Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus, which are used for enabling a network-controlled repeater to accurately forward downlink data from a network device to a terminal device. In the present application, a network-controlled repeater sends first indication information to a network device, the first indication information being used for indicating attitude information of an antenna panel corresponding to an access link of the network-controlled repeater; the network-controlled repeater receives second indication information from the network device, the second indication information being used for indicating a beam direction in which the network-controlled repeater sends downlink data to a terminal device, and the second indication information being associated with the first indication information. In the present application, the network device can accurately determine, on the basis of the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network-controlled repeater, the beam direction in which the network-controlled repeater forwards the downlink data to the terminal device, so that the network-controlled repeater can forward the downlink data from the network device to the terminal device in the correct beam direction.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on December 29, 2023, with application number 202311868734.7 and application name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0004] To expand coverage, relays can be used to transfer data, thereby extending the coverage of base stations. Traditional relay nodes only function as amplification and forwarding. To further enhance relay functionality, network-controlled relay devices (also known as network-controlled repeaters (NCRs)) have been introduced. The network provides control information to the NCRs, instructing them to forward data. Compared to traditional relay nodes, NCRs allow for network-side control, resulting in advantages such as better spatial directivity for reception.

[0005] The network control relay device can receive control information sent from the network side through a control link and forward data from the network side to the terminal device through an access link. The control information may include a beam direction indication, based on which the network control relay device can forward the data in the correct beam direction. However, if the antenna panel of the network control relay device (such as the antenna panel of the access link) changes (for example, the posture of the antenna panel of a satellite-type network control relay device continues to change during movement), the network side will be unable to send accurate beam direction indications to the network control relay device, and the network control relay device will be unable to forward data in the correct beam direction. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for enabling a network-controlled relay device to accurately forward downlink data from a network device to a terminal device.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network control relay device or a module (such as a chip) applied to the network control relay device. Taking the network control relay device executing the method as an example, the method includes: the network control relay device sends first indication information to the network device, the first indication information is used to indicate the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device; the network control relay device receives second indication information from the network device, the second indication information is used to indicate the beam direction of downlink data sent by the network control relay device to the terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

[0008] Through the above method, the network control relay device can report the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link to the network device, and the network device can obtain the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device. The network device can accurately determine the beam direction of the network control relay device forwarding downlink data to the terminal device based on the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device, so that the network control relay device can forward the downlink data from the network device to the terminal device in the correct beam direction.

[0009] In one possible design, the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

[0010] Through the above design, the first indication information reported by the network control relay device to the network device includes direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel. The direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel can accurately represent the posture of the antenna panel.

[0011] In one possible design, the at least one reference direction includes a normal direction to a plane in which the antenna panel is located.

[0012] Through the above design, the posture of the antenna panel can be represented by the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located.

[0013] In one possible design, when the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions include the normal of the plane where the antenna panel is located, and the direction of at least one edge of the antenna panel.

[0014] Through the above design, the posture of the antenna panel can be accurately represented by the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located and the direction of at least one edge of the antenna panel.

[0015] In one possible design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes an angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system.

[0016] Through the above design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction can be accurately represented by the angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system.

[0017] In one possible design, the angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system includes: the angle of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle of the target direction of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the second coordinate axis; wherein the plane of the target coordinate is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

[0018] Through the above design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction can be accurately represented by the angle between the reference direction and the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system and the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0019] In one possible design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angular change of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system, where the angular change is the change between the angle of the reference direction relative to the coordinate axis and the corresponding initial angle.

[0020] Through the above design, the network control relay device can accurately represent the direction information corresponding to the reference direction by the change in the angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system relative to the initial angle.

[0021] In one possible design, the angular change of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system includes: the angular change of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angular change of the target direction of the reference direction projected on the target coordinate plane to the second coordinate axis; wherein, the angular change is the change between the angle of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis and the initial angle of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis; the angular change is the change between the angle of the reference direction projected on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis and the initial angle of the reference direction projected on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0022] Through the above design, the network control relay device can report to the terminal device the angle change of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system and the angle change of the target direction of the reference direction projected on the target coordinate plane to the second coordinate axis; the network device determines the angle of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system based on the angle change of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system and the initial angle, and determines the angle of the target direction of the reference direction projected on the target coordinate plane to the second coordinate axis based on the angle change of the reference direction projected on the target coordinate plane to the second coordinate axis and the initial angle, so that the network device can accurately determine the posture of the antenna panel.

[0023] In one possible design, the network control relay device periodically sends first indication information to the network device based on the first resource configured by the network device through an RRC message; or, the network control relay device receives third indication information sent by the network device through MAC CE, and sends the first indication information to the network device on the second resource configured by the network device through the RRC message; the third indication information is used to indicate that the first indication information is to be reported to the network device; or the network control relay device sends the first indication information to the network device on the third resource indicated by the network device through DCI.

[0024] Through the above design, the network control relay device can flexibly report the first indication information to the network device in a variety of different ways.

[0025] In one possible design, the network control relay device is a non-terrestrial relay device in the NTN system, and the network device is a terrestrial network device in the NTN system.

[0026] Through the above design, the non-ground network control relay device can report the first indication information representing the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link to the ground network device. When the posture of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link changes during the movement of the non-ground network control relay device, the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link can be reported to the ground network device in real time, so that the ground network device can accurately indicate the beam direction of the non-ground network control relay device to send downlink data.

[0027] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or a module (such as a chip) applied to the network device. Taking the network device executing the method as an example, the method includes: the network device receives first indication information from a network control relay device, the first indication information is used to indicate the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device; the network device sends second indication information to the network control relay device, the second indication information is used to indicate the beam direction of downlink data sent by the network control relay device to the terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

[0028] In one possible design, the network device determines the beam direction of the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device based on the posture information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information.

[0029] In one possible design, the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

[0030] In one possible design, the at least one reference direction includes a normal direction to a plane in which the antenna panel is located.

[0031] In one possible design, when the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions include the normal of the plane where the antenna panel is located, and the direction of at least one edge of the antenna panel.

[0032] In one possible design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes an angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system.

[0033] In one possible design, the angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system includes: the angle of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle of the target direction of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the second coordinate axis; wherein the plane of the target coordinate is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

[0034] In one possible design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angular change of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system, where the angular change is the change between the angle of the reference direction relative to the coordinate axis and the corresponding initial angle.

[0035] In one possible design, the angular change of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system includes: the angular change of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angular change of the target direction of the reference direction projected on the target coordinate plane to the second coordinate axis; wherein, the angular change is the change between the angle of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis and the initial angle of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis; the angular change is the change between the angle of the reference direction projected on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis and the initial angle of the reference direction projected on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0036] In one possible design, the network device periodically receives first indication information on a first resource configured for the network control relay device through an RRC message; or, the network device sends third indication information to the network control relay device through a MAC CE, and receives the first indication information on a second resource configured for the network control relay device through an RRC message; the third indication information is used to indicate reporting of the first indication information; or, the network device indicates a third resource to the network control relay device through a DCI, and receives the first indication information on the third resource.

[0037] In one possible design, the network control relay device is a non-terrestrial relay device in a non-terrestrial network NTN system, and the network device is a terrestrial network device in the NTN system.

[0038] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be the aforementioned network control relay device or network device. The communication device may include a communication module and a processing module to implement the aforementioned first or second aspect, or any possible implementation of the first and second aspects. The communication module is configured to perform transceiver operations, such as functions related to sending and receiving; the communication module may be referred to as a transceiver unit; optionally, the communication module includes a receiving module and a sending module. The processing module is configured to perform processing operations.

[0039] In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing module may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication module may be an input / output circuit, an input / output interface, or an antenna port of the communication chip.

[0040] In another design, the communication module may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication module may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0041] Optionally, the communication device further includes modules that can be used to execute the first aspect or the second aspect, or execute any possible implementation of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned network control relay device or network device. The communication device may include a processor and a memory to execute the aforementioned first or second aspect, or any possible implementation of the first and second aspects. Optionally, it further includes a transceiver, the memory is used to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is used to call and execute the computer program or instruction from the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction in the memory, the communication device executes the aforementioned first or second aspect, or any possible implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0043] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0044] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0045] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0046] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be the aforementioned network control relay device or network device. The communication device may include a processor to execute the aforementioned first or second aspect, or any possible implementation of the first and second aspects. The processor is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0047] In one implementation, when the communication device is a network control relay device or a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0048] In another implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation method thereof, is implemented.

[0050] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when executed by a processor, implements the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0051] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor and may also include a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, implement the first or second aspect described above, or any possible implementation thereof. The communication device may be a system-on-a-chip. The system-on-a-chip may consist of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0052] In the ninth aspect, a communication system is also provided, which includes the network control relay device described in the first aspect and the network device described in the second aspect.

[0053] In the tenth aspect, the present application also provides a chip, including a processor, which is coupled to a memory and is used to read and execute program instructions stored in the memory so that the chip can implement the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation method thereof.

[0054] For each of the above-mentioned aspects from the second to the tenth aspect and the technical effects that may be achieved by each of the aspects, please refer to the above-mentioned description of the technical effects that can be achieved by various possible solutions in the first aspect or each aspect, and no further details will be given here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network control relay device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite mobile communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an antenna panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an antenna panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an antenna panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of an antenna panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a reference direction provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a data transmission process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the communication method and device provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0068] 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" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b and c, where each of a, b, c can be an element itself, or a set containing one or more elements.

[0069] Throughout this application, the terms "exemplary," "in some embodiments," and "in other embodiments" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner.

[0070] In this application, the terms "of," "corresponding," and "relevant" may be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, unless the distinction is emphasized, the meanings they convey are the same. In the embodiments of this application, the terms "communication" and "transmission" may be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, unless the distinction is emphasized, the meanings they convey are the same. For example, "transmission" may include "send" and "receive" and may be either a noun or a verb.

[0071] In this 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.

[0072] It should be pointed out that the words "first", "second", etc. involved in the embodiments of the present application are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying order.

[0073] The technology provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various terrestrial network (TN) systems, such as the fifth generation (5G) communication system (for example, the new radio (NR) system), the long term evolution (LTE) system, the future communication network, or other similar communication systems (such as vehicle to everything (V2X), the Internet of Things (IoT) system, the narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, etc.). Or the technology provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication systems, and drones; for example, integrated communication and navigation (IcaN) systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and ultra-dense low-orbit satellite communication systems. Or the technology provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to communication systems that integrate NTN systems with TN systems.

[0074] A network element in a communication system can send signals to or receive signals from another network element. The signals may include information, signaling, or data. A network element may also be replaced by an entity, network entity, device, communication device, communication module, node, communication node, etc. The embodiments of this application use a network element as an example for description.

[0075] Figure 1 shows the architecture of a communication system. The communication system may include at least one terminal device (such as terminal device 10a and terminal device 10b in Figure 1), a network control relay device 20 (also referred to as an NCR), and a network device 30. Terminal device 10a may be located within the coverage area of ​​network device 30 and access network device 30; terminal device 10b may access network device 30 through network control relay device 20. For example, if terminal device 10b is not within the coverage area of ​​network device 30 or is at the edge of the coverage area of ​​network device 30, terminal device 10b may access network device 30 through network control relay device 20. It should be understood that the number of terminal devices, network control relay devices, and network devices shown in Figure 1 is merely illustrative.

[0076] As shown in Figure 1, terminal device 10a can send uplink data to network device 30, and correspondingly, network device 30 can send downlink data to terminal device 10a. When network device 30 has downlink data to send to terminal device 10b, network device 30 can forward it to terminal device 10b through network control relay device 20.

[0077] As shown in the communication diagram of Figure 2, the network control relay device 20 of the embodiment of the present application includes a mobile terminal (MT) module and a forwarding module. The MT module is connected to the network device 30 via a control link; exemplarily, the MT module can receive control information sent by the network device 30 via the control link, wherein the control information includes but is not limited to: beam information indication, indication information for controlling the forwarding module to be turned on or off, uplink and downlink configuration of time division duplexing (TDD), timing information, and power control information. The forwarding module is connected to the network device 30 via a backhaul link; exemplarily, the network device 30 can send downlink data that needs to be forwarded to the terminal device 10b to the forwarding module via the backhaul link. The forwarding module is connected to the terminal device 10b via an access link; exemplarily, the forwarding module forwards downlink data from the network device 30 to the terminal device 10b via the access link.

[0078] The network device of the embodiment of the present application is a node in a radio access network (RAN), which can also be called a base station, or a RAN node (or device). Currently, some examples of access network devices 101 are: evolved node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission reception point (TRP), satellite, drone, etc. The network device can also be a base station (next generation NodeB, gNB) or TRP or TP in a 5G system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system. In addition, the network device may also be a network node constituting a gNB or TP, such as a BBU, or a distributed unit (DU). Alternatively, the network device may also be a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT), an Internet of Vehicles communication system, or a device that performs network-side functions in other communication systems. The network device may also be a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system or a base station in a future mobile communication system. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0079] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0080] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in 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). For convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0081] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user apparatus, etc. It is a device that provides voice or data connectivity to a user, and may also be an Internet of Things device. For example, the terminal device includes a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, an in-vehicle device, etc. Currently, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), in-vehicle devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in self-driving cars, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying devices (such as intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, and airplanes). Terminal devices can also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, they can be devices that function as terminals in D2D communication.

[0082] In the embodiment of the present application, the functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or may be performed by a device that includes the functions of the terminal device.

[0083] The following example illustrates the application of the technology provided in the embodiments of this application to an NTN system. The NTN, which includes nodes such as satellite networks, high-altitude platforms, and drones, offers significant advantages, including global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, easy deployment, and freedom from geographical constraints. It has been widely used in a variety of fields, including maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. Ground-based 5G networks and satellite networks integrate with each other, leveraging their strengths and complementing their weaknesses to form a seamless, integrated global communications network covering land, sea, air, space, and ground, meeting the diverse service needs of users everywhere. In the embodiments of this application, the NTN system uses satellite communications as an example, or rather, the NTN system uses a satellite system as an example. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite mobile communications system applicable to the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the satellite mobile communications system includes: terminal devices (hereinafter referred to as terminals), satellite base stations, satellite-based network control relay devices, ground stations, and a core network. Communication between the satellite base stations and terminal devices, as well as between the network control relay devices and terminal devices, can occur via the 5G new air interface. Satellite base stations can communicate with each other via the Xn interface, or between satellite base stations and network control relay devices. Satellite base stations and ground stations, as well as network control relay devices and ground stations, can be connected via the NG interface. Ground stations connect to the core network via the NG interface, which can be either wired or wireless. Satellites can typically form multiple beams, each similar to a cell / sector in terrestrial mobile communication systems (e.g., LTE / NR).

[0084] Satellite base station: mainly used to provide wireless access services, dispatch wireless resources to access terminal devices, provide reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols, etc.

[0085] Core network: mainly used to provide functions such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and billing. The core network consists of multiple functional units, which can be divided into control plane functional units and user plane processing units. Among them, the functional units (or network elements) of the control plane include access and mobility management function (AMF) and session management function network element (SMF). AMF is responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. SMF is responsible for session management of terminal devices (including session establishment, modification, and release), selection and reselection of user plane functional network elements, allocation of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for terminal devices, quality of service (QoS) control, selection of UPF network elements that provide message forwarding functions, etc.

[0086] The user plane processing unit (or network element) includes a user plane function (UPF) unit. The UPF is responsible for managing functions such as transmission of user plane data and traffic statistics.

[0087] Ground stations can be used to forward signaling and service data between satellite base stations and the core network; or interact with network control relay devices to forward downlink data to terminal devices through network control relay devices. For example, a ground station can be a network device deployed on the ground, where the network device can be described above. For example, a ground station is a ground base station.

[0088] Network control relay equipment: can be a non-terrestrial relay equipment. For example, in the satellite mobile communication system shown in FIG3 , the network control relay equipment can be a satellite-based NCR. It can be used to forward data and / or signaling between ground stations and terminal devices.

[0089] 5G New Radio: refers to the wireless link between terminal devices and base stations.

[0090] Xn interface: represents the interface between 5G satellite base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as switching.

[0091] NG interface: refers to the interface between a 5G base station and the 5G core network, or the interface between a ground station and the core network, or the interface between a satellite base station and a ground station (in this case, the interface is a wireless link). It mainly interacts with the core network's non-access stratum (NAS) and other signaling, as well as user service data.

[0092] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the application scenarios of the present application are introduced below. The application scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0093] In the following description, the technology provided in the embodiments of the present application is applied to the NTN system as an example.

[0094] With the advancement of information technology, the demand for efficient, mobile, and diverse communications has become increasingly urgent. Currently, a key development focus in the wireless communications field is global mobile communications, of which satellite communications are a crucial component. Satellite communications play an irreplaceable role in key areas such as space, aviation, and maritime communications. Satellite communications offer long communication distances, wide coverage areas, and flexible networking, providing services for both fixed and mobile terminals.

[0095] In an NTN system, satellite-based network control relay devices (such as the one shown in Figure 3) can be deployed. These devices act as relays, forwarding data from ground stations to terminals. Compared to ground-based network control relay devices, satellite-based network control relay devices are high-speed mobile nodes, and the orientation of their antenna panels constantly changes during movement. For example, solar panels are typically located on the back of an antenna panel. During flight, a satellite adjusts the antenna panel's orientation so that the back of the panel faces the sun to absorb more solar energy. In other scenarios, network control relay devices adjust the antenna panel's orientation to avoid interference with high-priority satellites. When a ground station has downlink data to send to a terminal device, it sends a beam direction indication to the network control relay device, enabling it to forward the downlink data using the antenna panel corresponding to the access link in the correct beam direction. However, when the network control relay device changes the antenna panel corresponding to the access link during movement, if the ground station does not obtain the current posture of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device, it cannot accurately send beam direction instructions to the network control relay device, resulting in the network control relay device being unable to forward data in the correct beam direction.

[0096] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, in which a network control relay device reports the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device to the network device, and the network control relay device is used to forward downlink data from the network device to the terminal device; the network device sends a beam direction indication to the network control relay device based on the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link, and the beam direction corresponding to the beam direction indication is the beam direction in which the network control relay device sends downlink data to the terminal device. In an embodiment of the present application, the network control relay device can report the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link to the network device, and accordingly, the network device can obtain the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device. The network device can accurately determine the beam direction in which the network control relay device forwards downlink data to the terminal device based on the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device, so that the network control relay device can forward downlink data from the network device to the terminal device in the correct beam direction.

[0097] This embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, as shown in FIG4 , which may include the following steps:

[0098] Step 400: The network control relay device sends first indication information to the network device.

[0099] Correspondingly, the network device receives the first indication information from the network control relay device.

[0100] The first indication information is used to indicate the posture information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device.

[0101] For example, in an NTN system, the network device in the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may be a terrestrial network device (such as a ground station as shown in FIG3 ), and the network control relay device may be a non-terrestrial relay device (such as a satellite-based NCR).

[0102] Step 401: The network device sends second indication information to the network control relay device.

[0103] Correspondingly, the network control relay device receives the second indication information from the network device.

[0104] The second indication information is used to indicate the beam direction of the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

[0105] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the first indication information, the network device can determine the beam direction of the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device based on the posture information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information.

[0106] The network device can generate second indication information based on the determined beam direction of the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device.

[0107] Based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device can accurately determine the beam direction of the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device according to the posture information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information, so that the network control relay device can accurately forward the downlink data from the network device to the terminal device.

[0108] The following first introduces the content of the first instruction information.

[0109] Optionally, the first indication information may include direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

[0110] It should be noted that the antenna panel described below is the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device. The access link is the link forwarded from the network device to the terminal device by the network control relay device.

[0111] In an embodiment of the present application, at least one reference direction includes the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located.

[0112] With respect to the posture information of the antenna panel, the posture of the antenna panel may be represented by direction information corresponding to the normal of the plane where the antenna panel is located.

[0113] The normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located is perpendicular to the plane where the antenna panel is located. The network control relay device and the network device may agree that the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located is the normal direction from the back panel to the front panel of the antenna panel, or the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located is the normal direction from the front panel to the back panel of the antenna panel; the front panel is the panel from which the antenna panel transmits antenna signals outward, or the panel from which the antenna panel receives antenna signals.

[0114] For example, when the antenna panel is a centrally symmetrical panel, the posture of the antenna panel can be characterized by the directional information corresponding to the normal of the plane on which the antenna panel resides. For example, in the schematic diagram of an antenna panel as shown in Figure 5, where the antenna panel is circular, the posture of the circular antenna panel can be characterized by the directional information corresponding to the normal of the antenna panel as shown in Figure 5.

[0115] When the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions may include the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located, and the direction of at least one edge of the antenna panel.

[0116] For example, when the antenna panel is rectangular in design, the multiple reference directions may include the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located, and the direction of the long side of the antenna panel. As shown in the schematic diagram of the antenna panel in FIG6 , the posture of the rectangular antenna panel can be represented by the direction information corresponding to direction 1 (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and the direction information corresponding to direction 2 (the direction of the long side of the antenna panel) as shown in FIG6 . Alternatively, when the antenna panel is rectangular in design, the multiple reference directions may include the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located, and the direction of the short side of the antenna panel. As shown in the schematic diagram of the antenna panel in FIG7 , the posture of the rectangular antenna panel can be represented by the direction information corresponding to direction 1 (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and the direction information corresponding to direction 3 (the direction of the short side of the antenna panel) as shown in FIG7 . Alternatively, when the antenna panel is designed as a rectangle, the multiple reference directions may include the normal to the plane where the antenna panel is located, the direction where the long side of the antenna panel is located, and the direction where the short side of the antenna panel is located; the antenna panel schematic diagram as shown in Figure 8 can be characterized by the direction information corresponding to direction 1 (the normal to the plane where the antenna panel is located), the direction information corresponding to direction 2 (the direction where the long side of the antenna panel is located), and the direction information corresponding to direction 3 (the direction where the short side of the antenna panel is located) as shown in Figure 8.

[0117] In an embodiment of the present application, the first indication information sent by the network control relay device to the network device may include direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction; wherein, the direction information corresponding to each reference direction in the first indication information can be expressed in multiple different ways, which are explained below.

[0118] Direction information representation mode 1: The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system.

[0119] Optionally, the spatial coordinate system of the embodiment of the present application can be a coordinate system agreed upon by the network control relay device and the network device, or the spatial coordinate system of the embodiment of the present application can be a standard spatial coordinate system. For example, the standard spatial coordinate system can be an earth-centered earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinate system or an earth-centered inertial (ECI) coordinate system.

[0120] In direction information representation method 1, the angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system may include: the angle of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle of the target direction of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the second coordinate axis; wherein the target coordinate plane is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

[0121] It should be understood that the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis can be the rotation angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane rotated counterclockwise to reach the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0122] For example, the first coordinate axis can be the z-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane containing the x-axis and y-axis. The second coordinate axis can be the x-axis or y-axis, and the target direction can be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. The directional information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle between the reference direction and the z-axis, and the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane containing the xy-axis onto the positive x-axis; or the directional information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle between the reference direction and the z-axis, and the angle from the positive x-axis to the projection of the reference direction on the plane containing the xy-axis. For the reference direction shown in Figure 9, the angle between the reference direction and the z-axis is represented by angle A, and the angle from the projection of the reference direction on the plane containing the xy-axis onto the positive x-axis (or the angle from the positive x-axis to the projection of the reference direction on the plane containing the xy-axis) is represented by angle B. Taking a rectangular antenna panel as an example, the first indication information includes directional information corresponding to two reference directions: a first reference direction (the normal to the plane containing the antenna panel) and a second reference direction (the direction of the long side of the antenna panel). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 1. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the angle theta_1 between the first reference direction and the z-axis, and the angle phi_1 of the projection of the first reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis (or it can also be called the angle from the positive half-axis of the x-axis to the projection of the first reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located); the direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the angle theta_2 between the second reference direction and the z-axis, and the angle phi_2 of the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis (or it can also be called the angle from the positive half-axis of the x-axis to the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located).

[0123] Table 1

[0124] As another example, the first coordinate axis can be the x-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane where the y-axis and the z-axis are located. The second coordinate axis can be the y-axis or the z-axis, and the target direction can be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle between the reference direction and the x-axis, and the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half axis of the y-axis; or the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle between the reference direction and the x-axis, and the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located from the positive half axis of the y-axis to the reference direction. Taking the rectangular design of the antenna panel as an example, the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to two reference directions, and the two reference directions include a first reference direction (the normal to the plane where the antenna panel is located) and a second reference direction (the direction where the short side of the antenna panel is located). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 2. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the angle theta_3 between the first reference direction and the x-axis, and the angle phi_3 of the projection of the first reference direction in the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis (or it can also be called the angle from the positive half-axis of the y-axis to the projection of the first reference direction in the plane where the yz axis is located); the direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the angle theta_4 between the second reference direction and the x-axis, and the angle phi_4 of the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis (or it can also be called the angle from the positive half-axis of the y-axis to the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the yz axis is located).

[0125] Table 2

[0126] As another example, the first coordinate axis can be the y-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane containing the x-axis and z-axis. The second coordinate axis can be the x-axis or z-axis, and the target direction can be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle between the reference direction and the y-axis, and the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane containing the xz-axis onto the positive z-axis; or the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle between the reference direction and the y-axis, and the angle from the positive z-axis to the projection of the reference direction on the plane containing the xz-axis. Taking a circular antenna panel as an example, the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to one reference direction, where one reference direction includes the first reference direction (the normal to the plane containing the antenna panel). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 3. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the angle theta_5 between the first reference direction and the y-axis, and the angle phi_5 between the projection of the first reference direction on the plane containing the xz-axis onto the positive z-axis (or the angle phi_5 between the positive z-axis and the projection of the first reference direction on the plane containing the xz-axis).

[0127] Table 3

[0128] It should be noted that the network control relay device and the network device can agree on the coordinate axis corresponding to the first coordinate axis, the coordinate axis corresponding to the second coordinate axis, and the direction corresponding to the target direction; or, the network control relay device indicates to the network device the coordinate axis corresponding to the first coordinate axis, the coordinate axis corresponding to the second coordinate axis, and the direction corresponding to the target direction.

[0129] In an embodiment of the present application, the angle range of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system can be [0, 90] degrees (for example, the angle range of theta_1, theta_2, theta_3, theta_4, and theta_5 in the above table is [0, 90] degrees), and the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis can be [0, 360] degrees (for example, the angle range of phi_1, phi_2, phi_3, phi_4, and phi_5 in the above table is [0, 360] degrees).

[0130] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, the number of bits occupied by the above-mentioned angle or angle is related to the number of antennas included in the antenna panel. For example, when the number of antennas included in the antenna panel is small, the number of bits occupied by the angle or angle is large. Alternatively, it can be understood that the quantization granularity of the angle or angle is related to the number of antennas included in the antenna panel. For example, when the number of antennas included in the antenna panel is small, the quantization granularity of the angle or angle is large. Alternatively, when the access link of the network control relay device corresponds to multiple antenna panels, the number of bits occupied by the above-mentioned angle or angle is related to the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels. For example, when the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels is small, the number of bits occupied by the angle or angle is large. Alternatively, it can be understood that the quantization granularity of the angle or angle is related to the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels. For example, when the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels is small, the quantization granularity of the angle or angle is large.

[0131] The above introduction to the angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system in the direction information representation method 1 is merely an example of an embodiment of the present application. The angle of the reference direction representing the direction information relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system in the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be expressed by other angles other than those mentioned above. For example, the angle of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system includes: the angle between the reference direction and the three coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system.

[0132] Direction information representation method 2: The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angular change of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system.

[0133] The angle variation is the variation between the angle of the reference direction relative to the coordinate axis and the corresponding initial angle.

[0134] Optionally, the spatial coordinate system of the embodiment of the present application can be a coordinate system agreed upon by the network control relay device and the network device, or the spatial coordinate system of the embodiment of the present application can be a standard spatial coordinate system. For example, the standard spatial coordinate system can be an ECEF coordinate system or an ECI coordinate system.

[0135] In an embodiment of the present application, the network control relay device and the first network device may agree on initial posture information of the antenna panel of the network control relay device, or the network control relay device may indicate the initial posture information of the antenna panel of the network control relay device to the first network device. The initial posture information of the antenna panel may be represented by direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction. Exemplarily, the initial posture information of the antenna panel includes an initial angle of the at least one reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of a spatial coordinate system.

[0136] In direction information representation mode 2, the angular change of the reference direction relative to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system may include: an angular change of the reference direction relative to a first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and an angular change of the target direction of the second coordinate axis as projected from the reference direction on a target coordinate plane. The target coordinate plane is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

[0137] The initial posture information of the antenna panel may include an initial angle of each reference direction in at least one reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and an initial angle of the target direction of the second coordinate axis projected on the target coordinate plane by each reference direction.

[0138] The change in the angle between the reference direction and the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system is the change between the angle between the reference direction and the first coordinate axis and the initial angle between the reference direction and the first coordinate axis.

[0139] The angular change of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis is a change between the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis and an initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0140] It should be understood that the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis can be the rotation angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane rotated counterclockwise to reach the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0141] Exemplarily, the first coordinate axis may be the z-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane where the x-axis and y-axis are located. The second coordinate axis may be the x-axis or the y-axis, and the target direction may be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. The initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes initial direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction, and the initial direction information corresponding to each reference direction includes: the initial angle between the reference direction and the z-axis, and the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis; the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle change between the angle between the reference direction and the z-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle between the reference direction and the z-axis), and the angle change between the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis). Alternatively, the initial direction information corresponding to each reference direction includes: the initial angle between the reference direction and the z-axis, and the initial angle of the projection of the positive half-axis of the x-axis to the reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located; the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle change between the angle between the reference direction and the z-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle between the reference direction and the z-axis), and the angle change between the angle between the positive half-axis of the x-axis to the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located and the initial angle (the initial angle between the positive half-axis of the x-axis to the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located).

[0142] Taking the antenna panel as a rectangular design as an example, the initial posture information of the antenna panel includes initial direction information corresponding to two reference directions, and the two initial direction information include a first reference direction (the normal to the plane where the antenna panel is located) and a second reference direction (the direction where the long side of the antenna panel is located); the initial direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the initial angle theta_1_init between the first reference direction and the z-axis, and the initial angle phi_1_init of the projection of the first reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis (or the initial angle phi_1_init can also be the initial angle of the positive half-axis of the x-axis to the projection of the first reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located); the initial direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the initial angle theta_2_init between the second reference direction and the z-axis, and the initial angle phi_2_init of the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis (or the initial angle phi_2_init can also be the initial angle of the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis). The first indication information includes direction information corresponding to two reference directions, where the two reference directions include a first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and a second reference direction (the direction where the long side of the antenna panel is located).For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 4. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the change in the angle between the first reference direction and the z-axis (that is, the change delta_theta_1 between the current angle between the first reference direction and the z-axis and the initial angle theta_1_init), the change in the angle of the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis (that is, the angle of the projection of the current first reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis and the change delta_phi_1 between the initial angle phi_1_init; or it can also be called the angle change from the positive half-axis of the x-axis to the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located, that is, the change d between the angle of the current positive half-axis of the x-axis to the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the xy-axis is located and the initial angle phi_1_init). elta_phi_1); the direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the change in the angle between the second reference direction and the z-axis (that is, the change delta_theta_2 between the current angle between the second reference direction and the z-axis and the initial angle theta_2_init), and the change in the angle of the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis (that is, the change delta_phi_2 between the angle of the projection of the current second reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the x-axis and the initial angle phi_2_init; or it can also be called the change in the angle from the positive half-axis of the x-axis to the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located, that is, the change delta_phi_2 between the angle from the positive half-axis of the current x-axis to the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the xy-axis is located and the initial angle phi_2_init).

[0143] Table 4

[0144] As another example, the first coordinate axis can be the x-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane where the y-axis and the z-axis are located. The second coordinate axis can be the y-axis or the z-axis, and the target direction can be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. The initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes initial direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction, and the initial direction information corresponding to each reference direction includes: the initial angle between the reference direction and the x-axis, and the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis; the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle change between the angle between the reference direction and the x-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle between the reference direction and the x-axis), and the angle change between the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis). Alternatively, the initial direction information corresponding to each reference direction includes: the initial angle between the reference direction and the x-axis, and the initial angle of the projection of the positive half-axis of the y-axis to the plane where the reference direction is located on the yz-axis; the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle change between the angle between the reference direction and the x-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle between the reference direction and the x-axis), and the angle change between the angle between the positive half-axis of the y-axis to the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the yz-axis is located and the initial angle (the initial angle between the positive half-axis of the y-axis to the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the yz-axis is located).

[0145] Taking the antenna panel as a rectangular design as an example, the initial posture information of the antenna panel includes initial direction information corresponding to two reference directions, and the two initial direction information include a first reference direction (the normal to the plane where the antenna panel is located) and a second reference direction (the direction where the short side of the antenna panel is located); the initial direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the initial angle theta_3_init between the first reference direction and the x-axis, and the initial angle phi_3_init of the projection of the first reference direction in the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis (or, the initial angle phi_3_init can also be the initial angle of the positive half-axis of the y-axis to the projection of the first reference direction in the plane where the yz axis is located); the initial direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the initial angle theta_4_init between the second reference direction and the x-axis, and the initial angle phi_4_init of the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis (or, the initial angle phi_4_init can also be the initial angle of the projection of the second reference direction in the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis (or). The first indication information includes direction information corresponding to two reference directions, where the two reference directions include a first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and a second reference direction (the direction where the short side of the antenna panel is located).For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 5. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the change in the angle between the first reference direction and the x-axis (that is, the change delta_theta_3 between the current angle between the first reference direction and the x-axis and the initial angle theta_3_init), the angle change of the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis (that is, the angle of the projection of the current first reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis and the change delta_phi_3 between the initial angle phi_3_init; or it can also be called the angle change from the positive half-axis of the y-axis to the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located, that is, the angle from the positive half-axis of the current y-axis to the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located, and the change de lta_phi_3); the direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the change in the angle between the second reference direction and the x-axis (that is, the change delta_theta_4 between the current angle between the second reference direction and the x-axis and the initial angle theta_4_init), and the change in the angle of the projection of the second reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis (that is, the change delta_phi_4 between the angle of the projection of the current second reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located to the positive half-axis of the y-axis and the initial angle phi_4_init; or it can also be called the change in the angle from the positive half-axis of the y-axis to the projection of the second reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located, that is, the change delta_phi_4 between the angle from the positive half-axis of the current y-axis to the projection of the second reference direction on the plane where the yz axis is located and the initial angle phi_4_init).

[0146] Table 5

[0147] As another example, the first coordinate axis can be the y-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane where the x-axis and the z-axis are located. The second coordinate axis can be the x-axis or the z-axis, and the target direction can be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. The initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes initial direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction, and the initial direction information corresponding to each reference direction includes: the initial angle between the reference direction and the y-axis, and the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the z-axis; the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle change between the angle between the reference direction and the y-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle between the reference direction and the y-axis), and the angle change between the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the z-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the z-axis). Alternatively, the initial direction information corresponding to each reference direction includes: the initial angle between the reference direction and the y-axis, and the initial angle of the projection of the positive half-axis of the z-axis to the reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located; the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle change between the angle between the reference direction and the y-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle between the reference direction and the y-axis), and the angle change between the angle between the positive half-axis of the z-axis and the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located and the initial angle (the initial angle between the positive half-axis of the z-axis and the projection of the reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located).

[0148] Taking the square design of the antenna panel as an example, the initial posture information of the antenna panel includes initial direction information corresponding to a reference direction, and the initial direction information includes the first reference direction (the normal to the plane where the antenna panel is located); the initial direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the initial angle theta_5_init between the first reference direction and the y-axis, and the initial angle phi_5_init of the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the z-axis (or the initial angle phi_5_init can also be the initial angle of the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the z-axis). The first indication information includes direction information corresponding to a reference direction, and the reference direction includes the first reference direction (the normal to the plane where the antenna panel is located). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 6. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the change in the angle between the first reference direction and the y-axis (that is, the change delta_theta_5 between the current angle between the first reference direction and the y-axis and the initial angle theta_5_init), and the change in the angle of the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the z-axis (that is, the change delta_phi_5 between the angle of the projection of the current first reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located to the positive half-axis of the z-axis and the initial angle phi_5_init; or it can also be called the change in the angle from the positive half-axis of the z-axis to the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located, that is, the change delta_phi_5 between the angle from the positive half-axis of the current z-axis to the projection of the first reference direction on the plane where the xz-axis is located and the initial angle phi_5_init).

[0149] Table 6

[0150] It should be noted that, when the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions, the direction information corresponding to each reference direction can be determined by any of the direction information representation methods introduced above.

[0151] In an embodiment of the present application, the range of the angle change of the reference direction relative to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system can be [-180, 180] degrees (for example, the value range of delta_theta_1, delta_theta_2, delta_theta_3, delta_theta_4, and delta_theta_5 in the above table is [-180, 180] degrees), and the range of the angle change of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis can be [-180, 180] degrees (for example, the value range of delta_phi_1, delta_phi_2, delta_phi_3, delta_phi_4, and delta_phi_5 in the above table is [-180, 180] degrees).

[0152] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, the number of bits occupied by the above-mentioned angle or angle is related to the number of antennas included in the antenna panel. For example, when the number of antennas included in the antenna panel is small, the number of bits occupied by the angle or angle is large. Alternatively, it can be understood that the quantization granularity of the angle or angle is related to the number of antennas included in the antenna panel. For example, when the number of antennas included in the antenna panel is small, the quantization granularity of the angle or angle is large. Alternatively, when the access link of the network control relay device corresponds to multiple antenna panels, the number of bits occupied by the above-mentioned angle or angle is related to the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels. For example, when the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels is small, the number of bits occupied by the angle or angle is large. Alternatively, it can be understood that the quantization granularity of the angle or angle is related to the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels. For example, when the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels is small, the quantization granularity of the angle or angle is large.

[0153] The network control relay device may generate the first indication information based on the content of the first indication information described above. After receiving the first indication information, the network device may determine the posture of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device based on the first indication information. For example, the network device may determine the orientation of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device based on the first indication information.

[0154] It should be noted that, taking the example of the network device determining the orientation of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device based on the first indication information, when the network device determines the direction information corresponding to the reference direction of the antenna panel based on the content contained in the first indication information, if multiple direction information corresponding to the reference direction can be determined based only on the content contained in the first indication information, then the network device can filter out accurate direction information from the multiple direction information corresponding to the reference direction based on the structure of the antenna panel. For example, if the reference direction is the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located, and the normal direction is agreed to be the direction from the back panel to the front panel of the antenna panel, when the direction information corresponding to the normal direction is determined to be from the front panel to the back panel based on the first indication information, the direction information corresponding to the normal direction can be ignored, and the direction information from the back panel to the front panel can be determined to be the direction information corresponding to the normal direction.

[0155] In an embodiment of the present application, the network control relay device can send the first indication information to the network device in a variety of different ways, which are introduced below.

[0156] Sending method 1: Periodic reporting.

[0157] Optionally, the network control relay device periodically sends the first indication information to the network device according to the first resource configured by the network device through a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0158] The network device may configure a reporting period and a first resource for the network control relay device via an RRC message. The first resource may be a reporting resource reserved by the network device. The first resource may include multiple resource locations, and the multiple resource locations are periodic resources. The network control relay device may periodically send first indication information to the network device via the first resource of the network device.

[0159] Correspondingly, the network device periodically receives the first indication information on the first resource configured for the network control relay device through the RRC message.

[0160] Transmission method 2: reporting through a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0161] Optionally, the network control relay device receives third indication information sent by the network device through MAC CE, and sends first indication information to the network device on the second resource configured by the network device through the RRC message; wherein the third indication information is used to indicate reporting the first indication information to the network device.

[0162] Correspondingly, the network device sends the third indication information to the network control relay device through the MAC CE, and receives the first indication information on the second resource configured for the network control relay device through the RRC message.

[0163] In this transmission mode 2, the network device may configure a reporting period and a second resource for the network-controlled relay device via an RRC message. The second resource may include at least one resource location. The network device may send third indication information to the network-controlled relay device via a MAC CE. The third indication information is used to trigger the network-controlled relay device to report the first indication information. After receiving the third indication information, the network-controlled relay device sends the first indication information on the second resource configured by the network device.

[0164] Transmission method 3: reporting through downlink control information (DCI).

[0165] Optionally, the network control relay device sends the first indication information to the network device on a third resource indicated by the network device through DCI.

[0166] Correspondingly, the network device indicates the third resource to the network control relay device through the DCI, and receives the first indication information on the third resource.

[0167] In the sending mode 3, the network device can send DCI to the network control relay device, and the DCI is used to trigger the network control relay device to report the first indication information; the DCI can carry reporting resources (third resources), and the network control relay device sends the first indication information to the network device through the third resource indicated by the DCI.

[0168] After receiving the first indication information, the network device determines the beam direction of the downlink data sent by the network control relay device to the terminal device based on the posture information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information when sending downlink data to the terminal device; the network device sends the second indication information to the network control relay device, and the second indication information is used to indicate the beam direction of the downlink data sent by the network control relay device to the terminal device.

[0169] Optionally, the second indication information may include beam indication information, which indicates the beam direction of the network-controlled relay device for sending downlink data to the terminal device. The second indication information may also include other control information for the network-controlled relay device, such as indication information for controlling the opening or closing of the forwarding module, TDD uplink and downlink configuration, timing information, and power control information.

[0170] As shown in the data transmission process in Figure 10, network device 1001 generates downlink data to be sent to terminal device 1002; network device 1001 forwards the downlink data to terminal device 1002 via network control relay device 1003. As network control relay device 1003 moves, the posture of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link changes. As shown in Figure 10, the antenna panel is in posture 1 at time t0, posture 2 at time t1, and posture 3 at time t2. At time t0, network device 1001 receives first indication information sent by network control relay device 1003, indicating posture 1 of the antenna panel. Based on the location of terminal device 1002 and the posture 1 of the antenna panel at time t0, network device 1001 determines that network control relay device 1003 should send downlink data to terminal device 1002 via beam a. At time t1, network device 1001 receives first indication information sent by network control relay device 1003, indicating posture 2 of the antenna panel. Based on the location of terminal device 1002 and posture 2 of the antenna panel at time t1, network device 1001 determines that network control relay device 1003 should send downlink data to terminal device 1002 via beam b. At time t2, network device 1001 receives first indication information sent by network control relay device 1003, indicating posture 3 of the antenna panel. Based on the location of terminal device 1002 and posture 3 of the antenna panel at time t2, network device 1001 determines that network control relay device 1003 should send downlink data to terminal device 1002 via beam c.

[0171] Based on the same concept, referring to FIG11 , an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 1100, which includes a processing module 1101 and a communication module 1102. The communication device 1100 may be a network control relay device, or a communication device applied to or used in conjunction with a network control relay device, capable of implementing a communication method executed on the network control relay device side; or the communication device 1100 may be a network device, or a communication device applied to or used in conjunction with a network device, capable of implementing a communication method executed on the network device side.

[0172] The communication module may also be referred to as a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver device. The processing module may also be referred to as a processor, processing board, processing unit, or processing device. Optionally, the communication module is used to perform the sending and receiving operations of the terminal device or the first network device in the above method. The device used to implement the receiving function in the communication module can be considered a receiving unit, and the device used to implement the sending function in the communication module can be considered a sending unit. That is, the communication module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0173] When the communication device 1100 is applied to a network control relay device, the processing module 1101 can be used to implement the processing function of the network control relay device in the embodiment shown in FIG4 , and the communication module 1102 can be used to implement the transceiver function of the network control relay device in the embodiment shown in FIG4 .

[0174] When the communication device 1100 is applied to a network device, the processing module 1101 can be used to implement the processing function of the network device in the embodiment shown in FIG4 , and the communication module 1102 can be used to implement the transceiver function of the network device in the embodiment shown in FIG4 .

[0175] In addition, it should be noted that the aforementioned communication module and / or processing module can be implemented through virtual modules, for example, the processing module can be implemented through a software functional unit or a virtual device, and the communication module can be implemented through a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing module or the communication module can also be implemented through a physical device. For example, if the communication device is implemented using a chip / chip circuit, the communication module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface that performs input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operations) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operations); the processing module is an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0176] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0177] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 1200. For example, the communication device 1200 can be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0178] The communication device 1200 can be used to implement the functions of the network control relay device or network device described in the aforementioned embodiments. The communication device 1200 may include at least one processor 1210, which is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the memory may be located within the communication device, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be located outside the communication device. For example, the communication device 1200 may also include at least one memory 1220. The memory 1220 stores the necessary computer programs, computer programs or instructions and / or data for implementing any of the aforementioned embodiments; the processor 1210 may execute the computer program stored in the memory 1220 to complete the method in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0179] The communication device 1200 may also include a communication interface 1230, through which the communication device 1200 can exchange information with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface 1230 may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin, or other type of communication interface. When the communication device 1200 is a chip-type device or circuit, the communication interface 1230 in the communication device 1200 may also be an input-output circuit that can input information (or receive information) and output information (or send information). The processor is an integrated processor or microprocessor or integrated circuit or logic circuit, and the processor can determine output information based on the input information.

[0180] The coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1210 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1220 and the communication interface 1230. The specific connection medium between the processor 1210, memory 1220, and communication interface 1230 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0181] Optionally, referring to FIG12 , the processor 1210, the memory 1220, and the communication interface 1230 are interconnected via a bus 1240. The bus 1240 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, FIG12 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0182] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0183] In an embodiment of the present application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0184] Wherein: the communication device 1200 can be applied to a network control relay device. Specifically, the communication device 1200 can be a network control relay device, or a device that can support the network control relay device to implement the network control relay device function in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 1220 stores a computer program (or instruction) and / or data that implements the network control relay device function in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 1210 can execute the computer program stored in the memory 1220 to complete the method executed by the network control relay device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. Applied to a terminal device, the communication interface in the communication device 1200 can be used to interact with other communication devices (such as network devices, terminal devices), send information to other communication devices, or receive information from other communication devices.

[0185] Wherein: the communication device 1200 can be applied to a first network device. Specifically, the communication device 1200 can be a network device, or a device that can support the network device to implement the network device function in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 1220 stores a computer program (or instruction) and / or data that implements the network device function in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 1210 can execute the computer program stored in the memory 1220 to complete the method executed by the network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. Applied to a network device, the communication interface in the communication device 1200 can be used to interact with other communication devices (such as a network control relay device) to send information to other communication devices or receive information from other communication devices.

[0186] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a terminal device, an access network device, 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. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium.

[0187] In the embodiments of the present application, under the premise that there is no logical contradiction, the embodiments may reference each other, for example, the methods and / or terms between method embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments and method embodiments may reference each other.

[0188] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the embodiments of the present application and their equivalents, the embodiments of the present application are intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a network control relay device, the method includes: Sending first indication information to a network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate attitude information of an antenna panel corresponding to an access link of the network control relay device; Receiving second indication information from the network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate a beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to a terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first indication information includes direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The at least one reference direction includes a normal direction of a plane where the antenna panel is located.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions include a normal direction of a plane where the antenna panel is located, and directions where at least one side of the antenna panel is located.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of a space coordinate system.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system include: an included angle of the reference direction with respect to a first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and an angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis to a target direction; wherein, the plane of the target coordinate is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes an angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system, and the angle change amount is a change amount between an angle of the reference direction with respect to the coordinate axis and a corresponding initial angle.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system includes: An included angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and an angle change amount of a projection of the reference direction in the target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis to a target direction; wherein, the included angle change amount is a change amount between an included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis and an initial angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis; the angle change amount is a change amount between an angle of a projection of the reference direction in the target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis to a target direction and an initial angle of a projection of the reference direction in the target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis to a target direction.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The sending of the first indication information to the network device includes: Periodically sending the first indication information to the network device according to a first resource configured by the network device through a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message; or Receiving third indication information sent by the network device through a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE), and sending the first indication information to the network device on a second resource configured by the network device through an RRC message; the third indication information is used to indicate reporting the first indication information to the network device; or Sending the first indication information to the network device on a third resource indicated by the network device through Downlink Control Information (DCI).

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The network control relay device is a non-terrestrial relay device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, and the network device is a terrestrial network device in the NTN system.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a network device, the method includes: Receiving first indication information from a network control relay device, where the first indication information is used to indicate attitude information of an antenna panel corresponding to an access link of the network control relay device; Sending second indication information to the network control relay device, where the second indication information is used to indicate a beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to a terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The method further includes: Determining a beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device according to the attitude information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first indication information includes direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The at least one reference direction includes a normal direction of a plane where the antenna panel is located.

15. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that When the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions include a normal direction of a plane where the antenna panel is located and directions of at least one side of the antenna panel.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that, The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of a space coordinate system.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system include: an included angle of the reference direction with respect to a first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and an angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis in a target direction; wherein, the plane of the target coordinate is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that, The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes an angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of a space coordinate system, and the angle change amount is a change amount between an angle of the reference direction with respect to the coordinate axis and a corresponding initial angle.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system includes: An included angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to a first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and an angle change amount of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis in a target direction; wherein, the included angle change amount is a change amount between an included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis and an initial included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis; the angle change amount is a change amount between an angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis in a target direction and an initial angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis in a target direction.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that The receiving the first indication information from the network control relay device includes: Periodically receiving the first indication information on a first resource configured for the network control relay device through an RRC message; or The third indication information sent to the network control relay device through the MAC CE, and receive the first indication information on the second resource configured for the network control relay device through the RRC message; the third indication information is used to indicate reporting the first indication information; or Indicate a third resource to the network control relay device through DCI, and receive the first indication information on the third resource.

21. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 20, characterized in that, The network control relay device is a non-terrestrial relay device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, and the network device is a terrestrial network device in the NTN system.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes: A processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes an interface circuit and a logic circuit; The interface circuit is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device; The logic circuit is used to execute a computer program to enable the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

25. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes a terminal device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and a first network device for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program or instruction is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instruction runs on a computer, it implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or implements the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program, which implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 when the computer program is executed by a communication device, or implements the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21 when the computer program is executed by a communication device.

28. A chip system, characterized in that, Includes: A processor, the processor is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

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