Signal transmission method, and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a signal transmission method, and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus sending a reference signal to a second communication apparatus by means of an RIS, wherein the RIS sends the reference signal to the second communication apparatus on the basis of first processing, and the first processing refers performing processing, such as resetting and inversion, on a first part of elements in a beam vector on the basis of a first rule, or performing processing on a first part of array elements of the RIS on the basis of the first rule, e.g., switching the states of the first part of array elements. In the present application, switching between wide and narrow beams can be realized by means of adjusting the states of part of elements of a beam vector of an RIS or the states of part of array elements of the RIS, thereby improving the beam training efficiency.

Description

Signal transmission method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on January 30, 2024, with application number 202410142033.3, and priority to the Chinese patent application entitled “Signal Transmission Method and Communication Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a signal transmission method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) technology leverages spatial resources to achieve array gain, multiplexing and diversity gain, and interference cancellation gain in space without increasing system bandwidth, exponentially increasing the capacity and spectral efficiency of communication systems. However, with the increasing demand for high-speed, high-reliability, and low-latency communications, modern communication systems will continue to face challenges in achieving greater capacity, wider coverage, and lower latency. To address these challenges, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) have emerged as a promising technology that has been widely researched. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a signal transmission method and communication device, which realizes switching between wide and narrow beams by adjusting the elements of the RIS beam vector or the state of the RIS array, thereby improving the efficiency of beam scanning.

[0005] In a first aspect, a signal transmission method is provided. The method can be performed by a communication device. The communication device can be a RIS, or a chip or circuit for a RIS, which is not limited in this application. The following description uses the RIS as an example.

[0006] The method may include: receiving a reference signal from a first communication device; and sending the reference signal to a second communication device based on a first processing, wherein the first processing is processing a first part of elements in a beam vector according to a first rule, or the first processing is processing a first part of arrays of a RIS according to the first rule.

[0007] Based on the above technical solution, the RIS can achieve wide- and narrow-beam switching by adjusting the elements of the beam vector corresponding to the RIS beam, or by adjusting the array of the RIS. Specifically, when a first communication device transmits a reference signal to a second communication device via the RIS, the RIS receives the reference signal from the first communication device and can transmit the reference signal to the second communication device using the beam or array processed according to the first rule. This eliminates the need to reconfigure the beam weight vector; instead, the elements of the beam vector can be adjusted according to the first rule, or the array used to transmit the reference signal on the RIS can be adjusted, thereby improving beam training efficiency.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first processing is processing a first part of the elements in the beam vector according to a first rule, including: the first processing is setting the first part of the elements in the beam vector to zero according to the first rule.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, by setting some elements in the beam vector to zero, wide and narrow beam switching can be achieved, thereby improving beam training efficiency.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first portion of elements are continuous elements, or the first portion of elements are elements with equal intervals.

[0011] Based on the above solution, some elements in the beam vector can be processed at regular intervals, such as by setting them to zero. Alternatively, multiple consecutive elements can be processed, such as by setting them to zero. This approach not only enables wide- and narrow-beam switching, but is also simple and applicable to a wide range of scenarios.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information indicates the first part of elements.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: the starting element number of the first part of elements, the total number of elements in the first part of elements, and the interval between adjacent elements in the first part of elements.

[0014] Based on the above solution, the elements to be processed can be indirectly indicated, such as indicating the starting position, the total number of elements, the interval, etc., so that there is no need to indicate all the elements to be processed, which can reduce the indication overhead.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the first part of elements, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS.

[0016] Optionally, the association relationship is predefined, or the RIS receives the association relationship.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, the elements to be processed can be indirectly indicated, such as indicating the beam grouping strategy, which has an association relationship with the elements to be processed. In this way, the elements to be processed can be directly determined based on the beam grouping strategy and the association relationship, reducing the indication overhead.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information includes a bitmap, and the bitmap indicates position information of the first part of elements.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first processing is to process the first part of the array of RIS according to the first rule, including: the first processing is to switch the state of the first part of the array of RIS to connected or closed state according to the first rule.

[0020] Based on the above technical solution, RIS can achieve wide and narrow beam switching by adjusting the status of the arrays in RIS, such as adjusting some arrays of RIS to the closed or connected state.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first portion of arrays are continuous arrays, or the first portion of arrays are arrays with equal intervals.

[0022] Based on the above solution, the RIS array can be adjusted at regular intervals, or multiple arrays can be processed consecutively. This approach not only enables wide- and narrow-beam switching, but is also simple and easy to implement, making it applicable to a wide range of scenarios.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving second indication information, where the second indication information indicates the first part of the array.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: a starting array number of the first part of arrays, a total number of arrays in the first part of arrays, and an interval between adjacent arrays in the first part of arrays.

[0025] Based on the above solution, the arrays to be processed can be indirectly indicated, such as indicating the starting position, the total number of arrays, the interval, etc., so that there is no need to indicate all the arrays to be processed, which can reduce the indication overhead.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the first part of the array, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS.

[0027] Optionally, the association relationship is predefined, or the association relationship is received.

[0028] Based on the above scheme, the elements to be processed can be indirectly indicated, such as indicating the beam grouping strategy, which has an association relationship with the array to be processed. In this way, the array to be processed can be directly determined based on the beam grouping strategy and the association relationship, reducing the indication overhead.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second indication information includes a bitmap, and the bitmap indicates position information of the first part of the array.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first rule is determined according to a beam grouping strategy, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the beam grouping strategy includes at least one of the following information: L levels of beam measurement, the beam group or the number of beam groups during each level of beam measurement, or the beam or the number of beams in each beam group, where L is an integer greater than 1 or equal to 1.

[0032] Based on the above scheme, by designing a beam grouping strategy, such as performing L-level beam measurement, the number of beams in each beam measurement can be smaller than the number of beams in a single beam measurement, thereby reducing the overhead of beam measurement.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the beam grouping strategy is determined according to capability information of the RIS.

[0034] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes sending capability information of the RIS, where the capability information of the RIS is used to determine the beam grouping strategy.

[0035] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the beam grouping strategy is sent to the first communication device.

[0036] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the beam grouping strategy is received.

[0037] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the capability information of the RIS includes at least one of the following information: horizontal and vertical coverage angles of the RIS, angular resolution, size of the RIS, or total number of beams of the RIS.

[0038] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving third indication information, where the third indication information indicates the first rule.

[0039] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a beam measurement result from the second communication device, wherein the beam measurement result is determined based on the reference signal; and sending the beam measurement result to the first communication device.

[0040] In a second aspect, a signal transmission method is provided, which can be performed by a communication device. The communication device can be a terminal device, or a chip or circuit for a terminal device; or a network device, or a chip or circuit for a network device, which is not limited in this application.

[0041] The method may include: sending first indication information and / or third indication information to a configurable smart surface (RIS), wherein the third indication information indicates a first rule, the first rule indicates processing a first portion of elements in a beam vector of the RIS, and the first indication information indicates the first portion of elements. The beam vector of the RIS may be understood as a beam vector corresponding to the RIS, a beam vector corresponding to an array of the RIS, or a beam vector of the RIS.

[0042] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first rule instructs processing of a first part of elements in the beam vector of the RIS, including: the first rule instructs setting the first part of elements in the beam vector of the RIS to zero.

[0043] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first portion of elements are continuous elements, or the first portion of elements are elements with equal intervals.

[0044] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: the starting element number of the first part of elements, the total number of elements in the first part of elements, and the interval between adjacent elements in the first part of elements.

[0045] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the first part of elements, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS.

[0046] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information includes a bitmap, and the bitmap indicates the first part of elements.

[0047] In a third aspect, a signal transmission method is provided, which can be performed by a communication device. The communication device can be a terminal device, or a chip or circuit for a terminal device; or a network device, or a chip or circuit for a network device, which is not limited in this application.

[0048] The method may include: sending second indication information and / or third indication information to a configurable smart surface RIS, wherein the third indication information indicates a first rule, the first rule indicates processing a first part of the array of the RIS, and the second indication information indicates the first part of the array of the RIS.

[0049] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first rule instructs processing of a first portion of the RIS, including: the first rule instructs switching the state of the first portion of the RIS to a connected or closed state.

[0050] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first portion of arrays are continuous arrays, or the first portion of arrays are arrays with equal intervals.

[0051] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: a starting array number of the first part of arrays, a total number of arrays in the first part of arrays, and an interval between adjacent arrays in the first part of arrays.

[0052] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the second indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the first part of the array, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS.

[0053] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second indication information includes a bitmap, and the bitmap indicates position information of the first part of the array.

[0054] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in some implementations, the first rule is determined according to a beam grouping strategy, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS.

[0055] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in some implementations, the beam grouping strategy includes at least one of the following information: L levels of beam measurement, the beam group or the number of beam groups during each level of beam measurement, or the beam or the number of beams in each beam group, where L is an integer greater than 1 or equal to 1.

[0056] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in some implementations, the beam grouping strategy is determined according to capability information of the RIS.

[0057] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes any one of the following: receiving capability information of the RIS, where the capability information of the RIS is used to determine the beam grouping strategy; or sending the beam grouping strategy.

[0058] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in some implementations, the capability information of the RIS includes at least one of the following information: the horizontal and vertical coverage angles of the RIS, the angular resolution, the size of the RIS, or the total number of beams of the RIS.

[0059] In a fourth aspect, a signal transmission method is provided, which can be performed by a communication device, wherein the communication device can be a RIS, or a chip or circuit for a RIS, which is not limited in this application.

[0060] The method may include: sending a beam grouping strategy, where the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of a configurable smart surface RIS, and the beam grouping strategy includes at least one of the following information: performing L levels of beam measurement, beam groups during each level of beam measurement, or beams in each beam group, where L is an integer greater than 1 or equal to 1.

[0061] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the beam grouping strategy is determined according to capability information of the RIS.

[0062] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the capability information of the RIS includes at least one of the following information: the horizontal and vertical coverage angles of the RIS, the angular resolution, the size of the RIS, or the total number of beams of the RIS.

[0063] Regarding the beneficial effects and possible designs of the second to fourth aspects, please refer to the relevant description in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0064] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, the device being configured to execute the method of any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects. Specifically, the device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit, for executing the method of any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0065] In one implementation, the apparatus is a communication device (e.g., a terminal device, a network device, or a RIS). When the apparatus is a communication device, the communication unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0066] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip, chip system, or circuit for a communication device (e.g., a terminal device, a network device, or a RIS). When the apparatus is a chip, chip system, or circuit for a communication device, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0067] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to perform the method of any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 4. Optionally, the device further comprises a memory configured to store the computer program or instructions. Optionally, the device further comprises a communication interface, through which the processor reads the computer program or instructions in the memory.

[0068] In one implementation, the apparatus is a communication device (such as a terminal device, a network device, or a RIS).

[0069] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip, a chip system, or a circuit used in a communication device (such as a terminal device, a network device, or a RIS).

[0070] In a seventh aspect, a processor is provided for executing the methods provided in the first to fourth aspects above.

[0071] For the operations such as sending and acquiring / receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as processor output, reception, input and other operations, and can also be understood as sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna. This application does not limit this.

[0072] Optionally, the device further includes: a memory for storing programs; accordingly, at least one processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory.

[0073] Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, which is coupled to the processor and can be used to input information to the processor or output information from the processor.

[0074] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program code for execution by a device, wherein the program code includes a method for executing any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0075] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0076] In the tenth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions on the memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any of the above-mentioned implementation methods of any of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects.

[0077] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction on the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the above implementation methods of any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0078] According to an eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising one or more of the aforementioned RIS, the first communication device, and the second communication device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0079] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0080] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a signal transmission method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0081] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of zeroing at fixed intervals applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0082] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of setting a continuous interval to zero applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0083] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of switching to an off state at fixed intervals applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0084] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of successive transducers being switched to an off state, applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0085] FIG7 is a schematic flowchart of a signal transmission method 700 applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0086] FIG8 is a schematic flowchart of a signal transmission method 800 applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0087] FIG9 is a schematic flowchart of a signal transmission method 900 applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0088] FIG10 is a schematic flowchart of a signal transmission method 1000 applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0089] FIG11 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the number of RIS arrays and beams.

[0090] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a beam grouping strategy proposed according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0091] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0093] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1500 provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0094] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0095] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) mobile communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to low-frequency scenarios, high-frequency scenarios, terahertz, optical communications, licensed frequency bands, and can also be used in unlicensed frequency bands, etc. The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to non-terrestrial communication network (NTN) systems such as intersatellite communication and satellite communication. As an example, a satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and a terminal device. The satellite base station provides communication services for the terminal device. The satellite base station can also communicate with the base station. A satellite can be used as a base station or as a terminal device. Among them, a satellite can refer to a drone, a hot air balloon, a low-orbit satellite, a medium-orbit satellite, a high-orbit satellite, etc. A satellite can also refer to a non-ground base station or non-ground equipment, etc.

[0096] A device in a communication system can send signals to or receive signals from another device. These signals may include information, signaling, or data. The term "device" can also be replaced by an entity, network entity, network element, communication device, communication module, node, communication node, and the like. This disclosure uses devices as examples for description. For example, a communication system may include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. A network device can send downlink signals to a terminal device, and / or a terminal device can send uplink signals to a network device.

[0097] The terminal devices in the embodiments of the present application include various devices with wireless communication functions, which can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer to peer (P2P), M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. The terminal device may be a user equipment (UE) of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standard, a terminal, a fixed device, a mobile station device or a mobile device, a subscriber unit, a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a SIP phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a wireless modem, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a smart book, a vehicle, a satellite, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a target tracking device, an aircraft (such as a drone, a helicopter, a multi-copter, a quadcopter, or an airplane), a ship, a remote control device, a smart home device, an industrial device, or a device built into the above-mentioned device (such as a communication module, a modem or a chip in the above-mentioned device), or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. For ease of description, the terminal device will be described below by taking the terminal or UE as an example.

[0098] It should be understood that in some scenarios, a UE can also be used to act as a base station. For example, a UE can act as a scheduling entity that provides sidelink signals between UEs in scenarios such as V2X, D2D, or P2P.

[0099] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal device, i.e., the terminal device, can be the terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system or chip, which can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0100] 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 base station can broadly cover various names as follows, or be replaced with the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmission point (transmitting and receiving point, TRP), transmission point, master station, auxiliary station, multiple standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. In one possible design, the processing unit for implementing the baseband function in the BBU is called a baseband high layer (BBH) unit, and the processing unit for implementing the baseband function in the RRU / AAU / RRH is called a baseband low layer (BBL) unit. 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 for being 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 D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, a network side device in a 6G network, a device that performs the base station function in a future communication system, and the like. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network equipment.

[0101] 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.

[0102] 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 radio unit (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 a radio frequency device or radio unit, such as an RRU, AAU, or RRH.

[0103] 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, the radio access network may also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In the ORAN system, CU may also be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may also be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP may also be called an open (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be called an open (open CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU may also be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any unit of 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.

[0104] 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.

[0105] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device, or a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system or chip, which can be installed in the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the function of the network device is a network device as an example for description, and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0106] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which network devices and terminal devices are located. In addition, terminal devices and network devices 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 terminal devices and network devices.

[0107] First, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application is briefly introduced as follows.

[0108] Refer to FIG1 , which is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0109] As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system includes at least one network device, such as the network device 110 shown in Figure 1, and the wireless communication system may also include at least one terminal device, such as the terminal device 120 shown in Figure 1. Both the network device and the terminal device may be configured with multiple antennas, and the network device and the terminal device may communicate using multi-antenna technology.

[0110] As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system also includes a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) 130. The RIS can be used to facilitate communication between devices, such as between a network device and a terminal device. For example, if a transmitter (e.g., a network device or a terminal device) and a receiver (e.g., a network device or a terminal device) cannot communicate directly with each other, or if the signal is weak during direct communication, such as when there is an obstacle between the transmitter and the receiver, communication can be achieved through the RIS.

[0111] RIS, also known as a RIS device, intelligent reflective surface (IRS), or large intelligent surface (LIS), is a subwavelength artificial two-dimensional material typically composed of metal, dielectric, and tunable elements. It can be equivalently characterized as a radio link control (RLC) circuit. By adjusting the physical properties of electromagnetic units, such as capacitive reactance, impedance, or inductive reactance, the radiation characteristics of the RIS can be altered, enabling unconventional physical phenomena such as irregular reflection, negative refraction, absorption, focusing, and polarization conversion, thereby dynamically controlling electromagnetic waves. RIS can generate the desired electromagnetic behavior of each electromagnetic unit by controlling the bias voltage of varactor diodes, PIN switches, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches, liquid crystals, graphene, and other materials.

[0112] The RIS can be considered a reflective panel, a smart panel comprising multiple antenna elements 131 (referred to as elements). Each element acts as a passive reflector. By flexibly configuring each element's parameters (such as amplitude and / or phase), wireless channel fading can be controlled and a desired directional beam can be formed. The term "RIS element" below refers to the elements on or within the RIS.

[0113] RIS can be installed in a variety of environments. For example, RIS can be installed on large surfaces (e.g., indoor walls or ceilings, outdoor buildings or signs) to reflect radio frequency (RF) energy around obstacles and create a virtual line of sight (LoS) propagation path between the communication source and target. For example, the advantages of RIS include the following:

[0114] 1) Enhanced Spectral Efficiency: RIS can further improve the communication quality of wireless links through intelligent array control, enhance the useful signal strength at the receiving end, reduce channel interference intensity, and provide an entry point for the realization of future overall intelligent networks.

[0115] 2) Reduced energy consumption and device complexity: RIS can passively reflect received signals. There is no need to configure transmitting and receiving units on the RIS side, and no need to encode and decode data. Therefore, the actual hardware complexity of RIS can be greatly reduced compared to network equipment and terminal equipment, thereby achieving the goal of reducing the system energy consumption of the wireless network.

[0116] 3) Easy to deploy: Because it only includes passive reflective electromagnetic components, the RIS can be easily deployed on various building surfaces, indoor walls, platforms, roadside billboards, highway signs, car windows, and other devices. Furthermore, the RIS can be removed or redeployed at any time based on network needs.

[0117] 4) Compatibility: RIS can be considered as a supplementary device to the existing network. Therefore, it will not affect the existing protocols and does not require changes to existing equipment, thus ensuring compatibility.

[0118] 5) Full-duplex: Compared to relay systems that operate in half-duplex mode, RIS can only perform passive reflection and can therefore operate in full-duplex mode, thereby improving spectrum efficiency.

[0119] The above description of RIS is merely an example and is not intended to limit the present invention. In the following embodiments, RIS is primarily used as an example for illustration, but any device or apparatus capable of implementing the functions of RIS is applicable to the present invention.

[0120] In addition, Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram. The wireless communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices, as well as a larger number of network devices, terminal devices, etc., which are not drawn in Figure 1.

[0121] In order to facilitate a better understanding of the technical solution of this application, some related technologies involved in the technical solution of this application are introduced.

[0122] 1. Reference Signal (RS): This signal may also be called a pilot, reference sequence, or benchmark signal. For consistency, the term "reference signal" will be used in the following descriptions. A reference signal is a physical signal that carries a sequence and is transmitted to achieve a specific function. Specifically, a reference signal is a physical signal generated by mapping a specific sequence onto the corresponding resources using a pre-transmitted resource mapping method.

[0123] In a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) system, each transmit antenna (virtual or physical) has an independent data channel. Based on a known reference signal, the receiver performs channel estimation for each transmit antenna and uses this information to reconstruct the transmitted data. Channel estimation is the process of reconstructing the received signal to compensate for channel fading and noise. It uses reference signals known to both the transmitter and receiver to track channel variations in both the time and frequency domains.

[0124] In the present application, the reference signals involved, as examples, may be any of the following: channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS), cell reference signal (CRS), etc. Among them, DMRS can be used for demodulation of physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). CSI-RS can be used for channel information measurement and reporting of channel state information (CSI), which includes at least one of the following: precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indication (RI) and channel quality indicator (CQI).

[0125] It should be understood that the reference signals listed above are only examples and should not constitute any limitation to this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future protocols to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0126] 2. Beam: A communication resource. Different beams can be considered different resources. Different beams can send the same or different information.

[0127] The NR protocol uses a beam as a spatial domain filter, also known as a spatial filter or spatial parameter. The beam used to send signals is called a transmission beam (Tx beam), and the beam used to receive signals is called a reception beam (Rx beam).

[0128] The transmit beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after the signal is transmitted by the antenna, and the receive beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space of the wireless signal received from the antenna.

[0129] Furthermore, the beam can be a wide beam, a narrow beam, or other types of beams. The beam forming technology can be beamforming technology or other technologies. The beamforming technology can specifically be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, or hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology.

[0130] As an example, multiple beams having the same or similar communication characteristics may be considered as one beam.

[0131] A beam can correspond to one or more antenna ports, which are used to transmit data channels, control channels, and sounding signals. The one or more antenna ports corresponding to a beam can also be regarded as an antenna port set.

[0132] 3. RIS channel estimation: Since the RIS is generally considered a passive reflector, and in MIMO systems, the number of RIS elements is typically large (possibly thousands), directly estimating the RIS channel matrix itself requires a number of pilot signals on the same order as the number of RIS elements, resulting in an overhead bottleneck. Furthermore, since the RIS lacks an RF chain for active transmission and reception, it cannot transmit, receive, or process signals, making it impossible to obtain channel state information using traditional channel estimation methods. Furthermore, as the number of reflectors increases, the channel dimensionality increases dramatically, further complicating the acquisition of channel state information.

[0133] Without loss of generality, assuming that the network device has M antennas, the RIS has N arrays (or unit arrays), and the terminal device has a single antenna, the signal received by the network device (after removing the reference signal) can satisfy Equation 1.

[0134] Among them, F H is the channel between the network device and RIS (e.g., referred to as BS-RIS channel), diag(W) is the weight of RIS, H is the channel between RIS and the terminal device (e.g., referred to as RIS-UE channel), H BS-UE The channel between the network device and the terminal device (e.g., referred to as the BS-UE channel). The embodiments of the present application are primarily concerned with estimating the concatenated channel between the network device, the RIS, and the terminal device (e.g., referred to as the BS-RIS-UE channel). For example, by sending an uplink reference signal or a downlink reference signal, the uplink concatenated channel and the downlink concatenated channel are estimated, thereby enabling operations such as precoding, modulation order, and rank setting.

[0135] 4. RIS Precoding / Beamforming: Similar to the precoding technology used in traditional multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) systems, precoding can effectively utilize channel state information and preprocess the transmitted signal to improve reception performance. For example, by adjusting the parameters of each electromagnetic element in the RIS (such as phase and / or amplitude), the beam can be oriented in a specific direction, thereby reducing the transmission power of the desired signal, improving spectral efficiency, expanding coverage, and simultaneously reducing interference.

[0136] Beamforming design primarily involves precoding and equalization matrices for multi-antenna transceivers to achieve directional signal transmission. The introduction of RIS complicates system beamforming design. Due to its programmable nature, RIS can function as an external analog precoder, designing the corresponding phase shift matrix. This means that RIS uses analog beamforming to control the reflection of signals from the transmitter.

[0137] Compared with traditional beamforming, RIS beamforming presents some new challenges, such as:

[0138] (1) The number of RIS panel units is large, and designing the beamforming parameters for each electromagnetic unit is highly complex. Dimensionality reduction and grouping are a way to compromise beamforming accuracy and computational complexity.

[0139] (2) The segmented nature of the channel in RIS communication requires the joint design of active beamforming for network equipment and passive beamforming for RIS. When RIS has the ability to actively measure and sense signals, segmented channel CSI can be directly obtained, making the design of beamforming from the transmitter to RIS and from RIS to the receiver relatively simple. When RIS does not have the ability to actively measure and sense signals, segmented channel CSI is difficult to obtain directly, and the design of beamforming from RIS to the receiver becomes a challenging problem.

[0140] This application proposes a RIS beam training scheme, which can achieve wide and narrow beam switching by controlling the local change of the codeword (or beam vector) corresponding to the RIS beam, or by controlling the state of the RIS array (or working state), thereby improving the beam training efficiency.

[0141] Before introducing the solution of this application, the following points are explained.

[0142] (1) In this application, “indication” may include direct indication, indirect indication, explicit indication, and implicit indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0143] In this application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved with the help of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, stipulated by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the information to be indicated can be sent together as a whole, or it can be divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different.

[0144] (2) In this application, "sending" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also include indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also include indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between a network device and a terminal device, or can be carried out within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, a line or an interface.

[0145] (3) In the various embodiments of this 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 based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0146] (4) In this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for convenience of description only and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. They are not used to describe the order or precedence of features. It should be understood that the terms described in this manner may be interchangeable, where appropriate, to describe solutions other than the embodiments of this application.

[0147] The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment provided by the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG1 above without limitation.

[0148] Referring to Figure 2, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a signal transmission method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method 200 shown in Figure 2 may include the following steps. In the following embodiments, RIS is primarily used as an example for illustration, but any device or apparatus capable of implementing the functions of RIS is applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0149] 210. The RIS receives a reference signal from a first communication device. Accordingly, the first communication device sends a reference signal.

[0150] The first communication device may send a reference signal to the second communication device via the RIS.

[0151] In one possible scenario, the first communication device is a network device or a component of a network device (e.g., a chip or circuit), and the second communication device is a terminal device or a component of a terminal device (e.g., a chip or circuit). In this scenario, the reference signal is a downlink reference signal, such as a CSI-RS.

[0152] In another possible scenario, the first communication device is a terminal device or a component of the terminal device (such as a chip or circuit), and the second communication device is a network device or a component of the network device (such as a chip or circuit). In this scenario, the reference signal is an uplink reference signal, such as an SRS.

[0153] In another possible scenario, the first communication device is a terminal device or a component of the terminal device (e.g., a chip or circuit), and the second communication device is a terminal device or a component of the terminal device (e.g., a chip or circuit). In this scenario, the reference signal is a sidelink (SL) reference signal, such as a sidelink beam management reference signal.

[0154] Optionally, method 200 further includes step 220 .

[0155] 220. The RIS performs (or executes) a first process, where the first process is to process a first portion of elements in the beam vector according to a first rule, or the first process is to process a first portion of arrays of the RIS according to the first rule.

[0156] The beam vector is the beam vector corresponding to the RIS, or the beam vector corresponding to the array on the RIS, or the beam vector corresponding to the RIS beam (i.e., the beam used by the RIS to transmit a reference signal), or simply the RIS beam vector. The beam vector (or matrix, or weight coefficient vector, or weight coefficient matrix) can be X-dimensional, where the vector elements correspond to the arrays of the RIS, and X is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0157] In one possible implementation, the beam vector is a preset codebook, such as a preconfigured or protocol-predefined codebook. Based on this, in step 220, the RIS processes a first portion of elements in the preset codebook according to a first rule. The processed codebook is not identical to the pre-processed codebook (i.e., the preset codebook), i.e., the first portion of elements has been adjusted. In other words, according to this embodiment of the present application, the RIS does not directly reflect the reference signal based on the preset codebook, but instead reflects the received reference signal based on a codebook that has been processed using the elements in the preset codebook.

[0158] In another possible implementation, the beam vector is a preset or preconfigured X-dimensional vector, where the elements of the X-dimensional vector correspond one-to-one with the RIS arrays. For example, if the number of RIS arrays is P, the beam vector can be a P*1 one-dimensional vector, meaning each array corresponds to one element. Alternatively, the beam vector can be a P*P two-dimensional vector, meaning each RIS array corresponds to P elements of the two-dimensional vector, such as the P diagonal elements. Alternatively, the beam vector can exist in the form of a codeword, which is not limited to this.

[0159] Among them, the first part of the elements in the beam vector may represent some elements in the beam vector. That is, the RIS processes some elements in the beam vector according to the first rule. It can be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not exclude the processing of all elements in the beam vector, that is, the first part of the elements may also include all elements in the beam vector; and the embodiment of the present application does not exclude not processing the elements in the beam vector. As long as the RIS processes the elements in the beam vector according to a rule, or determines whether to process the elements in the beam vector according to a rule, or determines which elements in the beam vector to process according to a rule, it is applicable to the embodiment of the present application.

[0160] The first portion of the RIS can represent a portion of the RIS. That is, the RIS processes a portion of the RIS according to the first rule. It should be understood that this embodiment of the present application does not preclude processing all RIS elements; that is, the first portion of the RIS elements may also include all RIS elements. Furthermore, this embodiment of the present application does not preclude not processing RIS elements. As long as the RIS processes RIS elements according to a rule, determines whether to process RIS elements according to a rule, or determines which elements of the RIS elements to process according to a rule, these embodiments of the present application are applicable.

[0161] If the first processing is to process the first part of the elements in the beam vector according to the first rule, then in step 220, the RIS processes the first part of the elements in the beam vector according to the first rule. In other words, the RIS adjusts (or updates, or controls) the first part of the elements in the beam vector according to the first rule.

[0162] If the first processing is processing the first part of the RIS array according to the first rule, then in step 220, the RIS processes the first part of the RIS array according to the first rule. In other words, the RIS adjusts (or updates, or controls) the first part of the RIS array according to the first rule.

[0163] The specific solution of step 220 will be described in detail later.

[0164] 230. The RIS sends a reference signal to the second communication device.

[0165] Specifically, based on the first process, the RIS sends a reference signal to the second communication device.

[0166] For example, if in step 220, the first processing is to process the first portion of the RIS according to the first rule, that is, the RIS processes the first portion of the elements in the beam vector according to the first rule, then in step 230, the RIS transmits (or reflects) a reference signal to the second communication device based on the processed beam vector. In other words, the RIS transmits (or reflects) a reference signal to the second communication device via a beam whose beam vector is obtained by processing the first portion of the elements in the beam vector according to the first rule.

[0167] For another example, if in step 220, the first processing is to process the first portion of the RIS array according to the first rule, that is, the RIS processes the first portion of the RIS array according to the first rule, then in step 230, the RIS transmits (or reflects) a reference signal to the second communication device via the processed array. In other words, the RIS transmits the reference signal to the second communication device via the array of the RIS, where the first portion of the array is processed according to the first rule.

[0168] Further optionally, method 200 also includes step 240 .

[0169] 240. The second communication device sends a measurement result to the first communication device. Specifically, the second communication device may perform measurement (or beam measurement) based on the received reference signal and send the measurement result (the measurement result may also be called a beam measurement result) to the first communication device. The second communication device may also send the measurement result to the first communication device via the RIS. The second communication device may perform measurement (or beam measurement) based on the received reference signal and send the measurement result (the measurement result may also be called a beam measurement result). After receiving the measurement result, the RIS sends (or reflects) the measurement result to the first communication device.

[0170] As an example, the measurement result includes at least one of the following: reference signal receiving power (RSRP), signal to noise ratio (SNR), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), whether the beam is available, whether the transmit timing needs to be adjusted, whether the receive timing change exceeds a threshold, and a resource identifier used to obtain the measurement result or a logical identifier of the antenna panel (for example, a capability value identifier).

[0171] Optionally, the first rule is determined based on a beam grouping strategy. Based on this, the first rule is related to the beam grouping strategy. Further, optionally, the first rule is related to the beam grouping strategy and the total number of beams of the RIS.

[0172] The beam grouping strategy is a grouping strategy related to the beams of the RIS. When the first communication device and the second communication device perform beam training through the RIS, the beam training can be performed according to the beam grouping strategy.

[0173] For example, the beam grouping strategy includes at least one of the following information: L levels of beam measurements, the beam group or number of beam groups for each level of beam measurement, or the beam or number of beams in each beam group. L is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The above information is described below.

[0174] 1) Performing L-level beam measurements means performing L beam measurements (or performing L rounds of beam measurements, or performing L rounds of beam scanning) during beam measurement (or beam training, or beam scanning). For example, the first communication device sends L times (or L rounds) of reference signals to the second communication device through RIS. The second communication device can perform beam measurement based on the reference signal received each time (or each round) and feed back the measurement results of each beam measurement (or each round of beam measurement). It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of reference signals transmitted during each beam measurement. For example, each time a beam measurement is performed, the first communication device can send multiple reference signals to the second communication device through RIS. By designing L-level beam measurements, it is possible to achieve a smaller number of beams for each beam measurement than for performing one beam measurement, thereby reducing the overhead of beam measurement.

[0175] Further optionally, if, according to the beam grouping strategy, it is determined to perform L-level beam measurements, then in step 230, the RIS transmits a reference signal to the second communication device via the i-th level beam. The beam vector corresponding to the i-th level beam is obtained by processing the first portion of elements in the beam vector according to the first rule. Alternatively, when the RIS transmits the reference signal to the second communication device via the i-th level beam, the array of the RIS is obtained by processing the first portion of arrays of the RIS according to the first rule. Here, i = 1, 2, ..., L.

[0176] 2) The beam group used in each level beam measurement indicates the beam group used in each level beam measurement in the L level when performing the L level beam measurement.

[0177] Taking the i-th level as an example, as an example, the information of the beam group during the i-th level beam measurement includes at least one of the following items: the number of beam groups during the i-th level beam measurement, the identification of the beam group during the i-th level beam measurement, the number of beams in the beam group during the i-th level beam measurement, and the beam identification in the beam group during the i-th level beam measurement.

[0178] The number of beam groups used in each level of beam measurement can be the same or different. If the number of beam groups used in each level of beam measurement is the same, the beam grouping strategy may include a parameter (e.g., G) regarding the number of beam groups, where G represents the number of beam groups used in each level of beam measurement. If the number of beam groups used in each level of beam measurement is different, the beam grouping strategy may include L parameters (e.g., Gi, i = 1, 2, ..., L) regarding the number of beam groups, where Gi represents the number of beam groups used in the i-th level of beam measurement.

[0179] 3) The beams in each beam group represent the beams contained in the beam group when performing beam measurement of each level in the L level when performing beam measurement of the L level.

[0180] As an example, the information of the beams in each beam group includes at least one of the following: the number of beams in the beam group, the beam identifier in the beam group. The number of beams in each beam group can be the same (such as the number of beams in the beam group during the first-level beam measurement is the same, and the number of beams in the beam group during the L-level beam measurement is the same), or different. If the number of beams in each beam group is the same, then the beam grouping strategy may include a parameter (such as K) regarding the number of beams in the beam group, where K represents the number of beams in each beam group. If the number of beams in the beam group during the same-level beam measurement is the same, and the number of beams in the beam group during different-level beam measurements is different, the beam grouping strategy may include L parameters (such as Ki, i=1, 2,..., L), where Ki represents the number of beams in the beam group during the i-th-level beam measurement.

[0181] It is understood that the above is an example and is not limiting. For example, the beam grouping strategy includes performing L-level beam measurements and beams during each level of beam measurement, that is, beams may not be grouped during each level of beam measurement.

[0182] Optionally, the beam grouping strategy is determined according to capability information of the RIS.

[0183] Specifically, the control device determines the capability information of the RIS (or simply capability information) and determines the beam grouping strategy based on the capability information of the RIS. For example, the capability information of the RIS includes at least one of the following: the horizontal and vertical coverage angles of the RIS (e.g., the maximum horizontal and vertical coverage angles), the angular resolution, the size of the RIS, or the total number of beams in the RIS. The size of the RIS may include, for example, the number of arrays in the RIS (i.e., the number of arrays contained in the RIS).

[0184] As an example, the control device may be any of the following: a first communication device, a second communication device, or a RIS; or the control device may be deployed in any of the following: a first communication device, a second communication device, or a RIS. There are several possible scenarios regarding the control device.

[0185] In the first possible scenario, the control device is deployed on the network side, such as a network device or a component of the network device (such as a chip or circuit). In this case, the RIS can send RIS capability information to the control device, so that the control device can determine the beam grouping strategy based on the capability information.

[0186] In this case, the control device may further optionally send the beam grouping strategy to the first communication device and / or the RIS. If the control device sends the beam grouping strategy to the first communication device, the first communication device may also send the beam grouping strategy to the RIS. Similarly, if the control device sends the beam grouping strategy to the RIS, the RIS may also send the beam grouping strategy to the first communication device. The second communication device may also obtain the beam grouping strategy, which is not limited to this.

[0187] In this case, the control device may further optionally indicate the first rule to the RIS. The control device may indicate the first rule to the RIS directly, or may indicate the first rule to the RIS through another device. This will be described in detail later in conjunction with the third indication information.

[0188] In the second possible scenario, the control device is deployed on the terminal side, such as when the control device is a terminal device or a component of the terminal device (e.g., a chip or circuit). In this scenario, the RIS may send RIS capability information to the control device, so that the control device can determine the beam grouping strategy based on this capability information. In this scenario, the control device may further optionally send the beam grouping strategy to the first communication device and / or the RIS. For details, please refer to the description of the first possible scenario. Further optionally, the control device indicates the first rule to the RIS.

[0189] In a third possible scenario, the control device is deployed on the RIS side, such as the RIS or a component of the RIS (e.g., a chip or circuit). In this scenario, the control device can read the RIS's capability information and determine the beam grouping strategy based on this capability information. In this scenario, the control device can further optionally send the beam grouping strategy to the first communication device. Furthermore, the first communication device or the second communication device can indicate the first rule to the RIS.

[0190] The above is an example and is not limiting. For example, the control device may also be deployed by a third party.

[0191] The specific solution of step 220 will be described in detail below in conjunction with the first rule. The first rule may include the following two solutions.

[0192] In Solution 1, the first rule instructs (or is used for) processing the first portion of elements in the beam vector. That is, the first processing is processing the first portion of elements in the beam vector according to the first rule. Under this solution, in step 220, the RIS processes the first portion of elements in the beam vector according to the first rule.

[0193] Solution 2: The first rule instructs (or is used for) processing the first part of the RIS array, that is, the first processing is processing the first part of the RIS array according to the first rule. Under this solution, in step 220, the RIS processes the first part of the RIS array according to the first rule.

[0194] The two schemes are described below.

[0195] In solution 1, the first rule instructs to process the first part of the elements in the beam vector. For ease of distinction, the first rule in solution 1 is referred to as rule #A, that is, rule #A instructs to process the first part of the elements in the beam vector.

[0196] Based on this solution, when a first communication device sends a reference signal to a second communication device via the RIS, the RIS receives the reference signal from the first communication device and can use the beam processed according to Rule #A to send the reference signal to the second communication device. This eliminates the need to reconfigure the beam weight vector and allows the elements in the beam vector to be adjusted directly according to Rule #A to achieve wide-narrow beam switching, reducing the overhead of beam training and improving the efficiency of beam training.

[0197] For ease of description, the first part of the elements is referred to as element #A. That is, rule #A indicates the processing of element #A in the beam vector. It should be noted that the following multiple references to "rule #A indicating the processing of element #A in the beam vector" can also be replaced by "processing element #A in the beam vector according to rule #A."

[0198] Among them, rule #A indicates processing of element #A in the beam vector, which may be processing of element #A in the beam vector according to rule #A, so that element #A before processing and element #A after processing are different. Optionally, rule #A indicates setting element #A in the beam vector to zero. Based on this, in step 220, RIS sets element #A in the beam vector to zero according to the first rule. By performing a zeroing operation on some elements in the beam vector, the RIS beam can achieve wide and narrow beam switching. The zeroing operation is an example description, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. For example, other operations may also be used, such as an inversion operation, a set-to-1 operation, etc. For ease of understanding and explanation, the zeroing operation is used as an example for explanation below.

[0199] Regarding the zeroing operation, there are at least two situations as follows.

[0200] The first possible scenario is to set zeros at fixed intervals. In this scenario, element #A includes elements with equal intervals.

[0201] Taking the beam vector as a two-dimensional vector as an example, for example, rule #A indicates setting multiple rows of elements in the beam vector to zero. That is, according to rule #A, the multiple rows of elements in the beam vector are set to zero, wherein the row spacing between each two adjacent rows in the multiple rows is the same. For another example, rule #A indicates setting multiple columns of elements in the beam vector to zero. That is, according to rule #A, the multiple columns of elements in the beam vector are set to zero, wherein the column spacing between each two adjacent columns in the multiple columns is the same.

[0202] For ease of description, the interval is represented by Δ1. As an example, Δ1 is an integer greater than 0. For example, Δ1=2 n , n is an integer greater than or equal to 0. For example, Δ1 is any of the following: 2, 4, 8, 16.

[0203] See Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of zeroing at fixed intervals applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, Φ represents a beam vector, which is an M×N two-dimensional vector, where M is the number of rows and N is the number of columns, and M and N are integers greater than 1. For example, M*N=P, where P is the number of RIS elements. Element #A represents a portion of the beam vector, that is, element #A represents a portion of the M×N two-dimensional vector.

[0204] In one example, element #A includes n columns and m rows of elements, and the column spacing between two adjacent column elements in the n columns is Δ1, n is an integer greater than 1 and less than N or equal to N, and m is an integer greater than 1 or equal to 1 and less than M or equal to M.

[0205] As shown in (a) of Figure 3 , element #A includes n columns and M rows of elements, and the column spacing between two adjacent columns of elements in the n columns is Δ1. In this example, the elements in each column of the n columns can be set to zero. For example, all elements in the 1st column, all elements in the (1+Δ1)th column, all elements in the (1+2Δ1)th column, all elements in the (1+3Δ1)th column, and so on are set to zero. In this example, Δ1 can be in one-dimensional form, that is, Δ1 is the vertical spacing (or column spacing) of the elements to be set to zero.

[0206] In another example, element #A includes n columns and m rows of elements, where the interval between two adjacent elements in the m rows is Δ1, n is an integer greater than 1 or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N, and m is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0207] As shown in (b) of Figure 3 , element #A includes N columns and m rows of elements, where the spacing between adjacent elements in the m rows is Δ1. In this example, each element in the m rows can be set to zero. For example, all elements in the 1st row, all elements in the (1+Δ1)th row, all elements in the (1+2Δ1)th row, all elements in the (1+3Δ1)th row, and so on are set to zero. In this example, Δ1 can be in one-dimensional form, that is, Δ1 is the horizontal spacing (or row spacing) between the elements to be set to zero.

[0208] In another example, element #A includes n columns and m rows of elements, and the interval between two adjacent elements in the m rows is Δ1 h , the interval between two adjacent columns of elements in the n columns is Δ1 v , n is an integer greater than 1 and less than N or equal to N, and m is an integer greater than 1 and less than M or equal to M. Δ1 h and Δ1 v Can be the same or different, below is Δ1 h and Δ1 v The same, that is, Δ1 is used as an example for explanation.

[0209] As shown in FIG3(c), element #A includes n columns and m rows of elements. The spacing between adjacent elements in the m rows is Δ1, and the spacing between adjacent elements in the n columns is Δ1. In this example, the elements in the m rows and n columns can be set to zero. In this example, Δ1 can be two-dimensional, that is, Δ1 includes the horizontal spacing and the vertical spacing of the elements to be set to zero (i.e., the row spacing and the column spacing).

[0210] The above description is based on an example of FIG3 , and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, the starting row may be the i-th row, where i is an integer greater than 1 and less than M. For another example, the starting column may be the j-th column, where j is an integer greater than 1 and less than N.

[0211] The second possible case is that the continuous interval is set to zero. In this case, the element #A includes continuous elements.

[0212] Taking the beam vector as a two-dimensional vector as an example, for example, rule #A indicates that the elements of multiple consecutive rows in the beam vector are set to zero, that is, according to rule #A, the elements of multiple consecutive rows in the beam vector are set to zero. For another example, rule #A indicates that the elements of multiple consecutive columns in the beam vector are set to zero, that is, according to rule #A, the elements of multiple consecutive columns in the beam vector are set to zero.

[0213] For ease of description, Δ2 is used to represent the length of a continuous interval, such as the number of consecutive rows or the number of consecutive columns. As an example, Δ2 is an integer greater than 1.

[0214] See Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of setting continuous intervals to zero, applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, Φ represents a beam vector, which is an M×N two-dimensional vector, where M is the number of rows and N is the number of columns, and M and N are integers greater than 1. Element #A is a portion of the elements in the beam vector, that is, element #A is a portion of the elements in the M×N two-dimensional vector.

[0215] In one example, element #A includes n columns and m rows of elements, where the n columns are continuous Δ2 columns, where n is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to N, and m is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M. As shown in FIG4(a), element #A includes Δ2 consecutive columns of elements. In this example, the Δ2 consecutive columns of elements starting from column 1 can be set to zero. In this example, Δ2 can be one-dimensional, that is, Δ2 is the length of the consecutive zeroed columns (or the number of columns).

[0216] In another example, element #A includes n columns and m rows of elements, where the m rows are continuous Δ2 rows, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N, and m is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M. As shown in FIG4(b), element #A includes Δ2 consecutive rows of elements. In this example, the Δ2 consecutive rows of elements starting from row 1 can be set to zero. In this example, Δ2 can be one-dimensional, that is, Δ2 is the length of the row (or the number of rows) that are continuously set to zero.

[0217] In another example, element #A includes n columns and m rows of elements, where the m rows are continuous Δ2 h rows, the n columns are continuous Δ2 v Column, n is an integer greater than 1 and less than N or equal to N, m is an integer greater than 1 and less than M or equal to M. Δ2 h and Δ2 v As shown in Figure 4(c), element #A includes continuous Δ2 h Row, continuous Δ2 v In this example, we can calculate the number of consecutive Δ2 columns starting from row 1. h Continuous Δ2 starting from row and column 1 v The elements in the column are set to zero. In this example, Δ2 can be in two-dimensional form, that is, Δ2 includes the length of the column (or the number of columns) Δ2 that is continuously set to zero. v and the length of the row with consecutive zeros (or the number of rows) Δ2 h .

[0218] The above description is given in conjunction with FIG4 as an example, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, the starting row to be zeroed may be the i-th row, where i is an integer greater than 1 and less than M. For another example, the starting column to be zeroed may be the j-th column, where j is an integer greater than 1 and less than N. For another example, element #A may include A plurality of elements are started, and the interval between every two adjacent elements in the plurality of elements is Δ2 elements.

[0219] The above two situations are for illustration only and are not limiting. For example, zeros may be set at different intervals.

[0220] Optionally, element #A has an association relationship with the beam grouping strategy (for distinction, the association relationship is referred to as association relationship #A). Thus, element #A can be obtained based on the beam grouping strategy and the association relationship #A, or the beam grouping strategy can also be obtained based on element #A and the association relationship #A.

[0221] The association relationship #A may exist in the form of a table, function, text, or string, such as for storage or transmission. Combining the two scenarios, an example of presenting the association relationship #A in table form is introduced.

[0222] Case 1: set to zero at regular intervals.

[0223] In this case, the association relationship #A may be as shown in Table 1.

[0224] Table 1

[0225] The beam management level (BM level) refers to the aforementioned L-level beam measurement. In the example shown in Table 1, L=3, which means that level 3 beam measurement is performed. The zeroing interval in Table 1 is the aforementioned Δ1. As mentioned above, Δ1 can be in a one-dimensional form, specifically, Δ1 is the horizontal interval (or row interval) of the elements to be zeroed, or Δ1 is the vertical interval (or column interval) of the elements to be zeroed; or Δ1 can also be in a two-dimensional form, specifically, Δ1 includes the horizontal interval and the vertical interval (i.e., row interval and column interval) of the elements to be zeroed.

[0226] Taking Table 1 as an example, when performing a first-level beam measurement, zeroing can be performed at a zeroing interval of Δ11. For example, when performing a first-level beam measurement, the RIS can start from the first row of the beam vector and set every Δ11 rows to zero. For another example, when performing a first-level beam measurement, the RIS can start from the first column of the beam vector and set every Δ11 columns to zero. The starting point of the first row or column can be predefined, preconfigured, or indicated, and is not limited thereto.

[0227] Table 1 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, Table 1 may also include a starting position, i.e., the starting position of the element to be zeroed. For example, if the starting position in Table 1 is a row number (or index or identifier), and if the starting position corresponding to the first-level beam measurement is the number of row 1, then when performing the first-level beam measurement, starting from row 1, every Δ11 rows may be zeroed, i.e., the elements in row 1, row 1+Δ11, row 2+Δ11, and so on, may be zeroed. For another example, if the starting position in Table 1 is a column number, and if the starting position corresponding to the first-level beam measurement is the number of column 1, then when performing the first-level beam measurement, starting from column 1, every Δ11 columns may be zeroed, i.e., the elements in row 1, column 1+Δ11, column 2+Δ11, and so on, may be zeroed. For another example, the starting position in Table 1 may be two-dimensional, such as row and column numbers. Regarding row numbering, for example, rows can be numbered sequentially starting from row 1 in the beam vector. Similarly, regarding column numbering, for example, columns can be numbered sequentially starting from column 1 in the beam vector. Similarly, elements in the beam vector can also be numbered, for example, each column or row can be numbered independently. Alternatively, all elements can be numbered jointly, such as starting from the element in the first row and first column, and numbering them sequentially from row to column (or vice versa). Alternatively, the numbers of each element can be predefined.

[0228] Case 2: Set to zero according to the continuous interval.

[0229] In this case, the association relationship #A can be as shown in Table 2.

[0230] Table 2

[0231] The zeroing interval in Table 2 includes the starting position ID of the element to be zeroed i,j , where ID i,j Can be used to identify the starting element (That is, the first element in element #A). For example, ID i,j The starting element As mentioned above, the elements in the beam vector can have corresponding numbers, such as independent numbering of each row or each column, joint numbering of the elements in the beam vector, or predefined numbering of the elements, and there is no limitation on this. The zeroing interval in Table 2 also includes the length of continuous zeroing, which is the Δ2 mentioned above. As mentioned above, Δ2 can be in one-dimensional form (such as Δ2 is the length of the column of continuous zeroing, or Δ2 is the length of the row of continuous zeroing), or it can be in two-dimensional form (such as Δ2 is the length of the column and row of continuous zeroing), and there is no limitation on this.

[0232] Taking Table 2 as an example, when performing beam measurement at level 1, the starting position can be used as the ID i1,j1 , the length of continuous zeroing is Δ21. For example, when performing beam measurement at level 1, the ID i1,j1 Starting from the row where ID is located, the elements of Δ21 rows are set to zero. For example, when performing beam measurement at level 1, the elements of ID i1,j1 Starting from the column where ID is located, the elements of the consecutive Δ21 columns are set to zero. For example, when performing beam measurement at level 1, the elements of the ID i1,j1 Starting from the row and column where the element is located, the elements of Δ21 consecutive rows and Δ21 consecutive columns are set to zero.

[0233] Table 2 is an example and is not intended to be limiting. For example, Table 2 may include more parameters. For example, Table 2 includes two zero lengths, which represent the length of a column of consecutive zeros and the length of a row of consecutive zeros. For another example, Δ2 (i.e., Δ21-Δ23) in Table 2 may also represent the total number of consecutively zeroed elements. Taking the beam measurement of level 1 as an example, the number of elements from ID i1,j1 The starting element of the identifier The first Δ21 consecutive elements (e.g., the first Δ21 consecutive elements of the row and then the column, or the first Δ21 consecutive elements of the column and then the row) are set to zero. For another example, the starting position ID in Table 2 i,j Can be replaced by ID i or ID j , ID i Used to identify the row where the starting element is located, ID j Used to identify the column where the starting element is located. In this way, the default ID i The identified row or ID j The first element or an element in the identified column is the starting element. For another example, the starting position in Table 2 can be replaced by the end position (i.e., the last element in element #A) or the middle position (i.e., the middle element in element #A).

[0234] The above describes the association relationship #A in combination with two scenarios. It is understood that variations of the above solution are applicable to the embodiments of the present application. For example, an association relationship between elements that do not need to be set to zero and beam grouping strategies can also be defined.

[0235] Furthermore, as an example, association #A may be time-constrained. Specifically, association #A may be associated with a time period during which association #A is valid. That is, within this time period, the RIS may determine element #A based on association #A and the beam grouping strategy. Alternatively, the RIS may determine the beam grouping strategy based on association #A and element #A.

[0236] Optionally, the RIS receives first indication information, where the first indication information indicates element #A, or the first indication information indicates the location (or location information) of element #A. Specifically, a control device or a communication device (e.g., the first communication device or the second communication device) sends the first indication information, the RIS receives the first indication information, and based on the first indication information, learns the elements that need to be processed, such as the elements that need to be reset to zero. The first indication information may directly or indirectly indicate element #A, without limitation.

[0237] As an example, the first indication information may be carried in at least one of the following signaling: radio resource control (RRC), media access control (MAC) (such as media access control-control element (MAC CE)), or downlink control information (DCI).

[0238] Several possible implementations are described below.

[0239] In a first possible implementation, the first indication information indicates (e.g., includes) at least one of the following information: the number of the ending element in element #A, the number of the starting element in element #A, the total number of elements in element #A, and the interval between adjacent elements in element #A. Specifically, it can be assumed that the beam vector is a preset codebook. In this way, the RIS can obtain the corresponding position based on the at least one piece of information indicated by the first indication information, and thus determine element #A.

[0240] Taking the beam vector as a two-dimensional vector as an example, the above information can be one-dimensional or two-dimensional. Specifically, the number of the starting element (i.e., the first element) in element #A can be the row number where the starting element is located (i.e., the number of the starting row), or the column number where the starting element is located (i.e., the number of the starting column), or a specific element in the two-dimensional vector (e.g., The number of the end element (i.e., the last element) in element #A can be the row number where the end element is located (i.e., the number of the end row), or the column number where the end element is located (i.e., the number of the end column), or a specific element in the two-dimensional vector (e.g., ) position. The total number of elements contained in element #A can be the total number of rows where the elements to be set to zero are located, or the total number of columns where the elements to be set to zero are located, or the total number of elements to be set to zero. The interval between adjacent elements in element #A can be the interval between adjacent rows in the row where the elements to be set to zero are located, or the interval between adjacent columns in the column where the elements to be set to zero are located, or the interval between adjacent elements to be set to zero in the two-dimensional vector.

[0241] The following describes two scenarios.

[0242] Case 1: set to zero at regular intervals.

[0243] In this case, as an example, the first indication information indicates (e.g., includes) a zeroing interval (i.e., the interval between adjacent elements in element #A) and / or a starting position (i.e., the number of the starting element in element #A). For example, as shown in FIG3(a), the first indication information includes Δ1. In this case, starting from column 1, elements in every Δ1 columns may be set to zero by default.

[0244] Case 2: Set to zero according to the continuous interval.

[0245] In this case, as an example, the first indication information indicates (e.g., includes) a zeroing interval (i.e., the total number of elements contained in element #A) and / or a starting position (i.e., the number of the starting element in element #A). For example, as shown in FIG4(a), the first indication information includes Δ2. In this case, by default, elements in Δ2 consecutive columns starting from column 1 may be set to zero.

[0246] The above briefly describes two scenarios, but is not intended to limit this. For example, the first indication information may include an end position and a zeroing interval or a zeroing interval. In this way, the positions of all elements to be set to zero may be determined based on the end position and the zeroing interval or the zeroing interval. For another example, the first indication information may include an end position, and assuming that the starting position is a default, all elements to be set to zero may also be determined based on the end position and the default starting position.

[0247] In a second possible implementation, the first indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, and the beam grouping strategy is associated with element #A. Specifically, the RIS may obtain element #A based on the beam grouping strategy and the association.

[0248] Among them, the association relationship between the beam grouping strategy and element #A can refer to the association relationship #A described above, such as Table 1 or Table 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0249] Furthermore, the association between the beam grouping strategy and element #A can be predefined, preconfigured, or indicated, without limitation. If the association #A is indicated, the association #A and the beam grouping strategy can be carried in the same signaling or in different signaling, without limitation.

[0250] In a third possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes a bitmap, and the position information of the element #A is indicated by the bitmap.

[0251] Taking the beam vector as a two-dimensional vector as an example, the bitmap can be one-dimensional (i.e., the bitmap indicates the rows or columns to be set to zero), or it can be two-dimensional (i.e., the bitmap indicates the rows and columns to be set to zero). Assume that the beam vector is an M×N two-dimensional vector, where M is the number of rows and N is the number of columns.

[0252] For example, an M-bit bitmap is used to indicate the rows that need to be set to zero. Specifically, each bit represents a row. Assume that a bit value of "1" indicates that it needs to be set to zero, and a bit value of "0" indicates that it does not need to be set to zero. Assuming M = 14, if the bitmap is 00001100001100, then the elements in rows 5, 6, 11, and 12 need to be set to zero, and the elements in the remaining rows do not need to be set to zero.

[0253] For another example, consider an N-bit bitmap that indicates columns that need to be set to zero. Specifically, each bit represents a column. Assume a bit value of "1" indicates that the columns need to be set to zero, while a bit value of "0" indicates that the columns do not need to be set to zero. Assuming N = 12, if the bitmap is 100001000011, then the elements in columns 1, 6, 11, and 12 need to be set to zero, while the elements in the remaining columns do not need to be set to zero.

[0254] For another example, a bitmap of (N+M) bits may be used to indicate the rows and columns that need to be set to zero, or two bitmaps may be used to indicate the rows and columns that need to be set to zero, respectively.

[0255] The above introduces the solutions related to solution 1, and the following introduces the solutions related to solution 2.

[0256] Solution 2: The first rule instructs to process the first part of the RIS. For the sake of distinction, the first rule in Solution 2 is referred to as Rule #B, that is, Rule #B instructs to process the first part of the RIS.

[0257] Based on this solution, when a first communication device sends a reference signal to a second communication device via the RIS, the RIS receives the reference signal from the first communication device and can use the beam processed according to Rule #B to send the reference signal to the second communication device. This eliminates the need to reconfigure the beam weight vector and allows for direct switching between wide and narrow beams according to Rule #B, reducing the overhead of beam training and improving its efficiency.

[0258] For ease of description, the first phase will be referred to as Phase #B. This means that Rule #B indicates the processing of Phase #B on the RIS. It should be noted that the following references to Rule #B indicating the processing of Phase #B on the RIS can also be replaced by the processing of Phase #B on the RIS according to Rule #B.

[0259] Rule #B instructs processing of element #B of the RIS. This may involve switching the state of element #B according to rule #B, such that the number of elements in the RIS before processing (e.g., the number of valid elements) differs from the number of elements in the RIS after processing (e.g., the number of valid elements). The number of valid elements refers to the number of elements capable of reflecting signals.

[0260] Optionally, rule #B indicates switching the state (or working state) of element #B, that is, switching the state of element #B according to rule #B. Based on this, in step 220, the RIS switches the state of element #B of the RIS according to the first rule.

[0261] In one possible implementation, rule #B instructs switching the state of RIS array #B to a connected state or an off state (or disconnected state); in other words, rule #B instructs switching the state of RIS array #B to a powered-on state or a powered-off state. For ease of understanding and explanation, the following example uses the example of rule #B instructing switching RIS array #B to the off state. Switching array #B to the off state indicates that the control diode of array #B is in the off state. If array #B is switched to the off state, it means that array #B does not reflect the reference signal, which means that the element of the beam vector corresponding to array #B is ineffective. Therefore, adjusting the state of array #B can also achieve wide and narrow beam switching.

[0262] In the first possible scenario, the arrays are switched off at regular intervals. In this scenario, array #B includes arrays with equal intervals.

[0263] Taking the case where RIS arrays are arranged two-dimensionally (as shown in FIG1 , the RIS arrays are arranged both horizontally and vertically), for example, rule #B instructs to switch multiple arrays of the RIS to an off state, wherein the interval between each two adjacent arrays in the multiple arrays is the same in the horizontal direction, and / or the interval between each two adjacent arrays in the multiple arrays is the same in the vertical direction.

[0264] For ease of description, the interval is represented by Δ3. As an example, Δ3 is an integer greater than 0. For example, Δ3=2 n , n is an integer greater than or equal to 0. For example, Δ3 is any of the following: 2, 4, 8, 16.

[0265] See Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of switching the arrays to the off state at fixed intervals according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the arrays of the RIS are deployed in both horizontal and vertical directions.

[0266] In one example, the vertical spacing between two adjacent arrays in array #B is Δ3, as shown in (a) of Figure 5. In this example, Δ3 can be in one-dimensional form, that is, Δ3 is the vertical spacing between the arrays to be switched to the off state.

[0267] In another example, the horizontal interval between two adjacent arrays in array #B is Δ3, as shown in (b) of Figure 5. In this example, Δ3 can be a one-dimensional form, that is, Δ3 is the horizontal interval between the arrays to be switched to the off state.

[0268] In another example, the vertical distance between each two adjacent arrays in array #B is Δ3 v The horizontal distance between two adjacent arrays is Δ3 h , Δ3 h and Δ3 v Can be the same or different.

[0269] The above description is based on an example with reference to FIG5 , and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. Furthermore, the first possible scenario in Solution 2 is similar to the first possible scenario in Solution 1, except that in Solution 1, the elements of the beam vector are set to zero, while in Solution 2, the state of the RIS array is switched.

[0270] In the second possible scenario, multiple consecutive arrays are switched to the off state. In this scenario, array #B includes multiple consecutive arrays.

[0271] Taking the case where the RIS arrays are arranged two-dimensionally (as shown in FIG1 , the RIS arrays are arranged both horizontally and vertically), for example, rule #B instructs to switch multiple arrays of the RIS to an off state, where the multiple arrays are continuous in the horizontal direction and / or the multiple arrays are continuous in the vertical direction.

[0272] For ease of description, Δ4 is ​​used to represent the number of consecutive arrays to be switched to the off state, such as the number of consecutive arrays to be switched to the off state in the horizontal direction, or the number of consecutive arrays to be switched to the off state in the vertical direction. As an example, Δ4 is ​​an integer greater than 1.

[0273] See Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of multiple consecutive arrays switched to the off state, applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the arrays of the RIS are arranged both horizontally and vertically. Assume that the RIS has a total of M*N arrays, with N arrays arranged in each horizontal row and M arrays arranged in each vertical column, where M and N are integers greater than 1.

[0274] In one example, array #B includes M*Δ4 arrays, and the M*Δ4 arrays are continuous in the vertical direction, with a length of Δ4, as shown in FIG6( a ).

[0275] In another example, array #B includes N*Δ4 arrays, and the N*Δ4 arrays are continuous in the horizontal direction, with a continuous length of Δ4, as shown in FIG6( b ).

[0276] In another example, array #B includes Δ4 h *Δ4 v A period, and the Δ4 h *Δ4 v The arrays are continuous in the horizontal direction, and the length of the continuity is Δ4 h ; The Δ4 h *Δ4 v The array is also continuous in the vertical direction, and the length of the continuity is Δ4 v , Δ4 h and Δ4 v As shown in FIG6 (c), array #B includes 4*6 arrays (i.e., 24 arrays), and the 24 arrays are continuous in the horizontal direction, with a continuous length of 4; the 24 arrays are also continuous in the vertical direction, with a continuous length of 6.

[0277] The above description is based on an example of FIG. 6 , and the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a starting element to be switched to the off state may also be defined. For another example, element #B may include multiple elements starting from a certain element, with the interval between each adjacent element in the multiple elements being Δ4 elements.

[0278] The above two situations are for illustration only and are not limiting. For example, the element #B may be switched to the off state at different intervals.

[0279] In addition, Scheme 2 is similar to Scheme 1, except that in Scheme 1, the elements of the beam vector are set to zero, while in Scheme 2, the array state of the RIS is switched.

[0280] Optionally, the array #B has an association relationship with the beam grouping strategy (for distinction, the association relationship is referred to as association relationship #B). Thus, the array #B can be obtained based on the beam grouping strategy and the association relationship #B, or the beam grouping strategy can be obtained based on the array #B and the association relationship #B.

[0281] The association relationship #B may exist in the form of a table, function, text, or string, such as for storage or transmission. Combining the two scenarios, an example of presenting the association relationship #B in table form is introduced.

[0282] In case 1, the array switches to the off state at regular intervals.

[0283] In this case, the association relationship #B can be as shown in Table 3.

[0284] Table 3

[0285] Here, BM level refers to the aforementioned L-level beam measurement. In the example shown in Table 3, L = 3, indicating a level 3 beam measurement. The off-state array spacing in Table 3 is the aforementioned Δ3. As previously mentioned, Δ3 can be in one-dimensional form, specifically, Δ3 is the horizontal spacing between arrays to be switched off, or Δ3 is the vertical spacing between arrays to be switched off. Alternatively, Δ3 can be in two-dimensional form, specifically, Δ3 includes both the horizontal and vertical spacing between arrays to be switched off.

[0286] Taking Table 3 as an example, when performing beam measurement at level 1, RIS can be set to the off-state array interval of {Δ31 h , Δ31 v For example, when performing beam measurement at level 1, RIS can start from the first array and process the beams every Δ31 in the horizontal direction. h The array is switched to the off state, and the vertical direction is changed every Δ31 v The first phase can be predefined, preconfigured, or indicated, and is not limited thereto.

[0287] Table 3 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, Table 3 may also include the starting position, i.e., the position of the first element switched to the off state. Table 3 is similar to Table 1, except that Table 3 shows the relationship between BM levels and elements switched to the off state, while Table 1 shows the relationship between BM levels and elements reset to zero. This is not detailed here.

[0288] Case 2: Multiple successive phases are switched to the off state.

[0289] In this case, the association relationship #B can be as shown in Table 4.

[0290] Table 4

[0291] The off-state array interval in Table 4 includes: the starting position of the array that switches to the off state in the horizontal direction, i.e. ID h (such as ID h1 、ID h2 、ID h3 ), and the continuous length in the horizontal direction (ie, the aforementioned Δ4, such as Δ4 h ); and in the vertical direction, the starting position of the array that switches to the off state, that is, ID v (such as ID v1 、ID v2 、ID v3 ), and the continuous length in the vertical direction (ie, the aforementioned Δ4, such as Δ4 v ). ID v or ID h The position of the array or the position of the row or column where the array is located can be marked (or identified). For example, in the horizontal direction, each array in each row can be numbered in sequence (such as from left to right or from right to left) starting from the first array of RIS, such as ID h1 、ID h2 、ID h3 Similarly, in the vertical direction, each array in each column can be numbered starting from the first array of RIS (such as from top to bottom or from bottom to top), such as ID v1 、ID v2 、ID v3 wait.

[0292] Taking Table 4 as an example, when performing beam measurement at level 1, RIS can be set as follows: h1 , ID v1}+{Δ41 h , Δ41 vFor example, when performing beam measurement at level 1, in the horizontal direction, RIS can obtain the array ID from the array ID. h1 Start by adding the horizontal continuous Δ41 h The array is switched to the off state; in the vertical direction, RIS can be switched from the array ID v1 Start by adding the vertical continuous Δ41 v Switch to off state for a while.

[0293] Table 4 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, Table 4 can refer to Table 2. Table 4 is similar to Table 2, except that Table 4 shows the relationship between BM levels and elements switched to the off state, while Table 2 shows the relationship between BM levels and elements set to zero. This description is omitted here.

[0294] Furthermore, as an example, association #B can be time-constrained. Specifically, association #B can be associated with a time period during which association #B is valid. That is, within this time period, the RIS can determine array #B based on association #B and the beam grouping strategy. Alternatively, the RIS can determine the beam grouping strategy based on association #B and array #B.

[0295] Optionally, the RIS receives second indication information, where the second indication information indicates array #B, or the second indication information indicates the location (or location information) of array #B. Specifically, a control device or a communication device (e.g., a first communication device or a second communication device) sends the second indication information, the RIS receives the second indication information, and based on the second indication information, learns the array that needs to be processed, such as the array that needs to be switched to the off state. The second indication information can directly indicate array #B or indirectly indicate array #B, without limitation. As an example, the second indication information can be carried in at least one of the following signaling: RRC, MAC (e.g., MAC CE), or DCI.

[0296] Several possible implementations are described below.

[0297] In a first possible implementation, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: the number of the ending array in array #B, the number of the starting array in array #B, the total number of arrays in array #B, and the interval between adjacent arrays in array #B.

[0298] Taking the example of a two-dimensional array of RIS arrays (as shown in Figure 1 , where the arrays are arranged both horizontally and vertically), the above information can be either one-dimensional or two-dimensional. Specifically, the number of the starting array (i.e., the first array) in array #B can be the horizontal row number of the starting array, or the vertical column number of the starting array, or the starting array number (e.g., the arrays of the RIS can be numbered, i.e., each array in the RIS has a corresponding number). The number of the ending array (i.e., the last array) in array #B can be the horizontal row number of the ending array, or the vertical column number of the ending array, or the ending array number (e.g., the arrays of the RIS can be numbered, i.e., each array in the RIS has a corresponding number). The total number of arrays in array #B can be the total number of arrays in the horizontal row (or the total number of arrays in each column) to be switched off, or the total number of arrays in the vertical column (or the total number of arrays in each row), or the total number of arrays to be switched off. The spacing between adjacent arrays in array #B can be the horizontal spacing between arrays to be switched off, or the vertical spacing between arrays to be switched off, or the spacing between adjacent arrays in the array to be switched off.

[0299] The following describes two scenarios.

[0300] In case 1, the timer switches to off at regular intervals.

[0301] In this case, as an example, the second indication information indicates (e.g., includes) the interval between cells to be switched to the off state (i.e., the interval between adjacent cells in cell #B) and / or the starting position (i.e., the number of the starting cell in cell #B). For example, as shown in FIG5(a), the second indication information includes Δ3. In this case, starting from the first column, the cells in every Δ1 column may be switched to the off state by default.

[0302] Case 2: Multiple successive phases are switched to the off state.

[0303] In this case, as an example, the second indication information indicates (e.g., includes) the interval of elements to be switched to the off state (i.e., the total number of elements included in element #B) and / or the starting position (e.g., the number of the starting element in element #B). For example, as shown in FIG6(a), the second indication information includes Δ4. In this case, by default, starting from the first column, Δ4 consecutive columns of elements can be switched to the off state.

[0304] The above briefly describes two scenarios, but is not intended to limit this. For example, the second indication information may include the end position for switching to the off state (e.g., the end array number in array #B), as well as the array interval or array interval for switching to the off state. In this way, all arrays to be switched to the off state can be determined based on the end position and the array interval or array interval. For another example, if the first indication information includes the end position, and assuming the start position is a default, all arrays to be switched to the off state can also be determined based on the end position and the default start position.

[0305] In a second possible implementation, the second indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, and the beam grouping strategy is associated with array #B. Specifically, the RIS can obtain array #B based on the beam grouping strategy and the association.

[0306] The association relationship between the beam grouping strategy and array #B can refer to the association relationship #B described above, such as Table 3 or Table 4, and will not be repeated here.

[0307] Furthermore, the association between the beam grouping strategy and array #B can be predefined, preconfigured, or indicated, without limitation. If the association #B is indicated, the association #B and the beam grouping strategy can be carried in the same signaling or in different signaling, without limitation.

[0308] In a third possible implementation, the second indication information includes a bitmap, and the bitmap is used to indicate the position information of the array #B.

[0309] For example, in a RIS with two-dimensional arrays (as shown in Figure 1, where the arrays are arranged both horizontally and vertically), the bitmap can be one-dimensional (i.e., the bitmap indicates the rows or columns that are switched to the off state) or two-dimensional (i.e., the bitmap indicates the rows and columns that are switched to the off state). Assume that the RIS has a total of M*N arrays, with N arrays arranged in each horizontal row and M arrays arranged in each vertical column, where M and N are integers greater than 1.

[0310] For example, an M-bit bitmap indicates the rows where the arrays to be switched off are located. Specifically, each bit represents a row. Assuming a bit value of "1" indicates that the arrays need to be switched off, and a bit value of "0" indicates that the arrays do not need to be switched off. Assuming M = 14, if the bitmap is 00001100001100, then the arrays in rows 5, 6, 11, and 12 need to be switched off, while the arrays in the remaining rows do not need to be switched off.

[0311] For example, an N-bit bitmap indicates the columns where the arrays need to be switched off. Specifically, each bit represents a column. Assuming a bit value of "1" indicates that the arrays need to be set to zero, and a bit value of "0" indicates that the arrays do not need to be switched off. Assuming N = 12, if the bitmap is 100001000011, then the arrays in columns 1, 6, 11, and 12 need to be switched off, while the arrays in the remaining columns do not need to be switched off.

[0312] For another example, a (N+M)-bit bitmap may be used to indicate the rows and columns that need to be switched to the off state, or two bitmaps may be used to indicate the rows and columns that need to be switched to the off state, respectively. For details, please refer to the above example.

[0313] Scheme 1 and Scheme 2 are described above. Scheme 1 and Scheme 2 can be used alone or in combination. When used in combination, RIS can process element #A in the beam vector and can also process element #B of RIS.

[0314] As described above, the first rule may instruct processing of element #A in the beam vector, or the first rule may instruct processing of element #B in the RSI. Further optionally, method 200 further includes: the RIS receiving third instruction information, where the third instruction information indicates the first rule. For example, the control device sends the third instruction information to the RIS; in another example, the first communication device or the second communication device sends the third instruction information to the RIS.

[0315] In one possible implementation, the third indication information is implemented using at least one bit. For example, assume that a single bit indicates processing element #A in the beam vector or processing element #B in the RSI. If this bit is set to "0," it indicates processing element #A in the beam vector, meaning that in step 220, the RIS processes element #A in the beam vector, such as by setting element #A to zero. If this bit is set to "1," it indicates processing element #B in the RSI, meaning that in step 220, the RIS processes element #B in the RSI, such as by switching the state of element #B to off. It should be understood that the above is merely an example and not limiting.

[0316] In another possible implementation, the third indication information is implemented using the first indication information or the second indication information. For example, if the RIS receives the first indication information indicating element #A, the RIS processes element #A in the beam vector by default. For another example, if the RIS receives the second indication information indicating element #B, the RIS processes element #B by default.

[0317] In another possible implementation, the third indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, and the beam grouping strategy is associated with the first rule. Specifically, based on the beam grouping strategy and the association, the RIS can determine whether to process element #A in the beam vector or element #B in the RIS. By way of example, the association between the beam grouping strategy and the first rule can be predefined, preconfigured, or indicated, and is not limited thereto.

[0318] Furthermore, the RIS can also determine how to process element #A or array #B based on the beam grouping strategy and the association. For example, if the association is similar to Table 1 or Table 3, the RIS can determine whether to set the elements to zero at fixed intervals or to switch the arrays to the off state at fixed intervals. For another example, if the association is similar to Table 2 or Table 4, the RIS can determine whether to set the elements to zero at continuous intervals or to switch multiple arrays to the off state at continuous intervals.

[0319] For ease of understanding, the following describes a specific process applicable to an embodiment of the present application, taking the first communication device as a network device, the second communication device as a terminal device, the reference signal as a CSI-RS, and the control device deployed in the network device as an example. It should be understood that the process described below is merely an example, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For details not described in detail below, please refer to the description of method 200 and will not be repeated below.

[0320] Referring to Figure 7 , Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a signal transmission method 700 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. This method 700 can be used to implement Solution 1 above. In this method 700, it is assumed that the RIS performs zeroing on some elements of the beam vector according to the first rule (i.e., Rule #A described above). The method 700 shown in Figure 7 may include the following steps.

[0321] 710. The RIS sends RIS capability information to the network device.

[0322] For the capability information of RIS, please refer to the relevant description in method 200, which will not be described in detail here.

[0323] 720. The network device determines a beam grouping strategy according to the capability information.

[0324] Specifically, after receiving the capability information from the RIS, the network device determines a beam grouping strategy based on the capability information. For example, the network device can determine the maximum number of narrow beams based on the capability information from the RIS, and thus determine the beam grouping strategy. The beam grouping strategy may include at least one of the following: L-level beam measurements, the beam groups or number of beam groups used for each level of beam measurement, or the beams or number of beam groups in each beam group.

[0325] Optionally, the network device sends the beam grouping strategy and / or the RIS codebook codeword index (ie, the index of the beam vector of the RIS) to the RIS.

[0326] For the beam grouping strategy, please refer to the relevant description in method 200, which will not be repeated here.

[0327] The network device performs a first-level beam measurement (or first-level beam scanning, such as a first-level wide beam scanning) according to the beam grouping strategy. Specifically, the first-level beam measurement includes the following steps 731-734.

[0328] 731. The network device sends first indication information and / or third indication information to the RIS. The first indication information indicates element #A1, and the third indication information indicates setting element #A1 to zero.

[0329] Element #A1 represents an element that needs to be zeroed during beam measurement at level 1. Element #A1 may be continuous or evenly spaced. For details, please refer to the description of element #A in method 200 and will not be repeated here.

[0330] In one example, a network device sends first indication information to a RIS. Based on this, the RIS can obtain element #A1 based on the first indication information. In this example, the RIS can default to applying rule #A to element #A, meaning that the RIS can default to zeroing element #A. For example, if the first indication information indicates a zeroing interval or range, the RIS can default to zeroing starting from the first element according to the zeroing interval or range. For details about the first indication information, please refer to the relevant description of method 200.

[0331] In another example, the network device sends third indication information to the RIS. Based on this, the RIS can be informed by the third indication information to set some elements (i.e., element #A1) in the RIS beam vector to zero. In this example, element #A1 can be predefined or preconfigured. For details about the third indication information, please refer to the relevant description of method 200.

[0332] In another example, the network device sends the first indication information and the third indication information to the RIS.

[0333] 732. The network device sends a CSI-RS to the terminal device via the RIS.

[0334] Specifically, the network device sends a CSI-RS. After receiving the RIS, the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device through beam #1. Beam #1 is the beam used for the first-level beam measurement. Before the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device through beam #1, the RIS sets element #A1 in the beam vector of beam #1 to zero.

[0335] 733. The terminal device performs measurement according to the CSI-RS and obtains a measurement result.

[0336] 734. The terminal device sends the measurement result to the network device.

[0337] The terminal device can send the measurement results to the network device directly or through the RIS, without limitation.

[0338] The measurement results can be referred to the relevant description in method 200 and will not be described in detail here.

[0339] After receiving the measurement result, the network device can perform a second-level beam measurement based on the beam grouping strategy. If L = 2, the second-level beam measurement can also be called a narrow beam measurement (or narrow beam scanning); if L > 2, the second-level beam measurement can also be called a wide beam measurement (or second-level wide beam scanning). Specifically, the second-level beam measurement includes the following steps 741-744.

[0340] 741. The network device sends first indication information and / or third indication information to the RIS. The first indication information indicates element #A2, and the third indication information indicates setting element #A2 to zero.

[0341] Element #A2 represents an element that needs to be zeroed during beam measurement at level 2. Element #A2 may be continuous or evenly spaced. For details, please refer to the description of element #A in method 200 and will not be repeated here.

[0342] Element #A1 and element #A2 may be the same or different, and this is not limited.

[0343] 742. The network device sends a CSI-RS to the terminal device via the RIS.

[0344] Specifically, the network device sends a CSI-RS. After receiving the RIS, the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device through beam #2. Beam #2 is the beam used for the second-level beam measurement. Before the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device through beam #2, the RIS sets element #A2 in the beam vector of beam #2 to zero.

[0345] 743. The terminal device performs measurement according to the CSI-RS and obtains a measurement result.

[0346] At 744 , the terminal device sends the measurement result to the network device.

[0347] Steps 741-744 are similar to steps 731-734 and are not described in detail here.

[0348] Similarly, the network device performs the lth level (l≤L) beam measurement according to the beam grouping strategy. The lth level beam measurement is similar to the previous level 1 beam measurement and is not described in detail here.

[0349] 750. The network device indicates RIS beam information to the RIS.

[0350] The RIS beam is a beam determined for data transmission based on measurement results. Specifically, based on the L-th level measurement feedback, the network device determines a beam with better beam quality (e.g., the optimal beam or the preferred beam) in the RIS to use for data transmission. Therefore, the network device indicates the RIS beam information to the RIS. For example, the RIS beam is a beam whose quality, as determined based on the measurement results, is greater than or equal to a preset threshold.

[0351] 760. The network device sends data to the terminal device.

[0352] The network device may send data directly to the terminal device; alternatively, the network device may send data to the terminal device via the RIS. Specifically, the network device sends data, the RIS receives the data, and sends (or reflects) the data to the terminal device via the RIS beam in step 750.

[0353] Based on this solution, by adjusting the elements in the beam vector, such as setting some elements to zero, we can switch between wide and narrow beams, improving beam training efficiency. Furthermore, by implementing beam grouping strategies, such as performing beam measurements in L levels, we can reduce the overhead of each beam measurement.

[0354] Referring to Figure 8 , Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of a signal transmission method 800 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. This method 800 can be used to implement Solution 2 described above. In this method 800 , it is assumed that the RIS switches some of its phases to the off state according to the first rule (i.e., Rule #B described above). The method 800 shown in Figure 8 may include the following steps.

[0355] 810. The RIS sends RIS capability information to the network device.

[0356] 820. The network device determines a beam grouping strategy according to the capability information.

[0357] Optionally, the network device sends the beam grouping strategy to the RIS. Further, as an example, the network device also sends a RIS codebook codeword index (ie, an index of a beam vector of the RIS) to the RIS.

[0358] The network device performs a first-level beam measurement (or first-level beam scanning, such as a first-level wide beam scanning) according to the beam grouping strategy. Specifically, the first-level beam measurement includes the following steps 831-834.

[0359] 831. The network device sends second instruction information and / or third instruction information to the RIS. The second instruction information indicates the array #B1, and the third instruction information switches the array #B1 to the off state.

[0360] Array #B1 represents the array that needs to be switched to the off state during beam measurement at level 1. Array #B1 can be continuous or evenly spaced. For details, please refer to the description of array #B in method 200 and will not be repeated here.

[0361] In one example, a network device sends a second indication to the RIS. Based on this, the RIS can determine element #B1 based on the second indication. In this example, the RIS can default to applying rule #B to element #B, meaning that the RIS can default to switching element #B1 to the off state. For example, if second indication #1 indicates the interval or interval of elements that are switched off, the RIS can default to switching all elements within the range, starting from the first element and following the interval or interval of elements that are switched off, to the off state. For more information about the second indication, please refer to the relevant description of method 200.

[0362] In another example, the network device sends a third indication to the RIS. Based on this third indication, the RIS can be informed to switch some RIS arrays (i.e., array #B1) to the off state. In this example, array #B1 can be predefined or preconfigured. For more information about the third indication, please refer to the relevant description of method 200.

[0363] In another example, the network device sends the second indication information and the third indication information to the RIS.

[0364] 832. The network device sends a CSI-RS to the terminal device via the RIS.

[0365] Specifically, the network device sends a CSI-RS. After receiving the RIS, the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device via RIS array #1. RIS array #1 is the array used for level 1 beam measurement. Before the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device via RIS array #1, the RIS switches array #B1 in RIS array #1 to the off state.

[0366] 833. The terminal device performs measurement according to the CSI-RS and obtains a measurement result.

[0367] 834. The terminal device sends the measurement result to the network device.

[0368] After receiving the measurement result, the network device can perform a second-level beam measurement based on the beam grouping strategy. If L = 2, the second-level beam measurement can also be called a narrow beam measurement (or narrow beam scanning); if L > 2, the second-level beam measurement can also be called a wide beam measurement (or second-level wide beam scanning). Specifically, the second-level beam measurement includes the following steps 841-844.

[0369] 841. The network device sends second instruction information and / or third instruction information to the RIS. The second instruction information indicates the array #B2, and the third instruction information indicates switching the array #B2 to the off state.

[0370] Array #B2 represents the array that needs to be switched to the off state during the second-level beam measurement. Array #B2 can be continuous or evenly spaced. For details, please refer to the description of array #B in method 200 and will not be repeated here.

[0371] Among them, array #B1 and array #B2 may be the same or different, and this is not limited.

[0372] 842. The network device sends a CSI-RS to the terminal device via the RIS.

[0373] Specifically, the network device sends a CSI-RS. After receiving the RIS, the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device via RIS array #2. RIS array #2 is the array used for level 2 beam measurement. Before the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device via RIS array #2, the RIS switches array #B2 in RIS array #2 to the off state.

[0374] 843. The terminal device performs measurement according to the CSI-RS and obtains a measurement result.

[0375] 844. The terminal device sends the measurement result to the network device.

[0376] Steps 841-844 are similar to steps 831-834 and are not described in detail here.

[0377] Similarly, the network device performs the lth level (l≤L) beam measurement according to the beam grouping strategy. The lth level beam measurement is similar to the previous level 1 beam measurement and is not described in detail here.

[0378] 850. The network device indicates information of the RIS beam to the RIS.

[0379] 860. The network device sends data to the terminal device.

[0380] The network device may send data directly to the terminal device; alternatively, the network device may send data to the terminal device via the RIS. Specifically, the network device sends data, the RIS receives the data, and sends (or reflects) the data to the terminal device via the RIS beam in step 850.

[0381] Method 800 is similar to method 700 , except that, in method 700 , the elements in the beam vector are set to zero, while in method 800 , the array of the RIS is switched to the off state.

[0382] Based on the above solution, by adjusting the state of the RIS arrays, such as switching some RIS arrays to the off state, it is possible to switch between wide and narrow beams, improving beam training efficiency. In addition, by implementing a beam grouping strategy, such as performing beam measurements in L levels, the overhead of each beam measurement can be reduced.

[0383] Referring to Figure 9 , Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a signal transmission method 900 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. This method 900 can be used to implement Solution 1 described above. In this method 900, it is assumed that the RIS performs zeroing on some elements of the beam vector according to the first rule (i.e., Rule #A described above). The method 900 shown in Figure 9 may include the following steps.

[0384] 910. The RIS sends capability information to the network device.

[0385] 920. The network device determines a beam grouping strategy according to the capability information.

[0386] 930. The network device sends the beam grouping strategy to the RIS.

[0387] For example, the beam grouping strategy includes at least one of the following information: L levels of beam measurement, the beam group or number of beam groups for each level of beam measurement, or the beam or number of beams in each beam group. L is an integer greater than or equal to 1. In step 931, the network device may send the at least one of the above information to the RIS.

[0388] In one example, the number of beam groups used in each beam measurement level is the same, and the number of beams in each beam group is the same. In this case, in step 931, the network device may send at least one of the following parameters to the RIS: L, G, and K. G represents the number of beam groups used in each beam measurement level, and K represents the number of beams in a beam group. L, G, and K are all positive integers.

[0389] In another example, the number of beam groups used in each level of beam measurement is the same, but the number of beams in each beam group is different. In this case, in step 931, the network device may send at least one of the following parameters to the RIS: L, G, and Ki. Ki represents the number of beams in a beam group used in the i-th level of beam measurement. Here, i = 1, 2, ..., L, and Ki is a positive integer.

[0390] In another example, the number of beam groups in each level of beam measurement is different, and the number of beams in each beam group is the same. In this case, in step 931, the network device may send at least one of the following parameters to the RIS: L, Gi, K. Gi represents the number of beam groups in the i-th level of beam measurement. Gi is a positive integer.

[0391] In another example, the number of beam groups in each level of beam measurement is different, and the number of beams in each beam group is different. In this case, in step 931, the network device may send at least one of the following parameters to the RIS: L, Gi, Ki.

[0392] Furthermore, as an example, the network device also sends a RIS codebook codeword index (ie, an index of a beam vector of the RIS) to the RIS.

[0393] The network device performs a first-level beam measurement (or first-level beam scanning, such as a first-level wide beam scanning) according to the beam grouping strategy. Specifically, the first-level beam measurement includes the following steps 941-944.

[0394] 941, RIS determines element #A1 according to the beam grouping strategy and association relationship #A.

[0395] Element #A1 represents an element that needs to be zeroed during beam measurement at level 1. Element #A1 may be continuous or evenly spaced. For details, please refer to the description of element #A in method 200 and will not be repeated here.

[0396] The association relationship #A represents the relationship between the element #A (ie, the element that needs to be set to zero) and the beam grouping strategy.

[0397] Taking Table 1 above as an example, when performing a first-level beam measurement, zeroing can be performed at a zeroing interval of Δ11. For example, when performing a first-level beam measurement, the RIS can start from the first row of the beam vector and set the elements in every Δ11 rows to zero. For another example, when performing a first-level beam measurement, the RIS can start from the first column of the beam vector and set the elements in every Δ11 columns to zero. The starting point of the first row or column can be predefined, preconfigured, or indicated, and is not limited thereto.

[0398] For the mapping relationship #A, please refer to the relevant description in method 200, which will not be repeated here.

[0399] 942. The network device sends a CSI-RS to the terminal device via the RIS.

[0400] Specifically, the network device sends a CSI-RS. After receiving the RIS, the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device through beam #1. Beam #1 is the beam used for the first-level beam measurement. Before the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device through beam #1, the RIS sets element #A1 in the beam vector of beam #1 to zero.

[0401] 943. The terminal device performs measurement according to the CSI-RS and obtains a measurement result.

[0402] 944. The terminal device sends the measurement result to the network device.

[0403] After receiving the measurement result, the network device can perform a second-level beam measurement based on the beam grouping strategy. If L = 2, the second-level beam measurement can also be called a narrow-beam measurement (or narrow-beam scanning); if L > 2, the second-level beam measurement can also be called a wide-beam measurement (or second-level wide-beam scanning). Specifically, the second-level beam measurement includes the following steps 951-954.

[0404] 951, RIS determines element #A2 according to the beam grouping strategy and association relationship #A.

[0405] Element #A2 represents an element that needs to be zeroed during beam measurement at level 2. Element #A2 may be continuous or evenly spaced. For details, please refer to the description of element #A in method 200 and will not be repeated here.

[0406] Element #A1 and element #A2 may be the same or different, and this is not limited.

[0407] 952. The network device sends a CSI-RS to the terminal device via the RIS.

[0408] Specifically, the network device sends a CSI-RS. After receiving the RIS, the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device through beam #2. Beam #2 is the beam used for the second-level beam measurement. Before the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device through beam #2, the RIS sets element #A2 in the beam vector of beam #2 to zero.

[0409] 953. The terminal device performs measurement according to the CSI-RS and obtains a measurement result.

[0410] 954. The terminal device sends the measurement result to the network device.

[0411] Steps 951-954 are similar to steps 941-944 and are not repeated here.

[0412] Similarly, the network device performs the lth level (l≤L) beam measurement according to the beam grouping strategy. The lth level beam measurement is similar to the previous level 1 beam measurement and is not described in detail here.

[0413] 960. The network device indicates the RIS beam information to the RIS.

[0414] 970. The network device sends data to the terminal device.

[0415] It will be understood that the above is merely an example. For example, step 941 may be performed after step 942, or before step 942, or simultaneously with step 942, without limitation. For another example, step 951 may be performed after step 952, or before step 952, or simultaneously with step 942, without limitation. For another example, step 941 and step 951 may be performed simultaneously. For another example, step 942 and step 930 may be performed simultaneously.

[0416] Based on the above scheme, by adjusting the elements in the beam vector, such as setting some elements to zero, wide- and narrow-beam switching can be achieved, improving beam training efficiency. Furthermore, by implementing a beam grouping strategy, such as performing beam measurements in L levels, the overhead of each beam measurement can be reduced. Furthermore, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the elements to be zeroed. This association allows the elements to be zeroed during each beam measurement to be determined directly, reducing indication overhead.

[0417] Referring to Figure 10 , Figure 10 is a schematic flow chart of a signal transmission method 1000 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. This method 1000 can be used to implement Solution 2 described above. In this method 1000, it is assumed that the RIS switches some of its elements to the off state according to the first rule (i.e., Rule #B described above). The method 1000 shown in Figure 10 may include the following steps.

[0418] 1010. RIS sends capability information to the network device.

[0419] 1020. The network device determines a beam grouping strategy according to the capability information.

[0420] 1030. The network device sends a beam grouping strategy to the RIS.

[0421] Furthermore, as an example, the network device also sends a RIS codebook codeword index (ie, an index of a beam vector of the RIS) to the RIS.

[0422] The network device performs a first-level beam measurement (or first-level beam scanning, such as a first-level wide beam scanning) according to the beam grouping strategy. Specifically, the first-level beam measurement includes the following steps 1041-1044.

[0423] 1041. RIS determines array #B1 based on the beam grouping strategy and association relationship #A.

[0424] Array #B1 represents the array that needs to be switched to the off state during beam measurement at level 1. Array #B1 can be continuous or evenly spaced. For details, please refer to the description of array #B in method 200 and will not be repeated here.

[0425] The association relationship #B represents the relationship between array #B (ie, the array switched to the off state) and the beam grouping strategy.

[0426] Taking Table 3 above as an example, when performing the first-level beam measurement, the RIS can be in the off state with an array interval of {Δ31 h , Δ31 v For example, when performing beam measurement at level 1, RIS can start from the first array and process the beams every Δ31 in the horizontal direction. h The array is switched to the off state, and the vertical direction is changed every Δ31 v The first phase can be predefined, preconfigured, or indicated, and is not limited thereto.

[0427] For the mapping relationship #B, please refer to the relevant description in method 200, which will not be repeated here.

[0428] 1042. The network device sends a CSI-RS to the terminal device via the RIS.

[0429] Specifically, the network device sends a CSI-RS. After receiving the RIS, the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device via RIS array #1. RIS array #1 is the array used for level 1 beam measurement. Before the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device via RIS array #1, the RIS switches array #B1 in RIS array #1 to the off state.

[0430] 1043. The terminal device performs measurement based on the CSI-RS and obtains a measurement result.

[0431] 1044. The terminal device sends the measurement result to the network device.

[0432] After receiving the measurement result, the network device can perform a second-level beam measurement based on the beam grouping strategy. If L = 2, the second-level beam measurement can also be called a narrow-beam measurement (or narrow-beam scanning); if L > 2, the second-level beam measurement can also be called a wide-beam measurement (or second-level wide-beam scanning). Specifically, the second-level beam measurement includes the following steps 1051-1054.

[0433] 1051. RIS determines array #B2 based on the beam grouping strategy and association relationship #A.

[0434] Array #B2 represents the array that needs to be switched to the off state during the second-level beam measurement. Array #B2 can be continuous or evenly spaced. For details, please refer to the description of array #B in method 200 and will not be repeated here.

[0435] Among them, array #B1 and array #B2 may be the same or different, and this is not limited.

[0436] 1052. The network device sends a CSI-RS to the terminal device via the RIS.

[0437] Specifically, the network device sends a CSI-RS. After receiving the RIS, the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device via RIS array #2. RIS array #2 is the array used for level 2 beam measurement. Before the RIS sends the CSI-RS to the terminal device via RIS array #2, the RIS switches array #B2 in RIS array #2 to the off state.

[0438] 1053. The terminal device performs measurement according to the CSI-RS and obtains a measurement result.

[0439] 1054. The terminal device sends the measurement result to the network device via the RIS.

[0440] Similarly, the network device performs the lth level (l≤L) beam measurement according to the beam grouping strategy. The lth level beam measurement is similar to the previous level 1 beam measurement and is not described in detail here.

[0441] 1060. The network device indicates RIS beam information to the RIS.

[0442] 1070. The network device sends data to the terminal device.

[0443] Method 1000 is similar to method 900, except that, in method 900, elements in the beam vector are reset to zero, while in method 1000, the array of the RIS is switched to the off state.

[0444] Based on the above solution, by adjusting the state of the RIS arrays, such as switching some RIS arrays to the off state, wide- and narrow-beam switching can be achieved, improving beam training efficiency. Furthermore, by implementing a beam grouping strategy, such as performing beam measurements in L levels, the overhead of each beam measurement can be reduced. Furthermore, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the array to be switched. This association allows the array to be directly determined for each beam measurement, reducing indication overhead.

[0445] The above describes the solution of the embodiment of the present application in detail. The effect of the above solution is described below with reference to Figures 11 and 12.

[0446] See Figure 11, which illustrates the relationship between the number of RIS elements and the beamform. As shown in Figure 11, the horizontal axis represents the antenna angle, while the vertical axis represents the antenna's directivity. Directivity, for example, can represent the peak-to-average ratio of radiated power over a specific spatial distribution, expressed in dB. Different RIS element numbers produce different waveform widths. This demonstrates that flexible switching between wide and narrow beams can be achieved by controlling the state of the RIS elements.

[0447] Refer to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of a beam grouping strategy proposed according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 12, when performing a level 2 beam measurement, that is, performing the RIS beam in two rounds, you can first measure the wide beam (that is, the beam shown by the dotted line in Figure 12), and then the narrow beam. Among them, the way to switch from a wide beam to a narrow beam can be by setting the element #A in the beam vector corresponding to the RIS to zero, or by switching the array #B in the RIS to the off state. By designing a beam grouping strategy, such as performing L-level beam measurements, the beam training overhead will decrease as the total number of beams increases, which not only reduces the training overhead but also improves the system capacity.

[0448] It should be understood that while some of the aforementioned embodiments illustrate the switching of some RIS elements to the off state, the present embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, any scheme that switches or adjusts the state of RIS elements is applicable to the present embodiments. For another example, schemes that vary the number of effective RIS elements (i.e., the number of elements capable of reflecting signals) also fall within the scope of the present embodiments.

[0449] It is also understood that in some of the above embodiments, setting some elements in the beam vector to zero is used as an example for illustration, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, any solution for adjusting elements in the beam vector is applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0450] It can also be understood that in the above-mentioned various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the device can also be implemented by components of the device (such as chips or circuits), without limitation.

[0451] The method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 2 to 12. Below, the apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail in conjunction with Figures 13 to 15. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiment above. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0452] Referring to Figure 13 , Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Device 1300 includes a transceiver unit 1310. Transceiver unit 1310 can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. Transceiver unit 1310 can also be referred to as a communication interface or communication unit. Optionally, device 1300 also includes a processing unit 1320. Processing unit 1320 can be used to perform processing, such as determining beam vectors, nulling, switching array states, and the like.

[0453] Optionally, the device 1300 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 1320 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the device implements the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0454] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1310 may include a receiving unit and a sending unit, wherein the receiving unit may be used to perform reception-related operations (such as receiving data or messages), and the sending unit may be used to perform transmission-related operations (such as sending data or messages).

[0455] In a first possible design, the device 1300 may be the RIS described in the aforementioned embodiment, and may implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the RIS described in the aforementioned method embodiment. Specifically, the transceiver unit 1310 may be configured to perform transceiver-related operations (e.g., operations of sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the RIS described in the aforementioned method embodiment. For example, the transceiver unit 1310 may be configured to perform steps 210 and 230 in the embodiment shown in FIG2 , or the transceiver unit 1310 may be configured to perform transceiver-related operations of the RIS described in the embodiments shown in FIG7 through FIG10 . The processing unit 1320 may be configured to perform processing-related operations of the RIS described in the aforementioned method embodiment, or operations other than transceiver operations (e.g., operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages), such as steps 220 and 220 in the embodiment shown in FIG2 , or the processing-related operations of the RIS described in the embodiments shown in FIG7 through FIG10 .

[0456] In a second possible design, the device 1300 may be the first communication device in the aforementioned embodiment, and the device 1300 may implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the first communication device in the above method embodiment. The transceiver unit 1310 may be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as operations of sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the first communication device in the above method embodiment, such as the transceiver unit 1310 may be used to perform steps 210 and 240 in the embodiment shown in FIG2 , or the transceiver unit 1310 may be used to perform transceiver-related operations of the network device in the embodiments shown in FIG7 to FIG10 . The processing unit 1320 may be used to perform processing-related operations of the first communication device in the above method embodiment, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages), such as the processing unit 1320 may be used to perform processing-related operations of the first communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG2 , or the processing unit 1320 may be used to perform processing-related operations of the network device in the embodiments shown in FIG7 to FIG10 .

[0457] In a third possible design, the device 1300 may be the second communication device in the aforementioned embodiment, and the device 1300 may implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second communication device in the above method embodiment. The transceiver unit 1310 may be used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the second communication device in the above method embodiment (such as the operations of sending and / or receiving data or messages), such as the transceiver unit 1310 may be used to perform steps 230 and 240 in the embodiment shown in FIG2 , or the transceiver unit 1310 may be used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the terminal device in the embodiments shown in FIG7 to FIG10 . The processing unit 1320 may be used to perform the processing-related operations of the second communication device in the above method embodiment, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages), such as the processing unit 1320 may be used to perform the processing-related operations of the second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG2 , or the processing unit 1320 may be used to perform the processing-related operations of the terminal device in the embodiments shown in FIG7 to FIG10 .

[0458] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0459] It should also be understood that the device 1300 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 1300 can be specifically the communication device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, they will not be described here.

[0460] The apparatus 1300 of each of the above-described solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device in the above-described method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the transmitting unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0461] In addition, the transceiver unit 1310 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing unit may be a processing circuit.

[0462] It should be noted that the apparatus in FIG13 may be the communication device in the aforementioned embodiment, or may be a chip or chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. This is not limited here.

[0463] Referring to FIG. 14 , FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1400 includes a processor 1410 coupled to a memory 1420. The memory 1420 is configured to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1410 is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 1420, or read data stored in the memory 1420, to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0464] Optionally, there are one or more processors 1410 .

[0465] Optionally, there are one or more memories 1420 .

[0466] Optionally, the memory 1420 is integrated with the processor 1410 or provided separately.

[0467] Optionally, as shown in Figure 14, the apparatus 1400 further includes a transceiver 1430, which is configured to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 1410 is configured to control the transceiver 1430 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0468] As an example, the processor 1410 may have the function of the processing unit 1320 shown in FIG. 13 , the memory 1420 may have the function of a storage unit, and the transceiver 1430 may have the function of the transceiver unit 1310 shown in FIG. 13 .

[0469] As a solution, the device 1400 is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device in the above various method embodiments.

[0470] For example, the processor 1410 is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 1420 to implement the relevant operations of the RIS in the above various method embodiments.

[0471] For another example, the processor 1410 is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 1420 to implement relevant operations of the first communication device or the second communication device in each of the above method embodiments.

[0472] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0473] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0474] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0475] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to comprise, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0476] 15 , which is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1500 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 1500 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 1510 and an input / output interface 1520 .

[0477] Logic circuit 1510 may be a processing circuit within chip system 1500. Logic circuit 1510 may be coupled to a storage unit and invoke instructions within the storage unit, enabling chip system 1500 to implement the methods and functions of various embodiments of the present application. Input / output interface 1520 may be an input / output circuit within chip system 1500, outputting information processed by chip system 1500 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into chip system 1500 for processing.

[0478] Alternatively, the logic circuit 1510 may be implemented by one or more processors, including the one or more processors or a processing portion in the one or more processors.

[0479] Optionally, the input / output interface 1520 may include a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, an input / output circuit, or a communication interface.

[0480] As a solution, the chip system 1500 is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device (such as the RIS, the first communication device, and the second communication device) in the above various method embodiments.

[0481] For example, the logic circuit 1510 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the communication device (such as the RIS, the first communication device, and the second communication device) in the above method embodiments; the input / output interface 1520 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the communication device (such as the RIS, the first communication device, and the second communication device) in the above method embodiments.

[0482] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by a communication device (such as a RIS, a first communication device, or a second communication device) in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0483] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the methods performed by the communication device (such as the RIS, the first communication device, or the second communication device) in each embodiment of the above method.

[0484] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by a communication device (such as a RIS, a first communication device, or a second communication device) in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0485] The present application also provides a communication system, comprising at least one of the RIS, the first communication device, and the second communication device described in the above embodiments. For example, the system comprises at least one of the RIS, the first communication device, and the second communication device described in Figure 2. For another example, the system comprises at least one of the RIS, the network device, and the terminal device described in Figures 7 through 10.

[0486] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0487] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0488] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). For example, the aforementioned available medium includes, but is not limited to, various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0489] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A signal transmission method, applied to a configurable smart surface RIS side, characterized in that: include: receiving a reference signal from a first communication device; Based on the first processing, the reference signal is sent to the second communication device, wherein the first processing is processing a first part of the elements in the beam vector according to the first rule, or the first processing is processing a first part of the array of the RIS according to the first rule.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first processing is processing a first part of elements in the beam vector according to a first rule, including: the first processing is setting the first part of elements in the beam vector to zero according to the first rule.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first part of elements are continuous elements, or the first part of elements are elements with equal intervals.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: First indication information is received, where the first indication information indicates the first part of elements.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first indication information includes at least one of the following: a starting element number of the first part of elements, a total number of elements in the first part of elements, and an interval between adjacent elements in the first part of elements; or The first indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the first part of elements, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS; or, The first indication information includes a bitmap, and the bitmap indicates position information of the first part of elements.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first processing is processing the first part of the RIS according to the first rule, including: the first processing is switching the state of the first part of the RIS to a connected state or a closed state according to the first rule.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that The first part of the arrays are continuous arrays, or the first part of the arrays are arrays with equal intervals.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1, 6 or 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second indication information is received, where the second indication information indicates the first part of the array.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The second indication information includes at least one of the following: a starting array number of the first part of arrays, a total number of arrays in the first part of arrays, and an interval between adjacent arrays in the first part of arrays; or The second indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the first part of the array, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS; or, The second indication information includes a bitmap, and the bitmap indicates position information of the first part of the array.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The first rule is determined according to a beam grouping strategy, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The beam grouping strategy includes at least one of the following information: L levels of beam measurements, beam groups during each level of beam measurement, or beams in each beam group, where L is an integer greater than 1 or equal to 1.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The beam grouping strategy is determined according to the capability information of the RIS.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises any of the following: sending capability information of the RIS, where the capability information of the RIS is used to determine the beam grouping strategy; or sending the beam grouping strategy to the first communication device; or, The beam grouping strategy is received.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The capability information of the RIS includes at least one of the following information: the horizontal and vertical coverage angles of the RIS, the angular resolution, the size of the RIS, or the total number of beams of the RIS.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: Third indication information is received, where the third indication information indicates the first rule.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a beam measurement result from the second communication device, where the beam measurement result is determined based on the reference signal; The beam measurement result is sent to the first communication device.

17. A signal transmission method, characterized in that: include: First indication information and / or third indication information are sent to a configurable smart surface RIS, where the third indication information indicates a first rule, the first rule indicates processing a first portion of elements in a beam vector of the RIS, and the first indication information indicates the first portion of elements.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The first rule instructs processing of a first part of elements in the beam vector of the RIS, including: the first rule instructs setting the first part of elements in the beam vector of the RIS to zero.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The first part of elements are continuous elements, or the first part of elements are elements with equal intervals.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that The first indication information includes at least one of the following: a starting element number of the first part of elements, a total number of elements in the first part of elements, and an interval between adjacent elements in the first part of elements; or The first indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the first part of elements, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS; or, The first indication information includes a bitmap, and the bitmap indicates position information of the first part of elements.

21. A signal transmission method, characterized in that: include: Second indication information and / or third indication information is sent to a configurable smart surface RIS, where the third indication information indicates a first rule, the first rule indicates processing a first portion of arrays of the RIS, and the second indication information indicates the first portion of arrays of the RIS.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The first rule instructs processing of a first part of the RIS, including: the first rule instructs switching the state of the first part of the RIS to a connected state or a closed state.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that The first part of the arrays are continuous arrays, or the first part of the arrays are arrays with equal intervals.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, characterized in that The second indication information includes at least one of the following: a starting array number of the first part of arrays, a total number of arrays in the first part of arrays, and an interval between adjacent arrays in the first part of arrays; or The second indication information includes a beam grouping strategy, the beam grouping strategy is associated with the first part of the array, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS; or, The second indication information includes a bitmap, and the bitmap indicates position information of the first part of the array.

25. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 24, characterized in that The first rule is determined according to a beam grouping strategy, and the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy of the RIS.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The beam grouping strategy includes at least one of the following information: L levels of beam measurements, beam groups during each level of beam measurement, or beams in each beam group, where L is an integer greater than 1 or equal to 1.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that The beam grouping strategy is determined according to the capability information of the RIS.

28. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 27, characterized in that The method further comprises any of the following: receiving capability information of the RIS, where the capability information of the RIS is used to determine the beam grouping strategy; or The beam grouping strategy is transmitted.

29. The method according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that The capability information of the RIS includes at least one of the following information: the horizontal and vertical coverage angles of the RIS, the angular resolution, the size of the RIS, or the total number of beams of the RIS.

30. A signal transmission method, characterized in that: include: A beam grouping strategy is sent, where the beam grouping strategy is a beam grouping strategy for a configurable smart surface RIS, and the beam grouping strategy includes at least one of the following information: L levels of beam measurement, beam groups during each level of beam measurement, or beams in each beam group, where L is an integer greater than 1 or equal to 1.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein The beam grouping strategy is determined according to the capability information of the RIS.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein The capability information of the RIS includes at least one of the following information: the horizontal and vertical coverage angles of the RIS, the angular resolution, the size of the RIS, or the total number of beams of the RIS.

33. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises modules or units for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 32.

34. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction in a memory so as to cause the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 32.

35. The device according to claim 34, characterized in that The device further comprises the memory and / or the communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor. The communication interface is used to input and / or output information.

36. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 32.

37. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 32.

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