Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and apparatus. The method can be applied to a non-terrestrial network, and comprises: a terminal device receives configuration information from a network device, the configuration information being used for configuring a reference signal corresponding to each beam in N beam groups; and the terminal device performs measurement on the reference signal, and then sends a measurement result to the network device, wherein the measurement result indicates the signal strength corresponding to each beam group among M beam groups, the measurement result is obtained by performing measurement on the reference signal corresponding to each beam, the N beam groups include the M beam groups, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer. By sending to a network device the signal strength corresponding to M beam groups among N beam groups, the overhead can be saved.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202410390074.4 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on March 28, 2024, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “Communication Method and Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0003] Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) include nodes such as satellite networks, high-altitude platforms and drones, and are closely related to the fifth generation (5 th The 5G generation (5G) communication systems together constitute a global integrated communication network with seamless coverage of sea, land, air, space and ground, which can meet the needs of various businesses.

[0004] In satellite communication systems, to improve the overall signal processing capability and communication throughput of the satellite network, multiple satellites can provide communication services to terminals. In this case, co-channel interference may occur between the beams of different satellites, resulting in reduced communication efficiency. To avoid co-channel interference between adjacent beams, 5G communication systems support obtaining the interference status between beams based on terminal measurement feedback. Specifically, the terminal performs measurements based on the beam resources configured by the network device and reports the measurement results. Based on the received measurement results, the network device determines the interference status and performs beam scheduling to strike a balance between interference and system throughput. However, in large-scale satellite scenarios, the number of potential neighboring beams in hotspot areas is large, resulting in high feedback overhead for the terminal. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus that can reduce the overhead of beam measurement reporting by terminal devices in non-terrestrial network communication scenarios.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a first communication device, which can be a terminal device or a chip or circuit configured in the terminal device, although this application does not limit this. The following description assumes that the method is performed by the first communication device.

[0007] The method includes: receiving configuration information from a network device, the configuration information being used to configure a reference signal corresponding to each beam in N beam groups; sending a measurement result to the network device, the measurement result indicating a signal strength corresponding to each beam group in M ​​beam groups, the measurement result being obtained by measuring the reference signal corresponding to each beam; wherein the N beam groups include the M beam groups, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, by sending the signal strength corresponding to M beam groups out of N beam groups to the network device, that is, the signal strength corresponding to each beam group in the M beam groups, the reporting overhead of the first communication device can be saved. That is, on the one hand, determining the signal strength corresponding to M beam groups from the N beam groups and reporting them can save overhead. On the other hand, compared with reporting the signal strength corresponding to each beam in the beam group, reporting the signal strength corresponding to the beam group can save overhead.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the M beam groups include beam groups whose corresponding channel strengths are greater than a threshold among the N beam groups.

[0010] Based on the above scheme, M beam groups can be determined from N beam groups through the relationship between the signal strength corresponding to the beam group and the threshold. Signaling overhead can be saved by reporting the signal strength corresponding to the M beam groups.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, channel strengths corresponding to the M beam groups are greater than channel strengths corresponding to beam groups other than the M beam groups in the N beam groups.

[0012] Illustratively, the value of M is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0013] Based on the above solution, by reporting the signal strengths corresponding to M beam groups with larger signal strengths among the N beam groups, the reporting overhead of the first communication device can be saved.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the value of M is determined based on first configuration information and the current moment, and the first configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one value of M and at least one time period, and the at least one time period includes the current moment.

[0015] Based on the above scheme, by configuring the correspondence between at least one M value and at least one time period through the first configuration information, the first communication device can flexibly determine the value of M based on the current moment and report the signal strength corresponding to the M beam groups, which can save reporting overhead.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the value of M is determined based on second configuration information and a first angle, the second configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one elevation angle interval and at least one value of M, the first angle is the elevation angle currently communicating with the network device, and the at least one elevation angle interval includes the first angle.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, by configuring the correspondence between at least one elevation angle interval and at least one M value through the second configuration information, the first communication device can flexibly determine the value of M and report the signal strength corresponding to M beam groups based on the current communication elevation angle with the network device, thereby saving reporting overhead.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the measurement report includes first information, which is used to characterize the signal strength corresponding to each beam group, and the first information includes at least one of the following: the sum of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, the maximum value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, and the average value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, the signal strength corresponding to the beam group can be represented by the sum / maximum value / average value of the signal strengths of the beams in the beam group. By reporting the signal strength corresponding to the beam group, the reporting overhead of the first communication device can be saved.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the signal strength is characterized by second information, where the second information includes at least one of the following information: a reference signal received power, an interference-plus-noise ratio, a channel quality indicator, and a first parameter; wherein the value of the first parameter indicates an amount by which a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) decreases compared to a signal to noise ratio (SNR).

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the beam spacing corresponding to each beam group in the N beam groups is different.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the network device is a satellite or an access network device deployed on a satellite.

[0023] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a second communication device, which can be a network device or a chip or circuit configured in the network device, although this application does not limit this. The following description assumes that the method is performed by the second communication device.

[0024] The method includes: sending configuration information to a terminal device, where the configuration information is used to configure a reference signal corresponding to each beam in N beam groups; receiving a measurement result from the terminal device, where the measurement result indicates a signal strength corresponding to each beam group in M ​​beam groups, where the measurement result is obtained by measuring the reference signal corresponding to each beam; and determining, based on the measurement result, to schedule a first beam group for the terminal device, where the first beam group is one or more of the M beam groups; wherein the N beam groups include the M beam groups, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer.

[0025] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device receives the signal strength corresponding to M beam groups out of N beam groups from the terminal device, that is, the signal strength corresponding to each beam group in the M beam groups, which can save the reporting overhead of the first communication device.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the M beam groups include beam groups whose corresponding channel strengths are greater than a threshold among the N beam groups.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, channel strengths corresponding to the M beam groups are greater than channel strengths corresponding to beam groups other than the M beam groups in the N beam groups.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the value of M is determined based on first configuration information and the current moment, and the first configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one value of M and at least one time period, and the at least one time period includes the current moment.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the value of M is determined based on second configuration information and a first angle, the second configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one communication elevation angle and at least one value of M, the first angle is the elevation angle currently communicating with the network device, and the at least one communication elevation angle includes the first angle.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the measurement report includes first information, which is used to characterize the signal strength corresponding to each beam group, and the first information includes at least one of the following: the sum of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, the maximum value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, the average value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, and the cumulative strength.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the signal strength is characterized by second information, where the second information includes at least one of the following information: a reference signal received power, an interference-plus-noise ratio, a channel quality indicator, and a first parameter; wherein the value of the first parameter indicates an amount by which the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal is reduced compared to the interference plus noise.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the beam spacing corresponding to each beam group in the N beam groups is different.

[0033] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the network device is a satellite or an access network device deployed on a satellite.

[0034] According to a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a transceiver unit, wherein the transceiver unit is used to: receive configuration information from a network device, wherein the configuration information is used to configure a reference signal corresponding to each beam in N beam groups; and send a measurement result to the network device, wherein the measurement result indicates the signal strength corresponding to each beam group in M ​​beam groups, and the measurement result is obtained by measuring the reference signal corresponding to each beam; wherein the N beam groups include the M beam groups, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer.

[0035] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the M beam groups include beam groups whose corresponding channel strengths are greater than a threshold among the N beam groups.

[0036] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, channel strengths corresponding to the M beam groups are greater than channel strengths corresponding to beam groups other than the M beam groups in the N beam groups.

[0037] Illustratively, the value of M is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0038] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the value of M is determined based on first configuration information and the current moment, and the first configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one value of M and at least one time period, and the at least one time period includes the current moment.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the value of M is determined based on second configuration information and a first angle, the second configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one elevation angle interval and at least one value of M, the first angle is the elevation angle currently communicating with the network device, and the at least one elevation angle interval includes the first angle.

[0040] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the measurement report includes first information, where the first information is used to characterize the signal strength corresponding to each beam group. The first information can refer to the description in the first aspect.

[0041] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the signal strength is represented by second information, and the second information can refer to the description in the first aspect.

[0042] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the beam spacing corresponding to each beam group in the N beam groups is different.

[0043] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the network device is a satellite or an access network device deployed on a satellite.

[0044] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit, wherein the transceiver unit is used to send configuration information to a terminal device, and the configuration information is used to configure a reference signal corresponding to each beam in N beam groups; the transceiver unit is also used to receive a measurement result from the terminal device, and the measurement result indicates the signal strength corresponding to each beam group in M ​​beam groups, and the measurement result is obtained by measuring the reference signal corresponding to each beam; the processing unit is used to determine to schedule a first beam group for the terminal device based on the measurement result, and the first beam group is one or more of the M beam groups; wherein the N beam groups include the M beam groups, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer.

[0045] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device receives the signal strength corresponding to M beam groups out of N beam groups from the terminal device, that is, the signal strength corresponding to each beam group in the M beam groups, which can save the reporting overhead of the first communication device.

[0046] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the M beam groups include beam groups whose corresponding channel strengths are greater than a threshold among the N beam groups.

[0047] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, channel strengths corresponding to the M beam groups are greater than channel strengths corresponding to beam groups other than the M beam groups in the N beam groups.

[0048] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the value of M is determined based on first configuration information and the current moment, and the first configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one value of M and at least one time period, and the at least one time period includes the current moment.

[0049] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the value of M is determined based on second configuration information and a first angle, the second configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one communication elevation angle and at least one value of M, the first angle is the elevation angle currently communicating with the network device, and the at least one communication elevation angle includes the first angle.

[0050] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the measurement report includes first information, and the first information can refer to the description in the second aspect.

[0051] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the signal strength is represented by second information, and the second information can refer to the description in the second aspect.

[0052] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the beam spacing corresponding to each beam group in the N beam groups is different.

[0053] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the network device is a satellite or an access network device deployed on a satellite.

[0054] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a memory. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, the processor being coupled to the communication interface.

[0055] In one implementation, the communication device is a terminal device. When the communication device is a terminal device, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0056] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0057] Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0058] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method of the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a memory. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, the processor being coupled to the communication interface.

[0059] In one implementation, the communication device is a network device. When the communication device is a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0060] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a network device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a network device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0061] In a seventh aspect, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method of any possible implementation of the first to second aspects.

[0062] In a specific implementation, the processor may be one or more chips, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0063] In an eighth aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory and receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method of any possible implementation of the first to second aspects.

[0064] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0065] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0066] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or can be set on different chips. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0067] It should be understood that related data interaction processes, such as sending indication information, can be the process of outputting indication information from the processor, and receiving capability information can be the process of receiving input capability information from the processor. Specifically, data output by the processor can be output to the transmitter, and input data received by the processor can be received from the receiver. The transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0068] The processing device in the eighth aspect may be one or more chips. The processor in the processing device may be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like; when implemented in software, the processor may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in a memory, which may be integrated into the processor or located independently of the processor.

[0069] In the ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program is run, it enables the computer to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first to second aspects above.

[0070] In the tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions) which, when run on a computer, enables the method in any possible implementation of the first to second aspects above to be executed.

[0071] In the eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least one of the aforementioned first communication device and second communication device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication system applicable to the present application.

[0073] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of beams with different beam spacings applicable to the present application.

[0074] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in this application.

[0075] FIG4 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 400 provided in this application.

[0076] FIG5 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 500 provided in this application.

[0077] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system 600 provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0079] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communications, and drones, for example, integrated communication and navigation (IcaN) systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and ultra-dense low-orbit satellite communication systems. Satellite communication systems can be integrated with traditional mobile communication systems. For example, the mobile communication system can be a fourth-generation (4G) communication system (for example, a long-term evolution (LTE) system), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth-generation (5G) communication system, and potentially applicable future mobile communication systems.

[0080] The NTN, which includes nodes such as satellite networks, high-altitude platforms, and drones, boasts significant advantages, including global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, easy deployment, and freedom from geographical constraints. It has been widely used in a variety of fields, including maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. The integration of terrestrial 5G networks and satellite networks, leveraging their strengths and complementing their weaknesses, will form a seamless, integrated global communications network covering land, sea, air, space, and ground, meeting the diverse service needs of users.

[0081] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. The NTN communication system (satellite communication system) includes satellite 101, satellite 102, and satellite 103. Each satellite can provide services to terminal devices through multiple beams, such as communication, navigation, and positioning services. The satellite in this scenario can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. The satellite can also be connected to ground station equipment, for example, satellite 103 is connected to ground station equipment. The satellite uses multiple beams to cover the service area, and different beams can communicate through one or more of time division, frequency division, and space division. The satellite can communicate with the terminal device through broadcast signals and navigation signals; the satellite can communicate wirelessly with the ground station equipment.

[0082] Satellite communication systems can include both transparent and non-transparent architectures. Transparent transmission, also known as bent-pipe transmission, involves signals undergoing only frequency conversion and amplification on the satellite, making the satellite transparent to the signal. Non-transparent transmission, also known as regenerative (on-board access / processing) transmission, involves satellites performing some or all of the base station functions. For example, satellites 101 and 102 in Figure 1 could be satellites in a non-transparent architecture, while satellite 103 could be a satellite in a transparent architecture.

[0083] It should be understood that the terminal devices mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may include various communication kits (the kits may include, for example, antennas, power supply templates, cables, and Wi-Fi modules) with wireless communication capabilities, handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, and may specifically refer to user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device may also be a communication module with satellite communication capabilities, a satellite phone or its components, a very small aperture terminal (VSAT), a wireless modem, a machine type communication device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. It may also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a terminal in self-driving, a terminal in remote medical, a terminal in a smart grid, a terminal in transportation safety, a terminal in a smart city, a terminal in a smart home, or a terminal device in a future communication network, etc. Of course, the terminal device in this application may also refer to a chip, a modem, a system on a chip (SoC) or a communication platform that may include a radio frequency (RF) part, which is mainly responsible for the relevant communication functions in the device.

[0084] The ground station equipment can be a device in the core network (CN) of an existing mobile communication architecture (such as the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access architecture of a 5G network), or a device in the core network of a future mobile communication architecture, a device used for connecting satellites and core networks, or a relay device used for satellite communications. Among them, CN, as a bearer network, provides an interface to the data network, which is used to provide UE with communication connection, authentication, management, policy control, and data service carrying, etc. CN may further include: access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), authentication server function (AUSF), policy control function (PCF), user plane function (UPF), etc. Among them, the AMF network element is used to manage the access and mobility of the UE, and is mainly responsible for UE authentication, UE mobility management, UE paging and other functions.

[0085] The network devices mentioned in the embodiments of the present application include but are not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission reception point (TRP), etc. The network device can also be a gNB, TRP or TP in a 5G system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system. The network device can also be a network node constituting a gNB or TP, such as a BBU, etc., or the network device is a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT), an Internet of Vehicles communication system or a device that undertakes network-side functions in other communication systems.

[0086] In addition, the network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application may include at least one of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). CU and DU can be understood as a division of network devices from a logical functional perspective. CU and DU can be physically separated or deployed together. Multiple DUs can share one CU; one DU can also be connected to multiple CUs. The CU and DU can be connected through an interface, such as an F1 interface.

[0087] For example, the CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layers of the wireless network. One possible division method is: the CU is used to perform the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer; the DU is used to perform the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer.

[0088] It is understood that the above division of the processing functions of the CU and DU by protocol layer is only an example, and the CU and DU can also be divided in other ways. For example, the CU or DU can be divided into functions of more protocol layers than the above division method; for another example, the CU or DU can be divided into processing functions of some of the protocol layers in the above division method.

[0089] Optionally, the CU and DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as latency, where functions whose processing time meets the latency requirement are implemented in the DU, while functions that do not meet the latency requirement are implemented in the CU.

[0090] Alternatively, a CU can also have one or more core network functions. One or more CUs can be centrally located or separately located. For example, a CU can be located on the network side for centralized management; a DU can have multiple radio frequency functions, or the radio frequency functions can be remotely located.

[0091] The functions of the CU can be implemented by a single entity or by different entities. For example, the functions of the CU can be further divided, such as separating the control plane (CP) and the user plane (UP), that is, dividing the CU into the control plane (CU-CP) and the CU user plane (CU-UP). The CU-CP can also include a further divided architecture, that is, dividing the CU-CP into CU-CP1 and CU-CP2. Among them, CU-CP1 can include various radio resource management functions; CU-CP2 can include RRC functions and PDCP-C functions (i.e., the basic functions of control plane signaling at the PDCP layer).

[0092] In different systems, CU (including CU-CP or CU-UP) or DU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN) system, CU may be referred to as an open CU (O-CU); DU may be referred to as an open DU (O-DU). Alternatively, CU-CP may be referred to as O-CU-CP, and CU-UP may be referred to as O-CU-UP.

[0093] The satellites mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be LEO satellites, medium orbit earth satellites (MEO) satellites, geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellites, etc., and may also be satellite base stations, or orbital receivers or repeaters for relaying information, or network devices carried on satellites, that is, satellites have some or all of the functions of network devices, for example, satellites can serve as gNB-DUs.

[0094] Below, in order to facilitate understanding of the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application, several basic concepts are first introduced.

[0095] 1. Beam

[0096] In 5G systems, large-scale antenna arrays perform weighted processing to concentrate signal energy within a smaller area, forming a beam-like signal (called a simulated beam, or simply a beam) that increases transmission distance. In the NR protocol, a beam can be represented by a spatial domain filter, also known as a spatial filter or spatial parameter. Specifically, the beam used for transmitting signals can be called a transmission beam (Tx beam), which can also be called a spatial domain transmission filter or spatial transmission parameter; the beam used for receiving signals can be called a reception beam (Rx beam), which can also be called a spatial domain receive filter or spatial RX parameter. A transmit beam refers to the distribution of signal strength in different spatial directions after a signal is transmitted by an antenna; a receive beam refers to the distribution of signal strength in different spatial directions after a wireless signal is received by an antenna.

[0097] The existing protocol stipulates that there is a corresponding relationship between beams and resources. For example, when performing beam measurement, the quality of the beam corresponding to a resource can be measured by measuring the reference signal transmitted on the resource element corresponding to the resource. Similarly, when the quality of multiple beams needs to be measured, the network device can configure multiple resources corresponding to multiple beams to the terminal device. The network device sends a reference signal on the resource element corresponding to the multiple resources, so that the terminal device can measure the reference signal and feedback the measured quality of different resources, so that the network device can know the quality of the beams corresponding to different resources. For example, when data transmission is performed, the beam information can be indicated by the resource corresponding to the beam. Specifically, the network device indicates the information of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam of the terminal device through the transmission configuration information (TCI) field in the downlink control information (DCI).

[0098] For example, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics can be considered a single beam. A beam can include one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, and sounding signals. The one or more antenna ports that form a beam can also be considered an antenna port set.

[0099] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, a beam refers to a transmission beam of a network device. In beam measurement, each beam may correspond to a resource, and thus the beam corresponding to the resource may be uniquely identified by the resource index.

[0100] 2. Resources

[0101] In beam measurement, the beam corresponding to the resource can be identified by the index of the resource. The resource can be a resource that carries an uplink signal or a resource that carries a downlink signal. Uplink signals include but are not limited to: sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS); downlink signals include but are not limited to: channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), cell specific reference signal (CS-RS), UE specific reference signal (US-RS), DMRS, and synchronization system / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block). Among them, SS / PBCH block can be referred to as synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0102] Network devices configure resources through radio resource control (RRC) signaling. A resource is a data structure that includes parameters related to the uplink / downlink signal corresponding to the resource, such as the uplink / downlink signal type, the resource element carrying the uplink / downlink signal, the uplink / downlink signal transmission time and period, and the number of ports used to transmit the uplink / downlink signal. Each uplink / downlink signal resource has a unique index to identify the uplink / downlink signal resource.

[0103] Due to manufacturing and launch costs, current satellite communication networks may not be able to provide UEs with communication speeds comparable to those of terrestrial communication networks. To overcome this limitation and improve the overall signal processing capabilities and communication throughput of satellite networks, satellite operators are preparing to launch large-scale low-Earth orbit constellations. This involves increasing the number of satellites to compensate for the limited communication capabilities of individual satellites. In future NTN communication systems, once a UE is connected to a satellite communication system, it will be served by multiple satellites for a period of time.

[0104] At this point, co-channel interference may occur between different satellite beams, potentially causing interference with co-channel scheduling of adjacent beams, reducing communication efficiency. From a link perspective, the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) of the transmitting signal drops sharply. Even if the signal strength is high, the SINR perceived by the transmitting end is still low, making channel estimation and decoding more difficult for the receiving end. From a system perspective, due to interference limitations, adding beams or increasing beam power in a satellite system cannot significantly improve the total system throughput, resulting in capacity saturation.

[0105] For example, 3GPP TR38.821 compares the SINR and system throughput of satellite co-frequency networking and inter-frequency networking, as shown in Table 1 and Table 2, respectively.

[0106] Table 1

[0107] As can be seen from Table 1, when adjacent beams are illuminated simultaneously, the SINR of the same-frequency network is much lower than that of the different-frequency network. For example, for 5% of the samples, the SINR of the same-frequency network is -3.1dB, while the SINR of the different-frequency network is 7.3dB.

[0108] Table 2

[0109] As can be seen from Table 2, the total throughput of the same-frequency network and the different-frequency network at a medium load of RU=50% is similar, and capacity saturation occurs.

[0110] Therefore, in satellite communications, it is necessary to avoid co-channel interference between adjacent beams as much as possible. The new radio (NR) system supports the acquisition of interference status based on UE measurement feedback. That is, the network equipment can configure the beam resources to be measured for the UE (for example, SSB or CSI-RS resources); the UE measures the configured beam resources and reports the measurement results (for example, the reference signal receiving power (RSRP), SINR) of a certain beam resource. The UE can also feedback the sequence number of the optimal beam resource; after receiving the measurement results from the UE, the network equipment performs beam scheduling based on the measurement results to balance between interference and system throughput.

[0111] For example, in related solutions, network equipment measures inter-beam interference by measuring different inter-beam distances (IBDs), effectively scheduling beams based on IBD values. Inter-beam interference decreases as IBD values ​​increase; system throughput initially increases and then decreases with increasing IBD values, so network equipment must select an appropriate IBD value. The appropriate IBD value varies across systems, UEs, and channel conditions.

[0112] In large-scale satellite scenarios, there are many potential neighboring beams in hotspot areas. If the UE feeds back RSRP beam by beam, the overhead is large. However, if only the measurement report of some beams is configured, important channel information may be missed. For example, as shown in Figure 2, taking the hexagonal beam layout as an example, tier-1 and tier-2 are adjacent beams, tier-1 has 3 potential IBDs (as shown in (a), (b) and (c) of Figure 2, IBD = 0.3 / 1 / 1.3 beam size respectively) that need to be measured, then the UE needs to report 3x 6 = 18 RSRPs. Assuming that tier-2 has 3 potential IBD distances that need to be measured, a total of 36 RSRPs need to be reported, which results in a large overhead for the UE.

[0113] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method and apparatus to reduce the overhead of UE reporting beam measurement results in an NTN system.

[0114] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method may include the following steps.

[0115] S310: The network device sends configuration information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information from the network device.

[0116] This configuration information (also referred to as measurement configuration information) can be used to configure the reference signal corresponding to each beam in the N beam groups, or to configure the resources carrying the reference signal corresponding to each beam, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0117] Optionally, the beam spacing (e.g., normalized beam spacing) corresponding to each of the N beam groups may be different. Each beam group may include or indicate multiple beams. For example, the N beam groups include beam group #1 to beam group #3, and the normalized beam spacings corresponding to beam group #1 to beam group #3 may be 0.7, 1, and 1.3, respectively, as shown in FIG2 .

[0118] Among them, the beam group can also be called "beam set", "resource set", etc., without limitation.

[0119] Exemplarily, the configuration information may include resource configuration information. The resource configuration information may be used to configure information related to resources that carry reference signals. For example, the resource configuration information may include one or more resource configurations, each resource configuration including one or more resource sets, and each resource set including one or more resources. The resource configuration information may also include other parameters, such as the resource period and the signal type corresponding to the resource.

[0120] In addition, the configuration information may also include reporting configuration information. The reporting configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report relevant information about the measurement results after the measurement, such as reporting indicators, reporting time, reporting cycle, reporting format, and other reporting-related information.

[0121] The network device may be a satellite or an access network device deployed on a satellite, or the network device is a satellite, and the satellite may be used to implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. For example, the network device may send the configuration information to the terminal device via RRC signaling or other downlink signaling, without limitation.

[0122] S320: The terminal device sends the measurement result to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the measurement result from the terminal device.

[0123] Exemplarily, the network device may transmit a reference signal corresponding to the beam to the terminal device on the resources configured by the configuration information. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the reference signal from the network device and measures beam quality, or signal strength, based on the reference signal. The terminal device transmits a measurement result to the network device, which may indicate the signal strength corresponding to each of the M beam groups.

[0124] The signal strength corresponding to a beam group can also be understood as the combined signal strength of the beam group. In other words, the signal strength corresponding to a beam group reflects the signal strength corresponding to all beams in the beam group. It can be understood that the signal strength corresponding to a beam group or beam is also the signal strength of the reference signal on the resource corresponding to the beam or beam group.

[0125] Exemplarily, M is less than or equal to N, or in other words, the N beam groups include the M beam groups, and M is a positive integer. That is, the terminal device feeds back signal strengths corresponding to M beam groups among the N beam groups to the network device.

[0126] Exemplarily, the signal strength corresponding to the beam group can be determined based on at least one of the following information of the beam group: the sum of the signal strengths corresponding to each beam in the beam group, the average value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in the beam group, and the maximum value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in the beam group.

[0127] The signal strength may be characterized by at least one of the following parameters: a reference signal receiving power (RSRP), an interference noise ratio (INR), a channel quality indicator (CQI), and a first parameter, the value of which indicates the amount by which the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) decreases compared to the signal to noise ratio (SNR).

[0128] For example, N beam groups include beam group #1 including {beam #0, beam #1, beam #2, beam #3, beam #4, beam #5}. The terminal device can measure the signal strengths corresponding to beams #0 to beam #5 respectively, and determine the signal strength corresponding to beam group #1 by determining the average value or sum of the signal strengths corresponding to beams #0 to beam #5, or determine the signal strength of beam group #1 by the signal strength corresponding to beams #0 to beam #5 being the largest.

[0129] Based on the above scheme, compared with the terminal device feeding back the signal strength corresponding to the beam included in each beam group to the network device, the reporting overhead of the terminal device can be saved by feeding back the signal strength corresponding to M beam groups out of N beam groups to the network device.

[0130] Specifically, the terminal device can determine M beam groups in the manner shown in the following example, and feed back the signal strengths corresponding to the M beam groups to the network device.

[0131] Example 1: The M beam groups are beam groups whose corresponding channel strengths are greater than a threshold among the N beam groups.

[0132] That is, the terminal device measures the signal strength corresponding to each beam group in the N beam groups, and feeds back to the network device the M beam groups in the N beam groups whose corresponding signal strength is greater than or equal to the threshold.

[0133] It is understandable that when different parameters are used to characterize signal strength, the thresholds corresponding to the different parameters may be the same or different; the threshold may be preset in the terminal device, or agreed upon by a protocol, or configured through a network device, without limitation.

[0134] For example, the signal strength is characterized by INR. The N beam groups include beam group #1, beam group #2 and beam group #3, and their corresponding INRs are 5dB, 0dB and -5dB respectively. The threshold is configured as 0dB, then the terminal device determines to feed back the signal strength corresponding to beam group #1 and beam group #2 to the network device.

[0135] For another example, the signal strength is characterized by the first parameter. The values ​​of the first parameter corresponding to beam group #1 to beam group #3 are 3dB, 1dB and 0.1dB respectively, and the threshold is configured as 0dB. The terminal device determines to feedback the signal strength corresponding to beam group #1 and beam group #2 to the network device.

[0136] Example 2: The channel strengths corresponding to the M beam groups are greater than the channel strengths corresponding to the beam groups other than the M beam groups in the N beam groups.

[0137] Here, M may be an agreed value, for example, agreed upon by a protocol or configured by a network device.

[0138] For example, if the value of M configured in the network device is 2, the terminal device selects the signal strengths corresponding to the two beam groups with larger signal strengths from the signal strengths corresponding to the N measured beam groups and reports them.

[0139] Example 3: The value of M is determined according to the first configuration information and the current time.

[0140] The first configuration information is used to configure a correspondence between at least one M value and at least one time period, where the at least one time period includes the current moment.

[0141] The terminal device may receive the first configuration information from the network device, or the corresponding relationship may be pre-configured in the terminal device.

[0142] For example, the N beam groups include beam group #1 to beam group #3; the at least one time period includes time period #1 between time t1 and time t2, and time period #2 between time t2 and time t3; the value of M corresponding to time period #1 is 2, and the value of M corresponding to time period #2 is 3; if the terminal device determines that the current moment includes time period #1, the terminal device feeds back the signal strength corresponding to 2 beam groups (for example, the 2 beam groups with the largest signal strength among beam group #1 to beam group #3) to the network device; if it is determined that the current moment includes time period #2, the signal strength corresponding to 3 beam groups is fed back to the network device.

[0143] When the network device is a satellite, the coverage range of the satellite may be different in different time periods, and thus the number of beam groups that interfere with each other within the satellite coverage range may be different. By setting the signal strength corresponding to different numbers of beam groups reported by terminal devices in different time periods, the network device can better determine the scheduled beam and improve communication performance.

[0144] Example 4: The value of M is determined according to the second configuration information and the first angle.

[0145] The second configuration information is used to configure a correspondence between at least one elevation angle interval and at least one value of M. The first angle is an elevation angle currently used for communication with the network device, and the first angle belongs to one of the at least one elevation angle interval.

[0146] The terminal device may receive the second configuration information from the network device, or the corresponding relationship may be pre-configured in the terminal device.

[0147] For example, the N beam groups include beam group #1 to beam group #3; the at least one elevation angle interval includes an elevation angle #1 between threshold #1 and 90 degrees, and an elevation angle interval #2 between 0 degrees and threshold #1; the value of M corresponding to the elevation angle interval #1 is 2, and the value of M corresponding to the elevation angle interval #2 is 3; if the terminal device determines that the current communication elevation angle with the network device is angle #1 (an example of the first angle), if the angle #1 belongs to the elevation angle interval #1, the terminal device feeds back the signal strength corresponding to 2 beam groups (for example, the 2 beam groups with the largest signal strength among beam group #1 to beam group #3) to the network device; if the angle #1 belongs to the elevation angle interval #2, the signal strength corresponding to 3 beam groups is fed back to the network device.

[0148] When the network device is a satellite, the communication elevation angles between the satellite and the terminal device may be different, so the number of beam groups that interfere with each other within the satellite coverage range may be different. By setting the signal strength corresponding to different numbers of beam groups reported by terminal devices in different elevation angle ranges, the network device can better determine the scheduled beam and improve communication performance.

[0149] It should be understood that the present application does not limit the reporting method of the signal strength of the beam group. For example, the terminal device can report the signal strength corresponding to each beam group in the M beam groups separately, and associate the signal strength of each beam group with the corresponding beam group (for example, the index of the beam group or the index of the resource corresponding to the beam group); or, the terminal device reports the signal strength of the M beam groups in a differential manner, that is, the terminal device reports the signal strength corresponding to one beam group (denoted as beam group #1) in the M beam groups, and reports the difference between the signal strengths corresponding to other beam groups and the signal strength of beam group #1.

[0150] Illustratively, the above measurement results may be carried in a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), without limitation.

[0151] S330: The network device schedules a first beam group for the terminal device based on the measurement result reported by the terminal device, where the first beam group is one or more of the M beam groups.

[0152] For example, the network device can determine the interference of beam groups corresponding to different IBD values ​​based on the signal strength of the M beam groups, and select one or more beam groups with less interference and higher system throughput. Scheduling beam groups for a terminal device can be understood as determining which beam group to use to transmit data to the terminal device.

[0153] Optionally, in the above solution, the network device may be a DU of an access network device deployed on a satellite. In this case, the above-mentioned configuration information, such as the measurement configuration information, the first configuration information, the second configuration information, etc., may be generated by the CU of the access network device. For example, the CU may be deployed in a terrestrial communication network. The CU may send the configuration information to the DU via a feedback link, and the network device may send the configuration information to the terminal device. Furthermore, the terminal device may send the measurement results to the CU via the network device.

[0154] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with FIG3 . It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, "and / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0155] It is understood that the various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of this application are only for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0156] In the embodiments of the present application, “first”, “second” and various numerical numbers are used to distinguish for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. For example, different indication information is distinguished.

[0157] In the embodiments of the present application, "used to indicate" may include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it may include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0158] In addition, the specific indication method can also be various existing indication methods, such as but not limited to the above-mentioned indication methods and various combinations thereof. The specific details of the various indication methods can be referred to the prior art and will not be repeated herein. As can be seen from the above, for example, when it is necessary to indicate multiple information of the same type, there may be a situation where the indication methods for different information are different. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the selected indication method. In this way, the indication method involved in the embodiment of the present application should be understood to cover various methods that can enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0159] In the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "when...", "under...", and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They do not limit the time, nor do they require the device to perform judgment actions when implemented, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0160] In the embodiments of the present application, "indication information" and "configuration information" may be explicit indications, i.e., directly indicated via signaling, or obtained based on parameters indicated by signaling, combined with other rules, other parameters, or through deduction. Alternatively, they may be implicit indications, i.e., obtained based on rules or relationships, or based on other parameters, or through deduction. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0161] In the embodiments of the present application, “of”, “corresponding, relevant”, “corresponding” and “associate” may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are consistent.

[0162] The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 to 6. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, reference can be made to the method embodiment above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0163] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of a communication device 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0164] The device 400 includes a transceiver unit 410 , which can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 410 can also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0165] Optionally, the apparatus 400 may further include a processing unit 420 , which may be configured to perform data processing.

[0166] Optionally, the device 400 also includes a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 420 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the device can implement the actions of different devices in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0167] In one possible design, the apparatus 400 may be the terminal device in the aforementioned embodiment, or may be a component of the terminal device (e.g., a chip). The apparatus 400 may implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The transceiver unit 410 may be used to perform transceiver-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, such as the transceiver-related operations of the terminal device in the embodiment shown in FIG3 ; and the processing unit 420 may be used to perform processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, such as the processing-related operations of the terminal device in the embodiment shown in FIG3 .

[0168] In another possible design, the apparatus 400 may be the network device in the aforementioned embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the network device. The apparatus 400 may implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the network device in the above method embodiment. The transceiver unit 410 may be used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiment, such as the transceiver-related operations of the network device in the embodiment shown in FIG3 ; the processing unit 420 may be used to perform the processing-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiment, such as the processing-related operations of the network device in the embodiment shown in FIG3 .

[0169] FIG5 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0170] The apparatus 500 includes a processor 510, which is coupled to a memory 520. Optionally, the apparatus 500 further includes the memory 520. The memory 520 is configured to store computer programs or instructions and / or data, and the processor 510 is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 520, or read data stored in the memory 520, to perform the methods in the above method embodiments.

[0171] Optionally, there are one or more processors 510 .

[0172] Optionally, there are one or more memories 520 .

[0173] Optionally, the memory 520 is integrated with the processor 510 or provided separately.

[0174] Optionally, as shown in Figure 5, the apparatus 500 further includes a transceiver 530, which is configured to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 510 is configured to control the transceiver 530 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0175] As a solution, the apparatus 500 is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device in each of the above method embodiments.

[0176] For example, the processor 510 is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 520 to implement the relevant operations of the terminal device in the above various method embodiments. For example, the method executed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in FIG3 .

[0177] As another solution, the apparatus 500 is used to implement the operations performed by the network device in the above various method embodiments.

[0178] For example, the processor 510 is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 520 to implement the relevant operations of the network device in the above various method embodiments. For example, the method executed by the network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 3.

[0179] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor 510 or by instructions in the form of software. The method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory 520, and the processor 510 reads the information in the memory 520 and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0180] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be one or more integrated circuits for executing relevant programs to execute the method embodiments of the present application.

[0181] A processor (e.g., processor 510) may include one or more processors and be implemented as a combination of computing devices. The processor may include one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a digital signal processing device (DSPD), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), gating logic, transistor logic, discrete hardware circuits, processing circuits, or other suitable hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software to perform the various functions described in this disclosure. The processor may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, processor 510 may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. A baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data. A central processing unit may be used to enable the device to execute software programs and process data in the software programs. In addition, a portion of the processor may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the processor may also store information about the device type.

[0182] In this application, the term "program" is used broadly to refer to software. Non-limiting examples of software include program code, program, subroutine, instruction, instruction set, code, code segment, software module, application, or software application. The program can be executed in a processor and / or computer to cause the device to perform the various functions and / or processes described in this application.

[0183] The memory (e.g., memory 520) can store data required by the processor (e.g., processor 510) when executing software. The memory can be implemented using any suitable storage technology. For example, the memory can be any available storage medium that can be accessed by the processor and / or computer. Non-limiting examples of storage media include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (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), removable media, optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media, magnetic storage devices, flash memory, registers, state memory, remotely mounted storage, local or remote memory components, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing software, data, or information and accessible by a processor / computer. It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0184] The memory (e.g., memory 520) and the processor (e.g., processor 510) may be provided separately or integrated together. The memory may be used to connect to the processor so that the processor can read information from the memory and store and / or write information in the memory. The memory may be integrated into the processor. The memory and the processor may be provided in an integrated circuit (e.g., the integrated circuit may be provided in a UE or other network node).

[0185] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0186] The chip system 600 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 610 and an input / output interface 620 .

[0187] Logic circuit 610 may be a processing circuit in chip system 600. Logic circuit 610 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit, enabling chip system 600 to implement the methods and functions of various embodiments of the present application. Input / output interface 620 may be an input / output circuit in chip system 600, outputting information processed by chip system 600 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into chip system 600 for processing.

[0188] As a solution, the chip system 600 is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device in the above various method embodiments.

[0189] For example, the logic circuit 610 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, such as the processing-related operations performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in Figure 3; the input / output interface 620 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, such as the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in Figure 3.

[0190] As another solution, the chip system 600 is used to implement the operations performed by the network device in the above various method embodiments.

[0191] For example, the logic circuit 610 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, such as the processing-related operations performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 4; the input / output interface 620 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, such as the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 3.

[0192] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions are stored for implementing the methods executed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0193] 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 terminal device or a network device) in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0194] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes one or more of the terminal devices or network devices in the above embodiments.

[0195] 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.

[0196] 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 above-mentioned units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, 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.

[0197] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected according to actual needs to implement the solutions provided in this application.

[0198] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one unit, each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0199] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0200] When software is used for implementation, 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 devices. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instruction 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 instruction can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). About computer-readable storage medium, reference can be made to the above description.

[0201] 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 communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving configuration information from a network device, where the configuration information is used to configure a reference signal corresponding to each beam in the N beam groups; Sending a measurement result to the network device, where the measurement result indicates a signal strength corresponding to each of the M beam groups, and the measurement result is obtained by measuring a reference signal corresponding to each beam; The N beam groups include the M beam groups, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The M beam groups include beam groups whose corresponding channel strengths are greater than a threshold among the N beam groups.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The channel strengths corresponding to the M beam groups are greater than the channel strengths corresponding to beam groups other than the M beam groups among the N beam groups.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The value of M is determined according to first configuration information and the current moment, wherein the first configuration information is used to configure a correspondence between at least one value of M and at least one time period, wherein the at least one time period includes the current moment.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The value of M is determined based on second configuration information and a first angle, the second configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one elevation angle interval and at least one value of M, the first angle is the elevation angle currently communicating with the network device, and the at least one elevation angle interval includes the first angle.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The measurement report includes first information, where the first information is used to characterize the signal strength corresponding to each beam group, and the first information includes at least one of the following: The sum of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, the maximum value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, and the average value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The signal strength is represented by second information, and the second information includes at least one of the following information: Reference signal received power, interference-to-noise ratio, channel quality indicator, and first parameter; The value of the first parameter indicates the amount by which the signal to interference plus noise ratio SINR decreases compared to the signal to noise ratio SNR.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The beam spacing corresponding to each beam group in the N beam groups is different.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The network device is a satellite or an access network device deployed on a satellite.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending configuration information to the terminal device, where the configuration information is used to configure a reference signal corresponding to each beam in the N beam groups; receiving a measurement result from the terminal device, where the measurement result indicates a signal strength corresponding to each of the M beam groups, where the measurement result is obtained by measuring a reference signal corresponding to each beam; Determine, according to the measurement result, to schedule a first beam group for the terminal device, where the first beam group is one or more of the M beam groups; The N beam groups include the M beam groups, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The M beam groups include beam groups whose corresponding channel strengths are greater than a threshold among the N beam groups.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The channel strengths corresponding to the M beam groups are greater than the channel strengths corresponding to beam groups other than the M beam groups among the N beam groups.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The value of M is determined according to first configuration information and the current moment, wherein the first configuration information is used to configure a correspondence between at least one value of M and at least one time period, wherein the at least one time period includes the current moment.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The value of M is determined based on second configuration information and a first angle, the second configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one communication elevation angle and at least one value of M, the first angle is the elevation angle currently communicating with the network device, and the at least one communication elevation angle includes the first angle.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that The measurement report includes first information, where the first information is used to characterize the signal strength corresponding to each beam group, and the first information includes at least one of the following: The sum of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, the maximum value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, the average value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, and the cumulative strength.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that The signal strength is represented by second information, and the second information includes at least one of the following information: Reference signal received power, interference-to-noise ratio, channel quality indicator, and first parameter; The value of the first parameter indicates the amount by which the signal to interference plus noise ratio SINR decreases compared to the signal to noise ratio SNR.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that The beam spacing corresponding to each beam group in the N beam groups is different.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that Applied to network equipment, the network equipment is a satellite or an access network equipment deployed on a satellite.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a transceiver unit, The transceiver unit is used to receive configuration information from a network device, where the configuration information is used to configure a reference signal corresponding to each beam in the N beam groups; The transceiver unit is further configured to send a measurement result to the network device, where the measurement result indicates a signal strength corresponding to each of the M beam groups, and the measurement result is obtained by measuring a reference signal corresponding to each beam; The N beam groups include the M beam groups, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer.

20. The device according to claim 19, characterized in that The M beam groups include beam groups whose corresponding channel strengths are greater than a threshold among the N beam groups.

21. The device according to claim 19, characterized in that The channel strengths corresponding to the M beam groups are greater than the channel strengths corresponding to beam groups other than the M beam groups among the N beam groups.

22. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that The value of M is determined according to first configuration information and the current moment, wherein the first configuration information is used to configure a correspondence between at least one value of M and at least one time period, wherein the at least one time period includes the current moment.

23. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that The value of M is determined based on second configuration information and a first angle, the second configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one elevation angle interval and at least one value of M, the first angle is the elevation angle currently communicating with the network device, and the at least one elevation angle interval includes the first angle.

24. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that The measurement report includes first information, where the first information is used to characterize the signal strength corresponding to each beam group, and the first information includes at least one of the following: The sum of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, the maximum value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, and the average value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group.

25. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 24, characterized in that The signal strength is represented by second information, and the second information includes at least one of the following information: Reference signal received power, interference-to-noise ratio, channel quality indicator, and first parameter; The value of the first parameter indicates the amount by which the signal to interference plus noise ratio SINR decreases compared to the signal to noise ratio SNR.

26. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 25, characterized in that The beam spacing corresponding to each beam group in the N beam groups is different.

27. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 26, characterized in that The network device is a satellite or an access network device deployed on a satellite.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: The device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit, The transceiver unit is used to send configuration information to the terminal device, where the configuration information is used to configure a reference signal corresponding to each beam in the N beam groups; The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a measurement result from the terminal device, where the measurement result indicates a signal strength corresponding to each beam group in the M beam groups, and the measurement result is obtained by measuring a reference signal corresponding to each beam; The processing unit is configured to determine, according to the measurement result, to schedule a first beam group for the terminal device, where the first beam group is one or more of the M beam groups; The N beam groups include the M beam groups, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer.

29. The device according to claim 28, characterized in that The M beam groups include beam groups whose corresponding channel strengths are greater than a threshold among the N beam groups.

30. The device according to claim 28, wherein The channel strengths corresponding to the M beam groups are greater than the channel strengths corresponding to beam groups other than the M beam groups among the N beam groups.

31. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 30, characterized in that The value of M is determined according to first configuration information and the current moment, wherein the first configuration information is used to configure a correspondence between at least one value of M and at least one time period, wherein the at least one time period includes the current moment.

32. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 30, characterized in that The value of M is determined based on second configuration information and a first angle, the second configuration information is used to configure the correspondence between at least one communication elevation angle and at least one value of M, the first angle is the elevation angle currently communicating with the network device, and the at least one communication elevation angle includes the first angle.

33. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 32, characterized in that The measurement report includes first information, where the first information is used to characterize the signal strength corresponding to each beam group, and the first information includes at least one of the following: The sum of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, the maximum value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, the average value of the signal strengths corresponding to the beams in each beam group, and the cumulative strength.

34. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 33, characterized in that The signal strength is represented by second information, and the second information includes at least one of the following information: Reference signal received power, interference-to-noise ratio, channel quality indicator, and first parameter; The value of the first parameter indicates the amount by which the signal to interference plus noise ratio SINR decreases compared to the signal to noise ratio SNR.

35. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 34, characterized in that The beam spacing corresponding to each beam group in the N beam groups is different.

36. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 35, characterized in that The device is a satellite or an access network device deployed on a satellite.

37. A communication device, characterized in that: The device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

38. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 by executing a computer program stored in a memory and / or by using a logic circuit.

39. The device according to claim 38, characterized in that The apparatus further comprises the memory.

40. A communication device, characterized in that: include: processor and communication interface; The communication interface is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor, and the processor is used to enable the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 by executing a computer program stored in a memory and / or through a logic circuit.

41. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium comprises a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

42. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 .

43. A communication system, characterized in that The method comprises a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the network device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

Images