device 900 is used to implement the function of the second terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 7, the processing module 920 can be used to determine the beam type for channel access based on the physical side feedback message received within a predefined time window, and the beam type includes a narrow beam or a wide beam; based on the beam type, perform the channel access process.

[0222] Optionally, the above-mentioned physical side feedback message is an ACK message, and the processing module 920 is specifically used to determine the beam type of channel access based on the ratio of the number of ACK messages received in the time window to the number of ACK messages to be received; and, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received in the time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, when the ratio of the number of ACK messages received in the time window to the number of ACK messages to be received is less than the first preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam.

[0223] Optionally, the physical side feedback message is a NACK message, and the processing module 920 is specifically used to determine the beam type of channel access based on the ratio of the number of NACK messages received in the time window to the number of NACK messages to be received; and, when the ratio of the number of NACK messages received in the time window to the number of NACK messages to be received is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the ratio of the number of NACK messages received in the time window to the number of NACK messages to be received is less than the second preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0224] Optionally, the physical side feedback message is an ACK message, and the processing module 920 is specifically used to determine the beam type of channel access based on the number of the ACK messages continuously received within the time window; and, when the number of the ACK messages continuously received within the time window is greater than or equal to a third preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, when the number of the ACK messages continuously received within the time window is less than the third preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam.

[0225] Optionally, the physical side feedback message is a NACK message, and the processing module 920 is specifically used to determine the beam type of channel access based on the number of the NACK messages continuously received within the time window; and, when the number of the NACK messages continuously received within the time window is greater than or equal to a fourth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the number of the NACK messages continuously received within the time window is less than the fourth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0226] Optionally, the narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam used to send information.

[0227] When the device 900 is used to implement the function of the second terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 8, the transceiver module 910 can be used to receive first indication information, and the first indication information is used to determine the beam type for channel access, and the beam type includes a narrow beam or a wide beam; the processing module 920 can be used to execute the channel access process based on the determined beam type.

[0228] Optionally, the first indication information indicates a beam type, and the first indication information is carried in an SCI.

[0229] Optionally, the first indication information is an ACK or NACK in a physical sidelink feedback message; and the beam type is determined based on the physical sidelink feedback message and a predefined correspondence, and the predefined correspondence is used to indicate the physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to the wide beam and the physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to the narrow beam.

[0230] Optionally, the first indication information comes from the first terminal, the first indication information indicates an energy value, the energy value is used to determine the beam type, and the energy value is obtained based on the signal received by the first terminal; and, when the energy value is greater than or equal to a fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0231] Optionally, the first indication information comes from the first terminal, and the first indication information indicates the channel status detected by the first terminal on the receiving beam, the channel status including channel busy or channel idle; and, when the channel is busy, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the channel is idle, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0232] Optionally, the first indication information is carried in an SCI or a physical sidelink feedback message.

[0233] Optionally, the narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam used to send information.

[0234] When the device 900 is used to implement the function of the first terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 8, the processing module 920 can be used to generate first indication information, and the first indication information is used to determine the beam type for channel access, and the beam type includes a narrow beam or a wide beam; the transceiver module 910 can be used to send the first indication information.

[0235] Optionally, the first indication information indicates the beam type; and the processing module 920 is also used to determine the beam type based on the energy value, wherein the energy value is obtained based on the received signal; and, when the energy value is greater than or equal to a fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, when the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

[0236] Optionally, the first indication information is ACK or NACK in a physical sidelink feedback message; wherein the narrow beam and the wide beam correspond to different physical sidelink feedback messages.

[0237] Optionally, the first indication information indicates an energy value, which is obtained based on a signal received by the first terminal, and the energy value is used to determine the beam type.

[0238] Optionally, the first indication information indicates the channel status detected on the receiving beam, and the channel status includes channel busy or channel idle; and the processing module 920 is also used to determine that the channel status is channel busy when the ratio of the duration of channel busy to the duration of channel idle within a predefined time window is greater than or equal to a sixth preset threshold; and to determine that the channel status is channel idle when the ratio of the duration of channel busy to the duration of channel idle within the time window is less than the sixth preset threshold.

[0239] Optionally, the first indication information is carried in an SCI or a physical sidelink feedback message.

[0240] Optionally, the narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam used to send information.

[0241] A more detailed description of each of the above modules can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant description of the method embodiment shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 , and is not repeated here.

[0242] It should be understood that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processor, or may exist physically as separate modules, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0243] FIG10 is another schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0244] The apparatus 1000 may be a chip system, or may be a device configured with a chip system for implementing the method described in the above method embodiment. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0245] As shown in Figure 10, the device 1000 may include a processor 1010, which can be used to execute a computer program or instruction in the memory to implement the steps performed by the second terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 7, or to implement the steps performed by the first terminal or the second terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 8.

[0246] Optionally, the apparatus 1000 further includes a communication interface 1020. The communication interface 1020 can be used to communicate with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling the apparatus 1000 to communicate with other devices. The communication interface 1020 can be, for example, a transceiver, an interface, a bus, a circuit, or a device capable of performing transceiver functions. The processor 1010 can utilize the communication interface 1020 to input and output data and implement the functionality of the second terminal in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 7 , or the functionality of the second terminal or the first terminal in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 8 .

[0247] Optionally, the device 1000 further includes at least one memory 1030 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1030 is coupled to the processor 1010. Coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1010 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1030. The processor 1010 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1030. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0248] It should be understood that the coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules. The processor 1010 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1030. The specific connection medium between the above-mentioned processor 1010, communication interface 1020 and memory 1030 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 10, the embodiment of the present application shows that the processor 1010, communication interface 1020 and memory 1030 are connected via a bus 1040. The bus 1040 is represented by a bold line in Figure 10, and the connection methods between other components are only for schematic illustration and are not limiting. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one bold line is used in Figure 10, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0249] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program is executed, it can implement the steps performed by the second terminal in the method described in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, or implement the steps performed by the second terminal or the first terminal in the method described in the embodiment shown in Figure 8.

[0250] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is executed, the steps performed by the second terminal in the method described in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 or the steps performed by the second terminal or the first terminal in the method described in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 can be implemented.

[0251] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the first terminal and the second terminal as described above.

[0252] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above-mentioned method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or by software instructions. The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above-mentioned method.

[0253] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0254] The terms "unit", "module", etc. used in this specification can be used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. The terms "unit" and "module" in the embodiments of this application have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0255] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using 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. Professionals and technicians may 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. In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices, equipment, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only 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 performed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interface, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0256] 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.

[0257] 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.

[0258] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (program) are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can 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 integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0259] 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 technology 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, server, or 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 ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0260] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining a beam type, characterized in that: include: Determining a beam type for channel access according to a physical sideline feedback message received within a predefined time window, where the beam type includes a narrow beam or a wide beam; Based on the beam type, a channel access procedure is performed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The physical sideline feedback message is an ACK message, and determining the beam type for channel access according to the physical sideline feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining a beam type for channel access according to a ratio of the number of the ACK messages received within the time window to the number of the ACK messages to be received; and, In a case where a ratio of the number of the ACK messages received within the time window to the number of the ACK messages to be received is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, When the ratio of the number of the ACK messages received within the time window to the number of the ACK messages to be received is less than the first preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The physical sideline feedback message is a negative acknowledgement NACK message, and the determining the beam type for channel access according to the physical sideline feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: determining a beam type for channel access according to a ratio of the number of the NACK messages received within the time window to the number of the NACK messages to be received; and, In a case where the ratio of the number of the NACK messages received within the time window to the number of the NACK messages to be received is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, When the ratio of the number of the NACK messages received within the time window to the number of the NACK messages to be received is less than the second preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The physical sidelink feedback message is an ACK message, and determining the beam type for channel access according to the physical sidelink feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: Determining a beam type for channel access according to the number of the ACK messages continuously received within the time window; and, In a case where the number of the ACK messages continuously received within the time window is greater than or equal to a third preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam; or, When the number of the ACK messages continuously received within the time window is less than the third preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The physical sideline feedback message is a NACK message, and determining the beam type for channel access according to the physical sideline feedback message received within a predefined time window includes: Determining a beam type for channel access according to the number of the NACK messages continuously received within the time window; and, When the number of the NACK messages continuously received within the time window is greater than or equal to a fourth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, When the number of the NACK messages continuously received within the time window is less than the fourth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam for transmitting information.

7. A method for determining a beam type, characterized in that: include: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information is used to determine a beam type for channel access, where the beam type includes a narrow beam or a wide beam; Based on the determined beam type, a channel access procedure is performed.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first indication information indicates a beam type, and the first indication information is carried in sidelink control information SCI.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first indication information is an acknowledgment ACK or a negative acknowledgment NACK in a physical sidelink feedback message; and the beam type is determined based on the physical sidelink feedback message and a predefined correspondence, and the predefined correspondence is used to indicate a physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to a wide beam and a physical sidelink feedback message corresponding to a narrow beam.

10. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first indication information comes from the first terminal, the first indication information indicates an energy value, the energy value is used to determine the beam type, and the energy value is obtained based on a signal received by the first terminal; as well as, When the energy value is greater than or equal to a fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, When the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

11. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first indication information comes from the first terminal, and the first indication information indicates a channel state detected by the first terminal on a receiving beam, where the channel state includes a busy channel or an idle channel; as well as, In case of a busy channel, the beam type is a wide beam; or, When the channel is idle, the beam type is a narrow beam.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The first indication information is carried in the sidelink control information SCI or in a physical sidelink feedback message.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that The narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam for transmitting information.

14. A method for determining a beam type, characterized in that: include: Generate first indication information, where the first indication information is used to determine a beam type for channel access, where the beam type includes a narrow beam or a wide beam; Send the first indication information.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first indication information indicates a beam type; and the method further includes: determining the beam type according to an energy value, the energy value being obtained based on a received signal; and, In the case where the energy value is greater than or equal to a fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a wide beam; or, When the energy value is less than the fifth preset threshold, the beam type is a narrow beam.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first indication information is an ACK or NACK in a physical sideline feedback message; wherein the narrow beam and the wide beam correspond to different physical sideline feedback messages.

17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method is applied to a first terminal, the first indication information indicates an energy value, the energy value is obtained based on a signal received by the first terminal, and the energy value is used to determine a beam type.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein: The first indication information indicates a channel state detected on a receiving beam, wherein the channel state includes a busy channel or an idle channel; and the method further includes: When the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within the predefined time window is greater than or equal to a sixth preset threshold, determining that the channel state is a busy channel; When the ratio of the duration of the channel being busy to the duration of the channel being idle within the time window is less than the sixth preset threshold, it is determined that the channel state is idle.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The first indication information is carried in the sidelink control information SCI or in a physical sidelink feedback message.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that The narrow beam is a directional beam, the wide beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the directional beam is a beam for transmitting information.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or comprises a module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, or comprises a module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 14 to 20.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: comprising a processor and a memory, wherein: The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to call the computer program so that the device implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or implements the method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, or implements the method according to any one of claims 14 to 20.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, it implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, or implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 13, or implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 20.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 13 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 20 is implemented.

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