Beam measurement method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a beam measurement method and apparatus. The method comprises: receiving indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating at least one beam group among a plurality of beam groups, and a plurality of beams for beam measurement are divided into the plurality of beam groups; receiving a reference signal transmitted by means of the at least one beam group, the reference signal being used for determining measurement feedback information; and sending the measurement feedback information. The beam measurement method and apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application can reduce the overhead of a terminal device.

Description

A beam measurement method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 13, 2023, with application number 202311718331.4 and invention name “A method and device for beam measurement”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a beam measurement method and apparatus. Background Art

[0003] Network devices and terminal devices require beam alignment for subsequent data transmission. This beam alignment is achieved through information exchange between the terminal and network devices. To ensure beam alignment, information exchange between the terminal and network devices is typically continuous.

[0004] During the information exchange process between terminal devices and network devices, the network device configures the beams used for beam measurement and the number of beams to be reported. The terminal device selects and reports measurement feedback information based on the measurement results. The terminal device also calculates the full set of beams used for beam measurement, resulting in significant system overhead. Therefore, reducing the system overhead of the beam measurement process is an urgent problem in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a beam measurement method and apparatus, which can reduce the system overhead of the beam measurement process.

[0006] In a first aspect, a method for beam measurement is provided, the method comprising: receiving indication information, the indication information being used to indicate at least one beam group among a plurality of beam groups, wherein the plurality of beams used for beam measurement are divided into a plurality of beam groups; receiving a reference signal transmitted through at least one beam group, the reference signal being used to determine measurement feedback information; and sending measurement feedback information.

[0007] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device receives indication information to select part of the multiple beams used for beam measurement for beam measurement, which reduces the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reduces the measurement overhead of the terminal device. At the same time, the terminal device determines which part of the beam to perform beam measurement according to the indication of the network device, thereby improving the controllability of the system.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: receiving configuration information, the configuration information including beam measurement set information and / or beam grouping information, the beam measurement set information is used to indicate multiple beams used for beam measurement, and the beam grouping information is used to indicate group numbers of multiple beam groups.

[0009] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device receives beam measurement set information and / or beam grouping information to determine the beam grouping situation, thereby performing beam measurement efficiently and with low overhead in conjunction with the received indication information.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, at least one beam group includes a first beam group and a second beam group, wherein the first beam group is used to measure signal strength and the second beam group is used to measure interference strength.

[0011] Specifically, the terminal may select a serving beam from the first beam group and a paired beam from the second beam group, measure signal strength using the selected serving beam, measure interference strength using the selected paired beam, and use the signal strength and interference strength to calculate beam quality information in the measurement feedback information. For example, the terminal device may use the signal strength and interference strength to calculate the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the currently selected serving beam and paired beam combination.

[0012] Furthermore, the measurement feedback information may include the number of the service beam used by the terminal device when performing beam measurement, the number of the paired beam selected for pairing with the above-mentioned service beam, and the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio calculated corresponding to the combination of the above-mentioned service beam and the paired beam. The measurement feedback information may include one or more groups of the above-mentioned beam pairs and their corresponding signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratios.

[0013] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device receives indication information to determine the first beam group and the second beam group for measuring signal strength, so that the terminal device can pair multiple channel measurement resources and interference measurement resources in real time, while reducing the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reducing the overhead of the terminal device for measurement.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the indication information is transmitted via medium access control-control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the indication information is used to indicate a group number of the first beam group and a group number of the second beam group.

[0016] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, a terminal device determines the beam group for measurement and interference based on the beam group number, thereby reducing signaling overhead. Furthermore, because the first and second beam groups are dynamically indicated by indication information rather than determined independently by the terminal device, system adaptability is improved.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information also includes beam angle information, and the beam angle information includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of each beam; the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have the same zenith angle range and / or azimuth angle range.

[0018] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, spatially adjacent beams among multiple beams used for beam measurement are divided into the same beam group, so that the beams in the same beam group have similar spatial characteristics, which is beneficial for the terminal device to extract and use the spatial characteristics during measurement, and to determine the positions of the first beam group and the second beam group in conjunction with the indication information.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the indication information is used to indicate the group number and beam angle difference threshold of the first beam group; the method also includes: determining the second beam group based on the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold and the beam angle information.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second beam group is determined based on the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold and the beam angle information, including: determining a beam group among multiple beam groups whose angle difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam angle difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the angle difference includes the angle difference between the angle center of the first beam group and the angle center of the second beam group; the angle center of the first beam group or the angle center of the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the beam angles in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0022] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines the group number of the second beam group based on the group number of the received first beam group and the angle difference threshold, and then uses the beams in the first beam group and the second beam group to perform measurements, so that the terminal device can pair the beams in the first and second beam groups in real time, while reducing the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reducing the overhead of the terminal device for measurement. At the same time, since the first beam group and the second beam group are dynamically indicated by the indication information instead of being determined by the terminal device itself, the adaptability of the system is improved.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information also includes spatial grid information, which is used to indicate the coverage area range of each beam mapped on the ground; the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have adjacent coverage area ranges.

[0024] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, beams with adjacent coverage areas among multiple beams used for beam measurement are divided into the same beam group, so that the beams in the same beam group have similar coverage area characteristics, which is beneficial for the terminal device to extract and use the coverage area characteristics during measurement, and determine the positions of the first beam group and the second beam group in conjunction with the indication information.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the indication information is used to indicate the group number and beam distance difference threshold of the first beam group; the method also includes: determining the second beam group based on the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold and the spatial grid information.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second beam group is determined based on the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold and the spatial grid information, including: determining the beam group among the multiple beam groups whose distance difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam distance difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the distance difference includes the distance difference between the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group and the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group; the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0028] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines the group number of the second beam group based on the group number of the received first beam group and the distance difference threshold, and then uses the beams in the first beam group and the second beam group to perform measurements, so that the terminal device can pair the beams in the first and second beam groups in real time, while reducing the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reducing the overhead of the terminal device for measurement. At the same time, since the first beam group and the second beam group are dynamically indicated by the indication information instead of being determined by the terminal device itself, the adaptability of the system is improved.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the spatial grid information includes coverage area update information; the coverage area update information is used to indicate the part that changes between the current coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground relative to the previous coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground.

[0030] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the spatial grid information is updated using differentials, so that the spatial grid information can more accurately reflect the coverage range of different beams actually arranged on the ground. At the same time, the spatial grid information only transmits the part of the coverage area change determined based on the environmental perception results, which can avoid sending duplicate information and reduce signaling overhead.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information is transmitted via radio resource control signaling, medium access control-control element signaling, or broadcast.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the measurement feedback information also includes the group number of the beam group to which the reported beam belongs and the beam number of the reported beam in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0033] Specifically, the measurement feedback information may include the number of the service beam used by the terminal device when performing beam measurement within its corresponding beam group and the signal-to-noise ratio measured by the above-mentioned service beam. The measurement feedback information may include one or more groups of the above-mentioned beams and their corresponding signal-to-noise ratios. Further, the measurement feedback information may also include the number of the service beam used by the terminal device when performing beam measurement within its corresponding beam group, the number of the paired beam selected to be paired with the above-mentioned service beam within its corresponding beam group, and the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio calculated corresponding to the combination of the above-mentioned service beam and the paired beam. The measurement feedback information may include one or more groups of the above-mentioned beam pairs and their corresponding signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratios.

[0034] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the measurement feedback information reported by the terminal device uses the internal number of the beam group. The internal number occupies fewer bits during transmission than the total number of the beam in the beam measurement set, thereby reducing the reporting overhead of the terminal device.

[0035] In a second aspect, a beam measurement method is provided, which includes: sending indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate at least one beam group among multiple beam groups, wherein the multiple beams used for beam measurement are divided into multiple beam groups; sending a reference signal through at least one beam group, where the reference signal is used to determine measurement feedback information; and receiving measurement feedback information.

[0036] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, configuration information is sent, the configuration information including beam measurement set information and / or beam grouping information, the beam measurement set information is used to indicate multiple beams used for beam measurement, and the beam grouping information is used to indicate group numbers of multiple beam groups.

[0037] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, at least one beam group includes a first beam group and a second beam group, wherein the first beam group is used to measure signal strength and the second beam group is used to measure interference strength.

[0038] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the indication information is transmitted via medium access control-control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0039] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the indication information is used to indicate a group number of the first beam group and a group number of the second beam group.

[0040] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information also includes beam angle information, and the beam angle information includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of each beam; the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have the same zenith angle range and / or azimuth angle range.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: determining the second beam group according to the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold, and the beam angle information.

[0042] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the second beam group is determined based on the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold and the beam angle information, including: determining a beam group among multiple beam groups whose angle difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam angle difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0043] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the angle difference includes the angle difference between the angle center of the first beam group and the angle center of the second beam group; the angle center of the first beam group or the angle center of the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the beam angles in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0044] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information also includes spatial grid information, which is used to indicate the coverage area range of each beam mapped on the ground; the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have adjacent coverage area ranges.

[0045] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second beam group is determined according to the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold, and the spatial grid information.

[0046] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the second beam group is determined based on the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold and the spatial grid information, including: determining the beam group among the multiple beam groups whose distance difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam distance difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0047] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the distance difference includes the distance difference between the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group and the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group; the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0048] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device determines the group number of the second beam group based on the group number of the first beam group and the distance difference threshold, and instructs the terminal device to use the beams in the first beam group and the second beam group for measurement, so that the terminal device can pair the beams in the first and second beam groups in real time, while reducing the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reducing the overhead of the terminal device for measurement. At the same time, since the first beam group and the second beam group are dynamically indicated by the indication information instead of being determined by the terminal device itself, the adaptability of the system is improved.

[0049] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the spatial grid information includes coverage area update information; the coverage area update information is used to indicate the part that changes between the current coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground relative to the previous coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground.

[0050] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information is transmitted via radio resource control signaling, medium access control-control element signaling, or broadcast.

[0051] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the measurement feedback information includes a beam number of the reported beam in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0052] In a third aspect, a device for beam measurement is provided, which includes: a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit is used to receive indication information, the indication information is used to indicate at least one beam group among multiple beam groups, wherein the multiple beams used for beam measurement are divided into multiple beam groups; the transceiver unit is also used to receive a reference signal transmitted through at least one beam group, the reference signal is used to determine measurement feedback information; the transceiver unit is also used to send measurement feedback information.

[0053] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to receive configuration information, the configuration information including beam measurement set information and / or beam grouping information, the beam measurement set information is used to indicate multiple beams used for beam measurement, and the beam grouping information is used to indicate group numbers of multiple beam groups.

[0054] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, at least one beam group includes a first beam group and a second beam group, wherein the first beam group is used to measure signal strength and the second beam group is used to measure interference strength.

[0055] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the indication information is transmitted via medium access control-control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0056] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the indication information is used to indicate a group number of the first beam group and a group number of the second beam group.

[0057] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the configuration information also includes beam angle information, and the beam angle information includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of each beam; the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have the same zenith angle range and / or azimuth angle range.

[0058] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the indication information is used to indicate the group number and beam angle difference threshold of the first beam group; the device also includes: determining the second beam group based on the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold and the beam angle information.

[0059] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the device also includes a processing unit for determining a second beam group based on the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold and the beam angle information, including: the processing unit is used to determine a beam group among the multiple beam groups whose angle difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam angle difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0060] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the angle difference includes the angle difference between the angle center of the first beam group and the angle center of the second beam group; the angle center of the first beam group or the angle center of the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the beam angles in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0061] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the configuration information also includes spatial grid information, which is used to indicate the coverage area range of each beam mapped on the ground; the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have adjacent coverage area ranges.

[0062] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the indication information is used to indicate the group number and beam distance difference threshold of the first beam group; the processing unit is used to determine the second beam group based on the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold and the spatial grid information.

[0063] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the second beam group is determined based on the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold and the spatial grid information, including: the processing unit is used to determine the beam group among the multiple beam groups whose distance difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam distance difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0064] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the distance difference includes the distance difference between the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group and the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group; the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0065] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the spatial grid information includes coverage area update information; the coverage area update information is used to indicate the part that changes between the current coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground relative to the previous coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground.

[0066] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the configuration information is transmitted via radio resource control signaling, medium access control-control element signaling, or broadcast.

[0067] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the measurement feedback information also includes the group number of the beam group to which the reported beam belongs and the beam number of the reported beam in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0068] In a fourth aspect, a beam measurement device is provided, which includes: a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit is used to send indication information, the indication information is used to indicate at least one beam group among multiple beam groups, wherein the multiple beams used for beam measurement are divided into multiple beam groups; the transceiver unit is also used to send a reference signal through at least one beam group, the reference signal is used to determine measurement feedback information; the transceiver unit is also used to receive measurement feedback information.

[0069] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to send configuration information, the configuration information including beam measurement set information and / or beam grouping information, the beam measurement set information is used to indicate multiple beams used for beam measurement, and the beam grouping information is used to indicate group numbers of multiple beam groups.

[0070] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, at least one beam group includes a first beam group and a second beam group, wherein the first beam group is used to measure signal strength and the second beam group is used to measure interference strength.

[0071] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the indication information is transmitted via medium access control-control element signaling or downlink control information signaling.

[0072] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the indication information is used to indicate the group number of the first beam group and the group number of the second beam group.

[0073] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the configuration information also includes beam angle information, and the beam angle information includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of each beam; the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have the same zenith angle range and / or azimuth angle range.

[0074] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is further configured to determine the second beam group based on the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold, and the spatial grid information.

[0075] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the second beam group is determined based on the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold and the beam angle information, including: a processing unit is used to determine a beam group among multiple beam groups whose angle difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam angle difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0076] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the angle difference includes the angle difference between the angle center of the first beam group and the angle center of the second beam group; the angle center of the first beam group or the angle center of the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the beam angles in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0077] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the configuration information also includes spatial grid information, which is used to indicate the coverage area range of each beam mapped on the ground; the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have adjacent coverage area ranges.

[0078] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is further configured to determine the second beam group based on the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold, and the spatial grid information.

[0079] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the second beam group is determined based on the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold and the spatial grid information, including: the processing unit is also used to determine the beam group among the multiple beam groups whose distance difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam distance difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0080] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the distance difference includes the distance difference between the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group and the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group; the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0081] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the spatial grid information includes coverage area update information; the coverage area update information is used to indicate the part that changes between the current coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground relative to the previous coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground.

[0082] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the configuration information is transmitted via radio resource control signaling, medium access control-control element signaling, or broadcast.

[0083] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the measurement feedback information includes a beam number of the reported beam in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0084] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to run the computer program, so that the communication device executes the method as described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0085] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to run the computer program, so that the communication device executes the method as described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0086] In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer executes the communication method that can be implemented in the first aspect and the first aspect, or the second aspect and the second aspect.

[0087] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any of the communication methods that can be implemented in the first aspect and the first aspect, or the second aspect and the second aspect.

[0088] In the ninth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a data interface. The processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the data interface to execute any communication method that can be implemented in the first aspect and the first aspect, or the second aspect and the second aspect.

[0089] In combination with the ninth aspect, in one possible implementation, the processor is coupled to the memory through an interface.

[0090] In combination with the ninth aspect, in one possible implementation, the chip system also includes a memory, in which a computer program or computer instructions are stored. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0091] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of concurrent multi-beam transmission provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0093] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-beam spatial arrangement provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0094] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0095] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0096] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a multi-beam concurrent multi-user transmission provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0097] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0098] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0099] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of beam corresponding to ground coverage provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0100] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0101] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0102] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0103] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0104] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0105] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0106] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0107] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0108] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0109] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) mobile communication systems. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to low frequency scenarios, high frequency scenarios, terahertz, optical communication, licensed frequency bands, and can also be used in unlicensed frequency bands, etc.

[0110] The terminal devices (e.g., user equipment (UE)) in the embodiments of the present application include various devices with wireless communication functions, which can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer to peer (P2P), M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. The terminal device can be a user equipment (UE) of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standard, a terminal, a fixed device, a mobile station device or a mobile device, a subscriber unit, a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a SIP (session initiation protocol) phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a wireless modem, a handheld device (handset), a laptop computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a smart book, a vehicle, a satellite, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a target tracking device, an aircraft (such as a drone, a helicopter, a multi-copter, a quadcopter, or an airplane), a ship, a remote control device, a smart home device, an industrial device, or a device built into the above-mentioned device (such as a communication module, a modem or a chip in the above-mentioned device), or other processing devices connected to the wireless modem. It should be understood that in some scenarios, the terminal device can also be used to act as a base station. For example, a terminal device may act as a scheduling entity that provides sidelink signals between terminal devices in scenarios such as V2X, D2D, or P2P.

[0111] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and may also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device. For example, the network device may be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. A base station may broadly encompass various names as follows, or may be replaced with the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmission point, master station, auxiliary station, multi-standard radio (motor slide retainer, MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, or radio unit (RU), etc. A base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or a combination thereof. A base station may also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip used to be set in the aforementioned device or apparatus. A base station may also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. A base station may support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by network devices.

[0112] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0113] In some deployments, the network device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be an access network device in an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). Alternatively, the network device may be a satellite in a satellite communication system.

[0114] In some deployments, the network device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may also be a device including a CU, or a DU, or a device including a CU and a DU, or a control plane CU node (central unit control plane (central unit-control plane, CU-CP)) and a user plane CU node (central unit user plane (central unit-user plane, CU-UP)) and a DU node.

[0115] It should be noted that in different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called an open centralized unit (O-CU) or an open CU, DU may also be called an open distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP may also be called an open centralized unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be called an open centralized unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and RU may also be called an open radio unit (O-RU). This application does not limit this. Any of the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0116] Optionally, for network elements in the ORAN system, each network element may implement the protocol layer functions shown in Table 1 below.

[0117] Table 1

[0118] It should be noted that, in the ORAN system, the network device in this application may be one or more network elements in Table 1 above.

[0119] The embodiments of the present application do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a terminal device or a network device, or a functional module in the terminal device or the network device that can call and execute the program.

[0120] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, devices, or products using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "product" as used in this application covers computer programs that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information.

[0121] The embodiments of the present application do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a terminal device or a network device, or a functional module in the terminal device or the network device that can call and execute the program.

[0122] Before introducing the solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained.

[0123] (1) In the embodiments of the present application, "indication" may include direct indication, indirect indication, explicit indication, and implicit indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0124] In the embodiment of the present application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved with the help of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, stipulated by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the information to be indicated can be sent together as a whole, or it can be divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different.

[0125] (2) In the embodiments of the present application, "sending" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, 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 YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also include indirect receiving from YY 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. In other words, sending and receiving can be performed between devices, for example, between a network device and a terminal device, or 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, a line or an interface.

[0126] The following introduces the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0127] Beam: It can be understood as a spatial filter or spatial parameters. The beam used to send signals can be called a transmission beam (Tx beam), which can be a spatial domain transmit filter or spatial transmit parameters (spatial transmit parameters, spatial Tx parameters), or a spatial transmit angle (such as azimuth, zenith) or a spatial transmit angle range (such as azimuth center angle and offset, azimuth uncertainty, azimuth protection range, zenith center angle and offset, zenith angle uncertainty, zenith angle protection range), etc. The beam used to receive signals can be called a reception beam (Rx beam), which can be a spatial domain receive filter or spatial receive parameters (spatial Rx parameters). parameters), or a spatial receiving angle (such as azimuth, zenith) or a spatial receiving angle range (such as azimuth center angle and offset, azimuth uncertainty, azimuth protection range, zenith center angle and offset, zenith angle uncertainty, zenith angle protection range), etc.

[0128] The technology for forming the beam may be a beamforming technology or other technology. For example, the beamforming technology may specifically be a digital beamforming technology, an analog beamforming technology, or a hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology. A transmit beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after the signal is transmitted by the antenna, and a receive beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space of the wireless signal received from the antenna. The beamforming technology of the embodiment of the present application may be implemented based on a power amplifier made of new materials, or based on a new antenna architecture, such as a new hybrid phased array and lens antenna technology.

[0129] In the 5G-NR protocol, a beam can be a spatial filter. However, it should be understood that this application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms in future protocols to express the same or similar meanings.

[0130] Antenna panel: Also known as a panel. Each antenna panel can be configured with one or more receive beams and one or more transmit beams. Therefore, an antenna panel can also be considered a beam group. Communication devices, such as terminal devices or network equipment, can receive signals using the receive beams on the antenna panel and transmit signals using the transmit beams on the antenna panel.

[0131] In an embodiment of the present application, for a terminal device, panels can be distinguished by uplink reference signal resources. The uplink reference signal can be a sounding reference signal (SRS). By way of example and not limitation, one antenna panel can correspond to one SRS resource set identifier (ID). That is, one SRS resource set ID can be used to indicate one terminal device panel.

[0132] For network devices, the network devices may be distinguished by a panel ID, for example, a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) may be used to indicate the panel ID.

[0133] Beam pair link (BPL): The pairing relationship between a transmit beam and a receive beam, also known as the pairing relationship between a spatial transmit filter and a spatial receive filter. Transmitting signals between transmit and receive beams that have a beam pairing relationship can achieve greater beamforming gain.

[0134] In one implementation, the transmitting end may send a reference signal by beam scanning, and the receiving end may also receive a reference signal by beam scanning. Specifically, the transmitting end may form beams with different directivities in space by beamforming, and may poll on multiple beams with different directivities to transmit the reference signal through beams with different directivities, so that the power of the reference signal in the direction pointed by the transmitting beam can be maximized. The receiving end may also form receiving beams corresponding to different spatial directions and directivities by beamforming, and may poll on multiple beams with different directivities to receive the reference signal through beams with different directivities, so that the power of the reference signal received by the receiving end can be maximized in the direction pointed by the receiving beam.

[0135] By traversing each transmit beam and receive beam, the receiver can perform channel measurements based on the received reference signal and report the measurement results to the transmitter. For example, the receiver can report reference signal resources with higher reference signal received power (RSRP) to the transmitter, such as reporting the identifier of the reference signal resource, so that the transmitter can use the beam pairing relationship with better channel quality to transmit and receive signals when transmitting data or signaling.

[0136] Reference signals and reference signal resources: Reference signals can be used for channel measurement, channel estimation, or beam quality monitoring. Reference signal resources can be used to configure reference signal transmission properties, such as time-frequency resource location, port mapping, power factor, and scrambling code. For details, refer to existing technologies. Transmitting devices can send reference signals based on reference signal resources, and receiving devices can receive reference signals based on reference signal resources.

[0137] The reference signals involved in the embodiments of the present application may include, for example, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), and a sounding reference signal (SRS). Correspondingly, reference signal resources may include CSI-RS resources, SSB resources, and SRS resources.

[0138] To distinguish different reference signal resources, each reference signal resource may correspond to a reference signal resource identifier, such as a CSI-RS resource indicator or identifier (CRI), an SSB resource indicator or identifier (SSBRI), or an SRS resource index or indicator (SRI).

[0139] It should be noted that the above-mentioned SSB resources can also be understood as synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block) resources. In the embodiments of the present application, for the convenience of distinction and explanation, unless otherwise specified, SSB resources and SS / PBCH block resources can have the same meaning, and SSB resources and SS / PBCH block resources can have the same meaning. In addition, in some cases, SSB can also refer to SSB resources. Therefore, the SSB resource identifier can sometimes also be referred to as the SSB identifier (SSB index).

[0140] It should be understood that the reference signals and corresponding reference signal resources listed above are only exemplary and should not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application do not exclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future protocols to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0141] In the configuration signaling of the reference signal resource, different time domain behaviors can be indicated by different time domain behavior parameters. As an example and not a limitation, the time domain behaviors may include periodic, semi-persistent (SP), and aperiodic (AP).

[0142] For example, based on different time domain behaviors, CSI-RS may include periodic CSI-RS, aperiodic CSI-RS, and semi-persistent CSI-RS. Based on different time domain behaviors, SRS may also include periodic SRS, aperiodic SRS, and semi-persistent SRS.

[0143] The reference signal resource identifier (RSRI) refers to the reference signal resource used during beam training. A spatial relationship is used to determine a transmit beam. The terminal device can maintain the correspondence between the RSI and the transmit beam during beam training, and the network device can maintain the correspondence between the RSI and the receive beam during beam training. The RSI can be used to establish a pairing between the transmit and receive beams.

[0144] In the subsequent communication process, the terminal device can determine the transmission beam based on the spatial relationship indicated by the network device, and the network device can determine the receiving beam based on the same spatial relationship.

[0145] In addition, each spatial relationship may also include power control information. The power control information may include, for example, at least one of the following: expected receive power, a path loss reference signal, and a path loss compensation parameter. The terminal device may determine the transmit power to use for transmitting uplink signals based on the power control information.

[0146] It should be understood that the information included in the spatial relationships listed here is only an example and should not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of the present application. For example, the spatial relationship may also include a serving cell index (serve cell index), a bandwidth part (band width part, BWP) identifier (ID), etc. Since the embodiments of the present application do not involve serving cells and BWP, they are not described in detail here.

[0147] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an application scenario to which the method of an embodiment of the present application can be applied. It should be understood that the scenario in which the method of an embodiment of the present application can be used may include more or fewer devices or equipment, or may include devices or equipment with similar functions. The scenario shown in Figure 1 includes a network device 110 (which may include a single or multiple network devices), and a terminal device 120 (which may include a single or multiple terminal devices). Among them, the network device and the terminal device can both have high-frequency and low-frequency communication capabilities. It should be noted that the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can take a single network device and multiple terminal devices as examples, and the network device can transmit data or control signaling to the terminal device.

[0148] The terminal device and the network device can achieve beam alignment between the terminal device and the network device through information exchange. The terminal device can perform beam measurement based on the reference signal (for example, SSB or CSI-RS) sent by the network device, and report the reference signal number and beam quality information corresponding to one or more beams (for example, RSRP or signal to interference plus noise power ratio (SINR), the network device can indicate to the terminal device the reference signal resource number corresponding to the service beam and / or the reference signal resource number corresponding to the service beam and the quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship of the reference signal resource number corresponding to the measurement beam, for subsequent data transmission. In order to ensure the beam alignment state between the network device and the terminal device, the information exchange between the above-mentioned terminal device and the network device is usually continuous.

[0149] Furthermore, current wireless communication systems are incorporating higher-frequency spectrum resources, such as millimeter-wave and terahertz bands, to meet growing communication demands. Typically, at higher frequencies, wireless signals experience greater path loss, which reduces their range. In millimeter-wave and terahertz bands, beamforming technology can be used to focus signal energy within a specific angle range, thereby increasing wireless signal coverage.

[0150] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of concurrent multi-beam transmission provided in an embodiment of the present application. As service demands increase and network equipment capabilities improve, in next-generation wireless communication systems such as 6G, network equipment will be able to support multiple beams in parallel, thereby reducing beam measurement latency and overhead, improving spectrum efficiency, and reducing transmission latency.

[0151] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-beam spatial arrangement provided by an embodiment of the present application. To achieve beam alignment between a terminal device and a network device, the terminal device and the network device typically exchange information, such as the terminal device notifying the network device of available beams, and the network device notifying the terminal device of beam transmission and reception. Furthermore, the network device can notify the network device of beam angles, widths, and spatial arrangement information, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of beam measurement.

[0152] Network devices and terminal devices require beam alignment for subsequent data transmission. This beam alignment is achieved through information exchange between the terminal and network devices. To ensure beam alignment, information exchange between the terminal and network devices is typically continuous.

[0153] During the information exchange process between the terminal device and the network device, the network device configures the beams used for beam measurement and the reporting quantity. The terminal device selects and reports measurement feedback information based on the measurement results. The terminal device calculates the entire set of beams used for beam measurement, which results in a large system overhead.

[0154] In view of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a beam measurement method and apparatus capable of reducing the system overhead of the beam measurement process.

[0155] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0156] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method 400 shown in FIG4 can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG1. ​​The method 400 includes the following process.

[0157] In step S401, a terminal device receives configuration information, and a network device sends the configuration information accordingly. The configuration information includes beam measurement set information and / or beam grouping information. The beam measurement set information indicates multiple beams used for beam measurement, and the beam grouping information indicates group numbers of multiple beam groups.

[0158] Specifically, the above configuration information sent by the network device can be transmitted through semi-static signaling, that is, the network device can send the configuration information through semi-static signaling, and the terminal device can receive the configuration information through semi-static signaling.

[0159] Optionally, in the ORAN system, the network device in S401 may be an O-CU-CP network element, an O-DU network element and / or an O-RU network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0160] It should be understood that S401 is an optional step, and the configuration information sent by the above-mentioned network device may also be pre-negotiated or predefined configuration information, which is not limited in this application.

[0161] In a possible implementation, the configuration information is transmitted via radio resource control signaling, medium access control-control element signaling, or broadcast. In this case, the network device may be the O-CU-CP network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0162] Specifically, the above-mentioned beam measurement set information can also be called beam full set information or basic beam information, which may include a set of multiple beams that can be used for beam measurement between the network device and the terminal. The above-mentioned multiple beams that can be used for beam measurement between the network device and the terminal may be all or part of the optional beams between the network device and the terminal device.

[0163] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0164] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 5 , the beam measurement set information may include beams 0 to 31 in FIG. 5 .

[0165] Specifically, the above-mentioned beam grouping information can also be called beam group number information or beam group distinction information, and the multiple beams that can be used for beam measurement between the network device and the terminal can be divided into multiple beam groups, each beam group can contain multiple beams, and the above-mentioned multiple beams that can be used for beam measurement between the network device and the terminal can be all or part of the optional beams between the network device and the terminal device.

[0166] For example, referring to FIG5 , the beam grouping information may include different numbered beam subsets defined by the network device for beams 0 through 31 in the beam measurement set. Beams 0, 1, 8, and 9 are beam group 1; beams 2, 3, 10, and 11 are beam group 2. Similarly, beams 0 through 31 in the beam measurement set are divided into eight beam groups numbered 0 through 7.

[0167] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device receives beam measurement set information and / or beam grouping information to determine the beam grouping situation, thereby performing beam measurement efficiently and with low overhead in conjunction with the received indication information.

[0168] In a possible implementation, the network device defines spatially adjacent beams as a beam group. For example, in FIG5 , beam group 0 includes beam 0, beam 1, beam 8, and beam 9.

[0169] In another possible implementation, the network device limits spatially concurrent beams to a beam group.

[0170] For example, assuming that beam group 0 includes beam 0, beam 2, beam 16, and beam 18, beams {0, 2, 16, 18} are spatially concurrent, that is, they are sent simultaneously in time.

[0171] S402: The terminal device receives indication information, and accordingly, the network device sends the indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate at least one beam group among a plurality of beam groups, wherein the plurality of beams used for beam measurement are divided into the plurality of beam groups.

[0172] It should be understood that the indication information can also be referred to as beam subset information, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. For example, the above-mentioned indication information sent by the network device can be used to indicate at least one beam subset for the terminal device to perform beam measurement, such as a candidate service beam subset for measuring signal strength and / or a candidate paired beam subset for measuring interference strength, and each beam subset may include one or more beam groups. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the names of beam groups and beam subsets. In addition, the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific format of the indication information indicating the beam subset or beam group.

[0173] Specifically, the entire set of beams between the network device and the terminal device may be divided into multiple beam groups, where one beam group may include multiple beams assigned the same beam group number.

[0174] Optionally, in the ORAN system, the network device in S402 may be an O-CU-CP network element, an O-DU network element and / or an O-RU network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0175] In one possible implementation, the indication information is transmitted through media / medium access control-control element signaling (MAC-CE) or downlink control information (DCI) signaling. In this case, the network device may be the O-DU network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0176] S403: The network device sends a reference signal via at least one beam group, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the reference signal transmitted via the at least one beam group, wherein the reference signal is used to determine measurement feedback information.

[0177] It should be understood that the reference signal may also be referred to as a pilot or a pilot sequence, and may be used for channel estimation in a communication system.

[0178] It should be noted that the specific method of time-frequency multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing or code division multiplexing of the reference signal for beam measurement is not limited.

[0179] Specifically, the terminal device calculates the beam quality based on the reference signal transmitted by at least one beam group. The reference signal may include at least one of a synchronization signal block, a channel state information reference signal, a tracking reference signal (TRS), a positioning reference signal (PRS), and a sensing reference signal (SeRS).

[0180] Specifically, the network device can send reference signals only within one or more beam groups indicated by the indication information. At this time, the network device can be the O-RU network element shown in Table 1 above. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the reference signals sent within one or more beam groups indicated by the indication information and performs beam measurement.

[0181] Optionally, in the ORAN system, the network device in S403 may be an O-CU-CP network element, an O-DU network element and / or an O-RU network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0182] It should be understood that the network device can also send reference signals to the terminal device in the entire frequency band. When calculating the beam quality information, the terminal device only selects the reference signal transmitted by at least one beam group indicated by the indication information for calculation.

[0183] S404: The terminal device sends measurement feedback information, and correspondingly, the network device receives the measurement feedback information.

[0184] Specifically, the measurement feedback information may include the beam number selected by the terminal device and the corresponding beam quality information. The beam quality information may be RSRP or SINR, etc.

[0185] Optionally, in the ORAN system, the network device in S404 may be an O-CU-CP network element, an O-DU network element and / or an O-RU network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0186] In a possible implementation, the measurement feedback information may be transmitted via uplink control information (UCI) or medium access control-control element signaling. In this case, the network device may be the O-CU-UP network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0187] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device receives indication information to select part of the multiple beams used for beam measurement for beam measurement, which reduces the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reduces the measurement overhead of the terminal device. At the same time, the terminal device determines which part of the beam to perform beam measurement according to the indication of the network device, thereby improving the controllability of the system.

[0188] In a possible implementation manner, the at least one beam group indicated by the indication information includes a first beam group and a second beam group, wherein the first beam group is used to measure signal strength, and the second beam group is used to measure interference strength.

[0189] It should be understood that the first beam group can be one or more beam groups. The first beam group can also be called a candidate service beam subset or a channel measurement resource (CMR) subset, or the candidate service beam subset / CMR subset includes the first beam group. In other words, the first beam group can be interpreted as the union of the candidate service beam groups indicated by the network device to the terminal device from the full beam set. Similarly, the second beam group can be one or more beam groups. The second beam group can also be called a candidate pairing beam subset or an interference measurement resource (IMR) subset, or the candidate pairing beam subset / IMR subset includes the second beam group. In other words, the second beam group can be interpreted as the union of the candidate pairing beam groups (or candidate interference beam groups) indicated by the network device to the terminal device from the full beam set, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit their specific names.

[0190] Furthermore, the measurement feedback information may include the SINR corresponding to the combination of different serving beams and paired beams. The calculation formula of SINR satisfies:

[0191] Among them, Psignal Indicates signal strength. The terminal device obtains signal strength through the beam in the first beam group. interference Indicates the interference intensity, and the terminal device obtains the interference intensity through the beam in the second beam group; P noise Indicates the noise intensity. The noise intensity generally exists in the background of the beam channel. The terminal device can select a beam from the beam measurement set to obtain the noise intensity.

[0192] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device receives indication information to determine the first beam group and the second beam group for measuring signal strength, so that the terminal device can pair multiple channel measurement resources and interference measurement resources in real time, while reducing the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reducing the overhead of the terminal device for measurement.

[0193] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information is used to indicate the group number of the first beam group and the group number of the second beam group.

[0194] Continuing with FIG5 , illustratively, for terminal device 0, the indication information sent by the network device may indicate that the candidate serving beam subset for terminal 0 is beam group 0, i.e., the network device indicates, through the indication information, beam 0, beam 1, beam 8, and beam 9 as serving beams for terminal 0. The indication information sent by the network device may indicate that the candidate pairing beam subset for terminal 0 is beam group 7, i.e., the network device indicates, through the indication information, beam 22, beam 23, beam 30, and beam 31 as pairing beams for terminal 0.

[0195] Furthermore, the indication information sent by the network device can be used to indicate multiple terminal devices, such as terminal device 0 and terminal device 1. As shown in Figure 5, for terminal device 1, the indication information sent by the network device can indicate that the candidate serving beam subset for terminal 1 is beam group 7. That is, the network device indicates through the indication information that beams 22, beam 23, beam 30, and beam 31 are the serving beams for terminal 1. The indication information sent by the network device can also indicate that the candidate paired beam subset for terminal 1 is beam group 0. That is, the network device indicates through the indication information that beams 0, beam 1, beam 8, and beam 9 are the paired beams for terminal 0.

[0196] It should be understood that the network device can indicate multiple beam groups as candidate serving beam subsets or candidate pairing beam subsets. For example, the network device indicates beam group 6 and beam group 7 as candidate pairing beam subsets for terminal 0.

[0197] Furthermore, the terminal device can measure the service beam and the corresponding pairing beam according to the candidate service beam subset and the candidate pairing beam subset indicated by the network device and the reference signal received by the terminal device in S403, and calculate the SINR corresponding to the service beam and pairing beam selected by the terminal device.

[0198] Exemplarily, the network device may traverse each combination of the serving beam in the candidate serving beam subset and the paired beam in the candidate paired beam subset, and calculate the SINR in each combination.

[0199] For example, please refer to Figure 5. For terminal device 0, the network device indicates to terminal device 0 through indication information that the candidate service beam subset is beam group 0, that is, the service beams include beam 0, beam 1, beam 8, and beam 9. The network device indicates to terminal device 0 through indication information that the candidate pairing beam subset is beam group 7, that is, the pairing beams include beam 22, beam 23, beam 30, and beam 31. The terminal device selects a service beam from beam 0, beam 1, beam 8, and beam 9, and selects a pairing beam from beam 22, beam 23, beam 30, and beam 31. The terminal device traverses each combination of service beam and pairing beam, and calculates the SINR corresponding to the selected combination of service beam and pairing beam.

[0200] For example, when terminal device 0 selects beam 0 as the serving beam, the terminal device can select beam 22, beam 23, beam 30, and beam 31 as interference beams paired with beam 0, and calculate the beam quality calculated by terminal device 0 based on the received reference signal in the four pairing situations of beam 0 and beam 22, beam 0 and beam 23, beam 0 and beam 30, and beam 0 and beam 31 with beam 0 as the serving beam, that is, the SINR value. Similarly, when the network device instructs terminal device 0 that the candidate serving beam subset is beam group 0 and the candidate paired beam subset is beam group 7, the terminal device can calculate the SINR under 4×4=16 combinations of serving beams and paired beams.

[0201] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, a terminal device determines the beam group for measurement and interference based on the beam group number, thereby reducing signaling overhead. Furthermore, because the first and second beam groups are dynamically indicated by indication information rather than determined independently by the terminal device, system adaptability is improved.

[0202] 4 , in one possible implementation, the measurement feedback information reported by the terminal device in S404 includes the serving beam number, the paired beam number, and the SINRs corresponding to the serving beam and the paired beam selected by the terminal device.

[0203] In a possible implementation manner, the measurement feedback information includes the beam number of the reported beam in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0204] Exemplarily, the terminal device can report measurement feedback information through a feedback table, which includes a service beam number field (CMR), a paired beam number field (IMR), and an SINR field corresponding to the service beam and the paired beam, that is, the format of the feedback table can include {CMR, IMR, SINR}, as shown in Table 2 and Table 3.

[0205] Table 2

[0206] Table 3

[0207] Table 2 is an exemplary feedback table reported by terminal 0, and Table 3 is an exemplary feedback table reported by terminal 1.

[0208] Referring to Figure 5, the CMR numbers in Table 2 are relative numbers within the candidate serving beam group for terminal 0, that is, within beam group 0. For example, a CMR number of 0 in Table 2 represents the lowest-numbered beam in beam group 0, namely, beam 0. The IMR numbers in Table 2 are relative numbers within the candidate paired beam group for terminal 0, that is, within beam group 7. For example, an IMR number of 3 in Table 2 represents the highest-numbered beam in beam group 7, namely, beam 31. Terminal 0 selects beam 0 as the serving beam and beam 31 as the paired beam, resulting in a corresponding SINR value of 22. Accordingly, the CMR numbers in Table 3 are relative numbers within the candidate serving beam group for terminal 1, that is, within beam group 7. For example, a CMR number of 3 in Table 3 represents the highest-numbered beam in beam group 7, namely, beam 31. The IMR numbers in Table 3 are relative numbers within the candidate paired beam group for terminal 1, that is, within beam group 0. For example, in Table 3, the IMR number 0 represents the beam with the smallest number in beam group 0, that is, beam 0. At the same time, terminal 1 selects beam 31 as the serving beam and beam 0 as the paired beam, and the corresponding SINR value is 21.

[0209] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the measurement feedback information reported by the terminal device uses the internal number of the beam group. The internal number occupies fewer bits during transmission than the total number of the beam in the beam measurement set, thereby reducing the reporting overhead of the terminal device.

[0210] It should be understood that in the measurement feedback information reported by the terminal device, the service beam and paired beam can also be directly indicated by the beam number, for example, the first row in Table 3 is {31, 0, 21}, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0211] Exemplarily, the beams of different combinations in the feedback table are arranged in descending order according to their corresponding SINR values. For example, in Table 2, CMR is beam 0, IMR is beam 31, and SINR is 22, which is the combination with the largest SINR value among the 16 combinations of the above-mentioned service beam and paired beam specified by terminal device 0.

[0212] Exemplarily, the configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device in S401 includes reporting resource configuration information, and the reporting resource information includes the maximum number of test results reported by the terminal device to the network device, that is, the maximum number of combinations of CMR, IMR, and SINR reported by the terminal device configured by the network device.

[0213] Exemplarily, the network device configures the terminal device to report a maximum of four CMR, IMR, and SINR combinations. For example, the network device configures the terminal device to report only the four CMR, IMR, and SINR combinations with the largest SINR results. For another example, the network device configures the terminal device to report only the four CMR, IMR, and SINR combinations that are ranked highest in descending order of SINR results.

[0214] Exemplarily, the configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device in S401 includes reporting resource configuration information, and the reporting resource configuration information includes the SINR threshold of the test results reported by the terminal device to the network device, that is, the terminal device only selects the combination information of CMR, IMR, and SINR whose SINR is greater than the threshold indicated by the network device for reporting.

[0215] For example, the network device instructs the terminal device to only report the combined information of CMR, IMR, and SINR with SINR greater than 10dB. Taking Table 3 as an example, terminal 0 reports the combined information of CMR, IMR, and SINR of {3, 0, 21} and {0, 3, 16}, and the SINR results are both greater than 10dB.

[0216] In one possible implementation, in the measurement feedback information sent by the terminal device, the reporting format of the IMR number includes a beam quality type pre-reserved word, and the beam quality type pre-reserved word is used to indicate that the terminal device reports the signal-noise ratio (SNR), that is, the terminal device does not consider the interference of other beams or reference signals when measuring the beam.

[0217] For example, the network device instructs the terminal device to only report the combination information of CMR, IMR, and SINR with SINR greater than 10dB. If the network device does not find a combination that meets the conditions, it directly reports the SNR result and indicates that the reported measurement feedback information includes SNR through the beam quality type pre-reserved word.

[0218] In one possible implementation, the network device selects a serving beam with a higher SINR result from the combination of CMR, IMR, and SINR reported by the terminal device to transmit data information. For example, the network device selects a serving beam with a SINR result greater than 20 dB to transmit data information.

[0219] For example, please refer to Table 2. For terminal 0, when CMR is beam 0 and IMR is beam 31, the corresponding SINR is 22dB, which is higher than 20dB. The network device sends data information to terminal device 0 through service beam 0.

[0220] In one possible implementation, the network device selects a combination of CMR, IMR, and SINR reported by multiple terminal devices, and each of the multiple terminal devices performs multi-beam multi-user (MU) transmission corresponding to the CMR with the highest SINR result to send data information.

[0221] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a multi-beam concurrent multi-user transmission provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0222] For example, referring to Figure 6 and Tables 2 and 3, for terminal 0, when the CMR is beam 0 and the IMR is beam 31, the corresponding SINR is 22dB, which is higher than 20dB. The network device sends data information to terminal device 0 through service beam 0. For terminal 1, when the CMR is beam 31 and the IMR is beam 0, the corresponding SINR is 21dB, which is higher than 20dB. The network device sends data information to terminal device 1 through service beam 31.

[0223] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes beam angle information, where the beam angle information includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of each beam, and the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have the same zenith angle range and / or azimuth angle range.

[0224] Specifically, the beam angle information, which may also be referred to as beam angle range information or angle range information, is used to determine the spatial angle of the beam and may include the spatial angle range of each beam in the entire set of beams that can be used for beam measurement between the network device and the terminal device. The spatial angle of the beam includes the zenith angle and / or the azimuth angle of the beam. The zenith angle may include the angle between a straight line from the network device to the terminal device and a direction perpendicular to the terminal device.

[0225] For example, the zenith angle can be based on a direction perpendicular to the terminal device, with 0 degrees indicating that the network device is directly above the zenith of the terminal device, and 90 degrees indicating that the network device is on the horizon. This means that the zenith angle range can include 0 to 90 degrees. The azimuth angle can include the horizontal angle between a straight line from the terminal device to the network device and a reference direction. For example, the direction angle can be based on true north, with a positive clockwise direction and a measurement range of 0 to 360 degrees.

[0226] That is to say, the terminal device can determine the spatial angle of the beam based on the beam angle information.

[0227] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, spatially adjacent beams among multiple beams used for beam measurement are divided into the same beam group, so that the beams in the same beam group have similar spatial characteristics, which is beneficial for the terminal device to extract and use the spatial characteristics during measurement, and to determine the positions of the first beam group and the second beam group in conjunction with the indication information.

[0228] In a possible implementation manner, the configuration information is transmitted via radio resource control signaling, medium access control-control element signaling or broadcast, and can also be downloaded by the terminal device.

[0229] In one possible implementation, the indication information is used to indicate the group number and beam angle difference threshold of the first beam group; the terminal device determines the second beam group based on the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold and the beam angle information.

[0230] In a possible implementation, determining the second beam group according to the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold, and the beam angle information includes: determining a beam group among the multiple beam groups whose angle difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam angle difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0231] Specifically, the network device indicates the candidate service beam subset to the terminal device by sending an indication message, and indicates the angle difference threshold X to the terminal device. The terminal device combines the beam angle information in the configuration information and selects the beam group whose angle center has an angle difference greater than X with the angle center of the candidate service beam in the candidate service beam subset as the candidate paired beam subset corresponding to the candidate service beam.

[0232] Optionally, in the ORAN system, the network device in the above steps may be an O-CU-CP network element, an O-DU network element and / or an O-RU network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0233] It should be understood that the candidate paired beam subset determined by the network device according to the angle pairing condition may include one or more beam groups, and this embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0234] Exemplarily, a method for calculating the angular center of the beam group includes, but is not limited to, arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square mean, or moving average.

[0235] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0236] It should be understood that in the schematic diagram of the beam subset definition method shown in FIG7 , spatially adjacent beams are regarded as a beam group, that is, beam group 0 includes beams {0, 1, 8, 9}, beam group 1 includes beams {2, 3, 10, 11}, and so on.

[0237] For example, referring to FIG. 7 , for terminal device 0, the network device sends an indication message to indicate to terminal device 0 that the candidate service beam subset is beam group 0. The terminal device combines the beam angle information and determines, based on a pairing condition, a candidate pairing beam group corresponding to each candidate service beam in beam group 0. The pairing condition is that the angular difference between the angular center of the beam group in the candidate pairing beam group and the angular center of the candidate service beam in beam group 0 is greater than an angle difference threshold X.

[0238] It should be understood that the candidate pairing beam group can be interpreted as one or more beam groups determined according to the pairing condition based on a beam group in the candidate service beam subset indicated by the network device.

[0239] Specifically, referring to Figure 7 , taking candidate serving beam 0 in beam group 0 as an example, excluding candidate serving beam group 0, the remaining beam groups in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam groups 1 through 7, satisfy the pairing condition (i.e., the beam groups whose angle centers differ from the angle center of beam 0 by more than angle difference threshold X) are beam group 3, beam group 6, and beam group 7. Therefore, terminal device 0 determines, through the indication information, that the candidate pairing beam groups corresponding to candidate serving beam 0 include beam group 3, beam group 6, and beam group 7. That is, terminal device 0 determines, through the indication information, that the candidate pairing beams corresponding to candidate serving beam 0 include beams {6, 7, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31}. Based on the pairing condition, the network device indicates to terminal device 0 the candidate pairing beams corresponding to each of candidate serving beams {1, 8, 9}.

[0240] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0241] It should be understood that in the schematic diagram of the beam subset definition method shown in FIG8 , spatially adjacent beams are regarded as a beam group, that is, beam group 0 includes beams {0, 1, 8, 9}, beam group 1 includes beams {2, 3, 10, 11}, and so on.

[0242] As a possible implementation method, the above-mentioned angle difference includes the angle difference between the angle center of the first beam group and the angle center of the second beam group; the angle center of the first beam group or the angle center of the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the beam angles in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0243] For example, referring to FIG8 , for terminal device 0, the network device sends an indication message to indicate to terminal device 0 that the candidate serving beam subset is beam group 0. Terminal device 0 then determines the candidate paired beam group corresponding to beam group 0 based on the angle pairing condition, in conjunction with the beam angle information. The angle pairing condition is that the angular difference between the angular center of the candidate paired beam group and the angular center of beam group 0 is greater than the angle difference threshold X.

[0244] Specifically, referring to FIG8 , in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam group 0 to beam group 7, excluding the candidate serving beam group, i.e., beam group 0, the remaining beam groups in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam group 1 to beam group 7, satisfy the angle pairing condition, i.e., the beam groups whose angle difference between their angle centers and the angle center of beam group 0 is greater than the angle difference threshold X are beam group 3, beam group 6, and beam group 7. Therefore, terminal device 0 determines the candidate serving beam group through indication information, i.e., the candidate paired beam groups corresponding to beam group 0 include beam group 3, beam group 6, and beam group 7. That is, the network device indicates to terminal device 0 that the candidate paired beams corresponding to candidate serving beams {0, 1, 8, 9} include beams {6, 7, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31}.

[0245] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines the group number of the second beam group based on the group number of the received first beam group and the angle difference threshold, and then uses the beams in the first beam group and the second beam group to perform measurements, so that the terminal device can pair the beams in the first and second beam groups in real time, while reducing the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reducing the overhead of the terminal device for measurement. At the same time, since the first beam group and the second beam group are dynamically indicated by the indication information instead of being determined by the terminal device itself, the adaptability of the system is improved.

[0246] In a possible implementation, the network device sends the angle difference threshold X through preconfiguration or through the same dynamic signaling as that used to send the indication information, that is, indicates the angle difference threshold X to the terminal device.

[0247] It should be understood that in the multi-beam spatial arrangement schematic diagram shown in Figure 8 or Figure 8, the angle difference between the angle centers of beams, between beam groups, or between beams and beam groups is reflected as the distance between two points in the azimuth-zenith angle coordinate system. Therefore, the above-mentioned angle pairing condition can be expressed by an arc with the beam 0 angle center as the origin and the angle difference threshold X as the radius as shown in Figure 8, or the above-mentioned angle pairing condition can be expressed by an arc with the beam group 0 angle center as the origin and the angle difference threshold X as the radius as shown in Figure 8.

[0248] It should be understood that the process of the above-mentioned terminal device determining the candidate pairing beam subset based on the candidate service beam subset and the pairing condition can also be performed in the network device, that is, the network device directly indicates the numbers of the candidate service beam subset and the candidate pairing beam subset to the terminal device, where the candidate pairing beam subset is obtained by calculating the candidate service beam subset and the angle difference threshold X.

[0249] In another possible implementation, the network device indicates the numbers of the candidate service beam subset and the candidate pairing beam subset to the terminal device by sending an indication message, wherein the network device determines the candidate pairing beam subset based on the candidate service beam subset and the angle pairing condition, and the angle pairing condition is: the angle difference between the angle center of the candidate pairing beam group and the angle center of the candidate service beam in the candidate service beam subset is greater than the angle difference threshold X, or the angle difference between the angle center of the candidate pairing beam group and the angle center of the beam group in the candidate service beam subset is greater than the angle difference threshold X.

[0250] Optionally, in the ORAN system, the network device in the above steps may be the O-CU-CP network element, O-CU-UP network element, O-DU network element and / or O-RU network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0251] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device determines the group number of the second beam group based on the group number of the first beam group and the angle difference threshold, and instructs the terminal device to use the beams in the first beam group and the second beam group for measurement, so that the terminal device can pair the beams in the first and second beam groups in real time, while reducing the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reducing the overhead of the terminal device for measurement. At the same time, since the first beam group and the second beam group are dynamically indicated by the indication information instead of being determined by the terminal device itself, the adaptability of the system is improved.

[0252] Furthermore, the terminal device measures the service beam and the corresponding pairing beam based on the candidate service beam subset indicated by the network device and the candidate pairing beam subset calculated by the network device or the terminal device based on the angle difference threshold, through the reference signal transmitted therein, and calculates the SINR corresponding to the service beam and pairing beam selected by the terminal device.

[0253] Exemplarily, the network device may traverse each combination of the candidate serving beams in the candidate serving beam subset and the candidate paired beams in the candidate paired beam subset, and calculate the SINR in each combination.

[0254] For example, please refer to Figure 8. For terminal device 0, the network device indicates to terminal device 0 through indication information that the candidate service beam subset is beam group 0, that is, the candidate CMR includes beam 0, beam 1, beam 8, and beam 9. The terminal device or the network device indicates to terminal device 0 through indication information that the candidate paired beam IMR subset is beam group 3, beam group 6, and beam group 7, that is, the candidate IMR includes beams {6, 7, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31}. The terminal device selects a service beam from the candidate service beam subset and a pairing beam from the candidate pairing beam subset. The terminal device traverses each combination of service beam and pairing beam, and calculates the SINR corresponding to the selected combination of service beam and pairing beam.

[0255] For example, when terminal device 0 selects beam 0 as the service beam, the terminal device can select beams {6, 7, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31} as the interference beams paired with beam 0, and calculate the beam quality calculated by terminal device 0 based on the received reference signal in the 12 pairing cases of beam 0 and beams {6, 7, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31} with beam 0 as the service beam, that is, the SINR value. Similarly, in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, when the network device instructs terminal device 0 that the candidate service beam subset is beam group 0 and the candidate paired beam subset is beam group {3, 6, 7}, the terminal device can calculate the SINR under 4×12=48 combinations of service beams and paired beams.

[0256] In a possible implementation manner, the measurement feedback information includes the beam number of the reported beam in the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0257] Specifically, the indication information indicates that the candidate serving beam subset and / or candidate paired beam subset that the terminal device needs to measure includes multiple beam groups. In the measurement feedback information sent by the terminal device, the beams in the candidate serving beam subset and / or candidate paired beam subset that include multiple beam groups are numbered using relative indices that are jointly renumbered across the beam groups.

[0258] Specifically, the terminal device will arrange the beam groups in the candidate service beam subset or candidate paired beam subset including multiple beam groups in ascending order of beam group number, and arrange the beams in the arranged beam group in ascending order of beam number to obtain the relative index number of the beams in the candidate service beam subset or candidate paired beam subset that are jointly renumbered across beam groups.

[0259] For example, referring to FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 , the indication information indicates that the candidate paired beam subsets that terminal device 0 needs to measure include three beam groups: beam group 3, beam group 6, and beam group 7. Since the network device indicates that the candidate serving beam subset that terminal device 0 needs to measure is beam group 0, terminal 0 needs to calculate the SINRs for 4×12=48 combinations of serving beams and paired beams and report them to the network device through measurement feedback information.

[0260] Referring to Table 4, when terminal device 0 sends measurement feedback information, it first sorts the beam groups in ascending order of beam group number. That is, the beam groups in terminal device 0's candidate paired beam subset are sorted in the order of beam group 3, beam group 6, and beam group 7. After sorting the beam groups, the beams within each beam group are sorted in ascending order of beam number. The beams in beam group 3 are sorted in the order of beam 6, beam 7, beam 14, and beam 15; the beams in beam group 6 are sorted in the order of beam 20, beam 21, beam 28, and beam 29; and the beams in beam group 7 are sorted in the order of beam 22, beam 23, beam 30, and beam 31. This results in the beam arrangement order shown from top to bottom in Table 4. The local number in Table 4 is the relative index number used by the paired beams in the measurement feedback information sent by the terminal device, which is the result of the cross-beam group joint renumbering.

[0261] Table 4

[0262] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the measurement feedback information reported by the terminal device uses the internal number of the beam group. The internal number occupies fewer bits during transmission than the total number of the beam in the beam measurement set, thereby reducing the reporting overhead of the terminal device.

[0263] In one possible implementation, in the measurement feedback information sent by the terminal device, the reporting format of the IMR number includes a beam quality type pre-reserved word, and the beam quality type pre-reserved word is used to indicate that the terminal device reports the signal-to-noise ratio, that is, the terminal device does not consider the interference of other beams or reference signals when measuring the beam.

[0264] Furthermore, the network device selects a beam to transmit data information based on the measurement feedback information transmitted by the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the data information accordingly.

[0265] In one possible implementation, the network device selects a CMR with a higher SINR result from the combination of CMR, IMR, and SINR reported by the terminal device to transmit data information. For example, the network device selects a serving beam with an SINR result higher than 20 dB to transmit data information.

[0266] In another possible implementation, please refer to Figure 6. The network device selects a combination of CMR, IMR, and SINR reported by multiple terminal devices, and the multiple terminal devices each perform multi-beam multi-user transmission on the CMR with the highest SINR result to send data information.

[0267] It should be understood that the specific example of the network device selecting the beam to send data information based on the measurement feedback information sent by the terminal device has been described in detail in the previous embodiments, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0268] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes spatial grid information, which is used to indicate the coverage area range of each beam mapped on the ground; the beams in each beam group in the multiple beam groups have adjacent coverage area ranges.

[0269] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of beam corresponding to ground coverage provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0270] Please refer to FIG9 . A circular beam emitted by a network device is arranged on the ground to form an elliptical coverage area.

[0271] Specifically, the spatial grid information can also be called beam coverage information, beam mapping information, beam arrangement information, etc. The spatial grid information can include the full set of beams that can be used for beam measurement between network devices and terminal devices, and the coverage area range of each beam mapped on the ground. The coverage area range of the beam mapped on the ground can be directly represented by a coordinate system, or can be calculated through indirect information such as beam width information or beam angle information.

[0272] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes beam width information, and the network device can determine the spatial grid information through the beam angle information or the beam width information.

[0273] Specifically, the beam angle information may include an absolute angle based on a global coordinate system or a relative angle relative to a reference angle. The coverage area of ​​the beam in the beam grid information may include the ground coverage ellipse parameters of the beam, such as the coordinates of the center of the circle, the length of the minor axis, the length of the major axis, the degree of the included angle, etc. The network device describes the geometry of the ground coverage area of ​​the beam by indicating the ground coverage ellipse parameters of the beam.

[0274] Specifically, beam width information, also referred to as beam width range information, may include the zenith angle width and / or azimuth angle width of each beam in the full set of beams that can be used for beam measurement between the network device and the terminal device, measured in degrees. For example, the network device may indicate to the terminal device that the width of a beam is 1 degree.

[0275] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, beams with adjacent coverage areas among multiple beams used for beam measurement are divided into the same beam group, so that the beams in the same beam group have similar coverage area characteristics, which is beneficial for the terminal device to extract and use the coverage area characteristics during measurement, and determine the positions of the first beam group and the second beam group in conjunction with the indication information.

[0276] In a possible implementation, the spatial grid information includes coverage area update information; the coverage area update information is used to indicate a portion of a current coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground that changes relative to a previous coverage area of ​​each beam mapping on the ground.

[0277] Exemplarily, the network device adjusts the spatial grid information in a differential manner, that is, the spatial grid information sent by the network device is the changed part in the beam coverage area.

[0278] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0279] Specifically, referring to Figure 10, the spatial grid information in the configuration information includes grid information for multiple coverage areas formed by beams arranged on the ground. Each grid in the spatial grid information corresponds to a coverage area formed by a beam arranged on the ground emitted by a network device. The network device can adjust the content of the spatial grid information in the configuration information based on the signal propagation environment.

[0280] For example, referring to Figure 10 , beams 0 to 31 are the base grid, which can be calculated using beam angle information and beam width information. Based on the environmental perception results, the network device can supplement the base grid with an extended beam coverage area, such as beam 32 in Figure 10 .

[0281] Exemplarily, the beam coverage area supplemented and extended by the network device to the basic grid can be formed by non-line-of-sight (NLOS) reflection. For example, the beam coverage area 32 in Figure 10 can be obtained by expanding the beam coverage area 30, and then the beam group 7 in Figure 10 includes five beams {22, 23, 30, 31, 32}.

[0282] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the spatial grid information is updated using differentials, so that the spatial grid information can more accurately reflect the coverage range of different beams actually arranged on the ground. At the same time, the spatial grid information only transmits the part of the coverage area change determined based on the environmental perception results, which can avoid sending duplicate information and reduce signaling overhead.

[0283] Please refer to FIG10 . The multiple circular beams emitted by the network device are arranged on the ground to form a coverage area of ​​multiple elliptical areas.

[0284] It should be understood that in the schematic diagram of the beam subset definition method shown in Figure 10, beams with adjacent coverage areas are regarded as a beam group, that is, beam group 0 includes beams {0, 1, 8, 9}, beam group 1 includes beams {2, 3, 10, 11}, and so on.

[0285] In a possible implementation, the indication information is used to indicate a group number and a beam distance difference threshold of the first beam group; the method further includes: determining a second beam group according to the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold and the spatial grid information.

[0286] In a possible implementation, determining the second beam group according to the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold, and the spatial grid information includes: determining a beam group among the multiple beam groups whose distance difference with the first beam group is greater than the beam distance difference threshold as the second beam group.

[0287] Specifically, the network device sends an indication message to the terminal device indicating the candidate serving beam subset and the distance difference threshold (or distance threshold value) Y. The terminal device then determines, based on the spatial grid information, a beam group that meets the distance pairing condition as the candidate paired beam group corresponding to the beam group in the candidate serving beam subset. The distance pairing condition is that the distance between any point in the coverage area of ​​the candidate paired beam group and any point in the coverage area of ​​the beam group in the candidate serving beam subset is greater than the distance difference threshold value Y.

[0288] In a possible implementation, the network device sends the distance difference threshold Y through preconfiguration or through the same dynamic signaling as that used to send the indication information, that is, indicates the distance difference threshold Y to the terminal device.

[0289] It should be understood that the network device may indicate a single beam group as a candidate service beam subset, or may indicate a single beam or multiple beam groups as candidate service beam subsets, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0290] It should be understood that the candidate paired beam subset determined by the network device according to the distance pairing condition may include one or more beam groups, and this embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0291] Exemplarily, a method for calculating the central coverage position of the beam group includes, but is not limited to, arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square mean, or moving average.

[0292] For example, referring to Figure 10 , for terminal device 0, the network device sends an indication message to indicate to terminal device 0 that the candidate serving beam subset is beam group 7. Terminal device 0 then determines the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to beam group 7 based on a pairing condition. The pairing condition is that the distance between any point in the coverage area of ​​the candidate pairing beam group and any point in the coverage area of ​​beam group 7 is greater than a distance difference threshold Y.

[0293] Specifically, referring to FIG10 , in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam group 0 to beam group 7, excluding the candidate serving beam group, i.e., beam group 7, the remaining beam groups in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam group 0 to beam group 6, satisfy the pairing condition, i.e., the beam groups for which the distance between any point in their coverage area and any point in the coverage area of ​​the candidate serving beam group is greater than a distance difference threshold Y, are beam group 0 and beam group 4. Therefore, terminal device 0 determines the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to the candidate serving beam group through indication information, i.e., the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to beam group 0 includes beam group 0 and beam group 4. That is, the network device indicates to terminal device 0 that the candidate pairing beams corresponding to candidate serving beams {22, 23, 30, 31, 32} include beams {0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25}.

[0294] For example, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 10, there is a point in the coverage range of beam group 1 and a point in the coverage range of beam group 7, so that the distance between the two points is less than the distance difference threshold Y, so beam group 1 is not a candidate pairing beam group corresponding to candidate service beam group 7.

[0295] In another possible implementation, the network device sends an indication message to indicate the candidate serving beam group and the distance difference threshold Y to the terminal device. The terminal device then determines, based on the spatial grid information, a beam group that meets the distance pairing condition as the candidate paired beam group corresponding to the candidate serving beam group. The distance pairing condition is that the distance between any point in the coverage area of ​​the candidate paired beam group and any point in the coverage area of ​​the candidate serving beam in the candidate serving beam group is greater than the distance difference threshold Y.

[0296] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0297] For example, referring to Figure 11, for terminal device 0, the network device sends an indication message to indicate to terminal device 0 that the candidate serving beam subset is beam group 7. In beam group 7, taking candidate serving beam 31 as an example, terminal device 0 determines the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to candidate serving beam 31 based on a pairing condition. The pairing condition is that the distance between any point in the coverage area of ​​the candidate pairing beam group and any point in the coverage area of ​​a candidate serving beam in the candidate serving beam group is greater than a distance difference threshold Y.

[0298] Specifically, referring to Figure 11 , in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam groups 0 through 7, excluding the candidate serving beam group, i.e., beam group 7, the remaining beam groups in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam groups 0 through 6, that meet the pairing condition (i.e., the beam groups for which the distance between any point in their coverage area and any point in the coverage area of ​​the candidate serving beam group is greater than a distance difference threshold Y) are beam group 0 and beam group 4. Therefore, terminal device 0 determines the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to candidate serving beam 31 through indication information. That is, the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to beam 31 includes beam group 0 and beam group 4. In other words, the network device indicates to terminal device 0 that the candidate pairing beams corresponding to candidate serving beam 31 include beams {0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25}. Similarly, the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to candidate serving beams {22, 23, 30, 32} can be determined.

[0299] In another possible implementation, the distance difference includes the distance difference between the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group and the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group; the center of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the center of the coverage area of ​​the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square average or moving average of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the second beam group.

[0300] Specifically, the network device sends an indication message indicating the candidate serving beam group and the distance difference threshold Y to the terminal device. The terminal device then determines, based on the spatial grid information, a beam group that meets the distance pairing condition as the candidate paired beam group corresponding to the candidate serving beam group. The distance pairing condition is that the distance between the center of the coverage area of ​​the candidate paired beam group and the center of the coverage area of ​​the candidate serving beam group is greater than the distance difference threshold Y.

[0301] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0302] For example, referring to FIG12 , for terminal device 0, the network device sends an indication message to indicate to terminal device 0 that the candidate serving beam CMR subset is beam group 7. Terminal device 0 then determines the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to beam group 7 based on a pairing condition. The pairing condition is that the distance between the center position of the coverage range of the candidate pairing beam group and the center position of the coverage range of the candidate serving beam group is greater than a distance difference threshold Y.

[0303] Specifically, referring to FIG12 , in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam group 0 to beam group 7, excluding the candidate serving beam group, i.e., beam group 7, among the remaining beam groups in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam group 0 to beam group 6, the beam groups that meet the pairing condition, i.e., the beam groups whose coverage center positions are at a distance greater than a distance difference threshold Y from the coverage center positions of the candidate serving beam group, are beam group 0 and beam group 4. Therefore, terminal device 0 determines, through indication information, the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to the candidate serving beam group, i.e., the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to beam group 7 includes beam group 0 and beam group 4. That is, the network device indicates to terminal device 0 that the candidate pairing beams corresponding to candidate serving beams {22, 23, 30, 31, 32} include beams {0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25}.

[0304] In another possible implementation, the network device sends an indication message to indicate the candidate serving beam group and the distance difference threshold Y to the terminal device. The terminal device, in combination with the spatial grid information, determines a beam group that meets the distance pairing condition as the candidate paired beam group corresponding to the candidate serving beam group. The distance pairing condition is that the distance between the center position of the coverage area of ​​the candidate paired beam group and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the candidate serving beam in the candidate serving beam group is greater than the distance difference threshold Y.

[0305] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of another beam subset definition method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0306] For example, referring to Figure 13 , for terminal device 0, the network device sends an indication message to indicate to terminal device 0 that the candidate serving beam CMR subset is beam group 7. In beam group 7, taking candidate serving beam 31 as an example, terminal device 0 determines the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to candidate serving beam 31 based on a pairing condition. The pairing condition is that the distance between the coverage center of the candidate pairing beam group and the coverage center of the candidate serving beam in the candidate serving beam group is greater than a distance difference threshold Y.

[0307] Specifically, referring to Figure 13 , in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam groups 0 through 7, excluding the candidate serving beam group, i.e., beam group 7, the remaining beam groups in the beam measurement set, i.e., beam groups 0 through 6, that meet the pairing condition (i.e., the distance between their coverage center and the coverage center of a candidate serving beam in the candidate serving beam group is greater than a distance difference threshold Y) are beam group 0 and beam group 4. Therefore, terminal device 0 determines the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to candidate serving beam 31 through the indication information. That is, the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to beam 31 includes beam group 0 and beam group 4. In other words, the network device indicates to terminal device 0 that the candidate pairing beams corresponding to candidate serving beam 31 include beams {0, 1, 8, 9, 16, 17, 24, 25}. Similarly, the candidate pairing beam group corresponding to candidate serving beams {22, 23, 30, 32} can be determined.

[0308] Optionally, in the ORAN system, the network device in the above steps may be an O-CU-CP network element, an O-DU network element and / or an O-RU network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0309] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines the group number of the second beam group based on the group number of the received first beam group and the distance difference threshold, and then uses the beams in the first beam group and the second beam group to perform measurements, so that the terminal device can pair the beams in the first and second beam groups in real time, while reducing the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reducing the overhead of the terminal device for measurement. At the same time, since the first beam group and the second beam group are dynamically indicated by the indication information instead of being determined by the terminal device itself, the adaptability of the system is improved.

[0310] In another possible implementation, the network device indicates to the terminal device the beam group numbers included in the candidate serving beam subset and the candidate paired beam subset by sending indication information. The network device determines the candidate paired beam subset based on the candidate serving beam subset and the distance pairing condition, in combination with the spatial grid information. The distance pairing condition is: the distance between any point in the coverage of the candidate paired beam group and any point in the coverage of the candidate serving beam group is greater than a distance difference threshold Y, or the distance between any point in the coverage of the candidate paired beam group and any point in the coverage of the candidate serving beam in the candidate serving beam group is greater than the distance difference threshold Y, or the distance between the center position of the coverage of the candidate paired beam group and the center position of the coverage of the candidate serving beam group is greater than the distance difference threshold Y, or the distance between the center position of the coverage of the candidate paired beam group and the center position of the coverage of the candidate serving beam in the candidate serving beam group is greater than the distance difference threshold Y.

[0311] Optionally, in the ORAN system, the network device in the above steps may be the O-CU-CP network element, O-CU-UP network element, O-DU network element and / or O-RU network element shown in Table 1 above.

[0312] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device determines the group number of the second beam group based on the group number of the first beam group and the distance difference threshold, and instructs the terminal device to use the beams in the first beam group and the second beam group for measurement, so that the terminal device can pair the beams in the first and second beam groups in real time, while reducing the number of beams measured by the terminal device and reducing the overhead of the terminal device for measurement. At the same time, since the first beam group and the second beam group are dynamically indicated by the indication information instead of being determined by the terminal device itself, the adaptability of the system is improved.

[0313] It should be understood that the distance difference threshold Y is merely a parameter expression and does not mean that the distance difference thresholds in each embodiment are equal.

[0314] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0315] It is understood that in each of the above method embodiments, the method implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by a component (such as a chip or circuit) that can be used in the terminal, and the method implemented by the network device can also be implemented by a component (such as a chip or circuit) that can be used in the network device. Above, the method of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail in conjunction with Figures 4 to 13. The following describes the communication device of the embodiment of the present application in conjunction with Figures 14 to 17.

[0316] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may include: a processing unit 1410 and a transceiver unit 1420 .

[0317] The communication device 1400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can correspond to the process executed by the terminal device in the method embodiments of Figures 4 to 13 above. The functions of the various units / modules in the communication device can be found in the description above, and the detailed description is appropriately omitted here.

[0318] It should be understood that the communication device shown in Figure 14 can be a terminal device, or it can be applicable to a chip or integrated circuit within the terminal device. When the communication device 1400 is a chip, the chip may include a processor, memory, and a transceiver. The transceiver may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processor may be a processing module, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. The sending operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0319] Taking a terminal device as an example, Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. For ease of understanding and illustration, Figure 15 uses a mobile phone as an example. Figure 15 only illustrates the main components of the terminal device. As shown in Figure 15, terminal device 1500 includes a processor, memory, control circuitry, and an antenna. Optionally, the terminal device may also include input / output devices. It should be understood that the control circuitry may be located within the processor or independently outside of the processor, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. The processor is primarily responsible for processing communication protocols and communication data, controlling the entire terminal device, executing software programs, and processing software program data, for example, to support the terminal device in performing the actions described in the above method embodiments. The memory is primarily responsible for storing software programs and data. The control circuit is primarily responsible for converting baseband signals into radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The control circuitry and antenna together may also be referred to as a transceiver, primarily responsible for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as a touch screen, display, and keyboard, are primarily responsible for receiving user input and outputting data to the user.

[0320] When the terminal device is powered on, the processor reads the software program stored in the storage unit, interprets and executes the program's instructions, and processes the program's data. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit then performs RF processing on the baseband signal and transmits it via the antenna as electromagnetic waves. When data is sent to the terminal device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal via the antenna, converts it into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor, which converts the baseband signal into data and processes it.

[0321] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for ease of explanation, Figure 15 shows only one memory and processor. In an actual terminal device, multiple processors and memories may exist. Memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the memory may be integrated into the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently, and this embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0322] As an optional implementation, the processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily responsible for processing communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily responsible for controlling the entire terminal device, executing software programs, and processing data from these programs. The processor in Figure 15 may integrate the functions of both the baseband processor and the CPU. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the baseband processor and the CPU may also be independent processors interconnected via a bus or other technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to accommodate different network standards, multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities, and that the various components of the terminal device may be connected via various buses. The baseband processor may also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU may also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The functionality for processing communication protocols and communication data may be built into the processor or stored as a software program in a storage unit, with the processor executing the software program to implement the baseband processing functionality.

[0323] In the embodiments of the present application, the antenna and control circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as the transceiver unit 1501 of the terminal device 1500, for example, for supporting the terminal device to perform the transceiver functions performed by the terminal device in the implementation of the method of Figures 4 to 13. The processor with processing function is regarded as the processing unit 1502 of the terminal device 1500, which corresponds to the processing unit 1410 in Figure 14. As shown in Figure 15, the terminal device 1500 includes a transceiver unit 1501 and a processing unit 1502. The transceiver unit can also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, etc., and the transceiver unit corresponds to the transceiver unit 1420 in Figure 14. Optionally, the device for implementing the receiving function in the transceiver unit 1501 can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device for implementing the transmitting function in the transceiver unit 1501 can be regarded as a transmitting unit, that is, the transceiver unit 1501 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can also be referred to as a receiver, an input port, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc. It is understandable that the transceiver unit may also be an interface circuit.

[0324] The processing unit 1502 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to control the transceiver unit 1501 to receive and / or transmit signals, thereby completing the functions of the terminal device in the above-described method embodiment. As an implementation method, the functions of the transceiver unit 1501 may be implemented using a transceiver circuit or a dedicated transceiver chip.

[0325] It should be understood that the terminal device 1500 shown in FIG15 is capable of implementing the various processes related to the terminal device in the method embodiments of FIG4 through FIG13 . The operations and / or functions of the various modules in the terminal device 1500 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the aforementioned method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0326] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1600 may include a processing unit 1610 and a transceiver unit 1620 .

[0327] The communication device 1600 provided in the embodiment of the present application can correspond to the process executed by the network device in the method embodiments of Figures 4 to 13 above. The functions of each unit / module in the communication device can be found in the description above, and the detailed description is appropriately omitted here.

[0328] It should be understood that the communication device described in Figure 16 can be a network-side device or a chip or integrated circuit that can be used in a network device. When communication device 1600 is a chip, the chip may include a processor, memory, and a transceiver. The transceiver may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processor may be a processing module, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. The sending operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0329] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0330] The network device 1700 may include one or more radio frequency units, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) 1710 and one or more baseband units (BBU) 1720 (also referred to as digital units, DUs). The RRU may be referred to as a transceiver unit 1710, corresponding to the transceiver unit 1620 in FIG16 . Optionally, the transceiver unit may also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, and may include at least one antenna 1711 and a radio frequency unit 1712. The RRU portion is primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals into baseband signals. The BBU portion is primarily used for baseband processing, controlling the base station, and the like. The RRU and BBU may be physically located together or physically separated, i.e., in a distributed base station. It is understood that the transceiver unit may also be an interface circuit.

[0331] BBU 1720 is the control center of the base station, which may also be referred to as a processing unit 1720 , and may correspond to the processing unit 1610 in FIG. 16 , and is mainly used to complete baseband processing functions.

[0332] In one example, BBU1720 can be composed of one or more single boards, and multiple single boards can jointly support a wireless access network with a single access standard (such as an LTE network), or can separately support wireless access networks with different access standards (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). BBU1720 also includes a memory 1721 and a processor 1722. The memory 1721 is used to store necessary instructions and data. The processor 1722 is used to control the base station to perform necessary actions. It should be understood that the memory can be integrated into the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. The memory 1721 and the processor 1722 can serve one or more single boards. That is, a memory and a processor can be set separately on each single board. Alternatively, multiple single boards can share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits can also be set on each single board.

[0333] It should be understood that the network device 1700 shown in FIG17 is capable of implementing each process related to the network device in the method embodiments of FIG4 through FIG13 . The operations and / or functions of each module in network device 1700 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0334] An embodiment of the present application also provides a processing unit, including a processor and an interface; the processor is used to execute the communication method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0335] It should be understood that the processing unit may be a chip. For example, the processing unit may be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0336] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0337] It is 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 Rambus 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.

[0338] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned network device and terminal device.

[0339] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which implements the method in any of the above method embodiments when the computer program is executed by a computer.

[0340] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which, when executed by a computer, implements the method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0341] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated. 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 a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium 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. Available media may be magnetic media (eg, floppy disks, hard disks, tapes), optical media (eg, high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (eg, solid state disks (SSDs)).

[0342] The network devices in the above-mentioned various apparatus embodiments completely correspond to the network devices or terminal devices in the terminal devices and method embodiments, and the corresponding steps are performed by the corresponding modules or units. For example, the sending module (transmitter) performs the sending steps in the method embodiment, and the receiving module (receiver) performs the receiving steps in the method embodiment. Other steps except sending and receiving can be performed by the processing module (processor). The functions of specific modules can refer to the corresponding method embodiments. The sending module and the receiving module can form a transceiver module, and the transmitter and the receiver can form a transceiver to jointly realize the transceiver function; there can be one or more processors.

[0343] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0344] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," and the like are used to represent computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and a computing device can be a component. One or more components can reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and a component can be located on a computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can be executed from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored thereon. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component on a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0345] 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 the embodiments of this application.

[0346] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0347] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0348] 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.

[0349] 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.

[0350] 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 beam measurement method, characterized in that: include: receiving indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate at least one beam group among a plurality of beam groups, wherein a plurality of beams used for beam measurement are divided into the plurality of beam groups; receiving a reference signal transmitted through the at least one beam group, wherein the reference signal is used to determine measurement feedback information; The measurement feedback information is sent.

2. A beam measurement method, characterized in that: include: Sending indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate at least one beam group among a plurality of beam groups, wherein a plurality of beams used for beam measurement are divided into the plurality of beam groups; Sending a reference signal through the at least one beam group, wherein the reference signal is used to determine measurement feedback information; The measurement feedback information is received.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: Configuration information is received, where the configuration information includes beam measurement set information and / or beam grouping information, where the beam measurement set information is used to indicate the multiple beams used for beam measurement, and the beam grouping information is used to indicate group numbers of the multiple beam groups.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: Configuration information is sent, wherein the configuration information includes beam measurement set information and / or beam grouping information, wherein the beam measurement set information is used to indicate the multiple beams used for beam measurement, and the beam grouping information is used to indicate group numbers of the multiple beam groups.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The at least one beam group includes a first beam group and a second beam group, wherein the first beam group is used to measure signal strength, and the second beam group is used to measure interference strength.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The indication information is used to indicate a group number of the first beam group and a group number of the second beam group.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The configuration information also includes beam angle information, and the beam angle information includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of each beam; The beams in each beam group of the plurality of beam groups have the same zenith angle range and / or azimuth angle range.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The indication information is used to indicate the group number and the beam angle difference threshold of the first beam group; The method further includes determining the second beam group according to the first beam group, the beam angle difference threshold and the beam angle information.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: Also includes: The second beam group is determined according to the first beam group, a beam angle difference threshold and the beam angle information.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The determining the second beam group comprises: A beam group among the multiple beam groups, the angle difference between which the beam group and the first beam group is greater than the beam angle difference threshold, is determined as the second beam group.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The angular difference comprises an angular difference between an angular center of the first beam group and an angular center of the second beam group; The angular center of the first beam group or the angular center of the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square mean or moving average of the beam angles in the first beam group or the second beam group.

12. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The configuration information also includes spatial grid information, where the spatial grid information is used to indicate the coverage area of ​​each beam mapped on the ground; The beams in each beam group of the plurality of beam groups have adjacent coverage areas.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The indication information is used to indicate the group number and the beam distance difference threshold of the first beam group; The method further includes: determining the second beam group according to the first beam group, the beam distance difference threshold and the spatial grid information.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that Also includes: The second beam group is determined according to the first beam group, a beam distance difference threshold and the spatial grid information.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The determining the second beam group comprises: A beam group among the multiple beam groups, the distance difference between which the beam group and the first beam group is greater than the beam distance difference threshold, is determined as the second beam group.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The distance difference comprises a distance difference between a center of a coverage area of ​​the first beam group and a center of a coverage area of ​​the second beam group; The coverage area center of the first beam group or the coverage area center of the second beam group is obtained by calculating the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, square mean or moving average of the coverage area of ​​the first beam group or the second beam group.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that The airspace grid information includes coverage area update information; The coverage area update information is used to indicate a portion of a current coverage area mapped by each beam on the ground that changes relative to a previous coverage area mapped by each beam on the ground.

18. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 17, characterized in that The measurement feedback information includes a beam number of the reported beam in the first beam group or the second beam group.

19. A beam measurement device, characterized in that: include: Unit for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program is stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer is caused to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

21. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes a processor and a data interface, and the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the data interface to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor is configured to run a computer program so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

23. A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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