Beam measurement method and apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a beam measurement method and apparatus. The present application can be used to support an RIS-based communication enhancement scenario. The method comprises: receiving a plurality of measurement reference signals sent by a sending end through an RIS; determining a target beam on the basis of a first beam direction and measurement results of the plurality of measurement reference signals, wherein the first beam direction is determined on the basis of relative locations and / or relative directions between the sending end and the RIS; and sending a measurement result of the target beam. A target beam is determined on the basis of a first beam direction and measurement results of a plurality of measurement reference signals, such that the determined target beam is better than a beam having the maximum receiving power. Therefore, during beam measurement, by means of sending a measurement result of the target beam to a sending end, the impact of erroneous feedback of a sidelobe beam (the beam having the maximum receiving power) on the transmission performance can be avoided, thereby improving the beam measurement performance and transmission performance.

Description

Beam measurement method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 27, 2023, with application number 202311836112.6, and priority to the Chinese patent application entitled “Beam Measurement Method and Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] Throughout the evolution of wireless communication systems, high throughput and massive connectivity have always been core challenges and goals. To address these challenges, various technological innovations have emerged. However, increasingly complex systems face challenges in achieving both complexity and energy efficiency, as well as enhancing the utilization and control of spatial channels.

[0004] To address these challenges, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), also known as intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) or large intelligent surfaces (LIS), have been widely researched as a technology with significant potential. RIS is a subwavelength artificial two-dimensional material typically composed of metal, dielectric, and tunable elements. Specifically, RIS is a smart panel consisting of multiple arrays, each of which is a low-cost passive reflector. By flexibly configuring the amplitude and phase of each array, wireless channel fading can be controlled and a desired directional beam can be formed. RIS can be mounted on large surfaces (such as indoor walls or ceilings, outdoor buildings, or signs) to reflect radio frequency (RF) energy around obstacles and create a virtual line-of-sight path between the communication source and target.

[0005] Beam scanning is a fundamental requirement for wireless mobile communications and radar. RIS (Reconfigurable Inductively Coupled Signaling) (RIS) can achieve beam scanning performance using a reconfigurable phase distribution. As the simplest form of phase compensation, a RIS unit (i.e., array) with 1-bit phase compensation requires only two switchable states (typically with a 180° phase difference) to achieve beamforming of electromagnetic waves. Compared to RIS units with 2-bit or higher compensation, a 1-bit RIS unit has a simpler structure, requiring only a small number of switches (such as switching diodes) to switch between RIS unit states, and minimal control wiring layout. Therefore, a 1-bit RIS (i.e., one using 1-bit phase-compensated RIS units) can significantly reduce the cost and losses associated with switches and greatly simplify the design of control circuits. However, using a 1-bit RIS comes with a trade-off: its adjustable phase freedom is very limited, which can introduce very high sidelobes during beam scanning, or even beams that are symmetrical with the mainlobe. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application discloses a beam measurement method and device, which can avoid the impact of erroneous feedback sidelobe beams on transmission performance during the beam measurement process, thereby improving beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a beam measurement method, the method comprising: receiving multiple measurement reference signals sent by a transmitter via a reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS); determining a target beam based on a first beam direction and measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, wherein the first beam direction is determined based on the relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitter and the RIS; and sending the measurement results of the target beam. In the present application, receiving multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitter via the RIS can be replaced by: receiving multiple measurement reference signals from the transmitter via the RIS. The target beam can be a preferred beam that the transmitter can use to send signals to the receiver. For example, the target beam can be the optimal beam (i.e., the main lobe beam) that the transmitter can use to send signals to the receiver, that is, the beam that receives the best signal at the receiver. In the present application, a preferred beam refers to a preferred beam that the transmitter can use to send signals to the receiver, such as the optimal beam. Alternatively, the target beam can be a beam that causes the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the signal received by the receiving end to exceed a preset threshold when the transmitting end sends a signal to the receiving end at a constant transmission power. The preset threshold can be set according to actual needs and is not limited here.

[0008] In this embodiment of the present application, a target beam is determined based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals. The determined target beam is superior to the beam with the highest received power. Therefore, during the beam measurement process, by transmitting the measurement results of the target beam, the impact of erroneous feedback of sidelobe beams (the beam with the highest received power) on transmission performance can be avoided, thereby improving beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam, i.e., identification information of the target beam. The information for identifying the target beam may be an index of the target beam, an angle vector, an index of a codeword corresponding to the target beam, etc.

[0010] In this implementation, the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam, so that the transmitting end can determine the target beam.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS is equal to the angle between the incident beam direction of the transmit beam of the transmitting end (hereinafter referred to as the incident direction) and the normal direction of the RIS; or, the difference between the angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS and the angle between the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS is less than or equal to a preset value; or, the first beam direction and the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitting end are symmetrical with respect to the normal direction of the RIS.

[0012] In this implementation, the first beam direction may be determined based on the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS.

[0013] In one possible implementation, before determining the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the method further includes: receiving first indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS, the first indication information being used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, or the first indication information being used to indicate at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitting end, or the first indication information being used to indicate the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS; and determining the first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0014] In this implementation, a first beam direction is determined based on the first indication information, and then a target beam is determined based on the first beam direction and measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals. Furthermore, because the serving RIS at the receiving end may switch and / or at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS may change, determining the first beam direction based on the first indication information ensures that the information used to determine the first beam direction is accurate.

[0015] In one possible implementation, before receiving the first indication information from the sending end or the RIS, the method further includes: sending a first trigger request to the sending end or the RIS, where the first trigger request is used to trigger the sending end or the RIS to send the first indication information.

[0016] In this implementation, a first trigger request is sent to the transmitting end or the RIS to obtain information for determining a first beam direction.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the sending of the first trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS includes: sending the first trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS based on the receiving performance or mobility status of the receiving end; or sending the first trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS when the receiving end determines that beam scanning is required.

[0018] When a significant change occurs in the receiving end's reception performance or mobility (for example, the SNR of the received signal at the receiving end falls below a certain threshold or the receiving end's mobility exceeds a certain threshold), this is typically caused by a change in at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. Based on the receiving end's reception performance or mobility, a first trigger request is sent to the transmitting end or RIS, allowing timely acquisition of at least one of the current relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. If the receiving end determines that beam scanning is necessary, the first trigger request is sent to the transmitting end or RIS, allowing timely acquisition of information used to determine the first beam direction.

[0019] In one possible implementation, before receiving the first indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS, the method further includes: determining the first beam direction based on fourth indication information, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, or the fourth indication information is used to indicate at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitting end, or the fourth indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS.

[0020] In this implementation, a first beam direction is determined based on the fourth indication information, so as to determine a target beam based on the first beam direction and measurement results of a plurality of measurement reference signals.

[0021] In one possible implementation, before determining the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the method further includes: receiving second indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS, where the second indication information is used to indicate the first beam direction.

[0022] In this implementation, the first beam direction may be obtained by receiving the second indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS.

[0023] In one possible implementation, before receiving the second indication information from the sending end or the RIS, the method further includes: sending a second trigger request to the sending end or the RIS, where the second trigger request is used to trigger the sending end or the RIS to send the second indication information.

[0024] In this implementation, a second trigger request is sent to the transmitting end or the RIS to obtain information for determining the first beam direction.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the sending of the second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS includes: sending the second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS based on the receiving performance or mobility status of the receiving end; or sending the second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS when the receiving end determines that beam scanning will be performed.

[0026] When a significant change occurs in the receiving end's reception performance or mobility (for example, the SNR of the received signal at the receiving end falls below a certain threshold or the receiving end's mobility exceeds a certain threshold), this is typically caused by a change in at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. Based on the receiving end's reception performance or mobility, a second trigger request is sent to the transmitting end or RIS, allowing timely acquisition of at least one of the current relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. If the receiving end determines that beam scanning is necessary, the second trigger request is sent to the transmitting end or RIS, allowing timely acquisition of information used to determine the first beam direction.

[0027] In one possible implementation, determining the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals includes: determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, and the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0028] In this implementation, a target beam may be determined and identified.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the determination of the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the relative positional relationship between the receiving end and the RIS includes: determining the angular region to which the target beam belongs based on the first beam direction; and determining the beam, among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals, that is located within the angular region and whose first performance indicator is greater than or equal to the target threshold, as the target beam. In the present application, the first performance indicator can be RSRP, SNR, or other indicators for measuring beam quality, and the target threshold can be set according to actual needs and is not limited here.

[0030] In this implementation, a better beam among multiple beams associated with multiple measurement reference signals is determined as the target beam.

[0031] In one possible implementation, determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the relative positional relationship between the receiving end and the RIS includes: determining, based on the first beam direction, the angular area to which the target beam belongs; and determining, among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals, the beam that is located within the angular area and has the best first performance indicator as the target beam.

[0032] In one possible implementation, determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals by the receiving end, the first beam direction, and the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals includes: determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the relative position relationship between the receiving end and the RIS.

[0033] In this implementation, the target beam can be accurately determined and identified.

[0034] In one possible implementation, determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the relative position relationship between the receiving end and the RIS includes: determining the angular area to which the target beam belongs based on the first beam direction and the relative position relationship; and determining, among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals, a beam that is within the angular area and has a first performance indicator greater than or equal to a target threshold as the target beam.

[0035] In one possible implementation, determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the relative position relationship between the receiving end and the RIS includes: determining the angular area to which the target beam belongs based on the first beam direction and the relative position relationship; and determining, among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals, the beam that is located within the angular area and has the best first performance indicator as the target beam.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving third indication information from the transmitting end, the third indication information being used to indicate the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals or measurement beams. Optionally, the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam, the information for identifying the target beam being the order of the measurement reference signals corresponding to the target beam in the multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitting end, or, or the information for identifying the target beam being the order of the target beam in the measurement beam. In other words, the index of the target beam is the order of the measurement reference signals corresponding to the target beam in the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0037] In this implementation, third indication information is received from the transmitting end, so as to determine information for identifying the target beam based on the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is also used to indicate the mode in which the receiving end performs beam measurement. Exemplarily, the modes in which the receiving end performs beam measurement include at least: a traditional mode and a target mode. When the receiving end adopts the traditional mode, the beam with the highest power is fed back. When the receiving end adopts the target mode, the target beam is determined based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, and the target beam is fed back. In the traditional mode, the receiving end does not need to determine the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals. In the target mode, the receiving end needs to determine and feed back the target beam. The measurement results of the target beam include information for identifying the target beam, such as the index of the target beam, the angle vector, the index of the codeword corresponding to the target beam, etc. For example, the target beam can be a better beam (i.e., a main lobe beam) that the transmitting end can use to send a signal to the receiving end, that is, the beam that receives the best signal at the receiving end. In one possible implementation, in the traditional mode, the receiving end does not need to distinguish between the main lobe beam and the side lobe beam, that is, it filters the main lobe beam information and the grating lobe beam information, and needs to select the beam with the highest receiving power for reporting; in the target mode, the receiving end needs to distinguish between the main lobe beam and the side lobe beam, that is, it filters the main lobe beam information and the grating lobe beam information, determines the target beam based on the first beam direction and reports it. In other words, in the target mode, the target beam reported by the receiving end must be the main lobe beam; in the traditional mode, the measurement beam reported by the receiving end may be a side lobe beam. There is no limitation on the naming of the traditional mode and the target mode. For example, the traditional mode can be named the first mode, and the target mode can be named the second mode.

[0039] In this implementation, the third indication information can implicitly indicate the mode in which the receiving end performs beam measurement, which can save signaling overhead.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple sounding reference signals to the receiving end is the order of codewords in a scan codebook used by the receiving end, and one codeword in the scan codebook corresponds to one sounding reference signal among the multiple sounding reference signals.

[0041] In this implementation, the order in which the transmitter sends multiple sounding reference signals to the receiver is the order of codewords in the scan codebook used by the receiver, which can facilitate the order in which the transmitter sends multiple sounding reference signals to the receiver, and reduces signaling overhead.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving fifth indication information from the transmitting end, the fifth indication information being used to indicate a mode for the receiving end to perform beam measurement; determining the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals includes: determining the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals in response to the fifth indication information.

[0043] In this implementation, in response to the fifth indication information, the target beam is determined based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals; beam measurement can be performed in accordance with the mode in which the receiving end is instructed to perform beam measurement.

[0044] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an information indication method, the method comprising: generating first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between a transmitter and a RIS, or the first indication information being used to indicate at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitter, or the first indication information being used to indicate the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitter and the normal direction of the RIS; and sending the first indication information to a receiver. Optionally, the first indication information is used to determine a first beam direction, which is used by the receiver to determine a target beam (e.g., a main lobe beam) based on measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitter to the receiver via the RIS. Alternatively, the first indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitter and the normal direction of the RIS.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present application, first indication information is sent to the receiving end so that the receiving end determines a first beam direction based on the first indication information, and then determines a target beam based on the first beam direction and measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitting end to the receiving end via the RIS. This can avoid the impact of erroneous feedback sidelobe beams on transmission performance, thereby improving beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0046] In a possible implementation, before sending the first indication information to the receiving end, the method further includes: receiving a first trigger request from the receiving end; and sending the first indication information to the receiving end in response to the first trigger request.

[0047] In this implementation, the first indication information is sent to the receiving end in response to the first trigger request; this can save signaling overhead and prevent the receiving end from lacking the first indication information.

[0048] In one possible implementation, sending the first indication information to the receiving end includes sending the first indication information to the receiving end when topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the receiving end switches to the RIS. The topology configuration information of the RIS may include at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, the normal direction of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitting end.

[0049] In this implementation, when the topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the receiving end is switched to the RIS, first indication information is sent to the receiving end; this allows the receiving end to promptly obtain at least one of the current relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, or at least one of the current azimuth angle of the RIS, the current panel orientation of the RIS, the current altitude of the RIS, the current panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the current distance between the RIS and the transmitting end.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending third indication information to the receiving end, where the third indication information is used to indicate the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals. Optionally, the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam, where the information for identifying the target beam is the order of the measurement reference signals corresponding to the target beam in the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals. In other words, the index of the target beam is the order of the measurement reference signals corresponding to the target beam in the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0051] In this implementation, third indication information is received from the transmitting end, so as to determine information for identifying the target beam based on the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the third indication information is further used to indicate a mode for the receiving end to perform beam measurement. Exemplarily, the modes for the receiving end to perform beam measurement include at least: a traditional mode and a target mode. When the receiving end adopts the traditional mode, the receiving end feeds back the beam with the highest power. When the receiving end adopts the target mode, the receiving end determines a target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, and feeds back the target beam.

[0053] In this implementation, the third indication information can implicitly indicate the mode in which the receiving end performs beam measurement, which can save signaling overhead.

[0054] In one possible implementation, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple sounding reference signals to the receiving end is the order of codewords in a scan codebook used by the receiving end, and one codeword in the scan codebook corresponds to one sounding reference signal among the multiple sounding reference signals.

[0055] In this implementation, the order in which the transmitter sends multiple sounding reference signals to the receiver is the order of codewords in the scan codebook used by the receiver, which can facilitate the order in which the transmitter sends multiple sounding reference signals to the receiver, and reduces signaling overhead.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending multiple measurement reference signals to the receiving end through the RIS; receiving a measurement result of the target beam from the receiving end, the measurement result of the target beam including information for identifying the target beam. Optionally, the target beam is determined by the receiving end based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, and the first indication information is used to determine the first beam direction. The target beam can be a beam that causes the RSRP of the signal received by the receiving end to exceed a preset threshold when the transmitting end sends a signal to the receiving end under a certain transmission power. The preset threshold can be set according to actual needs and is not limited here. Exemplarily, the target beam is a main lobe beam.

[0057] In this implementation, a measurement result of a target beam is received from a receiving end, where the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam. By selecting the target beam to send data to the receiving end, transmission performance can be improved.

[0058] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending fifth indication information to the receiving end, the fifth indication information being used to indicate a beam measurement mode for the receiving end. Exemplarily, the fifth indication information is used to instruct the receiving end to use a target mode for beam measurement. When using the target mode, the receiving end determines a target beam based on a first beam direction and measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, and feeds back the target beam. The first beam direction is determined based on a relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS.

[0059] In this implementation, fifth indication information is sent to the receiving end so that the receiving end performs beam measurement according to the corresponding mode, that is, feeds back the measurement result of the target beam, thereby improving transmission performance.

[0060] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides another information indication method, the method including: generating second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate a first beam direction, the first beam direction being determined based on the relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, the first beam direction being used by the receiving end to determine the target beam based on the measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitting end to the receiving end through the RIS; and sending the second indication information to the receiving end.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present application, second indication information is sent to the receiving end so that the receiving end obtains the first beam direction based on the second indication information, and then determines the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitting end to the receiving end through the RIS. This can avoid the impact of erroneous feedback sidelobe beams on transmission performance, thereby improving beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0062] In one possible implementation, before sending the second indication information to the receiving end, the method also includes: receiving a second trigger request from the receiving end; sending the second indication information to the receiving end includes: sending the second indication information to the receiving end in response to the second trigger request.

[0063] In this implementation, the second indication information is sent to the receiving end in response to the second trigger request; this can save signaling overhead and prevent the receiving end from lacking the second indication information.

[0064] In one possible implementation, sending the second indication information to the receiving end includes sending the second indication information to the receiving end when topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the receiving end switches to the RIS. The topology configuration information of the RIS may include at least one of an azimuth angle of the RIS, a panel orientation of the RIS, an altitude of the RIS, a panel pitch angle of the RIS, or a distance between the RIS and the transmitting end.

[0065] When the topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the receiving end switches, the first beam direction will also change accordingly. In this implementation, when the topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the receiving end switches to the RIS, second indication information is sent to the receiving end, allowing the receiving end to promptly indicate the updated first beam direction.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending third indication information to the receiving end, where the third indication information is used to indicate the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals. Optionally, the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam, where the information for identifying the target beam is the order of the measurement reference signals corresponding to the target beam in the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals. In other words, the index of the target beam is the order of the measurement reference signals corresponding to the target beam in the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0067] In this implementation, third indication information is received from the transmitting end, so as to determine information for identifying the target beam based on the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0068] In one possible implementation, the third indication information is further used to indicate a mode for the receiving end to perform beam measurement. Exemplarily, the modes for the receiving end to perform beam measurement include at least: a traditional mode and a target mode. When the receiving end adopts the traditional mode, the receiving end feeds back the beam with the highest power. When the receiving end adopts the target mode, the receiving end determines a target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, and feeds back the target beam.

[0069] In this implementation, the third indication information can implicitly indicate the mode in which the receiving end performs beam measurement, which can save signaling overhead.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple sounding reference signals to the receiving end is the order of codewords in a scan codebook used by the receiving end, and one codeword in the scan codebook corresponds to one sounding reference signal among the multiple sounding reference signals.

[0071] In this implementation, the order in which the transmitter sends multiple sounding reference signals to the receiver is the order of codewords in the scan codebook used by the receiver, which can facilitate the order in which the transmitter sends multiple sounding reference signals to the receiver, and reduces signaling overhead.

[0072] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending multiple measurement reference signals to the receiving end through the RIS; receiving a measurement result of the target beam from the receiving end, the measurement result of the target beam including information for identifying the target beam. Optionally, the target beam is determined by the receiving end based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, and the first indication information is used to determine the first beam direction. The target beam can be a beam that causes the RSRP of the signal received by the receiving end to exceed a preset threshold when the transmitting end sends a signal to the receiving end under a certain transmission power. The preset threshold can be set according to actual needs and is not limited here. Exemplarily, the target beam is a main lobe beam.

[0073] In this implementation, a measurement result of a target beam is received from a receiving end, where the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam. By selecting the target beam to send data to the receiving end, transmission performance can be improved.

[0074] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending fifth indication information to the receiving end, the fifth indication information being used to indicate a beam measurement mode for the receiving end. Exemplarily, the fifth indication information is used to instruct the receiving end to use a target mode for beam measurement. When using the target mode, the receiving end determines a target beam based on a first beam direction and measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, and feeds back the target beam. The first beam direction is determined based on a relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS.

[0075] In this implementation, fifth indication information is sent to the receiving end so that the receiving end performs beam measurement according to the corresponding mode, that is, feeds back the measurement result of the target beam, thereby improving transmission performance.

[0076] In one possible implementation, before generating the second indication information, the method further includes: determining the first beam direction based on fourth indication information, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, or the fourth indication information is used to indicate at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitting end, or the fourth indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS.

[0077] In this implementation, a first beam direction is determined based on the fourth indication information, so as to determine a target beam based on the first beam direction and measurement results of a plurality of measurement reference signals.

[0078] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device having the function of implementing the behavior described in the method embodiment of the first aspect. The communication device may be a network device, a component of a network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. Alternatively, the communication device may be a terminal device, a component of a terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The functions of the communication device may be implemented through hardware or through hardware executing corresponding software, wherein the hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein: the transceiver module is configured to receive multiple measurement reference signals transmitted by a transmitter via a RIS; the processing module is configured to determine a target beam based on a first beam direction and measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, wherein the first beam direction is determined based on the relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitter and the RIS; and the transceiver module is further configured to transmit the measurement results of the target beam.

[0079] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to: receive first indication information from the transmitter or the RIS, where the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of a relative position and a relative direction between the transmitter and the RIS, or the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of an azimuth angle of the RIS, a panel orientation of the RIS, an altitude of the RIS, a panel pitch angle of the RIS, or a distance between the RIS and the transmitter, or the first indication information is used to indicate an incident direction of a transmit beam of the transmitter and a normal direction of the RIS; and the processing module is configured to determine the first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0080] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send a first trigger request to the sending end or the RIS, where the first trigger request is used to trigger the sending end or the RIS to send the first indication information.

[0081] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further used to control the transceiver module to send the first trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS based on the receiving performance or mobility status of the receiving end; or, when the receiving end determines that beam scanning is required, control the transceiver module to send the first trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further used to determine the first beam direction based on fourth indication information, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, or the fourth indication information is used to indicate at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitting end, or the fourth indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS.

[0083] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive second indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS, where the second indication information is used to indicate the first beam direction.

[0084] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send a second trigger request to the sending end or the RIS, where the second trigger request is used to trigger the sending end or the RIS to send the second indication information.

[0085] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further used to control the transceiver module to send the second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS based on the receiving performance or mobility status of the receiving end; or, when the receiving end determines that beam scanning will be performed, control the transceiver module to send the second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS.

[0086] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically configured to determine the target beam based on measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, and the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine the angular area to which the target beam belongs based on the first beam direction; and determine the beam among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals, which is located in the angular area and has a first performance indicator greater than or equal to the target threshold, as the target beam.

[0088] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine the angular area to which the target beam belongs based on the first beam direction; and determine the beam that is located in the angular area and has the best first performance indicator among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals as the target beam.

[0089] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the relative position relationship between the receiving end and the RIS.

[0090] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine the angular area to which the target beam belongs based on the first beam direction and the relative position relationship; and determine the beam among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals, which is located in the angular area and has a first performance indicator greater than or equal to the target threshold, as the target beam.

[0091] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine the angular area to which the target beam belongs based on the first beam direction and the relative position relationship; and determine the beam that is located in the angular area and has the best first performance indicator among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals as the target beam.

[0092] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver module is further configured to receive third indication information from the transmitting end, where the third indication information is used to indicate an order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple sounding reference signals.

[0093] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is also used to receive fifth indication information from the transmitting end, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate the mode of the receiving end to perform beam measurement; the processing module is specifically used to respond to the fifth indication information and determine the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0094] Possible implementations of the communication device of the fourth aspect may refer to the various possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0095] For the technical effects brought about by various possible implementations of the fourth aspect, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the first aspect or various possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0096] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device having the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the second aspect above. The communication device can be a network device, or a component of a network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. Alternatively, the communication device can be a terminal device, or a component of a terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The functions of the communication device can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations, and the hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein: the processing module is configured to generate first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between a transmitting end and a RIS, or the first indication information being used to indicate at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitting end, or the first indication information being used to indicate the incident direction of a transmit beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS; and the transceiver module is configured to send the first indication information to a receiving end.

[0097] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further used to receive a first trigger request from the receiving end; the processing module is further used to control the transceiver module to send the first indication information to the receiving end in response to the first trigger request.

[0098] In a possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to control the transceiver module to send the first indication information to the receiving end when topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the receiving end is switched to the RIS.

[0099] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver module is further configured to send third indication information to the receiving end, where the third indication information is used to indicate an order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple sounding reference signals.

[0100] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send a plurality of measurement reference signals to the receiving end via the RIS; and receive a measurement result of a target beam from the receiving end, wherein the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam.

[0101] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further used to send fifth indication information to the receiving end, and the fifth indication information is used to instruct the receiving end to perform a beam measurement mode.

[0102] Possible implementations of the communication device of the fifth aspect may refer to the various possible implementations of the second aspect.

[0103] For the technical effects brought about by various possible implementation methods of the fifth aspect, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the second aspect or various possible implementation methods of the second aspect.

[0104] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device having the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the third aspect above. The communication device may be a network device, or a component of a network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the network device. Alternatively, the communication device may be a terminal device, or a component of a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software, and the hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein: the processing module is configured to generate second indication information, the second indication information is configured to indicate a first beam direction, the first beam direction is determined based on the relative position and / or relative direction between a transmitting end and a RIS, the first beam direction is used by a receiving end to determine a target beam based on measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitting end to the receiving end via the RIS; and the transceiver module is configured to send the second indication information to the receiving end.

[0105] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second trigger request from the receiving end; and the processing module is configured to control the transceiver module to send the second indication information to the receiving end in response to the second trigger request.

[0106] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to control the transceiver module to send the second indication information to the receiving end when topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the receiving end is switched to the RIS.

[0107] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver module is further configured to send third indication information to the receiving end, where the third indication information is used to indicate an order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple sounding reference signals.

[0108] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send a plurality of measurement reference signals to the receiving end via the RIS; and receive a measurement result of a target beam from the receiving end, wherein the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam.

[0109] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further used to send fifth indication information to the receiving end, where the fifth indication information is used to instruct the receiving end to perform a beam measurement mode.

[0110] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further used to determine the first beam direction based on fourth indication information, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, or the fourth indication information is used to indicate at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitting end, or the fourth indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS.

[0111] Possible implementations of the communication device of the sixth aspect may refer to various possible implementations of the third aspect.

[0112] For the technical effects brought about by various possible implementation methods of the sixth aspect, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the third aspect or various possible implementation methods of the third aspect.

[0113] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides another communication device, which includes one or more processors, and the one or more processors are used to process data and / or signaling so that the method of any one of the first to third aspects above is implemented.

[0114] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory storing a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the processor, the communication device performs the method of any one of the first to third aspects described above. Exemplarily, the communication device may be a chip, the processor may be a processing unit in the chip, and the memory may be a random access memory or cache in the chip.

[0115] In the embodiment of the present application, during the execution of the above method, the process of sending information (or signal) in the above method can be understood as the process of outputting information based on the computer program or instructions of the processor. When outputting information, the processor outputs the information to the transceiver so that it can be transmitted by the transceiver. After being output by the processor, the information may undergo other processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, when the processor receives input information, the transceiver receives the information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the information, the information may undergo other processing before being input into the processor.

[0116] For operations such as sending and / or receiving involved by the processor, unless otherwise specified, or unless they conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant description, they can be generally understood as computer programs or instruction outputs based on the processor.

[0117] During implementation, the processor may be a processor specifically configured to execute these methods, or may be a processor that executes computer programs or instructions in a memory to execute these methods, such as a general-purpose processor. For example, the processor may also be configured to execute a program stored in a memory. When the program is executed, the communication device performs the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0118] In a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication device. In a possible implementation, the memory is located inside the communication device.

[0119] In a possible implementation, the processor and the memory may also be integrated into one device, that is, the processor and the memory may also be integrated together.

[0120] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver, and the transceiver is used to receive signals or send signals.

[0121] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides another communication device, which includes a processing circuit and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to acquire data or output data; the processing circuit is used to execute the method of any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0122] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. The computer program includes program instructions, which, when executed, enable the computer to execute the method of any one of the first to third aspects mentioned above.

[0123] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program, and the computer program includes program instructions, which, when executed, enable the computer to execute the method of any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0124] In the eleventh aspect, the present application provides a chip comprising a communication interface and a processor; the communication interface is used for transmitting and receiving signals of the chip; the processor is used for executing computer programs or instructions so that a communication device comprising the chip executes a method as described in any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0125] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, comprising the communication device described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, and the communication device described in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation of the fifth aspect. Optionally, the communication system further comprises the RIS described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0126] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, comprising the communication device described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, and the communication device described in the sixth aspect or any possible implementation of the sixth aspect. Optionally, the communication system further comprises the RIS described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0127] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of three beam directions corresponding to three lobes in a 1-bit RIS antenna pattern provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0128] FIG2 is a schematic diagram comparing a 1-bit RIS beam measurement example and a multi-bit RIS beam measurement example provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0129] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which an embodiment of the present application may be applied;

[0130] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0131] FIG5 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0132] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the relative positions of a base station (an example of a transmitting end) and a RIS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0133] FIG7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0134] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0135] FIG9 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0136] FIG10 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0137] FIG11 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0138] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0139] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of another apparatus 1300 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0140] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of another apparatus 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0141] FIG15 is a simulation diagram of an embodiment of the present application using an existing 1-bit RIS beam measurement and a 1-bit RIS beam measurement provided by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0142] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification, claims and drawings of the present application are only used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. It will be understood that the various digital numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence number of each of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally also includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally also includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0143] The "embodiment" mentioned in this document means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It can be understood explicitly and implicitly by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments. In this application, the naming of messages is only used to distinguish different messages and should not be understood as a limitation. In other words, the name of any message in this application can be replaced with other names, and this application is not limited.

[0144] The terms used in the following embodiments of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application. As used in the specification of the present application and the appended claims, the singular expressions "one", "a kind of", "said", "above", "the" and "this" are intended to also include plural expressions, unless there is a clear contrary indication in the context. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used in the present application refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more listed items. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The term "multiple" used in the present application refers to two or more. In the textual description of the present application, the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0145] It is understood that in each embodiment of the present application, "A corresponds to B" means that there is a corresponding relationship between A and B, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should also be understood that determining (or generating) B according to (or based on) A does not mean that B is determined (or generated) only according to (or based on) A, and B can also be determined (or generated) according to (or based on) A and / or other information.

[0146] It should be understood that, in this application, indication includes direct indication (also known as explicit indication) and implicit indication. Direct indication of information A refers to including information A; implicit indication of information A refers to indicating information A through the correspondence between information A and information B and the direct indication of information B. The correspondence between information A and information B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured.

[0147] It should be understood that, in this application, information C is used to determine information D, which includes both information D being determined solely based on information C and information D being determined based on information C and other information. Furthermore, information C can also be used to determine information D indirectly, for example, where information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

[0148] In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, "network element A sends information A to network element B" can be understood as the destination end of the information A or the intermediate network element in the transmission path between the destination end and the network element B, which may include directly or indirectly sending information to network element B. "Network element B receives information A from network element A" can be understood as the source end of the information A or the intermediate network element in the transmission path between the source end and the network element A, which may include directly or indirectly receiving information from network element A. The information may be processed as necessary between the source end and the destination end of the information transmission, such as format changes, but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be elaborated here.

[0149] To facilitate understanding of the solutions of the present application, the following first introduces the terms and technical solutions involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0150] Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO): MIMO technology leverages spatial resources to achieve array gain, multiplexing gain, diversity gain, and interference cancellation gain in space without increasing system bandwidth, exponentially increasing the capacity and spectral efficiency of communication systems. Since its introduction, it has been favored by wireless communication researchers as one of the most typical and effective solutions to overcome non-ideal characteristics such as channel fading and inter-symbol interference caused by the complexity and diversity of communication environments. For example, in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, the transmitter and receiver use multiple antennas to support up to eight layers of transmission.

[0151] Multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) scheduling: Array antennas are widely used in communication systems that use beamforming technology for signal transmission. Since the array antenna on the network device side (such as a base station) usually has multiple antenna ports, the network device has the ability to communicate with multiple terminal devices at the same time. In order to make full use of resources, the network device can use different antenna ports to allocate the same time-frequency resources or address code resources to different terminal devices, that is, to perform MU-MIMO scheduling. During MU-MIMO scheduling, the network device can use the directional beam formed by the array antenna to suppress the sidelobe radiation of the beam, so as to reduce interference between different terminal devices.

[0152] Beam: A beam can correspond to instantaneous or statistical channel characteristics during signal transmission, such as delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average delay, average gain, spatial receive parameters, and spatial transport parameters. Spatial receive parameters or spatial transport parameters can include one or more of the following: angle of arrival (AOA), average AOA, AOA spread, angle of departure (AOD), average AOD, AOD spread, receive antenna spatial correlation parameter, transmit antenna spatial correlation parameter, transmit beam, receive beam, and resource identifier. A beam can be called a spatial domain filter, a spatial filter, a spatial domain parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial domain setting, a spatial setting, quasi-colocation (QCL) information, a QCL assumption, or a QCL indication, etc. A beam can be indicated by a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state parameter, or by a spatial relation parameter. Therefore, in this application, a beam can be replaced with a transmission direction, a transmission resource, a spatial domain filter, a spatial filter, a spatial domain parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial setting, a spatial setting, QCL information, a QCL assumption, a QCL indication, a TCI state (including an uplink TCI state, a downlink TCI state), or a spatial relationship, etc. A beam can also be replaced with other terms representing a beam, which are not limited in this application.

[0153] In the present application, a beam used to transmit a signal may be referred to as a transmission beam (Tx beam), a spatial domain transmission filter, a spatial transmission filter, a spatial domain transmission parameter, a spatial transmission parameter, a spatial domain transmission setting, or a spatial transmission setting. In the present application, a beam used to receive a signal may be referred to as a reception beam (Rx beam), a spatial domain reception filter, a spatial reception filter, a spatial domain reception parameter or a spatial reception parameter, a spatial domain reception setting, or a spatial reception setting. An uplink transmit beam may be indicated by any one of a spatial relationship and a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource (indicating a transmit beam using the SRS). The uplink beam can also be replaced by SRS resources.

[0154] A transmit beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after a signal is transmitted by an antenna, and a receive beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space of a wireless signal received from an antenna. In addition, a beam may be a wide beam, a narrow beam, or other types of beams. The technology for forming a beam may be a beamforming technology or other technologies. The beamforming technology may specifically be a digital beamforming technology, an analog beamforming technology, a hybrid digital beamforming technology, or a hybrid analog beamforming technology. A beam generally corresponds to a resource. For example, when performing beam measurement, a network device measures different beams using different resources, and the terminal device feeds back the measured resource quality, so that the network device knows the quality of the corresponding beam. When data is transmitted, beam information may also be indicated by its corresponding resource. For example, the network device indicates the beam information of the terminal device through the TCI field in the downlink control information (DCI). Optionally, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics are regarded as one beam. A beam may include one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, and sounding signals, etc. The one or more antenna ports forming a beam may also be regarded as an antenna port set.

[0155] Beams can be indicated / characterized by reference signals. This means that the QCL relationship between reference signals can represent different or identical beams. Furthermore, in a multi-antenna system, beams can also be represented by antenna weights or codebooks applied to antenna ports. This means that beams can also be represented by codebooks.

[0156] Reconfigurable intelligent metasurface (RIS): A RIS is an artificial two-dimensional material with subwavelength dimensions, typically composed of metal, dielectric, and tunable elements. It can be represented as an equivalent RLC circuit. An RLC circuit is a circuit structure consisting of resistance (R), inductance (L), and capacitance (C). RIS generates the desired electromagnetic behavior of each electromagnetic unit by controlling the bias voltage of varactor diodes, PIN switches, diodes, micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switches, liquid crystals, graphene, and other materials. Specifically, a RIS is a smart panel consisting of multiple arrays (called elements), each of which is a low-cost passive reflector. By flexibly configuring the amplitude and phase of each element, wireless channel fading can be controlled and a desired directional beam can be formed. RIS can be mounted on large surfaces (such as indoor walls or ceilings, outdoor buildings, or signs) to reflect radio frequency (RF) energy around obstacles and create a virtual line-of-sight path between the communication source and target. Compared to the transmitter and receiver in existing wireless networks, the advantages of RIS can be summarized as follows: 1) Enhanced Spectral Efficiency: RIS provides a new degree of flexibility. Through intelligent array control, it can further improve the communication quality of wireless links, enhance the useful signal strength at the receiver, and reduce the intensity of channel interference. This provides a starting point for the realization of future intelligent networks. 2) Reduced Energy Consumption and Equipment Complexity: Because RIS can only passively reflect received signals, meaning that no transmitting and receiving units or data encoding and decoding are required on the RIS side, the actual hardware complexity of RIS can be significantly reduced compared to existing base stations and terminals, thereby reducing the system energy consumption of wireless networks. 3) Ease of Deployment: Because RIS consists only of passive electromagnetic reflection components, it can be easily deployed on various building surfaces, indoor walls, platforms, roadside billboards, highway signs, car windows, and other devices. It can be removed and redeployed at any time according to network needs. 4) Compatibility: RIS can be considered a supplementary device to existing networks, thus having no impact on existing protocols and requiring no modifications to existing equipment, ensuring compatibility. 5) Full-duplex: Compared with relay devices that operate in half-duplex mode, RIS only performs passive reflection and can therefore operate in full-duplex mode, thereby improving spectrum efficiency.

[0157] The application scenarios of RIS are coverage enhancement and blind spot filling. For example, deploying one or more RIS at the edge of a cell, or in a coverage blind spot caused by obstruction or deep attenuation, can achieve the effect of extending coverage and filling blind spots. Another potential application scenario of RIS is rank increase. Based on RIS, channels can be actively changed, and more transmission paths with controllable gain can be provided. RIS can be used between network devices and terminal devices to actively control the quality of the wireless channel between the network devices and the terminal devices. For example, link gain can be enhanced, the number of characteristic subchannels can be increased, etc. RIS improving the rank used for communication has also become a valuable scenario. The technical solution of this application mainly uses RIS to enhance the rank used for communication, thereby improving system performance gain.

[0158] Reference Signal: In the demodulation process at the receiving end of a communication system, coherent demodulation offers improved performance, with a roughly 3dB advantage, compared to incoherent demodulation. Therefore, coherent demodulation is widely adopted in communication systems. However, in systems using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), each carrier is modulated with suppressed carriers. Therefore, coherent demodulation at the receiving end requires a reference signal. Reference signals, also known as pilot signals or reference signals (RS), are distributed across different resource elements (REs) in the two-dimensional space of time and frequency within an OFDM symbol and have known amplitude and phase. Similarly, in a MIMO system, each transmit antenna (virtual or physical) has an independent data channel. Based on the known RS signals, the receiver performs channel estimation for each transmit antenna and uses this information to reconstruct the transmitted data. Channel estimation refers to the process of reconstructing the received signal to compensate for channel fading and noise. It uses RS signals known to the transmitter and receiver to determine the channel's time and frequency domain variations. For example, to achieve channel quality measurement and data demodulation in high-order multi-antenna systems, the Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) system defines multiple pilot signals: cell-specific reference signals (CRS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), and channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS). DMRS is used for demodulation of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). CSI-RS is used for channel information measurement and reporting of information such as channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and rank indicator (RI).

[0159] RIS channel estimation: Since the RIS is generally considered a passive reflector, and in RIS-MIMO systems, the number of RIS elements is typically large (in the thousands), directly estimating the RIS channel matrix requires a number of pilot signals on the order of the number of RIS elements, resulting in an overhead bottleneck. Since the RIS lacks an active radio frequency (RF) chain for transmission and reception, it cannot transmit, receive, or process signals. This makes it impossible to obtain channel state information (CSI) using traditional channel estimation methods in RIS-assisted communication systems. Furthermore, the dramatic increase in channel dimensionality with the increasing number of reflectors further complicates CSI acquisition. The base station (BS)-user equipment (UE) channel (i.e., the channel between the BS and the UE) can be estimated using a variety of mature techniques and will not be further explored in this article. In RIS-assisted communication systems, only the BS-RIS-UE concatenated channel, i.e., the BS-RIS channel and the RIS-UE channel, needs to be estimated. RIS channel estimation has been extensively researched in the industry. For example, the uplink cascade channel and the downlink cascade channel can be estimated based on the uplink or downlink transmission reference signal, and then operations such as precoding, modulation order, and rank number setting can be performed.

[0160] RIS precoding / beamforming: Similar to the function of precoding technology in traditional MU-MIMO systems, precoding can achieve rational utilization of channel state information, that is, improve reception performance by preprocessing the transmitted signal. Specifically, by regulating the phase, amplitude and other information of each electromagnetic unit of RIS, the beam can be adjusted to transmit in a specific direction, thereby reducing the transmission power of the required signal, improving spectrum efficiency, expanding coverage and weakening interference at the same time. In traditional multi-antenna cellular networks, beamforming design mainly includes precoding and equalization matrix design of multi-antenna transceivers to achieve directional signal transmission, and the introduction of RIS will make the system's beamforming design more complex. Based on the programmable characteristics of RIS, RIS can be used as an external analog precoder to design the corresponding phase shift matrix, that is, RIS uses analog beamforming to reflect and control the signal from the transmitter.

[0161] Main lobe (main lob) beam, side lobe (side) beam, mirror beam: The main lobe beam (or main lobe) refers to a beam that the transmitter can use to send signals to the receiver. In other words, the main lobe beam refers to a beam that the transmitter needs to know during the beam measurement process to send information and / or signals to the receiver. The side lobe beam (or side lobe) refers to another beam that the transmitter can use to send signals to the receiver. In this application, compared with sending signals to the receiver through the main lobe beam (the resource corresponding to the main lobe beam), the signal received by the receiver has a higher SNR and a higher throughput. It is better for the transmitter to use the main lobe beam to send signals to the receiver than to use the side lobe beam to send signals to the receiver. In this application, the side lobe can be replaced by a grating lobe or a side lobe. The main lobe beam can be the beam that the receiver should feed back to the transmitter during the beam measurement. The mirror beam direction (also referred to as the mirror beam direction, first beam direction, etc.) refers to a beam direction determined based on the relative position and / or orientation between the transmitter and the RIS when beam measurement is performed using a 1-bit RIS. In other words, the mirror beam direction is determined by the relative position and / or orientation between the transmitter and the RIS. Hereinafter, the mirror beam direction is referred to as the first beam direction.

[0162] The angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS is equal to the angle between the incident beam direction of the transmitting beam at the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS. The normal of the RIS refers to a straight line perpendicular to the plane where the RIS is located. The normal direction of the RIS refers to the relative direction of the normal of the RIS in the coordinate system agreed upon by the system. It should be pointed out that the normal direction of the RIS is a relative concept, which is determined by the definition method of the coordinate system agreed upon by the system. For example, if the system defines the BS panel plane (i.e., the panel plane of the base station) as the X and Y axes of the rectangular coordinate system, and the BS panel normal (i.e., the normal of the panel plane of the base station) is the Z axis, then the normal direction of the RIS is defined as a multi-dimensional vector (θ ) formed by the angle between the RIS panel normal and the edge and normal of the BS panel. h ,θ v ). The incident beam direction of the transmitting end's transmitting beam refers to the relative direction of the transmitting end's transmitting beam direction in the coordinate system agreed upon by the system. It should be pointed out that the incident beam direction is also a relative concept, which is determined by the definition method of the coordinate system agreed upon by the system. For example, if the system defines the BS panel plane as the X and Y axes of the rectangular coordinate system and the BS panel normal as the Z axis, then the incident beam direction is defined as the multidimensional vector (α) formed by the angle between the transmitting end's transmitting beam and the edge and normal of the BS panel. h ,α v). Alternatively, the difference between the angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS and the angle between the incident beam direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS is less than or equal to a preset value. The preset value can be set according to actual needs. For example, the preset value range is 0-5 degrees. Alternatively, the first beam direction and the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end are symmetrical with respect to the normal direction of the RIS. The first beam direction can be determined based on the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS. The incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS can be determined based on the relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, and then the first beam direction is determined based on the relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. In the scenario of beam measurement using 1-bit RIS, the phase rotation angle of the main lobe beam direction relative to the first beam direction and the phase rotation angle of the direction of a side lobe beam relative to the direction of the mirror beam are opposite to each other. In other words, the direction of the main lobe beam and the direction of a side lobe beam are symmetrical in the first beam direction. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of three beam directions corresponding to three lobes in a 1-bit RIS antenna pattern provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the beam indicated by identity (ID) 2 is a side lobe; the beam indicated by ID 3 is a mirror beam; the beam indicated by ID 1 is a target beam; the direction indicated by the arrow perpendicular to the plane where the RIS is located is the normal direction of the RIS; the center line of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end represents the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end; wherein, the direction of the main lobe beam and the direction of the side lobe beam are symmetrical to the direction of the mirror beam, and the first beam direction and the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end are symmetrical with respect to the normal direction of the RIS. It should be noted that in the present application, the main lobe is not the beam corresponding to the signal with the highest power among the multiple signals received by the receiving end, and the direction of the main lobe and the direction of the side lobe are determined based on the direction of the mirror beam. Furthermore, the determination of the main lobe and the side lobe also depends on the relative position relationship of the receiving end itself with respect to the RIS. That is, in the present application, the receiving end can determine (or distinguish) the main lobe and the side lobe based on the relative position of the receiving end itself with respect to the RIS and the direction of the mirror beam.

[0163] RIS structure: A RIS primarily consists of a metamaterial surface and a control module. A metamaterial surface is composed of a large number of subwavelength arrays, typically constructed from artificial two-dimensional materials such as metals, dielectrics, or tunable elements. The control module is programmable, allowing dynamic adjustment of the physical properties of the electromagnetic elements within the metamaterial surface, such as capacitive reactance, impedance, or inductive reactance. This in turn alters the RIS's radiation characteristics, enabling non-specular reflection, negative refraction, wave absorption, beamforming, and polarization conversion, enabling dynamic control of electromagnetic waves. The tunable elements within the RIS arrays vary, with diodes and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) being the most commonly used. A RIS based on PIN diodes (i.e., the tunable elements within the arrays are PIN diodes) modulates the phase of the incident electromagnetic wave by switching the PIN diodes on and off, thereby changing the direction of the current. Different PIN diode combinations produce different electromagnetic phase responses. By modulating the surface impedance of the RIS based on a bias voltage, the propagation of electromagnetic surface waves is controlled (or, in other words, effectively manipulating the electromagnetic wave by controlling the metamaterial's reflection coefficient), thereby achieving direct electromagnetic wave modulation. The RIS unit in a 1-bit RIS requires only two switchable states (typically with a 180° phase difference) to achieve beamforming of electromagnetic waves. In principle, a multi-bit RIS can be implemented by stacking multiple PIN transistors or by modulating the surface impedance of the RIS resonant circuit using multi-level voltages. The RIS units in a multi-bit RIS achieve beamforming of electromagnetic waves through multiple switchable states.

[0164] Academia and industry have conducted some research on implementing multi-bit RIS by stacking multiple PIN transistors, as well as varactor diodes with multi-level bias voltages. Meanwhile, more research is underway on single-bit RIS. In both academia and industry, multi-bit RIS face challenges with complexity and extremely high latency. Table 1 shows the characteristics and quantization accuracy of several currently popular RIS.

[0165] Table 1

[0166] As shown in Table 1, the response time of Solution 1 (including the solution based on the superposition of multiple PIN tubes to achieve 2-bit RIS) is less than 50ns, and the response time of Solution 2 (i.e., the solution based on a varactor diode with multi-level bias voltage to achieve multi-bit RIS) is 1 to 10us, and the response time of the solution is 1 to 5ms. The superposition of multiple PIN tubes will exponentially increase the design complexity of the control circuit. Due to the long level switching time of a single varactor diode, coupled with the problem of parallel or serial pressure application on a very large array, the response time of Solution 2 will reach tens or tens of microseconds. It can be seen that the solution based on a varactor diode with multi-level bias voltage has an extremely high delay, which affects the transmission efficiency.

[0167] Considering the research difficulties of multi-bit RIS, 1-bit RIS is expected to remain a more common implementation in the near future. In practical applications, existing solutions using 1-bit RIS for beam measurement and data transmission have a throughput reduction of approximately 5% compared to existing solutions using multi-bit RIS.

[0168] The applicant's research found that the reason why the throughput is reduced when using 1-bit RIS for beam measurement and data transmission compared with using multi-bit RIS for beam measurement and data transmission is that 1-bit RIS itself has a very serious grating lobe problem (or side lobe problem). The grating lobe problem refers to the problem that in the existing scheme for beam measurement through 1-bit RIS, the beam with the highest received power reported by the receiving end (such as UE) is not the better beam (such as the optimal beam). The applicant found that in the existing scheme for beam measurement through 1-bit RIS, the power of the main lobe beam and the side lobe beam corresponding to the measurement reference signal are very similar. The grating lobe problem is caused by the receiving end's inability to correctly distinguish between the main lobe beam and the side lobe beam corresponding to the measurement reference signal. The grating lobe problem manifests itself as follows: the power of the side lobe beam is very similar to the power of the main lobe beam. The grating lobe problem will cause the beam direction selected by the transmitting end (such as the base station) to be not the optimal beam direction, thereby resulting in a decrease in throughput performance. Figure 2 is a comparative schematic diagram of a 1-bit RIS beam measurement example and a multi-bit RIS beam measurement example provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, when the transmitter and receiver use 1-bit RIS beam measurement, the transmitter repeatedly selects a sidelobe beam (i.e., a grating lobe beam) as the transmit beam. When both the transmitter and receiver use multi-bit RIS beam measurement, the transmitter selects a mainlobe beam as the transmit beam. To address the grating lobe issue with existing beam measurement solutions using 1-bit RIS, this application provides a technical solution that ensures the transmitter selects a preferred beam.

[0169] The main idea of ​​the technical solution provided by this application is as follows: in the process of beam measurement and beam information feedback through 1-bit RIS, the receiving end determines the target beam (such as the main lobe beam) based on the first beam direction (the direction of the above-mentioned mirror beam) and the measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals and feeds back, so that the transmitting end can select a better beam for downlink or uplink transmission, thereby improving transmission performance. The receiving end determines the target beam and feeds back, which can eliminate the problem of erroneous feedback of the sidelobe beam instead of the mainlobe beam (that is, solves the grating lobe problem). The following first introduces the communication system to which the technical solution of this application is applicable.

[0170] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the communication system includes a network device 110, a terminal device 120, and a RIS 130. A communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application includes one or more terminal devices and multiple RISs. Terminal device 120 is used as an example of a terminal device in the communication system, and RIS 130 is used as an example of a RIS in the communication system. Figure 3 is merely a schematic diagram, and embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of network devices, terminal devices, and RISs included in the communication system. Terminal device 120 can access and communicate with network device 110. The terminal device can be connected to network device 110 wirelessly, and network device 110 can be connected to the core network wirelessly or by wired means. The core network device and network device 110 can be independent, distinct physical devices, or the core network device's functions and the logical functions of network device 110 can be integrated into the same physical device. Alternatively, a single physical device can integrate some of the core network device's functions and some of the network device 110's functions. Terminal devices and network devices can be connected to each other via wired or wireless means. FIG3 is only a schematic diagram. The communication system may further include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG3 .

[0171] Figure 3 is merely an example of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied. Embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems including network devices, terminal devices, and RIS. In other words, embodiments of the present application can be applied to any communication system in which a transmitter sends a measurement reference signal to a receiver via a RIS for beam scanning. Embodiments of the present application can be applied to support RIS-based communication enhancement scenarios, such as scenarios in which RIS is used to reduce coverage blind spots in existing networks, scenarios in which RIS is used to enhance communication quality in certain areas, and so on.

[0172] In the embodiments of the present application, terminal equipment may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0173] The terminal device may be a device that provides wireless communication functions, such as a handheld device or a vehicle-mounted device with a wireless connection function. At present, some examples of terminal devices are: mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, 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, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks or future evolved public land mobile communication networks (PLMNs). Terminal equipment in a land mobile network (PLMN), etc., is not limited to this in the embodiments of the present application.

[0174] As an example but not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a mobile terminal (mobile termination, MT) in an integrated access & backhaul (IAB) node.

[0175] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0176] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal device or used in combination with the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices. In the embodiments of the present application, only the terminal device is used as an example for description, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0177] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and may also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device. For example, the network device may be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The term "base station" may broadly cover the following names or be replaced with the following names, such as RAN node, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home NodeB, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, relay station, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), IAB node, transmitting point (TP), master station, auxiliary station, multi-standard radio (motor slide retainer, MSR) node, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CNU), etc. unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), radio unit (RU), positioning node, one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system, etc.

[0178] An IAB node integrates a mobile termination (MT) and a distributed unit (DU). An IAB node may include an MT, a DU, and a central unit (CU). A central unit may be referred to as a central unit. An IAB node may include one CU and one or more DUs. When an IAB node includes a CU, the IAB node is an IAB donor node, and the CU in the IAB donor node accesses the core network through a next-generation application protocol (NG) interface. When an IAB node faces its parent node, it can be considered a terminal, in which case the IAB node plays the role of an MT. When an IAB node faces its child node (the child node may be a terminal or the MT of another IAB node), the IAB node can be considered a network device. An IAB node can establish a backhaul connection with at least one parent node of the IAB node through the MT part. The DU part of an IAB node can provide access services to the MT part of a terminal or another IAB node.

[0179] The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, a modem or a chip used to be set in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs the base station function in device to device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), and machine to machine (M2M) communications, a network side device in a 6G network, and a device that performs the base station function in future communication systems. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the V2X technology can be a road side unit (RSU). The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network equipment.

[0180] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0181] In some deployments, the network devices mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may include a CU, a DU, or both a CU and a DU, or a control plane CU node (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), a user plane CU node (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), and a DU node. For example, the network devices may include a gNB-CU-CP, a gNB-CU-UP, and a gNB-DU.

[0182] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functionality. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, DU, CU-CP, CU-UP, or RU. The CU and DU can be separate or included in the same network element, such as the BBU. The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as the RRU, AAU, or RRH.

[0183] 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 an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU may also be referred to as O-CU (open CU), DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0184] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit and a software module. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the functions of the network device is used as an example to illustrate, and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0185] The network device and / or terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface; it can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which the network device and the terminal device are located. In addition, the terminal device and the network device can be hardware devices, or they can be software functions running on dedicated hardware, software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities including dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific forms of the terminal device and the network device.

[0186] In one possible implementation, the RIS may only need to passively reflect received signals. This means that no transmitting or receiving units are required on the RIS side, and no data encoding or decoding is required. In other words, the RIS may only include passively reflecting electromagnetic components. In one possible implementation, the RIS may be capable of both transmitting and receiving signals or information. For example, the RIS may be capable of transmitting its topology configuration information based on signals from a base station or terminal device. In other words, the RIS may not only passively reflect received signals, but also actively transmit signals or information. The present application does not limit the structure of the RIS; the RIS may be replaced with other relay devices capable of reflecting and / or transmitting signals, or with other devices capable of beamforming signals.

[0187] It should be noted that the network architecture described in the embodiment of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiment of the present application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiment of the present application are equally applicable to similar technical problems. In the following embodiments, the technical solutions provided in the embodiment of the present application are described by taking the device for implementing the functions of the network device as a network device and the network device as a base station as an example.

[0188] It is understood that this application does not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiment of the application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the application. The method provided in the embodiment of the application can be applied to communication between a sending end and a receiving end. The interaction between the sending end and the receiving end is used as an example for explanation below.

[0189] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the method includes:

[0190] 401. A transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals to a receiving end via a RIS.

[0191] Correspondingly, the receiving end receives multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitting end via the RIS. The transmitting end sending multiple measurement reference signals to the receiving end via the RIS may be: the transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals to the RIS, and the multiple measurement reference signals are transmitted to the receiving end via the transmission and / or transmission of the RIS. In one possible implementation, the transmitting end is a base station, the receiving end is a UE, and the measurement reference signal is a CSI-RS. In this implementation, the measurement reference signal may also be other downlink reference signals, such as CRS, DMRS, etc. In one possible implementation, the transmitting end is a UE, the receiving end is a base station, and the measurement reference signal is an SRS. In this implementation, the measurement reference signal may also be other uplink reference signals, such as DMRS. In this application, the control of the RIS may be in the base station or the UE. The following description takes the control of the RIS in the base station as an example.

[0192] In one possible implementation, the transmitter sequentially sends multiple measurement reference signals to the receiver via the RIS using different transmit beams, where each measurement reference signal corresponds to a beam, different measurement reference signals correspond to different beams, and the directions of the different beams are different. Exemplarily, the transmitter transmits different measurement reference signals with the same transmit power, the weights acting on the transmitter's antenna or the codebook acting on the transmitter's antenna port represent the beam, and the weights on the transmitter's antenna or the codebooks on the transmitter's antenna port corresponding to different measurement reference signals are different.

[0193] An example of step 401 is as follows: During the beam measurement process, the transmitter sequentially transmits multiple measurement reference signals to the receiver via different transmit beams via the RIS in a certain order. The order in which the transmitter transmits the multiple measurement reference signals to the receiver is the order of codewords in a scan codebook used by the transmitter, where each codeword in the scan codebook corresponds to one of the multiple measurement reference signals, each codeword corresponds to one beam, and each measurement reference signal corresponds to one beam. The scan codebook used by the transmitter is the same as the scan codebook used by the receiver. In one possible implementation, the transmitter and receiver may pre-agree on or pre-define the beam corresponding to each codeword in the scan codebook. Another example of step 401 is as follows: During the beam measurement process, the transmitter sequentially transmits multiple measurement reference signals to the receiver via different transmit beams via the RIS in a beam order pre-agreed with the receiver, where each beam corresponds to one measurement reference signal, and each measurement reference signal corresponds to a codeword in the scan codebook. For example, the beam order pre-agreed by the transmitting end and the receiving end is beam #1-beam #2-beam #3…-beam #K. The transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals to the receiving end through different transmission beams through the RIS in accordance with the beam order pre-agreed with the receiving end: the transmitting end first uses beam #1 to send measurement reference signal #1, then uses beam #2 to send measurement reference signal #2, and then uses beam #3 to send measurement reference signal #3, and so on. Finally, beam #K is used to send measurement reference signal #K, where K is an integer greater than 1, and each measurement reference signal corresponds to a codeword in the scanning codebook used by the transmitting end.

[0194] 402. The receiving end determines a target beam based on the first beam direction and measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0195] The above-mentioned first beam direction can be determined based on the relative position and / or relative direction between the above-mentioned transmitting end and the above-mentioned RIS. The first beam direction can be a beam direction determined based on the relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS in a scenario where beam measurement is performed through a 1-bit RIS, that is, the direction of the above-mentioned mirror beam. For example, the target beam can be a preferred beam (i.e., a main lobe beam) that the transmitting end can use to send a signal to the receiving end. Alternatively, the target beam can be a beam that causes the RSRP or SNR of the signal received by the receiving end to exceed a preset threshold when the transmitting end sends a signal to the receiving end under a certain transmission power. The preset threshold can be set according to actual needs and is not limited here. An example of step 402 is: based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals, determine the information of the target beam (i.e., the main lobe beam) and the information of the sidelobe beam, that is, distinguish between the target beam and the sidelobe beam.

[0196] In one possible implementation, before executing step 402, the receiving end receives second indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS. The second indication information indicates the first beam direction. In one possible implementation, based on the receiving end's reception performance or mobility, the receiving end sends a second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS. Alternatively, if the receiving end determines that beam scanning is to be performed, the receiving end sends a second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS. The second trigger request triggers the transmitting end or the RIS to send the second indication information. When the receiving end's reception performance or mobility changes significantly (for example, the SNR of the received signal at the receiving end falls below a certain threshold or the receiving end's mobility speed exceeds a certain threshold), this is typically caused by a change in at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. Based on the receiving end's reception performance or mobility, the receiving end sends a second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS. This allows timely acquisition of at least one of the current relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. If the receiving end determines that beam scanning is required, the second trigger request is sent to the transmitting end or the RIS to promptly obtain information used to determine the first beam direction. In this implementation, the first beam direction may be obtained by receiving the second indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS.

[0197] A possible implementation of step 402 is as follows: based on the measurement results of the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals, the above-mentioned first beam direction, and the order in which the above-mentioned transmitter sends the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals, determine the above-mentioned target beam. In the present application, one measurement reference signal corresponds to one measurement beam (transmitting beam), and the order in which the transmitter sends the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals can be the order in which the transmitter uses multiple measurement beams to successively send multiple measurement reference signals, each measurement beam corresponding to a resource, a weight acting on the antenna of the transmitter, or a codeword acting on the antenna port of the transmitter. The order in which the transmitter sends the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals can be understood as the order in which the transmitter sends the measurement beams, for example, beam #1, beam #2, beam #3, ..., beam K are used to send measurement reference signals in sequence, where K is an integer greater than 0. The order in which the transmitter sends the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals can involve the beam order in the horizontal dimension and the vertical dimension. An example of determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, and the order in which the transmitter transmits the multiple measurement reference signals is as follows: the receiver sequentially receives the measurement reference signals sent by the transmitter using beam #1, beam #2, beam #3, ..., beam K, and performs beam measurement, such as RSRP calculation, on each beam, thereby obtaining RSRP #1, RSRP #2, RSRP #3, ..., RSRP #K. Based on the first beam direction, for example, β represents the angle corresponding to the first beam direction in the coordinate system agreed upon by the system. The receiver calculates the angular region to which the target beam belongs. The angular region can be defined as >β or <β. Based on the order of the measurement reference signals and the calculation results of the RSRP of each measurement reference signal, the receiver identifies at least two beams corresponding to the largest RSRP or the larger RSRP within a certain threshold range. Furthermore, based on the angular region to which the target beam belongs, the receiver ultimately determines the target beam, i.e., the beam with the largest RSRP within the angular region to which the target beam belongs.

[0198] In one possible implementation, the receiving end first determines s beams located within the angle region among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals, where s is an integer greater than 0; any beam among the s beams whose first performance indicator is greater than or equal to the target threshold is determined as the target beam, where the first performance indicator is RSRP, SNR, SINR, etc., and the order in which the measurement reference signals associated with the target beam are sent is used to identify the target beam. In one possible implementation, the receiving end first determines s beams located within the angle region among the multiple beams associated with the multiple measurement reference signals; the beam with the largest first performance indicator among the s beams is determined as the target beam, where the first performance indicator is RSRP, SNR, or SINR, and the order in which the measurement reference signals associated with the target beam are sent is used to identify the target beam. For example, the receiving end determines the beam with the highest RSRP among the s beams as the target beam. The measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals may include the first performance indicator of each beam associated with the multiple measurement reference signals. Based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the receiver can obtain a first performance indicator for each beam associated with the multiple measurement reference signals. It should be noted that RSRP is only one example of a beam measurement result, and other indicators such as SNR and signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) can also be used to measure beam quality. Based on the first beam direction, for example, β represents the angle corresponding to the first beam direction in the system's agreed coordinate system. The receiver calculates the angular region to which the target beam belongs as follows: the receiver can determine, based on historical beam information fed back, whether its angular region is >β or <β. The angular region depends on the receiver's relative position to the RIS. Considering that the actual system beam measurement period is much shorter than the actual movement time per unit distance, the angular region in this example can be determined based on historical information. The receiver can also additionally consider the changing pattern of RSRP, SNR, or decoding characteristics based on the historical information. For example, when RSRP, SNR, or decoding characteristics suddenly change, the angular region based on historical information may switch.

[0199] A possible implementation of step 402 is as follows: based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitter sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the relative positional relationship between the receiver and the RIS, the target beam is determined. An example of determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitter sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the relative positional relationship between the receiver and the RIS is as follows: the receiver sequentially receives the measurement reference signals sent by the transmitter using beam #1, beam #2, beam #3, ..., beam K, and performs beam measurement, such as RSRP calculation, on each of the beams, thereby obtaining RSRP #1, RSRP #2, RSRP #3, ..., RSRP #K; based on the first beam direction and the order in which the receiver and the RIS are relative, the target beam is determined. The relative positional relationship between the ISs is described. For example, β represents the angle corresponding to the first beam direction in the coordinate system agreed upon by the system. The receiver calculates the angular region to which the target beam belongs. This angular region can be defined as >β or <β. Based on the order of measuring reference signals and the RSRP calculation results of each measured reference signal, the receiver identifies at least two beams corresponding to the largest RSRP or the larger RSRP within a certain threshold range. Furthermore, based on the angular region to which the target beam belongs, the receiver ultimately determines the target beam, i.e., the beam with the largest RSRP within the angular region to which the target beam belongs. Based on the first beam direction and the relative positional relationship between the receiver and the aforementioned RIS, for example, β represents the angle corresponding to the first beam direction in the coordinate system agreed upon by the system. The receiver calculates the angular region to which the target beam belongs as follows: First, the receiver can determine whether its angular region is >β or <β based on its feedback historical beam information. The angular region depends on the receiver's relative position to the RIS. Considering that the actual system beam measurement period is much shorter than the actual movement time per unit distance, the angular region in this example can be determined based on historical information. The receiver can also determine the angular region based on historical information. The angle zone based on historical information may be determined by additional consideration of the changing patterns of RSRP, SNR, or decoding characteristics. For example, when RSRP, SNR, or decoding characteristics suddenly change, the angle zone based on historical information may switch. Secondly, if the receiving end can obtain its specific position information through other means, it can perform angle zone determination based on its relative position information with respect to the RIS in the relative coordinate system and the angle corresponding to the first beam direction in the coordinate system agreed upon by the system. That is, the relative position vector angle and the first beam vector angle are compared. For example, when the relative position vector angle is greater than the first beam vector angle, the angle zone is >β, and vice versa.

[0200] In one possible implementation, the transmitting end and the receiving end exchange information on the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals. An example of the transmitting end and the receiving end exchanging information on the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals is as follows: the transmitting end sends a first message to the receiving end, the first message being used to indicate the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals, for example, the first message being used to indicate that the multiple measurement reference signals are to be sent sequentially according to the order of codewords in a certain scan codebook; after receiving the first message, the receiving end sends a second message to the transmitting end, the second message being used to indicate that the receiving end has successfully received the first message. Another example of the transmitting end and the receiving end exchanging information on the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals is as follows: the receiving end sends a third message to the transmitting end, the third message being used to request the transmitting end to send the multiple measurement reference signals sequentially according to the order of codewords in a certain scan codebook; after receiving the third message, the transmitting end sends a fourth message to the receiving end, the fourth message being used to indicate that the transmitting end agrees to send the multiple measurement reference signals sequentially according to the order of codewords in the scan codebook. In one possible implementation, the transmitter and the receiver pre-agreed on an order in which the transmitter transmits the multiple sounding reference signals. For example, the transmitter may transmit the multiple sounding reference signals sequentially according to the order in which the codewords in the codebook are scanned. The transmitter and the receiver may also interact or agree on an order in which the transmitter transmits the multiple sounding reference signals via different beams through other means, which is not limited in this application.

[0201] 403. The receiving end sends the measurement result of the target beam to the transmitting end.

[0202] Correspondingly, the transmitting end receives the measurement result of the target beam from the receiving end. In one possible implementation, the measurement result of the target beam includes information for identifying the target beam, i.e., identification information of the target beam. The measurement result of the target beam also includes information such as the RSRP and SNR of the measurement reference signal corresponding to the target beam.

[0203] The information used to identify the target beam may be an index of the target beam, an angle vector, an index of a codeword corresponding to the target beam, and the like.

[0204] Steps 401 to 403 may be a beam measurement process. After the transmitting end and the receiving end complete the beam measurement, the uplink cascade channel and the downlink cascade channel may be estimated based on the uplink or downlink transmission reference signal, and then operations such as precoding, modulation order, and rank number setting may be performed. In one possible implementation, after the transmitting end and the receiving end complete the beam measurement, the base station or UE may adjust the beam to transmit in a specific direction by regulating the phase, amplitude, and other information of each electromagnetic unit of the RIS, thereby achieving beamforming. Since achieving beamforming by regulating the phase, amplitude, and other information of each electromagnetic unit of the RIS is a common technical means in this field, it will not be described in detail here.

[0205] In this embodiment of the present application, a target beam is determined based on the first beam direction and measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals. The measurement results of the target beam are transmitted to the transmitter, allowing the transmitter to select the target beam to transmit data to the receiver. During the beam measurement process, by transmitting the measurement results of the target beam to the transmitter, the impact of erroneous feedback of sidelobe beams on transmission performance can be avoided, thereby improving beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0206] FIG5 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method flow in FIG5 is a possible implementation of the method described in FIG4. In the method flow in FIG5, the control of the RIS can be at the transmitting end. As shown in FIG5, the method includes:

[0207] 501. The receiving end sends a first trigger request to the sending end.

[0208] Correspondingly, the transmitting end receives a first trigger request from the receiving end. The first trigger request is used to request the transmitting end to send information for the receiving end to determine the direction of the first beam. In one possible implementation, the first trigger request is used to request the transmitting end to send information indicating at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. In one possible implementation, the first trigger request is used to request the transmitting end to send the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS. In one possible implementation, the first trigger request is used to request the transmitting end to send information indicating at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitting end. Step 501 is optional. In this application, steps represented by dotted boxes or dotted lines are optional steps.

[0209] In one possible implementation, the receiving end sends a first trigger request to the transmitting end based on the receiving performance or mobility status of the receiving end; or, the receiving end sends the first trigger request to the transmitting end when the receiving end determines that beam scanning is required. When the receiving performance or mobility status of the receiving end changes significantly (for example, the SNR of the received signal of the receiving end is lower than a certain threshold or the mobility speed of the receiving end exceeds a certain threshold), it is usually caused by a change in at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. Based on the receiving performance or mobility status of the receiving end, the first trigger request is sent to the transmitting end; at least one of the current relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS can be obtained in a timely manner. When the receiving end determines that beam scanning is required, the first trigger request is sent to the transmitting end, and information used to determine the first beam direction can be obtained in a timely manner.

[0210] 502. In response to the first trigger request, the sending end sends first indication information to the receiving end.

[0211] Accordingly, the receiving end receives the first indication information from the transmitting end. The above-mentioned first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the above-mentioned transmitting end and the above-mentioned RIS. Alternatively, the above-mentioned first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the azimuth angle of the above-mentioned RIS, the panel orientation of the above-mentioned RIS, the height of the above-mentioned RIS, the panel pitch angle of the above-mentioned RIS, or the distance between the above-mentioned RIS and the above-mentioned transmitting end. Alternatively, the above-mentioned first indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the above-mentioned transmitting end and the normal direction of the above-mentioned RIS. Alternatively, the above-mentioned first indication information is used to indicate the identity (ID) of the RIS. The receiving end and the transmitting end may pre-store the topology configuration information of the RIS, and the receiving end may determine the topology configuration information of the RIS based on the first indication information. The topology configuration information of the RIS may include at least one of the current relative position between the transmitter and the RIS, the current relative orientation between the transmitter and the RIS, the incident direction of the transmitter's transmit beam, the normal direction of the RIS, the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, the normal direction of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitter. Since the transmitter controls the RIS, it can configure the RIS and obtain the topology configuration information of the RIS. In one possible implementation, the transmitter can predetermine and store at least one of the relative position and relative orientation between the transmitter and the RIS, and update the stored information on the relative position and relative orientation between the transmitter and the RIS. In one possible implementation, the transmitter can predetermine and store the incident direction of the transmitter's transmit beam and the normal direction of the RIS, and update the stored information on the incident direction of the transmitter's transmit beam and the normal direction of the RIS. In one possible implementation, the transmitter can predetermine and store the topology configuration information of the RIS.

[0212] Steps 501 to 502 can be replaced by: the transmitting end sends first indication information to the receiving end. In one possible implementation, when the topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the receiving end switches to the RIS, the transmitting end sends the first indication information to the receiving end; this allows the receiving end to promptly obtain at least one of the current relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, or at least one of the current azimuth angle of the RIS, the current panel orientation of the RIS, the current altitude of the RIS, the current panel pitch angle of the RIS, the current normal direction of the RIS, or the current distance between the RIS and the transmitting end. In one possible implementation, the transmitting end periodically sends the first indication information to the receiving end so that the information used to determine the relative position and / or relative direction of the base station and the RIS can be periodically updated. Exemplarily, the period for the transmitting end to send the first indication information to the receiving end is longer than the beam measurement period (or beam scanning period) of the transmitting end.

[0213] 503. The receiving end determines a first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0214] In one possible implementation, the angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS is equal to the angle between the incident direction of the transmit beam at the transmitter and the normal direction of the RIS. In other words, the first beam direction and the incident direction of the transmit beam at the transmitter are symmetrical with respect to the normal direction of the RIS. In one possible implementation, the difference between the angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS and the angle between the transmit beam direction at the transmitter and the normal direction of the RIS is less than or equal to a preset value. Theoretically, the difference between the angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS and the angle between the incident direction of the transmit beam at the transmitter and the normal direction of the RIS is equal to 0, i.e., the two angles are equal. In actual applications, certain factors may cause the difference between the two angles to be not 0, but a real number approximately 0, i.e., a preset value (greater than 0). The preset value can be the maximum value of the difference between the two angles, i.e., the maximum allowable error. In one possible implementation, the first beam direction includes a horizontal azimuth direction and a vertical elevation direction. The horizontal azimuth direction includes the height of the RIS and the pitch / tilt angle of the RIS; the vertical elevation direction includes the azimuth and orientation of the RIS. This application describes a method for determining the first beam direction using the example of the first beam direction and the incident direction of the transmit beam at the transmitting end being symmetric relative to the normal direction of the RIS. The receiving end may also determine the first beam direction using other methods, which are not limited here.

[0215] Since the first beam direction and the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitter are symmetrical with respect to the normal direction of the RIS, the first beam direction can be determined based on the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitter and the normal direction of the RIS. That is, after obtaining the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitter and the normal direction of the RIS, the first beam direction can be determined based on the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitter and the normal direction of the RIS. An example of determining the first beam direction based on the incident direction of the transmit beam of the transmitter and the normal direction of the RIS is as follows: In the coordinate system predefined by the system, it is assumed that the incident beam direction of the transmit beam of the transmitter is (α h ,α v ), the two-dimensional variables correspond to the horizontal and vertical directions of the beam relative to the coordinate system, assuming that the normal direction of the RIS is (θ h ,θ v ); Since the angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS is equal to the angle between the beam direction of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS, the first beam direction can be defined as (2θ h -α h ,2θ v -α v ).

[0216] If the first indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmission beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS, the method for determining the first beam direction based on the first indication information can refer to the above-mentioned example of determining the first beam direction based on the incident direction of the transmission beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS. If the first indication information is used to indicate the relative position between the transmitting end and the RIS, an example of determining the first beam direction based on the first indication information is as follows: in the coordinate system predefined by the system, assuming that the relative position of the transmitting end is (0,0,0) and the relative position of the RIS is (x2,y2,z2); the incident beam direction of the transmitting beam is (α h ,α v ), the two-dimensional variables correspond to the horizontal and vertical directions of the beam relative to the coordinate system, and the normal direction of the RIS can be obtained as (tan -1 (y2 / x2),tan -1 (z2 / x2)), which is defined as (θ h ,θ v ); Since the angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS is equal to the angle between the beam direction of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS, the first beam direction can be defined as (2θ h -α h ,2θ v -α v ).

[0217] If the first indication information is used to indicate the relative direction between the above-mentioned transmitter and the above-mentioned RIS; an example of determining the above-mentioned first beam direction based on the first indication information is as follows: in the coordinate system predefined by the system, the relative direction between the transmitter and the above-mentioned RIS is Δ1, then the relative direction of the first beam can be 2Δ1 or -Δ1.

[0218] If the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitter; an example of determining the first beam direction based on the first indication information is as follows: first, based on the information indicated by the first indication information, determine the relative position between the transmitter and the RIS; then, determine the first beam direction based on the relative position between the transmitter and the RIS. Exemplarily, the first indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the azimuth angle of the RIS (i.e., the azimuth angle of the RIS relative to the normal direction of the antenna array of the base station), the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS (i.e., the pitch angle of the array center of the RIS relative to the antenna array center of the base station), or the distance between the RIS and the base station. The first indication information can also be used to indicate the location information (optional) and direction angle (optional) of the base station. In one possible implementation, the UE obtains the location information and direction angle of the base station through sensing, ranging, information interaction, etc. This application does not limit the method by which the UE obtains the location information and direction angle of the base station. FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the relative positions of a base station (an example of a transmitting end) and a RIS provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6, The θ represents the elevation angle of the RIS array center relative to the base station antenna array center. ris-k represents the azimuth of the RIS relative to the normal direction of the base station's antenna array. The rectangular area on the xy plane represents the projection of the RIS on the xy plane. ris represents the distance between the base station and RIS, h ris-k represents the height of the above RIS, β ris-k represents the direction of the RIS, and k represents that the base station is the kth base station. For example, the relative position relationship between the base station and the RIS satisfies the following formula:

[0219] Among them, the position coordinates of RIS are (x rk ,y rk , z rk ), the location coordinates of the base station are (x bi ,y bi , z bi ), The θ represents the elevation angle of the RIS array center relative to the base station antenna array center. bs-i represents the direction angle of the base station, θ ris-k represents the azimuth angle of RIS relative to the normal direction of the base station's antenna array, r k Represents the distance between the base station and the RIS. Based on formula (1), formula (2) and formula (3), it can be known that based on the direction angle of the base station, the position coordinates of the base station, the pitch angle of the array center of the RIS relative to the center of the antenna array of the base station, the azimuth angle of the RIS relative to the normal direction of the antenna array of the base station, and the distance between the base station and the RIS, the receiving end can determine the position coordinates of the RIS. The receiving end can also obtain the position coordinates of the RIS in other ways, which are not limited in this application. The receiving end can determine the relative position and / or relative direction of the sending end and the RIS based on the position coordinates of the sending end and the position coordinates of the RIS. An example of how the receiving end can determine the relative direction of the sending end and the RIS based on the position coordinates of the sending end and the position coordinates of the RIS is as follows: Taking the coordinates of the sending end as (0,0,0) as an example, further assuming that the position coordinates of the RIS are (x r ,y r , z r ), the relative direction between the transmitter and the RIS is expressed in the coordinate system predefined by the system. The direction is the incident direction of the transmitter relative to the RIS panel, which is a two-dimensional Δ, expressed as Δ = (tan -1 (y r / x r ),tan -1 (z r / x r )). Furthermore, based on the incident direction and the normal direction of the RIS, information such as the first beam direction can be further obtained, and the process is the same as described above.

[0220] Steps 501 to 503 may be replaced by: determining the first beam direction based on fourth indication information, where the fourth indication information indicates at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, or indicates at least one of the azimuth angle of the RIS, the panel orientation of the RIS, the height of the RIS, the panel pitch angle of the RIS, or the distance between the RIS and the transmitting end, or indicates the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS. The fourth indication information may already be available at the receiving end. For example, the transmitting end periodically transmits the first indication information, and the fourth indication information is the first indication information previously received by the receiving end. In another example, the fourth indication information is preconfigured by the receiving end. In another example, the fourth indication information is obtained by the receiving end through interaction with the transmitting end before executing the method flow of Figure 5. This application does not limit the manner in which the receiving end obtains the fourth indication information.

[0221] 504. The sending end sends third indication information to the receiving end.

[0222] Correspondingly, the receiving end receives third indication information from the transmitting end. The third indication information is used to indicate the order in which the transmitting end transmits multiple sounding reference signals. In one possible implementation, the order in which the transmitting end transmits multiple sounding reference signals may be the order of codewords in a scan codebook agreed upon by the transmitting end and the receiving end, where each codeword corresponds to a sounding reference signal. Step 504 is optional. Step 504 may precede step 501 or follow any of steps 501 to 503.

[0223] Step 504 can be replaced by: the transmitter and the receiver exchange information on the order in which the transmitter sends multiple measurement reference signals. An example of the transmitter and the receiver exchanging information on the order in which the transmitter sends multiple measurement reference signals is as follows: the transmitter sends a first message to the receiver, the first message being used to indicate the order in which the transmitter sends multiple measurement reference signals. For example, the first message is used to indicate that the multiple measurement reference signals are to be sent sequentially according to the order of scanning codewords in codebook #1; after receiving the first message, the receiver sends a second message to the transmitter, the second message being used to indicate that the receiver has successfully received the first message. Another example of the transmitter and the receiver exchanging information on the order in which the transmitter sends the multiple measurement reference signals is as follows: the receiver sends a third message to the transmitter, the third message being used to request the transmitter to send the multiple measurement reference signals sequentially according to the order of scanning codewords in codebook #1; after receiving the third message, the transmitter sends a fourth message to the receiver, the fourth message being used to indicate that the transmitter agrees to send the multiple measurement reference signals sequentially according to the order of scanning codewords in codebook #1. In one possible implementation, the transmitter and the receiver pre-agreed on an order in which the transmitter transmits multiple sounding reference signals. For example, the transmitter may sequentially transmit the multiple sounding reference signals in the order in which the codewords in the scanned codebook are scanned. The transmitter and the receiver may also interact or agree on an order in which the transmitter transmits multiple sounding reference signals via different beams through other means, which is not limited in this application.

[0224] In one possible implementation, the third indication information is also used to indicate the mode in which the receiving end performs beam measurement, that is, a mode in which the target beam is determined and fed back based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals. Exemplarily, the modes in which the receiving end performs beam measurement include at least: a traditional mode and a target mode. When the receiving end adopts the traditional mode, the beam with the highest power is fed back. When the receiving end adopts the target mode, the target beam is determined based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, and the target beam is fed back. In this implementation, the third indication information can implicitly indicate the mode in which the receiving end performs beam measurement, which can save signaling overhead.

[0225] 505. The sending end sends fifth indication information to the receiving end.

[0226] Correspondingly, the receiving end receives fifth indication information from the transmitting end. The fifth indication information is used to indicate the receiving end's beam measurement mode, namely, the target mode in which the target beam is determined and fed back based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals. Exemplarily, the fifth indication information instructs the receiving end to use the target mode for beam measurement. When using the target mode, the receiving end determines the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals, and feeds back the target beam. The first beam direction is determined based on the relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. In one possible implementation, the receiving end's beam measurement mode includes at least a conventional mode and a target mode. The receiving end's beam measurement mode can be implemented using 1-2 bits. For example, 0 indicates conventional mode and 1 indicates target mode. For another example, 00 indicates conventional mode and 11 indicates target mode. Step 505 is optional. Since the third indication information also indicates the receiving end's beam measurement mode, the transmitting end does not need to send the fifth indication information. In one possible implementation, the receiving end may pre-configure a mode for performing beam measurement.

[0227] 506. The transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals to the receiving end via the RIS.

[0228] Correspondingly, the receiving end receives the multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitting end via the RIS. Step 506 may refer to step 401.

[0229] 507. The receiving end determines a target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0230] Step 507 may refer to step 402 .

[0231] 508. The receiving end sends the measurement result of the target beam to the transmitting end.

[0232] Correspondingly, the transmitting end receives the measurement result of the target beam from the receiving end. Step 508 may refer to step 403.

[0233] 509. The transmitting end uses the target beam to send data / signaling to the receiving end.

[0234] Correspondingly, the receiving end receives data / signaling sent by the transmitting end to the receiving end using the target beam.

[0235] In an embodiment of the present application, the receiving end determines the target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals, and sends the measurement results of the target beam to the transmitting end. The target beam determined by the receiving end based on the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is usually a better beam. The target beam determined by the receiving end based on the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is better than the beam with the highest receiving power. Therefore, during the beam measurement process, by sending the measurement results of the target beam to the transmitting end, the impact of erroneous feedback of the sidelobe beam (the beam with the highest receiving power) on the transmission performance can be avoided, thereby improving the beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0236] Figure 7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method flow in Figure 7 is a possible implementation of the method described in Figures 4 or 5. The base station in Figure 7 is an example of the transmitting end in Figure 4, and the UE in Figure 7 is an example of the receiving end in Figure 4. In the method flow in Figure 7, the control of the RIS can be in the base station. As shown in Figure 7, the method includes:

[0237] 701. The UE sends a first trigger request to the base station.

[0238] Correspondingly, the base station receives the first trigger request from the UE.

[0239] 702. In response to the first trigger request, the base station sends first indication information to the UE.

[0240] Correspondingly, the UE receives the first indication information from the base station.

[0241] 703. The UE determines a first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0242] Steps 701 to 703 may refer to steps 501 to 503 in Figure 5. Steps 701 to 703 are optional.

[0243] 701'. The base station sends first indication information to the UE.

[0244] Accordingly, the UE receives the first indication information from the base station. In one possible implementation, when the topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the UE switches to the RIS, the base station sends the first indication information to the UE; this allows the UE to promptly obtain at least one of the current relative position and relative direction between the base station and the RIS, or at least one of the current azimuth angle of the RIS, the current panel orientation of the RIS, the current altitude of the RIS, the current panel pitch angle of the RIS, the current normal direction of the RIS, or the current distance between the RIS and the base station. In one possible implementation, the base station periodically sends the first indication information to the UE so that the information used to determine the relative position and / or relative direction of the base station and the RIS can be periodically updated.

[0245] 702'. The UE determines a first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0246] 701". The base station sends second indication information to the UE.

[0247] Correspondingly, the UE receives second indication information from the base station, where the second indication information is used to indicate the first beam direction.

[0248] Steps 701 to 703, steps 701' to 702', and step 701" are three parallel ways for the UE to obtain the above-mentioned first beam direction. The method flow in Figure 7 may include any one of steps 701 to 703, steps 701' to 702', and step 701". The UE can also obtain the above-mentioned first beam direction for reference for beam measurement through interaction with the base station. The UE can also obtain the above-mentioned first beam direction through other methods, which is not limited in this application.

[0249] 704. The base station sends third indication information to the UE.

[0250] Correspondingly, the UE receives third indication information from the base station. The third indication information is used to indicate the order in which the base station sends multiple sounding reference signals. Steps 704 to 709 can refer to steps 504 to 509 in Figure 5 and will not be described in detail here.

[0251] 705. The base station sends fifth indication information to the UE.

[0252] Correspondingly, the UE receives fifth indication information from the base station. The fifth indication information is used to indicate the beam measurement mode of the UE, that is, the target mode of determining and feeding back the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals.

[0253] 706. The base station sends multiple measurement reference signals to the UE via the RIS.

[0254] Correspondingly, the UE receives multiple sounding reference signals sent by the base station via the RIS. Step 506 may refer to step 401.

[0255] 707. The UE determines a target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the base station sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above multiple measurement reference signals.

[0256] Before executing step 707, the UE may perform the following operations: perform beam measurement based on the received multiple measurement reference signals to obtain measurement results for the multiple measurement reference signals. Exemplarily, the UE calculates information such as RSRP and SNR for each measurement reference signal based on the received multiple measurement reference signals. The UE can perform beam measurement based on the received multiple measurement reference signals using conventional techniques in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0257] 708. The UE sends the measurement result of the target beam to the base station.

[0258] Correspondingly, the base station receives the measurement result of the target beam from the UE. Step 708 may refer to step 403.

[0259] 709. The base station uses the target beam to send data / signaling to the UE.

[0260] Correspondingly, the UE receives data / signaling sent to the UE by the base station using the target beam.

[0261] In an embodiment of the present application, the UE determines a target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the base station sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals, and sends the measurement results of the target beam to the base station. The target beam determined by the UE based on the first beam direction, the order in which the base station sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is usually a better beam. The target beam determined by the UE based on the first beam direction, the order in which the base station sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is better than the beam with the highest receiving power. Therefore, during the beam measurement process, by sending the measurement results of the target beam to the base station, the impact of erroneous feedback of the sidelobe beam (the beam with the highest receiving power) on the transmission performance can be avoided, thereby improving the beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0262] Figure 8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method flow in Figure 8 is a possible implementation of the method described in Figures 4 or 5. The UE in Figure 8 is an example of the transmitting end in Figure 4, and the base station in Figure 8 is an example of the receiving end in Figure 4. In the method flow in Figure 8, the control of the RIS can be in the UE. As shown in Figure 8, the method includes:

[0263] 801. A base station sends a first trigger request to a UE.

[0264] Correspondingly, the UE receives the first trigger request from the base station.

[0265] 802. In response to the first trigger request, the UE sends first indication information to the base station.

[0266] Correspondingly, the base station receives the first indication information from the UE.

[0267] 803. The base station determines a first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0268] Steps 801 to 803 may refer to steps 501 to 503 in Figure 5. Steps 801 to 803 are optional. In one possible implementation, the base station controls the RIS, and steps 801 to 803 may be replaced by: the base station determines the first beam direction based on the topology configuration information of the RIS.

[0269] 801'. The UE sends first indication information to the base station.

[0270] Accordingly, the base station receives the first indication information from the UE. In one possible implementation, when the topology configuration information of the RIS changes or the RIS serving the UE switches (or changes), the UE sends the first indication information to the base station; this enables the base station to promptly obtain at least one of the current relative position and relative direction between the UE and the RIS, or at least one of the current azimuth angle of the RIS, the current panel orientation of the RIS, the current altitude of the RIS, the current panel pitch angle of the RIS, the current normal direction of the RIS, or the current distance between the RIS and the UE. In one possible implementation, the UE periodically sends the first indication information to the base station so that the information used to determine the relative position and / or relative direction of the UE and the RIS can be periodically updated.

[0271] 802'. The base station determines a first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0272] 801". The UE sends second indication information to the base station.

[0273] Correspondingly, the base station receives second indication information from the UE, where the second indication information is used to indicate the first beam direction.

[0274] Steps 801 to 803, steps 801' to 802', and step 801" are three parallel ways for the base station to obtain the above-mentioned first beam direction. The method flow in Figure 8 may include any one of steps 801 to 803, steps 801' to 802', and step 801". The base station can also obtain the above-mentioned first beam direction for reference for beam measurement through interaction with the UE. The base station can also obtain the above-mentioned first beam direction through other methods, which is not limited in this application.

[0275] 804. The UE sends third indication information to the base station.

[0276] Correspondingly, the base station receives third indication information from the UE. The third indication information is used to indicate the order in which the UE sends multiple sounding reference signals. Steps 804 to 809 can refer to steps 504 to 509 in Figure 5 and will not be described in detail here.

[0277] 805. The UE sends fifth indication information to the base station.

[0278] Correspondingly, the base station receives fifth indication information from the UE. The fifth indication information is used to indicate a beam measurement mode for the base station, ie, a target mode for determining and feeding back a target beam based on the first beam direction and measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals.

[0279] 806. The UE sends multiple measurement reference signals to the base station via the RIS.

[0280] Correspondingly, the base station receives multiple sounding reference signals sent by the UE via the RIS.

[0281] 807. The base station determines a target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the UE sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above multiple measurement reference signals.

[0282] 808. The base station sends the measurement result of the target beam to the UE.

[0283] Correspondingly, the UE receives the measurement results of the target beam from the base station.

[0284] 809. The UE sends data / signaling to the base station using the target beam.

[0285] Correspondingly, the base station receives data / signaling sent by the UE to the base station using the target beam.

[0286] In an embodiment of the present application, the base station determines the target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the UE sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals, and sends the measurement results of the target beam to the UE. The target beam determined by the base station based on the first beam direction, the order in which the UE sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is usually a better beam. The target beam determined by the base station based on the first beam direction, the order in which the UE sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is better than the beam with the highest receiving power. Therefore, during the beam measurement process, by sending the measurement results of the target beam to the UE, the impact of erroneous feedback of the sidelobe beam (the beam with the highest receiving power) on the transmission performance can be avoided, thereby improving the beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0287] FIG9 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method flow in FIG9 is a possible implementation of the method described in FIG4. As shown in FIG9, the method includes:

[0288] 901. A receiving end sends a first trigger request to a RIS.

[0289] Accordingly, the RIS receives a first trigger request from the receiving end. The first trigger request is used to request the RIS to send information used by the receiving end to determine the first beam direction. In other words, the first trigger request is used to request the RIS to send its topology configuration information, which is used by the receiving end to determine the first beam direction.

[0290] 902. In response to the first trigger request, the RIS sends first indication information to the receiving end.

[0291] The first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS. Alternatively, the first indication information is used to indicate the topological configuration information of the RIS. Alternatively, the first indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS. The premise of the embodiment of the present application is that the RIS has the ability to send information, such as periodically sending the first indication information or sending the first indication information after receiving a trigger signal. In one possible implementation, the control of the RIS is in the transmitting end, and the transmitting end can configure the RIS so that the RIS sends the first indication information to the receiving end after receiving the first trigger request.

[0292] Steps 901 to 902 may be replaced by: the RIS periodically sends first indication information, for example, by broadcasting the first indication information. The RIS periodically sends the first indication information so that the UE served by the RIS can determine the first beam direction based on the first indication information, thereby better performing beam measurement.

[0293] 903. The receiving end determines a first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0294] Steps 903 to 909 may refer to steps 503 to 509 in FIG. 5 .

[0295] 904. The sending end sends third indication information to the receiving end.

[0296] Correspondingly, the receiving end receives third indication information from the transmitting end. The third indication information is used to indicate the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple sounding reference signals.

[0297] 905. The sending end sends fifth indication information to the receiving end.

[0298] Correspondingly, the receiving end receives the fifth indication information from the transmitting end. The fifth indication information is used to indicate the receiving end to perform a beam measurement mode, that is, a target mode of determining and feeding back a target beam based on the first beam direction and measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals.

[0299] 906. The transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals to the receiving end via the RIS.

[0300] Correspondingly, the receiving end receives multiple measurement reference signals sent by the transmitting end via the RIS.

[0301] 907. The receiving end determines a target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends the multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals.

[0302] 908. The receiving end sends the measurement result of the target beam to the transmitting end.

[0303] Correspondingly, the transmitting end receives the measurement result of the target beam from the receiving end.

[0304] 909. The transmitting end uses the target beam to send data / signaling to the receiving end.

[0305] Correspondingly, the receiving end receives data / signaling sent by the transmitting end to the receiving end using the target beam.

[0306] In an embodiment of the present application, the receiving end determines the target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals, and sends the measurement results of the target beam to the transmitting end. The target beam determined by the receiving end based on the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is usually a better beam. The target beam determined by the receiving end based on the first beam direction, the order in which the transmitting end sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is better than the beam with the highest receiving power. Therefore, during the beam measurement process, by sending the measurement results of the target beam to the transmitting end, the impact of erroneous feedback of the sidelobe beam (the beam with the highest receiving power) on the transmission performance can be avoided, thereby improving the beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0307] FIG10 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method flow in FIG10 is a possible implementation of the method described in FIG9 . The base station in FIG10 is an example of the transmitting end in FIG9 , and the UE in FIG10 is an example of the receiving end in FIG9 . As shown in FIG10 , the method includes:

[0308] 1001. The UE sends a first trigger request to the RIS.

[0309] Accordingly, the RIS receives a first trigger request from the UE. The first trigger request is used to request the RIS to send information used by the UE to determine a first beam direction. In other words, the first trigger request is used to request the RIS to send its topology configuration information, which is used by the UE to determine the first beam direction.

[0310] 1002. In response to the first trigger request, the RIS sends first indication information to the UE.

[0311] The first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the base station and the RIS. Alternatively, the first indication information is used to indicate the topological configuration information of the RIS. Alternatively, the first indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmission beam of the base station and the normal direction of the RIS. The premise of the embodiment of the present application is that the RIS has the ability to send information, such as periodically sending the first indication information or sending the first indication information after receiving a trigger signal. In one possible implementation, the control of the RIS is in the base station, and the base station can configure the RIS so that the RIS sends the first indication information to the UE after receiving the first trigger request.

[0312] Steps 1001 to 1002 may be replaced by: the RIS periodically sends first indication information, for example, by broadcasting the first indication information. The RIS periodically sends the first indication information so that the UE served by the RIS can determine the first beam direction based on the first indication information, thereby better performing beam measurement.

[0313] 1003. The UE determines a first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0314] Steps 1003 to 1009 may refer to steps 503 to 509 in Figure 5. In a possible implementation, the control of the RIS is in the UE, and steps 1001 to 1003 may be replaced by: the UE determines the first beam direction based on the topology configuration information of the RIS.

[0315] 1004. The base station sends third indication information to the UE.

[0316] Correspondingly, the UE receives third indication information from the base station. The third indication information is used to indicate the order in which the base station sends multiple sounding reference signals.

[0317] 1005. The base station sends fifth indication information to the UE.

[0318] Correspondingly, the UE receives fifth indication information from the base station. The fifth indication information is used to indicate the beam measurement mode of the UE, that is, the target mode of determining and feeding back the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals.

[0319] 1006. The base station sends multiple measurement reference signals to the UE via the RIS.

[0320] Correspondingly, the UE receives multiple measurement reference signals sent by the base station via the RIS.

[0321] 1007. The UE determines a target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the base station sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above multiple measurement reference signals.

[0322] 1008. The UE sends the measurement result of the target beam to the base station.

[0323] Correspondingly, the base station receives the measurement result of the target beam from the UE.

[0324] 1009. The base station uses the target beam to send data / signaling to the UE.

[0325] Correspondingly, the UE receives data / signaling sent to the UE by the base station using the target beam.

[0326] In an embodiment of the present application, the UE determines a target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the base station sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals, and sends the measurement results of the target beam to the base station. The target beam determined by the UE based on the first beam direction, the order in which the base station sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is usually a better beam. The target beam determined by the UE based on the first beam direction, the order in which the base station sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is better than the beam with the highest receiving power. Therefore, during the beam measurement process, by sending the measurement results of the target beam to the base station, the impact of erroneous feedback of the sidelobe beam (the beam with the highest receiving power) on the transmission performance can be avoided, thereby improving the beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0327] FIG11 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method flow in FIG11 is a possible implementation of the method described in FIG9 . The UE in FIG11 is an example of the transmitting end in FIG9 , and the base station in FIG11 is an example of the receiving end in FIG9 . As shown in FIG11 , the method includes:

[0328] 1101. The base station sends a first trigger request to the RIS.

[0329] Accordingly, the RIS receives a first trigger request from the base station. The first trigger request is used to request the RIS to send information used by the base station to determine the first beam direction. In other words, the first trigger request is used to request the RIS to send its topology configuration information, which is used by the base station to determine the first beam direction.

[0330] 1102. In response to the first trigger request, the RIS sends first indication information to the base station.

[0331] The first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the relative position and relative direction between the UE and the RIS. Alternatively, the first indication information is used to indicate the topology configuration information of the RIS. Alternatively, the first indication information is used to indicate the incident direction of the transmit beam of the UE and the normal direction of the RIS. The premise of the embodiment of the present application is that the RIS has the ability to send information, such as periodically sending the first indication information or sending the first indication information after receiving a trigger signal. In one possible implementation, the control of the RIS is in the UE, and the UE can configure the RIS so that the RIS sends the first indication information to the base station after receiving the first trigger request.

[0332] Steps 1101 to 1102 may be replaced by: the RIS periodically sends the first indication information, for example, by broadcasting the first indication information. The RIS periodically sends the first indication information so that the base station can determine the first beam direction based on the first indication information, thereby better performing beam measurement.

[0333] 1103. The base station determines a first beam direction based on the first indication information.

[0334] Steps 1103 to 1109 may refer to steps 503 to 509 in Figure 5. In a possible implementation, the control of the RIS is in the base station, and steps 1101 to 1103 may be replaced by: the base station determines the first beam direction based on the topology configuration information of the RIS.

[0335] 1104. The UE sends third indication information to the base station.

[0336] Correspondingly, the base station receives third indication information from the UE. The third indication information is used to indicate the order in which the UE sends multiple sounding reference signals.

[0337] 1105. The UE sends fifth indication information to the base station.

[0338] Correspondingly, the base station receives fifth indication information from the UE. The fifth indication information is used to indicate a beam measurement mode for the base station, ie, a target mode for determining and feeding back a target beam based on the first beam direction and measurement results of multiple measurement reference signals.

[0339] 1106. The UE sends multiple measurement reference signals to the base station via the RIS.

[0340] Correspondingly, the base station receives multiple sounding reference signals sent by the UE via the RIS.

[0341] 1107. The base station determines a target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the UE sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above multiple measurement reference signals.

[0342] 1108. The base station sends the measurement result of the target beam to the UE.

[0343] Correspondingly, the UE receives the measurement results of the target beam from the base station.

[0344] 1109. The UE uses the target beam to send data / signaling to the base station.

[0345] Correspondingly, the base station receives data / signaling sent by the UE to the base station using the target beam.

[0346] In an embodiment of the present application, the base station determines the target beam based on the first beam direction, the order in which the UE sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the above-mentioned multiple measurement reference signals, and sends the measurement results of the target beam to the UE. The target beam determined by the base station based on the first beam direction, the order in which the UE sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is usually a better beam. The target beam determined by the base station based on the first beam direction, the order in which the UE sends multiple measurement reference signals, and the measurement results of the multiple measurement reference signals is better than the beam with the highest receiving power. Therefore, during the beam measurement process, by sending the measurement results of the target beam to the UE, the impact of erroneous feedback of the sidelobe beam (the beam with the highest receiving power) on the transmission performance can be avoided, thereby improving the beam measurement and transmission performance.

[0347] The following describes the structure of a communication device that can implement the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following only briefly describes the communication device. For details on the implementation of the solution, please refer to the description of the method embodiment above, which will not be repeated below.

[0348] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1200 can implement the functions or steps implemented by the transmitting end in each of the above-mentioned method embodiments, and can also implement the functions or steps implemented by the receiving end in each of the above-mentioned method embodiments. The communication device may include a processing module 1210 and a transceiver module 1220. In one possible implementation, it may also include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions (code or program) and / or data. The processing module 1210 and the transceiver module 1220 can be coupled to the storage unit. For example, the processing module 1210 can read the instructions (code or program) and / or data in the storage unit to implement the corresponding method. The above-mentioned units can be set independently or partially or fully integrated. For example, the transceiver module 1220 may include a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module can be a transmitter, and the receiving module can be a receiver. The entity corresponding to the transceiver module 1220 can be a transceiver circuit, such as a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0349] In some possible implementations, the communication device 1200 can implement the corresponding behaviors and functions of the transmitting end in the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, the communication device 1200 can be a transmitting end, or it can be a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in the transmitting end. The transceiver module 1220 can be used to perform all receiving or transmitting operations performed by the transmitting end in the embodiments of Figures 4, 5, and 9. The processing module 1210 can be used to perform all operations performed by the transmitting end in the embodiments of Figures 4, 5, and 9 except for the transmitting and receiving operations.

[0350] In some possible implementations, the communication device 1200 can implement the corresponding behaviors and functions of the receiving end in the above-described method embodiments. For example, the communication device 1200 can be a receiving end, or a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) used in the receiving end. The transceiver module 1220 can, for example, be used to perform all receiving or transmitting operations performed by the receiving end in the embodiments of Figures 4, 5, and 9. The processing module 1210 can, for example, be used to perform all operations performed by the receiving end in the embodiments of Figures 4, 5, and 9 except for the transmitting and receiving operations.

[0351] In some possible implementations, the communication device 1200 can implement the corresponding behaviors and functions of the base station in the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, the communication device 1200 can be a base station, or it can be a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in the base station. The transceiver module 1220 can be used to perform all receiving or transmitting operations performed by the base station in the embodiments of Figures 7, 8, 10, and 11. The processing module 1210 can be used to perform all operations performed by the base station in the embodiments of Figures 7, 8, 10, and 11 except for the transmitting and receiving operations.

[0352] In some possible implementations, the communication device 1200 can implement the corresponding behaviors and functions of the UE in the above-described method embodiments. For example, the communication device 1200 can be a UE, or a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) used in the UE. The transceiver module 1220 can, for example, be used to perform all receiving or transmitting operations performed by the UE in the embodiments of Figures 7, 8, 10, and 11. The processing module 1210 can, for example, be used to perform all operations performed by the UE in the embodiments of Figures 7, 8, 10, and 11 except for the transmitting and receiving operations.

[0353] The present application further provides an apparatus 1300, which may be a terminal device, a processor in the terminal device, or a chip. The apparatus 1300 may be used to execute the operations executed by the UE or the RIS in the above method embodiment.

[0354] When apparatus 1300 is a terminal device, FIG13 shows a simplified schematic diagram of the terminal device structure. As shown in FIG13 , the terminal device includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory can store computer program code, and the transceiver includes a transmitter 1331, a receiver 1332, a radio frequency circuit (not shown), an antenna 1333, and input / output devices (not shown).

[0355] The processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data; control terminal devices, execute software programs and process software program data, etc.

[0356] Memory is mainly used to store software programs and data.

[0357] Radio frequency circuits are mainly used for conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and for processing radio frequency signals.

[0358] Antennas are mainly used to send and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0359] The input and output device may include a touch screen, a display screen, or a keyboard. The input and output device is mainly used to receive data input by the user and output data to the user. It should be noted that some types of terminal devices may not have input and output devices.

[0360] When data needs to be sent, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit then performs RF processing on the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the terminal device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna. The RF circuit converts the RF signal into a baseband signal and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data. For ease of explanation, Figure 13 shows only one memory, processor, and transceiver. In actual terminal device products, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device, etc. The memory may be set independently of the processor or integrated with the processor, and this embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0361] In the embodiment of the present application, the antenna and radio frequency circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as the transceiver module of the terminal device, and the processor with processing function can be regarded as the processing module of the terminal device.

[0362] As shown in FIG13 , the terminal device includes a processor 1310, a memory 1320, and a transceiver 1330. The processor 1310 may also be referred to as a processing unit, a processing board, a processing module, or a processing device. The transceiver 1330 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or a transceiver device.

[0363] Optionally, the device used to implement the receiving function in transceiver 1330 is considered a receiving module, and the device used to implement the transmitting function in transceiver 1330 is considered a transmitting module. That is, transceiver 1330 includes a receiver and a transmitter. A transceiver may also be sometimes referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver module, or a transceiver circuit. A receiver may also be sometimes referred to as a receiver, a receiving module, or a receiving circuit. A transmitter may also be sometimes referred to as a transmitter, a transmitting module, or a transmitting circuit.

[0364] In one possible implementation, the processor 1310 is configured to execute the processing actions of the UE in the embodiments shown in Figures 7, 8, 10, and 11. The transceiver 1330 is configured to execute the transceiver actions of the UE in the embodiments shown in Figures 7, 8, 10, and 11.

[0365] In one possible implementation, the processor 1310 is configured to execute the processing actions of the RIS in the embodiments shown in Figures 9, 10, and 11. The transceiver 1330 is configured to execute the transceiver actions of the RIS in the embodiments shown in Figures 9, 10, and 11.

[0366] It should be understood that FIG13 is merely an example and not a limitation, and the terminal device including the transceiver module and the processing module may not rely on the structure shown in FIG13 .

[0367] When the device 1300 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, memory, and a transceiver. The transceiver may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface. The processor may be a processing module, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. The sending operation of the UE or RIS in the above method embodiments may be understood as an output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the UE or RIS in the above method embodiments may be understood as an input of the chip.

[0368] The present application further provides an apparatus 1400, which may be a network device or a chip. The apparatus 1400 may be configured to execute the operations executed by the base station in the embodiments shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 .

[0369] When the apparatus 1400 is a network device, for example, a base station, FIG14 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a base station structure. The base station includes a portion 1410, a portion 1420, and a portion 1430.

[0370] Part 1410 is mainly used for baseband processing, base station control, etc.; Part 1410 is usually the control center of the base station, which can usually be called a processor, used to control the base station to perform the processing operations of the base station in the above method embodiment.

[0371] The 1420 section is primarily used to store computer program code and data.

[0372] Section 1430 is primarily used for receiving and transmitting RF signals and converting RF signals to baseband signals. Section 1430 can generally be referred to as a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver module in section 1430, which can also be referred to as a transceiver or transceiver, includes an antenna 1433 and a RF circuit (not shown in the figure), where the RF circuit is primarily used for RF processing. Optionally, the device used to implement the receiving function in section 1430 can be considered a receiver, and the device used to implement the transmitting function can be considered a transmitter. That is, section 1430 includes a receiver 1432 and a transmitter 1431. A receiver can also be referred to as a receiving module, receiver, or receiving circuit, and a transmitter can be referred to as a transmitting module, transmitter, or transmitting circuit.

[0373] Sections 1410 and 1420 may include one or more boards, each of which may include one or more processors and one or more memories. The processor is used to read and execute programs in the memory to implement baseband processing functions and control the base station. If multiple boards are present, the boards may be interconnected to enhance processing capabilities. As an optional implementation, multiple boards may share one or more processors, multiple boards may share one or more memories, or multiple boards may simultaneously share one or more processors.

[0374] For example, in one implementation, the transceiver module in section 1430 is used to execute the transceiver-related processes performed by the base station in the embodiments shown in Figures 7, 8, 10, and 11. The processor in section 1410 is used to execute the processing-related processes performed by the base station in the embodiments shown in Figures 7, 8, 10, and 11.

[0375] It should be understood that FIG14 is merely an example and not a limitation, and the network device including the processor, memory, and transceiver may not rely on the structure shown in FIG14 .

[0376] When device 1400 is a chip, the chip includes a transceiver, memory, and a processor. The transceiver can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processor can be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. The base station's transmission operations in the above method embodiments can be understood as chip outputs, and the base station's reception operations in the above method embodiments can be understood as chip inputs.

[0377] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored therein. When the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method of the above embodiment. For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer is caused to implement the method performed by the base station or UE in the above method embodiment.

[0378] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the method in the above embodiment is executed.

[0379] The present application also provides a communication system, comprising the above-mentioned transmitting end, RIS and the above-mentioned receiving end.

[0380] The present application also provides a chip, which includes: a communication interface and a processor; the communication interface is used for sending and receiving signals of the above-mentioned chip; the processor is used for executing computer programs or instructions so that the communication device including the above-mentioned chip executes the method in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0381] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling a computer program or computer instruction stored in the memory so that the processor executes the method provided in the embodiments shown in Figures 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 above.

[0382] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 above, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 above.

[0383] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0384] Optionally, the chip device further includes a memory, in which a computer program or computer instructions are stored.

[0385] The processor mentioned in any of the above may be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the method provided in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. The memory mentioned in any of the above may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0386] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0387] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0388] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0389] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0390] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several computer programs or instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0391] As described above, the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0392] The technical effect of the technical solution provided by the present application can be reflected through the following simulation diagram (i.e., Figure 15). Figure 15 is a simulation diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application using the existing 1-bit RIS beam measurement and the 1-bit RIS beam measurement provided by the present application. As shown in Figure 14, assuming that the existing 1-bit RIS beam measurement (i.e., 1-bit grating lobe influence) is adopted, the throughput (THP for short) of the system is 100%; when the 1-bit RIS beam measurement provided by the present application (i.e., the preset ideal beam shown in Figure 14) is adopted, the throughput of the system is 106%. The preset ideal beam is the beam after the grating lobe jump is eliminated by the 1-bit RIS beam measurement provided by the present application, that is, the target beam. Referring to Figure 15, it can be seen that the 1-bit RIS beam measurement provided by the present application can improve the system throughput by 6% compared with the existing 1-bit RIS beam measurement.

[0393] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0394] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

Claims

1. A beam measurement method, characterized in that, Including: Receiving a plurality of measurement reference signals sent by a transmitting end through a configurable intelligent reflecting surface (RIS); Determining a target beam based on a first beam direction and measurement results of the plurality of measurement reference signals, where the first beam direction is determined based on a relative position and / or relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS; Transmitting measurement results of the target beam.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, An included angle between the first beam direction and a normal direction of the RIS is equal to an incident direction of a transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS, or a difference between an included angle between the first beam direction and the normal direction of the RIS and an included angle between the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end and the normal direction of the RIS is less than a preset value, or the first beam direction and the incident direction of the transmitting beam of the transmitting end are symmetric with respect to the normal direction of the RIS.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before determining the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the plurality of measurement reference signals, the method further includes: Receiving first indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS, where the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of a relative position and a relative direction between the transmitting end and the RIS, or the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of an azimuth angle of the RIS, a panel orientation of the RIS, a height of the RIS, a panel pitch angle of the RIS, or a distance between the RIS and the transmitting end; Determining the first beam direction based on the first indication information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Before receiving the first indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS, the method further includes: Sending a first trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS, where the first trigger request is used to trigger the transmitting end or the RIS to send the first indication information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The sending the first trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS includes: Sending the first trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS based on a receiving performance or a moving condition of the receiving end; Or, sending the first trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS when the receiving end determines that beam scanning needs to be performed.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before determining the target beam based on the first beam direction and the measurement results of the plurality of measurement reference signals, the method further includes: Receiving second indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS, where the second indication information is used to indicate the first beam direction.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Before receiving the second indication information from the transmitting end or the RIS, the method further includes: Sending a second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS, where the second trigger request is used to trigger the transmitting end or the RIS to send the second indication information.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The sending the second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS includes: Sending the second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS based on a receiving performance or a moving condition of the receiving end; Or, sending the second trigger request to the transmitting end or the RIS when the receiving end determines that beam scanning will be performed.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the first beam direction and the plurality of measurement reference signals includes: Determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the plurality of measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, and the order in which the sending end sends the plurality of measurement reference signals.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the plurality of measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, and the order in which the sending end sends the plurality of measurement reference signals includes: Determining the angular region to which the target beam belongs based on the first beam direction; Determining, as the target beam, a beam among the plurality of beams associated with the plurality of measurement reference signals that is within the angular region and whose first performance metric is greater than or equal to a target threshold.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the receiving end for the plurality of measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, and the order in which the sending end sends the plurality of measurement reference signals includes: Determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the plurality of measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the sending end sends the plurality of measurement reference signals, and the relative position relationship between the receiving end and the RIS.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The determining the target beam based on the measurement results of the plurality of measurement reference signals, the first beam direction, the order in which the sending end sends the plurality of measurement reference signals, and the relative position relationship between the receiving end and the RIS includes: Determining the angular region to which the target beam belongs based on the first beam direction and the relative position relationship; Determining, as the target beam, a beam among the plurality of beams associated with the plurality of measurement reference signals that is within the angular region and whose first performance metric is greater than or equal to a target threshold.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving third indication information from the sending end, where the third indication information is used to indicate the order in which the sending end sends the plurality of measurement reference signals.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The third indication information is further used to indicate the beam measurement mode of the receiving end.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The order in which the sending end sends the plurality of measurement reference signals to the receiving end is the order of the codewords in the scan codebook adopted by the receiving end, and one codeword in the scan codebook corresponds to one measurement reference signal among the plurality of measurement reference signals.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, the computer program includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 is executed.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor, where the processor is configured to, when executing instructions, cause the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

19. A chip, characterized in that, Includes: A communication interface for signal transceiver of the chip; A processor for executing computer program instructions, such that the communication device including the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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