Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and an apparatus, used for solving the problems of large transmission overhead and long data processing delay during data set exchange between communication apparatuses, and improving the data processing efficiency. The method comprises: receiving first indication information, which is used for indicating an association relationship between a target data set and at least one data set; and determining the target data set on the basis of the first indication information.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410700778.7, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on May 30, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] As wireless communication networks become more complex, service demands become more diverse, and service experiences become more personalized, data model algorithms such as artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) will be more widely used in wireless communication scenarios. For example, AI or ML algorithms can be applied to scenarios such as channel prediction, network resource scheduling, or location calculation to improve data processing efficiency.

[0004] For the same model, the output results obtained from inference calculations may differ depending on the datasets used as inputs from different scenarios or at different times. For example, when performing data processing tasks through a model in a communication network, if one communication device is used to collect data from different scenarios / times, and another communication device is used to perform data inference based on the collected datasets, then multiple communication devices need to transmit datasets from different scenarios and / or at different times. The transmission overhead of the datasets is large, resulting in long inference latency and low data processing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to solve the problems of high transmission overhead and long data processing delay in the exchange of datasets between communication devices, thereby improving data processing efficiency.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first device, the first device being a functional module (such as a chip or circuit), for example, a terminal. The method includes: receiving first indication information indicating an association between a target dataset and at least one dataset; and determining the target dataset based on the first indication information.

[0008] In the above embodiments, by instructing the receiving end on the correlation between datasets, the receiving end can determine part or all of the information of the target dataset based on the known dataset, so that the sending and receiving ends no longer need to transmit the complete information of the dataset. This can reduce the transmission overhead of the datasets exchanged between communication devices, as well as reduce data processing latency and transmission latency, and improve data processing efficiency.

[0009] In one implementation, at least one dataset includes a first dataset; determining the target dataset based on the first indication information includes: determining that the target dataset includes the first dataset. That is, the first indication information can indicate the association between the target dataset and the first dataset, such as the target dataset including the first dataset, thereby allowing the first device to determine the portion included in the target dataset, which can reduce the resource consumption and transmission latency of the second device sending the first dataset to the first device.

[0010] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving a second dataset; determining the target dataset based on the first indication information, including: determining that the target dataset includes the second dataset. That is, the second device may send only a portion of the data included in the target dataset to the first device, such as sending a second dataset unrelated to other datasets. This allows the first device to determine the portion of the data included in the target dataset based on the first indication information and the received second dataset, thereby reducing resource consumption and transmission latency when the second device sends the completed target dataset to the first device.

[0011] In one implementation, the first indication information includes the second dataset. That is, the first indication information can carry the second dataset, thereby saving signaling overhead and transmission latency.

[0012] In one implementation, the first indication information includes the name or index number of each dataset in the at least one dataset, and / or includes the name or index number of the target dataset. This can be achieved by predefining or preconfiguring the names or index numbers corresponding to different datasets, thus allowing the first indication information to carry the corresponding names or index numbers of datasets to indicate information about related datasets, saving signaling overhead on the indication information.

[0013] In one implementation, the first dataset is a subset of the third dataset, and the first indication information further includes the name or index number of the third dataset. That is, the first indication information can be used to indicate the association between the target dataset and other datasets, such as subsets of the third dataset. For example, if a subset of the third dataset includes the first dataset, and the target dataset also includes the first dataset, then the first device can obtain the subset of the third dataset—the first dataset—based on the first indication information, determine partial information about the target dataset, and save transmission overhead.

[0014] In one implementation, the first indication information includes the name or index number of at least one shared data. This can be achieved by predefining or preconfiguring the names or index numbers corresponding to shared data in the dataset, thus allowing the first indication information to carry these names or index numbers to indicate information about shared data in related datasets, saving signaling overhead on the indication information.

[0015] In one implementation, the shared data includes at least one of the following: environmental data, data of fixed buildings, network location information, distance and / or angle information between network devices and terminals, terminal location information, or multipath channel parameters. That is, the dataset can include the aforementioned generally unchanging data information (e.g., data that does not change over time or with different scenarios), which can be considered shared data across multiple datasets. It can also be referred to as identical or similar data. The first indication information can be used to indicate this shared data, thereby reducing the transmission overhead caused by multiple transmissions of shared data between communication devices and improving transmission efficiency.

[0016] In one implementation, the association relationship is a quasi-co-addressable (QCL) relationship. That is, the association relationship between different datasets can be represented as a QCL relationship, thereby determining the target dataset based on the QCL relationship and improving the reliability of data processing.

[0017] In one implementation, the association can be a sharing relationship. Furthermore, the association between different datasets can also be represented as a consistency relationship, a similarity relationship, or other similarity relationships, thus increasing the flexibility of the indication method.

[0018] In one embodiment, the method further includes: obtaining configuration information, the configuration information including at least one of the following: a correspondence between I datasets and I dataset index numbers; a correspondence between J data subsets and J subset index numbers, wherein a dataset includes at least one data subset; or, a correspondence between M1 association information and M index numbers, wherein the association information indicates that at least two different datasets share some or all of the data; I, J, M1, and M are positive integers, and M1 is greater than or equal to M.

[0019] In the above embodiments, by predefining or preconfiguring the dataset index number corresponding to different datasets, the data subset index number corresponding to different data subsets, or the index number corresponding to different associations, the first indication information can be carried with the index number to indicate the datasets, data subsets, or associations that have an association relationship, thereby saving the signaling overhead of the indication information.

[0020] In one embodiment, before receiving the first indication information, the method further includes: receiving second indication information for indicating the activation of N related information among M1 related information, wherein M is greater than N, and M and N are positive integers; the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the N related relationships.

[0021] In the above embodiments, a few of the multiple associations can be activated first by the second instruction information, and then further indicated by the first instruction information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead of the first instruction information.

[0022] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second device, the second device being a functional module (such as a chip or circuit), for example, a network device. The method includes: sending first indication information to a first device, indicating an association between a target dataset and at least one dataset.

[0023] In one implementation, at least one dataset includes a first dataset; wherein the target dataset includes the first dataset.

[0024] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending a second dataset to a first device; wherein the target dataset includes the second dataset.

[0025] In one implementation, the first instruction information includes the second dataset.

[0026] In one implementation, the first indication information includes the name or index number of each dataset in the at least one dataset, and / or includes the name or index number of the target dataset.

[0027] In one implementation, the first dataset is a subset of the third dataset, and the first indication information further includes the name or index number of the third dataset.

[0028] In one implementation, the first indication information includes the name or index number of at least one shared data.

[0029] In one implementation, the shared data includes at least one of the following: environmental data, data of fixed buildings, network location information, distance and / or angle information between network devices and terminals, terminal location information, or multipath channel parameters.

[0030] In one implementation, the association relationship is a quasi-co-addressable (QCL) relationship.

[0031] In one implementation, the association relationship can be a sharing relationship.

[0032] In one embodiment, the method further includes: obtaining configuration information, the configuration information including at least one of the following: a correspondence between I datasets and I dataset index numbers; a correspondence between J data subsets and J subset index numbers, wherein a dataset includes at least one data subset; or, a correspondence between M1 association information and M index numbers, wherein the association information indicates that at least two different datasets share some or all of the data; I, J, M1, and M are positive integers, and M1 is greater than or equal to M.

[0033] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending a second indication message to a first device to indicate the activation of N associations among M1 associations, wherein M is greater than N, and M and N are positive integers; the first indication message is used to indicate at least one of the N associations.

[0034] Thirdly, a communication device is provided for implementing the above-described method. This communication device may be the first device in the first aspect, or the second device in the second aspect, or a node or device containing the first or second device, or a functional module having the first or second device, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions. For example, the first device may be a terminal or a network device, and the second device may be a terminal or a network device. This application can be applied to communication between terminals, communication between a terminal and a network device, or communication between network devices.

[0035] The communication device includes modules, units, or means that implement the methods described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

[0036] In conjunction with the third aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The transceiver module, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may consist of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

[0037] In conjunction with the third aspect mentioned above, in one possible implementation, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations.

[0038] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor being coupled to a memory, reading instructions from the memory, and executing the method described in any of the preceding aspects according to the instructions. The communication device may be a first device as described in the first aspect, or a second device as described in the second aspect, or a node or device comprising the first or second device, or a module of the first or second device, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions.

[0039] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0040] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0041] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to receive a computer program or instructions and transmit them to the processor; the processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the preceding aspects. The communication device may be the first device of the first aspect or the second device of the second aspect, or a node or device comprising the first or second device, or a module of the first or second device, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions.

[0042] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0043] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects.

[0045] The technical effects of any of the possible implementations of aspects two through seven can be found in the technical effects of the different possible implementations of aspect one above, and will not be repeated here.

[0046] Understandably, provided that the solutions do not contradict each other, the solutions in the above aspects can be combined. Attached Figure Description

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between datasets provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0052] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one" means "one or more".

[0053] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being described as an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0054] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0055] First, a brief introduction will be given to the implementation environment and application scenarios of the embodiments of this application.

[0056] This application can be applied to scenarios involving communication between network devices, between network devices and terminals, and between terminals. For example, network devices may include base stations, which provide wireless access services to terminals. Base stations can communicate with each other via backhaul links, which can be wired (e.g., fiber optic, copper cable) or wireless (e.g., microwave). Terminals can communicate with their corresponding base stations via wireless links. Terminals can also communicate with each other via sidelinks.

[0057] In this embodiment, a network device is a means deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. Network devices can include various forms of macro network devices, micro network devices (also known as small cells), relay stations, access points, etc. In systems employing different radio access technologies, the name of the network device may differ, such as a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, an NB (NodeB) in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or an eNB or eNodeB (evolutionary NodeB) in Long Term Evolution (LTE). A network device can also be a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. A network device can also be a network device in a future fifth-generation mobile communication network or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). A network device can also be a wearable device or an in-vehicle device. Network devices can also be transmission reception points (TRPs). Network devices can also be core network elements, dedicated nodes, or network management components, such as those used for operation, administration, maintenance (OAM).

[0058] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a possible, non-limiting system. The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the network architecture shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network device in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0059] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems (such as 6G mobile communication systems). RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0060] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0061] In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a TRP, a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6th-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions.

[0062] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0063] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0064] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0065] In addition, the terminal can also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, or a mixed reality (MR) terminal. VR terminals, AR terminals, and MR terminals can all be called extended reality terminals. XR terminals can be, for example, head-mounted devices (such as helmets, head-mounted displays (HMDs), or glasses), all-in-one devices, as well as televisions, monitors, cars, in-vehicle devices, tablets, or smart screens. XR terminals can access the network wirelessly or via wired means, such as through WiFi or 5G systems. XR terminals can present XR data to users, allowing users to experience diverse XR services by wearing or using XR terminals.

[0066] The functions of the other network elements included in Figure 1 can be found in the relevant descriptions in conventional technologies, and will not be repeated here.

[0067] The communication system 10 shown in Figure 1 is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that in specific implementations, the communication system 10 may also include other devices, and the number of RAN nodes and terminals may be determined according to specific needs without limitation.

[0068] Optionally, each network element or device (such as a RAN node or terminal) in Figure 1 of this application may also be referred to as a communication device, which may be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. This application does not make any specific limitation on this.

[0069] Optionally, the functions of each network element or device (e.g., RAN node or terminal) in Figure 1 of this application can be implemented by one device, multiple devices working together, or one or more functional modules within a single device. This application does not impose specific limitations on these functions. It is understood that the aforementioned functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0070] It is understood that the devices or network elements in Figure 1 above can communicate directly or through forwarding by other devices. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0071] It is understood that Figure 1 above is merely a schematic diagram and does not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solutions provided in this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that in specific implementation processes, the communication system may include fewer devices or network elements than shown in Figure 1, or the communication system may also include other devices or other network elements, and the number of devices or network elements in the communication system can be determined according to specific needs.

[0072] It should be noted that the communication system shown in Figure 1 is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that in specific implementations, the communication system may also include other devices or network elements, and the number of each network element may be determined according to specific needs.

[0073] Optionally, each network element in Figure 1 of this application embodiment can be a functional module within a device. It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, such as communication chips in mobile phones, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., cloud platform).

[0074] For example, each network element in Figure 1 can be implemented using the communication device 20 in Figure 2. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device applicable to embodiments of this application. The communication device 20 includes at least one processor 201, a communication line 202, a memory 203, and at least one communication interface 204.

[0075] The processor 201 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present application.

[0076] Communication line 202 may include a path for transmitting information between the aforementioned components, such as a bus.

[0077] Communication interface 204 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet interface, RAN interface, wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, etc.

[0078] The memory 203 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor via communication line 202. The memory may also be integrated with the processor. The memory provided in this application embodiment is generally non-volatile. The memory 203 is used to store computer execution instructions involved in the scheme of this application and is controlled by the processor 201 for execution. The processor 201 is used to execute computer execution instructions stored in the memory 203, thereby implementing the method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0079] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as application code, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0080] In a specific implementation, as one example, processor 201 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG2.

[0081] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 20 may include multiple processors, such as processor 201 and processor 207 in FIG. 2. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0082] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 20 may further include an output device 205 and an input device 206. The output device 205 communicates with the processor 201 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 205 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 206 communicates with the processor 201 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 206 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen device, or sensing device, etc.

[0083] The communication device 20 described above can be a general-purpose device or a dedicated device. In specific implementations, the communication device 20 can be a portable computer, a web server, a handheld digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, or a device with a similar structure to that shown in Figure 2. This application does not limit the type of communication device 20.

[0084] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0085] It should be noted that the message names between network elements or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of this application are just examples. Other names may be used in the specific implementation. This application does not limit them in this respect.

[0086] Furthermore, in this application, "sending information to...(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from...(terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and can include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0087] It is understood that some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application are merely examples, and other steps or variations thereof may also be performed in the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, the steps may be performed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to perform all the steps in the embodiments of this application.

[0088] This application provides a communication method in which the sending end indicates the correlation between datasets to the receiving end, so that the receiving end can determine part or all of the information of the target dataset based on the known dataset. This eliminates the need for the sending and receiving ends to transmit the complete information of the dataset, thereby reducing the transmission overhead of datasets between devices, as well as reducing data processing latency and transmission latency, and improving data processing efficiency.

[0089] For example, the following embodiments of this application describe the application of this application to a first device and a second device. The first device or the second device can be a network device or terminal, such as any network element shown in Figure 1, or a device, module, or chip within any network element. The embodiments of this application can also be used between any two or more AI devices that need to interact.

[0090] As shown in Figure 3, the method may include the following steps.

[0091] 301: The second device sends a first instruction message to the first device, indicating the association between the target dataset and at least one dataset.

[0092] The datasets involved in the embodiments of this application, such as the target dataset or at least one of the aforementioned datasets, may include training data, supervised data, or inference data, etc., for implementing the related functions of model lifecycle management (LCM).

[0093] For example, training data can be used to train a model. Different models can be obtained by training on different training datasets.

[0094] The model can be an AI or ML model. An AL / ML model can be understood as a data-driven algorithm that uses AI / ML techniques to generate a set of outputs from a set of inputs. An AL / ML model can also be understood as learning patterns and rules from a training dataset, and then using these patterns or rules to perform operations such as prediction, supervision, or inference. For example, supervised data can be used to supervise and manage the updating or iteration of an existing model, while inference data can be input into the existing model to perform inference operations and obtain output data.

[0095] In embodiments of this application, indication information can be used to indicate the association between two or more datasets to other communication devices. For example, the indication information can be used to indicate that some or all of the data in one dataset can be obtained from other datasets. For instance, if a first device needs to obtain a target dataset, a second device can send first indication information to the first device to indicate that some data of the target dataset can be obtained from a subset of other datasets, or that all data of the target dataset can be obtained from a subset of other datasets, or that some or all of the target dataset can be obtained from multiple other datasets. Any of these implementations can reduce the transmission overhead of the second device transmitting the target dataset to the first device and reduce transmission latency.

[0096] Correspondingly, the first device receives the first instruction information.

[0097] In one implementation, the first indication information can be carried in a unicast, multicast, or broadcast message. That is, the embodiments of this application can be applied to scenarios where a network device interacts with multiple terminals, a network device interacts with a single terminal, or a network device interacts with one or more network devices, etc.

[0098] 302: The first device determines the target dataset based on the first instruction information.

[0099] Specifically, the first device can determine the target dataset based on at least one dataset that is associated with the target dataset, as indicated in the first instruction information.

[0100] In one implementation, the association of the datasets indicated by the first indication information may include information indicating other datasets (or subsets of data) that share data with the target dataset. That is, at least two datasets (one of which is the target dataset) share some (or all) of their data. Therefore, the first indication information can indicate that some or all of the data in the target dataset can be obtained from subsets of data in one or more other datasets.

[0101] In one possible implementation, at least one dataset may include a first dataset. That is, the first indication information indicates the association between the first dataset and the target dataset.

[0102] For example, in step 301, if the association between the first dataset and the target dataset indicated by the first instruction information is specifically shared data, then in step 302, the first device determines the target dataset based on the first instruction information. Specifically, this may include: the first device determining that the target dataset includes the first dataset. The first device can determine, based on the first instruction information and the first dataset, the portion of the target dataset that is identical to the first dataset. For example, the first dataset can be a subset of dataset A. The first instruction information may carry the name or identifier of the first dataset, as well as the name or identifier of dataset A.

[0103] In the embodiments of this application, partially identical data among multiple datasets, or data subsets that are common among multiple datasets, are collectively referred to as shared data.

[0104] For example, as shown in Figure 4, the network side acquires map data corresponding to a region at time t, such as dataset 1, and map data of the same region at time t-1, such as dataset 2. Since map data is usually updated locally, some data in dataset 1 and dataset 2 are the same, meaning that dataset 1 and dataset 2 share some data; or, further, dataset 1 and dataset 2 can share all data, meaning that the map data at time t relative to time t-1 has not been updated. If the network device needs to send the datasets to the terminal side, the terminal side inputs the acquired datasets into the model to obtain the output results. Therefore, the network device can indicate the association between dataset 1 and dataset 2, enabling the terminal to recover some data from dataset 1 based on dataset 2.

[0105] In another example, a task can share a dataset with one or more other tasks. That is, a dataset can obtain data from one or more other datasets. Task 1 corresponds to dataset 1 obtained at time t-1, and Task 2 corresponds to dataset 2 obtained at time t. The task to be executed now corresponds to dataset 3, and dataset 3 can be obtained from dataset 1 and dataset 2. That is, some or all of the data in dataset 3 can be obtained based on dataset 1 and dataset 2.

[0106] In one implementation, the first instruction information may indicate the association information of a portion of the dataset or subset of data that is the same as the target dataset. In addition, the second device may send a portion of the dataset or subset of data that is not associated with the target dataset to the first device, so that the first device can recover part or all of the data of the target dataset.

[0107] Optionally, the method may also include the following steps.

[0108] 301a: The second device sends a second dataset to the first device. For example, the second dataset may be a subset of the target dataset.

[0109] In step 302, the first device determines the target dataset according to the first instruction information, which may specifically include: the first device determining that the target dataset includes the second dataset.

[0110] In other words, the first device can obtain a subset of data shared by the target dataset and dataset A, i.e., the first dataset, based on the first instruction information, and determine that the target dataset includes the first dataset; then, based on the received second dataset, it can determine that the target dataset also includes the second dataset, thereby recovering the target dataset.

[0111] Through the above implementation method, the communication device can indicate the correlation between datasets, and therefore can send only a part of the target dataset or a subset thereof, without having to send the entire target dataset, thereby saving transmission overhead, reducing transmission latency, and improving data processing efficiency.

[0112] Furthermore, in one possible implementation, the first instruction information may include a second dataset. That is, the first instruction information may also carry a dataset or subset of data that is not related, so that the first device can obtain the relationship between the datasets based on the first instruction information, obtain the shared data portion and the data other than the shared data, i.e., the second dataset, based on the relationship, to obtain the complete target dataset.

[0113] It should be noted that the above embodiments of this application only use the example of the target dataset including a shared dataset (such as the first dataset) and a non-shared dataset (such as the second dataset). This application does not limit the number of related datasets. For example, the target dataset may have a shared relationship with multiple datasets.

[0114] The following will describe, with reference to specific embodiments, the possible specific indication methods of the first indication information.

[0115] In one implementation, the first indication information may include the name and / or index number of the target dataset.

[0116] For example, the second device indicates the dataset at time t to the first device, the target dataset being Dataset_t. The second device sends first indication information to the first device to indicate that Dataset_t and Dataset_t-1 have an association relationship, that is, they share a data subset. For example, the shared data subset is the data subset sub-Dataset1 and data subset sub-Dataset2 included in Dataset_t-1.

[0117] As in the example above, the first instruction information can carry the name and / or index number of the target dataset Dataset_t. The association between dataset names and index numbers can be predefined through the protocol, allowing the first instruction information to carry the corresponding index number to indicate the dataset, thus saving instruction signaling overhead.

[0118] In one implementation, the first indication information may include the name and / or index number of each dataset in at least one dataset.

[0119] The first indication information is used to indicate the association between the target dataset and at least one dataset. As in the previous example, at least one dataset may include data subsets sub-Dataset1 and sub-Dataset2. Therefore, the first indication information may carry the names and / or index numbers corresponding to data subsets sub-Dataset1 and sub-Dataset2.

[0120] Alternatively, in another example, the second device indicates the dataset at time t to the first device, with the target dataset being Dataset_t. The second device sends first indication information to the first device, indicating that Dataset_t is associated with dataset Dataset_t-1 and also with dataset Dataset_t-2, meaning that Dataset_t includes both Dataset_t-1 and Dataset_t-2. In this example, the first indication information may carry the names and / or index numbers corresponding to datasets Dataset_t-1 and Dataset_t-2.

[0121] In one implementation, the first dataset is a subset of the third dataset, and the first indication information also includes the name and / or index number of the third dataset.

[0122] As in the example above, the dataset associated with the target dataset Dataset_t is Dataset_t-1. The data subsets sub-Dataset1 and sub-Dataset2 included in Dataset_t-1 are shared data. The first indication information may also carry the name and / or index number corresponding to Dataset_t-1, which is used by the first device to determine the shared data subset based on the dataset.

[0123] In another embodiment, the first indication information may also include specific indications of the shared data, such as the name and / or index number of at least one shared data. That is, the first indication information can indicate which data types are shared between datasets.

[0124] For example, taking a dataset that includes map-related data as an example, in one implementation, the shared data in the dataset may include at least one of the following: environmental data, data of fixed buildings, network location information, distance and / or angle information between network devices and terminals, terminal location information, or multipath channel parameters.

[0125] For example, environmental data may include one or more of the following: specific scenario data, environmental information such as shopping malls, parks, or schools;

[0126] The data for a fixed building may specifically include one or more of the following: the building's layout, the building's outline, the building's materials, etc.

[0127] The location information of the network may specifically include one or more of the following: the absolute location information of the base station, the relative distance or angle information of the base station relative to the terminal, etc.

[0128] Multipath channel parameters may include one or more of the following: power, delay, horizontal angle of arrival, vertical angle of arrival, horizontal or vertical departure angle, Doppler, etc. for each path.

[0129] It should be understood that, among the aforementioned data, environmental data, data about fixed buildings, and network location information are typically constant and can be indicated through the correlation between datasets (such as indicating shared portions of datasets or subsets), thus saving transmission overhead. Other data, such as distance and / or angle information between network devices and terminals, terminal location information, or multipath channel parameters, usually change over time and can be transmitted to the receiving end as a subset of these datasets.

[0130] In one implementation, the association between datasets can be indicated as a share type relationship, a consistency relationship, a similar or identical relationship, or a quasi co-location (QCL) type relationship, etc. This application does not limit the name of the association.

[0131] In antenna technology, if the wireless channel attributes of one antenna port can be deduced from the wireless channel attributes of the other, or if the large-scale channel characteristic parameters of two antenna ports are the same (or similar), then these two antenna ports can be considered quasi-co-located, and the relationship between them can be indicated by QCL (Quasi-Co-located Channel Parameters). In other words, the QCL relationship can be used to indicate that the wireless channel attributes of two antenna ports are the same or similar. For example, large-scale channel characteristic parameters may include one or more of the following: Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread, or spatial receiver parameters.

[0132] In this application, QCL relationships can be used to indicate the association between two or more datasets, and to indicate that some or all of the target dataset can be obtained through one or more datasets.

[0133] The following section will introduce the method of indicating the first instruction information with specific examples.

[0134] For example, in the following example, only the association between models is indicated by the indication information as a QCL type.

[0135] In one implementation, the meaning of QCL relationships can be predefined through a protocol. A QCL relationship can include the name of the shared data and the corresponding index or sequence number. For example, predefined QCL relationships X1, X2, X3, X4, etc., represent the following associations:

[0136] QCL relation X1{Building layout, Building outline, Building material, Base station location}: QCL relation X1 indicates that the building layout, building outline, building material, and base station location data are shared.

[0137] QCL relation X2{Power, Delay, Horizontal & Vertical Angle of Arrival, Horizontal & Vertical Angle of Departure}: QCL relation X2 indicates that the power, delay, horizontal angle of arrival, vertical angle of arrival, horizontal angle of departure, and vertical angle of departure data for each path are shared.

[0138] It should be noted that among the predefined multiple QCL relations, X1, X2, or X3, etc., used to distinguish different QCL relations, can also be represented by other numbers or letters, such as A, B, C, D, E, F, etc. This application does not restrict the naming of QCL relations.

[0139] In another implementation, the meaning of QCL relationships can be predefined through a protocol. A QCL relationship can include the name or sequence number of a shared data subset, as well as the index or sequence number corresponding to the QCL relationship. For example, predefined QCL relationships A, B, C, D, E, or F represent the following associations:

[0140] The QCL relation A{sub-Dataset 1}, or denoted as QCL relation A{1}, represents a shared data subset sub-Dataset 1. For example, the specific meaning or included data content of the data subset sub-Dataset 1 can be predefined through a protocol; alternatively, it can be obtained from other known data that includes the aforementioned data subset.

[0141] The QCL relation B{sub-Dataset 1, sub-Dataset 2}, or denoted as QCL relation B{1, 2}, represents a shared data subset, sub-Dataset 1, and sub-Dataset 2. For example, the specific meaning or included data content of sub-Dataset 1 and sub-Dataset 2 can be predetermined via a protocol; alternatively, it can be obtained from other known data that includes the aforementioned data subsets.

[0142] For example, the specific meanings of the predefined data subsets in the protocol are shown in Table 1 or Table 2 below.

[0143] Table 1. Predefined Data Subsets of the Protocol

[0144] Table 2. Predefined Data Subsets of the Protocol

[0145] In addition, the association relationship in the embodiments of this application can also be represented in other forms, such as a share type relationship, a consistency relationship, etc. This application does not limit the specific name of the association relationship.

[0146] Similarly, for example, the protocol can predefine the following sharing relationships, including the names of the shared data:

[0147] Shared relation 1 {Building layout, Building outline, Building materials, Base station location}: Shared relation 1 indicates sharing the building layout, Building outline, Building materials, and Base station location.

[0148] Shared relation 2 {power, delay, horizontal & vertical angle of arrival, horizontal & vertical angle of departure for each path}: Shared relation 2 means sharing the power, delay, horizontal & vertical angle of arrival, and horizontal & vertical angle of departure for each path.

[0149] For example, a protocol can predefine the following sharing relationships, including the names or sequence numbers of shared data subsets:

[0150] Shared relation 1{sub-Dataset 1}, or shared relation 1{1}: Shared relation 1 represents a shared data subset sub-Dataset 1.

[0151] Shared relation 2{sub-Dataset 1, sub-Dataset 2}, or shared relation 2{1, 2}: Shared relation 2 represents shared data subsets sub-Dataset 1 and sub-Dataset 2.

[0152] For example, the specific meanings of sub-Dataset 1 and sub-Dataset 2 can be predefined by a protocol, as shown in Table 1 or Table 2 above.

[0153] In one implementation, by configuring associations, parameters of one dataset can be obtained from a subset of another dataset.

[0154] For example, for dataset 2, the association relationship between it and dataset 1 can be configured to include sharing a subset of data from dataset 1, sub-Dataset 1. For example, the association relationship can be represented as: dataset 1 | QCL relationship X1{sub-Dataset 1}, that is, a subset of dataset 2 can be obtained from sub-Dataset 1 in dataset 1.

[0155] In another example, the association for dataset 2 can be configured as: dataset 1 | QCL relationship X2 {sub-Dataset 1, sub-Dataset 2}, which means that the data subsets sub-Dataset 1 and sub-Dataset 2 included in dataset 2 can be obtained from dataset 1.

[0156] In another example, the protocol predefines the meanings of QCL relationships X1 and X2. For instance, QCL relationship X1 represents a shared data subset sub-Dataset 1, and QCL relationship X2 represents shared data subsets sub-Dataset 1 and sub-Dataset 2. In this case, for dataset 2, the association relationship can be configured as: dataset 1 | QCL relationship X1, meaning that parameters related to sub-Dataset 1 of dataset 2 can be obtained from dataset 1. Alternatively, for dataset 2, the association relationship can be configured as: dataset 1 | QCL relationship X2, meaning that sub-Dataset 1 and sub-Dataset 2 of dataset 2 can be obtained from dataset 1.

[0157] In another implementation, by configuring associations, it is possible to indicate that parameters of a dataset can be obtained from subsets of multiple datasets.

[0158] For example, for dataset 4, the association can be configured as follows: dataset 2 | QCL relationship X3 {sub-Dataset1, sub-Dataset3}; and the association can also be configured as follows: dataset 3 | QCL relationship X4 {sub-Dataset2}, which means that the data subsets sub-Dataset1 and sub-Dataset3 of dataset 4 can be obtained from dataset 2, and the data subset sub-Dataset2 of dataset 4 can be obtained from dataset 3.

[0159] Furthermore, the meanings of multiple QCL relationships can be predefined through the protocol or pre-configured by higher layers. For example, configuring the meanings of QCL relationship X3 and QCL relationship X4, as in the previous example, allows configuring association relationships for dataset 4 such as: dataset 2|QCL relationship X3 and dataset 3|QCL relationship X4. This indicates that data subsets sub-Dataset 1 and sub-Dataset 3 of dataset 4 can be obtained from dataset 2, and data subset sub-Dataset 2 of dataset 4 can be obtained from dataset 3. This saves on the overhead of instruction signaling.

[0160] In one embodiment, the method may further include: a first device acquiring configuration information, the configuration information including at least one of the following: a correspondence between I datasets and I dataset index numbers; a correspondence between J data subsets and J subset index numbers, wherein a dataset includes at least one data subset; or, a correspondence between M1 association information and M index numbers, wherein the association information indicates that at least two different datasets share some or all of the data; I, J, M1, and M are positive integers, and M1 is greater than or equal to M.

[0161] Optionally, the correspondence between datasets and index numbers can be many-to-one, meaning that one index number can be used to indicate multiple datasets or multiple subsets of data, saving signaling overhead.

[0162] One possible example is that configuration information can be predefined through the protocol or obtained through higher-level signaling to configure multiple relationships. For instance, the configuration information can be carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages. For example, the configuration information may include the aforementioned QCL relationship definition and the index number corresponding to the QCL relationship, with each index number corresponding to shared information for one or more datasets.

[0163] Then, the first indication information can be indicated via physical layer signaling, that is, specifying one or more QCL relationships. For example, the first indication information can be carried in downlink control information (DCI), sidelink control information (SCI), or uplink control information (UCI). Alternatively, the first indication information can also be indicated via higher layer signaling, such as by carrying it in the medium access control control element (MAC CE).

[0164] The following section will use specific examples to illustrate the implementation of configuration information and the first instruction information.

[0165] For example, multiple association information and their corresponding index numbers can be configured through protocol predefinition or higher-level signaling. Each index number corresponds to shared information for one or more datasets. One of these index numbers is then indicated via physical layer signaling / MAC CE. See Tables 3-5 below.

[0166] Table 3. Predefined or configured associations

[0167] For example, the first indication information can be used to indicate 00 for dataset 2, indicating that sub-Dataset 1 of dataset 2 can be obtained from dataset 1. Alternatively, the first indication information can be used to indicate 01 for dataset 2, indicating that sub-Dataset 1 and sub-Dataset 2 of dataset 2 can be obtained from dataset 1.

[0168] Another example is the instruction 10 for dataset 4, which indicates that sub-Dataset 1 of dataset 4 can be obtained from dataset 2, and sub-Dataset 2 can be obtained from dataset 3.

[0169] Table 4. Predefined or configured associations

[0170] For example, the predefined or configured sharing relationships shown in Table 5 can be represented simply by shared subsets of data, without defining names for multiple sharing relationships. For instance, index number 00 indicates that the target dataset and dataset 1 can share a subset of data, sub-Dataset 1.

[0171] Table 5. Predefined or configured associations

[0172] In another implementation, the specific meanings of associations such as X1 to X4 can be predefined, and then the associations, dataset IDs and index numbers can be configured by higher-level configuration, as shown in Tables 6-8 below.

[0173] Table 6. Predefined or configured associations

[0174] Table 7. Predefined or configured associations

[0175] Table 8. Predefined or configured associations

[0176] In another possible implementation, the communication devices can predefine configuration information or obtain it from a higher layer, configuring M1 association relationships. Optionally, one index number may correspond to one or more association relationships.

[0177] In one embodiment, before the first device receives the first indication information, the method may further include: a second device sending second indication information to the first device, for indicating the activation of N associated information among M1 associated information, wherein M is greater than N, and M and N are positive integers; the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the N associated relationships. For example, the second indication information may be carried in a MAC CE.

[0178] Then, the second device can send a first indication message to the first device, that is, it can use log2(N) bits to indicate one of the N associations. Where M1≥M>N, and M1, M and N are all positive integers.

[0179] It should be noted that the dataset (or simply dataset) in the embodiments of this application can be training data, supervised data, or inference data.

[0180] In addition, based on the aforementioned description of the types of shared data, multiple relationships including specific shared data can be predefined, as shown in Table 9, Table 10, or Table 11 below.

[0181] Table 9. Predefined or configured associations

[0182] For example, as shown in Figure 4, the network device is responsible for acquiring the dataset, while the terminal maintains a model to perform data processing tasks, such as predicting the uplink power of the signal, based on the dataset acquired by the network device. For instance, the network device can send dataset 1 at time t-1 to the terminal. The terminal inputs dataset 1 into the model and can predict the uplink power at time t-1. Subsequently, the network device acquires the dataset at time t, and the terminal needs to predict the uplink power at time t based on the dataset at time t.

[0183] Dataset 1 contains unchanging data, such as data subset 1, which includes information such as building layout, base station location, location of surrounding terminals, distance and angle between base stations and terminals, etc. Dataset 1 can be unchanging multipath parameters (such as power, delay, horizontal angle of arrival, vertical angle of arrival, horizontal departure angle, and vertical departure angle for each path) plus adjustment amounts.

[0184] According to the implementation of this application, the base station can send indication information corresponding to the dataset at time t to the terminal, indicating the association between the dataset at time t and the dataset at time t-1. Specifically, it can be sharing some data, such as sharing the aforementioned unchanging data, such as data subset 1.

[0185] Furthermore, the base station can send the dataset at time t to the terminal, including changed data, such as data subset 2, which includes information such as the location of surrounding terminals, the distance and angle between the base station and the terminal, or the adjustment amount of the changed parameters on the multipath channel. Thus, the terminal can obtain the complete dataset at time t based on the correlation between the datasets, predict the uplink power at time t, and achieve the goal of saving transmission overhead.

[0186] Additionally, it should be noted that the dataset IDs involved in this application can also be represented in other forms. For example, a dataset corresponding to map data can be associated with a map ID; a dataset corresponding to a reference signal (RS) can be associated with an RS ID; a dataset corresponding to a specific task can be associated with a task ID; or a dataset corresponding to a specific goal can be associated with a goal ID, etc. This application does not impose any restrictions on the naming of dataset IDs.

[0187] Furthermore, the dataset ID can be a time-domain parameter such as a slot-related sequence number, frame number, subframe number, the timing relationship of RS transmission, or a sequence number; the dataset ID can be further extended to the frequency domain (e.g., frequency band or sub-band sequence number, CCE sequence number, etc.) and spatial domain dimensions (e.g., beam sequence number, antenna sequence number, etc.). This application does not limit the naming method of the dataset ID. For example, the association relationship can also be predefined or configured as shown in Table 10 or 11 below.

[0188] Table 10. Predefined or configured associations

[0189] Table 11. Predefined or configured associations

[0190] It should be understood that in the above embodiments, some or all of the data in the target dataset can be obtained from a subset of other data, that is, datasets can share some subsets of data. Additionally, in one embodiment, some or all of the data in the target dataset can be obtained from one or more other datasets; that is, the association between the target dataset and at least one other dataset can be obtained through the first indication information.

[0191] For example, the first indication information indicates: target dataset ID|QCL relation X1{dataset1, dataset2}, that is, it indicates that some or all of the data in the target dataset can be obtained from dataset1 and dataset2.

[0192] Similar to the previous example, the specific meaning of the association can be predefined by the protocol or configured at a higher level, such as configuring the meaning of multiple QCL relationships.

[0193] For example, the protocol can predefine the following sharing relationships, including the names of the shared data:

[0194] QCL relation X1{Building layout, building outline, building materials, base station location, location of surrounding terminals, distance and angle between base station and terminal, etc., time / time period t}: QCL relation X1 indicates sharing information such as building layout, building outline, building materials, base station location, location of surrounding terminals, distance and angle between base station and terminal, etc., time / time period t.

[0195] QCL relation X2{power, delay, horizontal & vertical angle of arrival, horizontal & vertical angle of departure for each path at time t}: QCL relation X2 represents sharing the power, delay, horizontal angle of arrival, vertical angle of arrival, horizontal angle of departure, and vertical angle of departure for each path at time t.

[0196] Alternatively, the sharing relationships predefined in the protocol may include the names or IDs of the shared datasets. For example, the protocol predefines the meanings of the following sharing relationships:

[0197] The QCL relation X1{dataset 1}, or QCL relation X1{1}, represents a shared dataset, dataset 1. For example, the specific meaning of dataset 1 can be predefined through a protocol.

[0198] The QCL relation X2{dataset 1, dataset 2}, or QCL relation X1{1, 2}, represents a shared dataset, dataset 1, and dataset 2. For example, the specific meanings of dataset 1 and dataset 2 can be predefined via a protocol.

[0199] For example, the protocol predefines the specific meaning of the shared dataset, as shown in Table 12 below.

[0200] Table 12. Protocol Predefined Dataset

[0201] In addition, the association relationship in the embodiments of this application can also be represented in other forms, such as a share type relationship, a consistency relationship, etc. This application does not limit the specific name of the association relationship.

[0202] Similarly, for example, the protocol can predefine the following sharing relationships (such as share type), including the name of the shared data:

[0203] share type X1{building layout, building outline, building materials, base station location, location of surrounding terminals, distance and angle between base stations and terminals, etc., time / time period t-1}: share type X1 indicates sharing information such as building layout, building outline, building materials, base station location, location of surrounding terminals, distance and angle between base stations and terminals, etc., time / time period t-1.

[0204] share type X2{power, delay, horizontal angle of arrival, vertical angle of arrival, horizontal departure angle, vertical departure angle of each path at time t}: share type X2 means sharing the power, delay, horizontal angle of arrival, vertical angle of arrival, horizontal departure angle, and vertical departure angle of each path at time t.

[0205] For example, the protocol can predefine the following sharing relationships, including the name or sequence number of the shared dataset:

[0206] Share type X1{dataset 1}, or share type X1{1}: share type X1 indicates sharing dataset 1, where the protocol predefines the specific meaning of dataset 1.

[0207] Share type X2{dataset 1, dataset 2}, or share type X1{1, 2}: share type X2 indicates sharing dataset 1 and dataset 2, where the protocol predefines the specific meanings of dataset 1 and dataset 2.

[0208] For example, the specific meaning of the shared dataset or the data included can be predefined through a protocol, such as the specific meaning of predefined datasets 1 and 2, as shown in Table 11 above.

[0209] Furthermore, the meanings of multiple QCL relationships can be predefined through the protocol or preconfigured at higher levels. For example, configuring the meanings of QCL relationships X1-X4, as in the previous example, allows configuring an association relationship for dataset 2 such as: dataset 2|QCL relationship X1{dataset 1}, which indicates that some or all parameters of dataset 2 can be obtained from dataset 1. Alternatively, dataset 2 can be configured or indicated as: dataset 2|QCL relationship X2{dataset 1, dataset 3}, which indicates that some or all data of dataset 2 can be obtained from datasets 1 and 3.

[0210] One possible example: Configuration information can be predefined through the protocol or obtained through higher-level signaling to configure multiple relationships. For instance, the configuration information can be carried in an RRC message. For example, the configuration information may include the definition of the aforementioned QCL relationship and the index number corresponding to the QCL relationship. Each index number corresponds to shared information for one or more datasets. Then, one of the sequence numbers is indicated through physical layer signaling / MAC CE. See Tables 13-15 below.

[0211] Table 13. Predefined or configured associations

[0212] For example, the first indication information indicates 0, which can be used to indicate that some or all of the parameters of dataset 2 can be obtained from dataset 1. Alternatively, the first indication information indicates 1, which can be used to indicate that some or all of the data in dataset 2 can be obtained from dataset 1 and dataset 3.

[0213] Table 14. Predefined or configured associations

[0214] Table 15. Predefined or configured associations

[0215] Similarly, the second device can first send a second indication message to the first device to indicate the activation of N associations out of M1 associations. Then, the second device can send a first indication message to the first device, i.e., use log2(N) bits to indicate one of the N associations, saving signaling overhead. Here, M1 ≥ M > N, and M1, M, and N are all positive integers.

[0216] For example, combining the model and dataset shown in Figure 4, the interaction process between the base station and the terminal may include the following steps.

[0217] 1. The base station sends the model inference dataset t-2 at time t-2 to the terminal. The terminal inputs the dataset t-2 into the model and predicts the uplink power at time t-2.

[0218] 2. The base station sends the model inference dataset t-1 at time t-1 to the terminal. The terminal inputs the dataset t-1 into the model and predicts the uplink power at time t-1.

[0219] 3. The base station sends the model inference dataset t at time t to the terminal. The terminal inputs the dataset t into the model and predicts the uplink power at time t.

[0220] 4. The base station sends the QCL relationship to the terminal to indicate the target dataset, that is, the target dataset is the model inference dataset t+1 at time t+1, and the shared relationship between the aforementioned datasets t-2, t-1, and t. The terminal can obtain the inference dataset t+1 based on the QCL relationship predefined in the protocol, and input the dataset t+1 into the model to predict the uplink power at time t+1.

[0221] Specifically, the QCL relationship sent by the base station to the terminal can be: dataset t+1|QCL type X{dataset t-2, dataset t-1, dataset t}, which means that dataset t+1 can be obtained through dataset t-2, dataset t-1, and dataset t.

[0222] In the above embodiments, by indicating the sharing relationship between the target dataset and one or more other datasets, the receiving end can obtain the target dataset based on the known dataset, so the sending end does not need to send the complete target dataset, saving the transmission overhead of the interactive dataset, reducing the latency of transmitting the dataset, and effectively improving data processing efficiency.

[0223] It should be understood that the relationships involved in the above embodiments of this application are not limited to QCL relationships, and can also be represented by other relationships, such as sharing relationships or other indication methods, which are not limited in this application.

[0224] The various embodiments mentioned above in this application can be combined without contradiction, and no limitation is imposed.

[0225] The above primarily describes the solution provided in this application from the perspective of interaction between various network devices. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be the first device in the above method embodiments, or a component such as a chip that can be used in the first device; or it can be the second device in the above embodiments, or a component such as a chip that can be used in the second device. For example, the first device or the second device can be a terminal or a network device.

[0226] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the unit and algorithm operations of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art 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.

[0227] It should be understood that the above description of the interaction between various network elements only uses terminals or network devices as examples. In reality, the processing performed by the terminals is not limited to being performed by a single network element, and the processing performed by the network devices is not limited to being performed by a single network element.

[0228] This application can divide the communication device into functional modules based on the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It is understood that the module division in this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

[0229] For example, when the functional modules are divided in an integrated manner, Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 500. The communication device 500 includes an interface module 501 and a processing module 502.

[0230] In some embodiments, the communication device 500 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG5) for storing program instructions and data.

[0231] For example, the communication device 500 can be used to implement the function of the first device in the above embodiments. The communication device 500 is, for example, the first device described in the various embodiments of FIG3 above.

[0232] The interface module 501 can be used to receive first indication information, which indicates the association between the target dataset and at least one dataset.

[0233] Processing module 502 can be used to determine the target dataset based on the first indication information.

[0234] In one implementation, at least one dataset includes a first dataset; determining the target dataset based on the first indication information includes: determining that the target dataset includes the first dataset.

[0235] In one implementation, the interface module 501 can also be used to receive a second dataset; determining the target dataset according to the first indication information includes: determining that the target dataset includes the second dataset.

[0236] In one implementation, the first instruction information includes the second dataset.

[0237] In one implementation, the first indication information includes the name or index number of each dataset in the at least one dataset, and / or includes the name or index number of the target dataset.

[0238] In one implementation, the first dataset is a subset of the third dataset, and the first indication information further includes the name or index number of the third dataset.

[0239] In one implementation, the first indication information includes the name or index number of at least one shared data.

[0240] In one implementation, the shared data includes at least one of the following: environmental data, data of fixed buildings, network location information, distance and / or angle information between network devices and terminals, terminal location information, or multipath channel parameters.

[0241] In one implementation, the association relationship is a quasi-co-addressable (QCL) relationship.

[0242] In one embodiment, the interface module 501 can also be used to obtain configuration information, which includes at least one of the following: a correspondence between I datasets and I dataset index numbers; a correspondence between J data subsets and J subset index numbers, wherein a dataset includes at least one data subset; or, a correspondence between M1 association information and M index numbers, wherein the association information indicates that at least two different datasets share some or all of the data; I, J, M1, and M are positive integers, and M1 is greater than or equal to M.

[0243] In one embodiment, the interface module 501 can also be used to receive second indication information, which is used to indicate the activation of N association information among M1 association information, wherein M is greater than N, and M and N are positive integers; the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the N association relationships.

[0244] Additionally, the communication device 500 can be used to implement the functions of the second device in the above embodiments. The communication device 500 is, for example, the second device described in the various embodiments of FIG3, and can be, for example, a RAN node, such as a base station.

[0245] The interface module 501 can be used to send first indication information to the first device to indicate the association between the target dataset and at least one dataset.

[0246] In one implementation, at least one dataset includes a first dataset; wherein the target dataset includes the first dataset.

[0247] In one embodiment, the interface module 501 can also be used to send a second dataset to the first device; wherein the target dataset includes the second dataset.

[0248] In one implementation, the first instruction information includes the second dataset.

[0249] In one implementation, the first indication information includes the name or index number of each dataset in the at least one dataset, and / or includes the name or index number of the target dataset.

[0250] In one implementation, the first dataset is a subset of the third dataset, and the first indication information further includes the name or index number of the third dataset.

[0251] In one implementation, the first indication information includes the name or index number of at least one shared data.

[0252] In one implementation, the shared data includes at least one of the following: environmental data, data of fixed buildings, network location information, distance and / or angle information between network devices and terminals, terminal location information, or multipath channel parameters.

[0253] In one implementation, the association relationship is a quasi-co-addressable (QCL) relationship.

[0254] In one embodiment, the interface module 501 can also be used to obtain configuration information, which includes at least one of the following: a correspondence between I datasets and I dataset index numbers; a correspondence between J data subsets and J subset index numbers, wherein a dataset includes at least one data subset; or, a correspondence between M1 association information and M index numbers, wherein the association information indicates that at least two different datasets share some or all of the data; I, J, M1, and M are positive integers, and M1 is greater than or equal to M.

[0255] In one embodiment, the interface module 501 can also be used to send a second indication information to the first device to indicate the activation of N association information among M1 association information, wherein M is greater than N, and M and N are positive integers; the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the N association relationships.

[0256] In summary, when the communication device 500 is used to implement the functions performed by the first device or the second device in the above embodiments, other functions that the communication device 500 can implement can be referred to the relevant descriptions of any of the embodiments shown above, and will not be elaborated further.

[0257] In a simplified embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 500 can take the form shown in FIG2. For example, the processor 201 in FIG2 can invoke computer execution instructions stored in memory 203 to cause the communication device 20 to execute the method described in the above-described method embodiment.

[0258] For example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 502 in Figure 5 can be implemented by the processor 201 in Figure 2.

[0259] For example, the function / implementation process of the interface module 501 in Figure 5 can be implemented through the communication interface 204 in Figure 2.

[0260] It is understood that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both. When any of the above modules or units are implemented by software, the software exists as computer program instructions and is stored in memory. The processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into a SoC (System-on-Chip) or ASIC, or it can be a separate semiconductor chip. In addition to the core that executes software instructions for computation or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0261] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, PLD, application-specific digital circuit, hardware accelerator, or non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or perform the above method flow independently of software.

[0262] Optionally, this application also provides a chip system, including: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instructions in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the chip system further includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0263] Optionally, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program can include the processes described in the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the communication device in any of the foregoing embodiments, such as the hard disk or memory of the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the communication device, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the communication device. Further, the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can include both internal storage units and external storage devices of the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium is used to store the aforementioned computer program and other programs and data required by the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0264] Optionally, this application also provides a computer program product. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the above computer program product, and when executed, it can include the processes described in the above method embodiments.

[0265] Optionally, this application also provides computer instructions. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by computer instructions instructing related hardware (such as a computer, processor, network device, or terminal device). The program can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium or the aforementioned computer program product.

[0266] Optionally, this application also provides a communication system, including: the first device and the second device in the above embodiments. For example, the first device may be a terminal or a network device, and the second device may be a terminal or a network device.

[0267] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0268] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0269] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0270] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0271] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving first indication information for indicating an association relationship between a target data set and at least one data set; determining the target data set according to the first indication information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The at least one data set comprises a first data set; determining the target data set according to the first indication information comprises: determining that the first data set is included in the target data set.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving a second data set; determining the target data set according to the first indication information comprises: determining that the second data set is included in the target data set.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first indication information comprises the second data set.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first indication information comprises a name or an index number of each data set in the at least one data set, and / or comprises a name or an index number of the target data set.

6. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first data set is a subset of a third data set, and the first indication information further comprises a name or an index number of the third data set.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first indication information comprises a name or an index number of at least one shared data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The shared data comprises at least one of the following data: environmental data, data of fixed buildings, location information of a network, distance information and / or angle information of a network device and a terminal, location information of a terminal, or multipath channel parameters.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The association relationship is a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further comprises: obtaining configuration information, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of the following information: a correspondence relationship between I data sets and I data set index numbers; a correspondence relationship between J data subsets and J subset index numbers, wherein one data set comprises at least one data subset; or a correspondence relationship between M1 association information and M index numbers, wherein the association information indicates that at least two different data sets share part or all data; I, J, M1, and M are positive integers, and M1 is greater than or equal to M.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, Before receiving the first indication information, the method further comprises: receiving second indication information for indicating that N association information in M1 association information is activated, wherein M is greater than N, and M and N are positive integers; the first indication information is used for indicating at least one of the N association relationships.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending first indication information to a first device for indicating an association relationship between a target data set and at least one data set.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The at least one data set comprises a first data set; wherein the target data set comprises the first data set.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending a second data set to the first device, wherein the target data set comprises the second data set.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first indication information comprises the second data set.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12-15, characterized in that, The first indication information comprises a name or an index number of each data set in the at least one data set, and / or comprises a name or an index number of the target data set.

17. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein, The first data set is a subset of a third data set, and the first indication information further comprises a name or an index number of the third data set.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12-17, characterized by, The first indication information comprises a name or an index number of at least one shared data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The shared data comprises at least one of the following data: environmental data, data of fixed buildings, location information of a network, distance information and / or angle information of network equipment and terminals, location information of terminals, or multipath channel parameters.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12-19, characterized in that, The association relationship is a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship.

21. The method according to any one of claims 12-20, characterized in that, The method further includes: obtaining configuration information, the configuration information including at least one of the following: a correspondence between I data sets and I data set index numbers; a correspondence between J data subsets and J subset index numbers, wherein a data set includes at least one data subset; or a correspondence between M1 association information and M index numbers, wherein the association information indicates that at least two different data sets share part or all data; I, J, M1, and M are positive integers, and M1 is greater than or equal to M.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The method further includes: sending second indication information to the first device, the second indication information being used to indicate activation of N association information in the M1 association information, wherein M is greater than N, and M and N are positive integers; the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the N association relationships.

23. A communications device, characterized by The communication device is used to implement the method in any one of claims 1-22.

24. A communications device, characterized by including: a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store programs or instructions, when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, causing the method in any one of claims 1-22 to be executed.

25. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions, characterized in that, The computer programs or instructions, when running on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method in any one of claims 1-22.

26. A computer program product comprising computer program code in said computer program product, characterised in that, The computer programs or instructions, when running on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method in any one of claims 1-22.

27. A chip, characterized by including a processor configured to execute the method in any one of claims 1-22.

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