Communication method, communication apparatus and communication system

Abstract

A communication method, a communication apparatus and a communication system. In the method, degree-of-penalty information of each analysis area corresponding to a target area is determined, wherein the degree-of-penalty information is used for indicating a degree of penalty when an overlapped coverage area between a first cell and a second cell falls within an analysis area, and therefore optimization of the overlapped coverage between the first cell and the second cell can be guided according to the degree-of-penalty information, thereby improving the user experience.

Description

A communication method, communication device and communication system

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410780788.6, filed on June 17, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method, Communication Device and Communication System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, communication device and communication system. Background Technology

[0004] The cellular structure of mobile communication determines to some extent that the wireless coverage areas of adjacent cells may overlap. In the overlapping coverage area, there are often problems such as co-channel / adjacent channel interference, frequent handover, and signal strength fluctuations. This makes the network quality in the overlapping coverage area significantly different from the network quality in the center of the cell coverage, resulting in a significant decline in network experience and easily triggering user complaints.

[0005] How to optimize the wireless coverage of the community to improve the user experience remains to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, communication device, and communication system to optimize wireless coverage in a cell and improve user experience.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a first device side, such as a first device on the first device side, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) in the first device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. In this method, a sacrificial area within the target area is determined based on map information of the target area. The target area is an area to be optimized corresponding to a first cell and a second cell. The sacrificial area represents a spatial area where the wireless resource usage is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell. Based on the sacrificial area, penalty level information for at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area is determined. The penalty level information for each analysis area in the at least one analysis area is related to the size of the overlapping coverage area between the sacrificial area and the analysis area.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, by determining the penalty level information of each analysis area corresponding to the target area, the penalty level information is used to indicate the penalty level when the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell falls into the analysis area. Therefore, the overlapping coverage between the first cell and the second cell can be optimized based on the penalty level information, thereby improving the user experience.

[0009] In one possible design, determining the penalty level information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region based on the sacrificial region includes: dividing the target region into multiple grid regions, the at least one analysis region being the multiple grid regions; and determining the penalty level information corresponding to each of the multiple grid regions based on the sacrificial region and the multiple grid regions.

[0010] Based on the above scheme, the target area is rasterized and the penalty information corresponding to each raster area is calculated. This helps to accurately determine which locations of the overlapping coverage area of ​​adjacent cells can fall into the target area and which locations cannot fall into the target area, thereby achieving accurate optimization of cell coverage.

[0011] In one possible design, the plurality of grid regions includes a first grid region, the first grid region corresponding to penalty information including a first penalty coefficient, the first penalty coefficient being the ratio of a first difference to the size of the first grid region, the first difference being the size of the first grid region minus the size of the overlapping coverage area between the sacrificial region and the first grid region.

[0012] Based on the above scheme, the penalty coefficient can accurately measure the degree of penalty corresponding to the grid area within the target area.

[0013] In one possible design, determining the penalty level information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region based on the sacrificial region includes: determining the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell based on the sacrificial region; wherein the at least one analysis region is the first cell and the second cell.

[0014] Based on the above scheme, the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell are determined, which helps to accurately optimize the wireless coverage of the first cell and the second cell, so as to reduce the impact of overlapping coverage areas on user communication and improve user experience.

[0015] In one possible design, the penalty information corresponding to the first cell includes a second penalty coefficient, which is the ratio of the difference between the size of the first region and the size of the second region to the size of the first cell. The first region is the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell, and the second region is the overlapping coverage area between the first region and the sacrificial region. The penalty information corresponding to the second cell includes a third penalty coefficient, which is the ratio of the difference between the size of the first region and the size of the second region to the size of the second cell.

[0016] Based on the above scheme, the penalty coefficient can accurately measure the penalty level of the first cell and the penalty level of the second cell, which helps to accurately determine the way to optimize the wireless coverage of the first cell and the second cell.

[0017] In one possible design, determining the sacrificial area within the target area based on map information of the target area includes: determining the sacrificial area within the target area for different time periods based on the map information and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area; wherein the traffic characteristic information is used to indicate the traffic distribution characteristics of the target area for different time periods; determining the penalty level information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area based on the sacrificial area includes: determining the penalty level information of the at least one analysis area for different time periods based on the sacrificial area within the target area for different time periods.

[0018] Based on the above scheme, a time dimension is introduced to determine the sacrificial area at different times, which helps to accurately determine the sacrificial area and thus improve the accuracy of optimizing cell coverage.

[0019] In one possible design, determining the sacrificial areas within the target area at different times based on the map information and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area includes: dividing the target area into multiple sub-areas based on the map information; and determining the sacrificial areas within the target area at different times based on the connection relationships between the multiple sub-areas and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area.

[0020] In one possible design, the area to be optimized is an area with specific wireless traffic characteristics.

[0021] In one possible design, the method further includes sending the penalty level information to the access network device to which the first cell belongs, the penalty level information being used to adjust the wireless coverage of the first cell.

[0022] Based on the above scheme, by optimizing the wireless coverage of the first cell, the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell is made to fall into or include the sacrificial area, rather than fall into or include the non-sacrificial area, thereby ensuring the network quality for users.

[0023] In one possible design, the method further includes sending the penalty level information to the access network device to which the second cell belongs, the penalty level information being used to adjust the wireless coverage of the neighboring cells of the second cell.

[0024] Based on the above scheme, by optimizing the wireless coverage of the second cell, the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells is made to fall into or include the sacrificial area, rather than the non-sacrificial area, thereby ensuring the network quality for users.

[0025] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a first device side, such as a first device on the first device side, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) in the first device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. In this method, based on map information of a target area, the sacrificial capacity information of each sub-region within the target area is determined. The target area is an area to be optimized corresponding to a first cell and a second cell. The sacrificial capacity information is used to indicate the amount of radio resource usage. The second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell. Based on the sacrificial capacity information, penalty capacity information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area is determined. The penalty capacity information of each analysis area in the at least one analysis area is related to the sacrificial capacity information of at least one sub-region in the target area, and all at least one sub-region has overlapping coverage with the analysis area.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, by determining the penalty level information of each analysis area corresponding to the target area, the penalty level information is used to indicate the penalty level when the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell falls into the analysis area. Therefore, the overlapping coverage between the first cell and the second cell can be optimized based on the penalty level information, thereby improving the user experience.

[0027] In one possible design, determining the penalty level information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region based on the sacrifice level information includes: dividing the target region into multiple grid regions, the at least one analysis region being the multiple grid regions; and determining the penalty level information corresponding to each of the multiple grid regions based on the sacrifice level information and the multiple grid regions.

[0028] Based on the above scheme, the target area is rasterized and the penalty information corresponding to each raster area is calculated. This helps to accurately determine which locations of the overlapping coverage area of ​​adjacent cells can fall into the target area and which locations cannot fall into the target area, thereby achieving accurate optimization of cell coverage.

[0029] In one possible design, the plurality of grid regions includes a first grid region, the first grid region corresponding to penalty level information including a first penalty coefficient, the first penalty coefficient being the sum of the sacrificial level information of the at least one sub-region.

[0030] Based on the above scheme, the penalty coefficient can accurately measure the degree of penalty corresponding to the grid area within the target area.

[0031] In one possible design, determining the penalty level information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region based on the sacrifice level information includes: determining the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell based on the sacrifice level information, wherein the at least one analysis region is the first cell and the second cell.

[0032] Based on the above scheme, the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell are determined, which helps to accurately optimize the wireless coverage of the first cell and the second cell, so as to reduce the impact of overlapping coverage areas on user communication and improve user experience.

[0033] In one possible design, the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell includes a second penalty coefficient, which is the ratio of the sum of the sacrificial information of the sub-regions falling into the first region within the at least one sub-region to the size of the first cell; the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell includes a third penalty coefficient, which is the ratio of the sum of the sacrificial information of the sub-regions falling into the first region within the at least one sub-region to the size of the second cell; wherein, the first region is the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell.

[0034] Based on the above scheme, the penalty coefficient can accurately measure the penalty level of the first cell and the penalty level of the second cell, which helps to accurately determine the way to optimize the wireless coverage of the first cell and the second cell.

[0035] In one possible design, determining the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area based on map information of the target area includes: determining the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area at different time periods based on the map information and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area; wherein the traffic characteristic information is used to indicate the traffic distribution characteristics of the target area at different time periods; determining the penalty information of the analysis area corresponding to the target area based on the sacrificiality information includes: determining the penalty information of the analysis area at different time periods based on the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area at different time periods.

[0036] Based on the above scheme, a time dimension is introduced to determine the sacrificial area at different times, which helps to accurately determine the sacrificial area and thus improve the accuracy of optimizing cell coverage.

[0037] In one possible design, the area to be optimized is an area with specific wireless traffic characteristics.

[0038] In one possible design, the method further includes sending the penalty level information to the access network device to which the first cell belongs, the penalty level information being used to adjust the wireless coverage of the first cell.

[0039] Based on the above scheme, by optimizing the wireless coverage of the first cell, the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell is made to fall into or include the sacrificial area, rather than fall into or include the non-sacrificial area, thereby ensuring the network quality for users.

[0040] In one possible design, the method further includes sending the penalty level information to the access network device to which the second cell belongs, the penalty level information being used to adjust the radio coverage of the second cell.

[0041] Based on the above scheme, by optimizing the wireless coverage of the second cell, the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells is made to fall into or include the sacrificial area, rather than the non-sacrificial area, thereby ensuring the network quality for users.

[0042] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device that has the function of implementing any of the implementation methods of the first or second aspect. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first aspect. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0043] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions described in the first or second aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first or second aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication functions within the communication device and / or the communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0044] The aforementioned communication device may be a first device, a module (e.g., a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the first device, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device.

[0045] Fifthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, implement the methods in any possible design of the first or second aspect described above.

[0046] Sixthly, this application provides a computer program product that stores instructions that, when executed, implement the method in any possible design of the first or second aspect described above.

[0047] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication system including a first device and an access network device. The first device is used to implement the methods in any possible design of the first or second aspect. The access network device is used to receive penalty level information from the first device and adjust the radio coverage of the cell under the access network device according to the penalty level information. Attached Figure Description

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system;

[0049] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of an access network device;

[0050] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of overlapping wireless neighboring cells;

[0051] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 5 shows an example of the target area;

[0053] Figure 6 shows an example of the target area;

[0054] Figure 7 shows an example of a sacrificial area within the target region;

[0055] Figure 8 is an example diagram for determining the sacrificial region;

[0056] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the target area after it has been rasterized;

[0057] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the first and second communities;

[0058] Figure 11 is an example diagram of adjusting the wireless coverage of a cell.

[0059] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the curve of user density in the target area changing over time;

[0060] Figure 13 is an example diagram for determining the sacrificial region;

[0061] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 15 shows an example of sub-region division within the target area;

[0063] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the target area after it has been rasterized;

[0064] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the first and second communities;

[0065] Figure 18 is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0066] Figure 19 is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0067] Figure 1 is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system also includes an Internet 300. 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). Optionally, the communication system 10 also includes the Internet 300. RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (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 equipment 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.

[0068] RAN100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4th generation (4G), 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems (such as 6th generation (6G) mobile communication systems). RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0069] 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.

[0070] In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 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 can also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions, as well as corresponding program instructions. 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's functions.

[0071] 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).

[0072] 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.

[0073] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. 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, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. A terminal typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication function. The terminal can also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication function.

[0074] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of an access network device. As shown in Figure 2, the access network device includes at least one of the following: one or more CUs, one or more DUs, or one or more RUs. For clarity, only one CU, DU, and RU are shown in Figure 2. The CU is used to connect to the core network and one or more DUs. Optionally, the CU may have some of the functions of the core network. The CU may include a CU-CP and a CU-UP.

[0075] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and / or the Physical (PHY) layer). Alternatively, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the RLC, MAC, and / or PHY layers).

[0076] The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0077] DUs and RUs can work together to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DUs and RUs can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF layer.

[0078] The cellular structure of mobile communication inevitably leads to overlapping coverage areas between adjacent cells. These overlapping areas often experience issues such as co-channel / adjacent-channel interference, frequent handovers, and signal strength fluctuations. This results in a significant difference in network quality between the overlapping area and the center of the cell coverage, leading to a substantial decline in network experience and a high likelihood of user complaints. Figure 3 illustrates overlapping coverage between neighboring cells. Terminal #1, located in the overlapping coverage area, experiences co-channel / adjacent-channel interference, frequent handovers, and signal strength fluctuations. Furthermore, the user experience of Terminal #1 is significantly worse than that of Terminals #2 and #3.

[0079] Specifically, firstly, when two adjacent cells transmit signals in the same or similar frequency bands, it may cause co-channel / adjacent-channel interference, especially in areas where the signal strength of the two cells is similar. This interference can reduce the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), thus affecting data rate and call quality. Secondly, in the overlapping coverage area between two cells, the terminal may frequently switch between the two cells due to slight changes in signal strength, causing a ping-pong effect. Frequent switching not only consumes the terminal's battery but may also lead to service interruptions and unstable data connections. Thirdly, due to the unevenness of cell coverage and the influence of the physical environment (such as buildings, natural terrain, etc.), the signal strength in the overlapping coverage area may be unstable, leading to decreased call quality and changes in data rate.

[0080] Neighbor cell overlap adjustment is a crucial aspect of wireless coverage optimization. Current main objectives of this adjustment are to control the coverage area of ​​each cell, minimizing overlap while maintaining coverage continuity. For example, network optimization technicians adjust parameters such as azimuth and downtilt angles based on cell overlap to reduce, or even eliminate, overlapping areas between adjacent cells. However, this method, by reducing coverage areas, can lead to weak or even gaping coverage, resulting in degraded network quality. Furthermore, manual analysis and processing involve significant repetitive work, leading to inefficiency and potential user complaints.

[0081] How to optimize the wireless coverage of the community to improve the user experience remains to be solved.

[0082] To address this problem, this application provides a corresponding communication method, which will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that this application uses a first device and an access network device as examples of the execution entities, but this application is not limited to application only to these execution entities. For example, the method executed by the first device in this application can also be implemented by modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) in the first device, or by logic nodes, logic modules, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. Similarly, the method executed by the access network device in this application can also be implemented by modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) in the access network device, or by logic nodes, logic modules, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0083] In this application, the first device may be a network optimization device, an access network device, an application server, a core network device, or any other type of device. This application does not limit the specific type of the first device.

[0084] In this application, the name of the first device is only an example, and other names may be used in actual applications.

[0085] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes the following steps:

[0086] Step 401: The first device determines the sacrificial area within the target area based on the map information of the target area.

[0087] The target area is the area to be optimized corresponding to the first cell and the second cell. The second cell is a wireless neighbor cell of the first cell, that is, a cell spatially adjacent to the first cell. There may be overlapping coverage areas between the first cell and the second cell.

[0088] The first and second cells here are also called wireless cells. A wireless cell can be a wireless coverage area identified by a base station identification code or a cell identification code.

[0089] The number of the second cell can be one or more. This application will use the example of a single second cell to illustrate the point.

[0090] This application does not limit the method for determining the target area. However, by way of example, two different methods for the first device to determine the target area are described below.

[0091] In one possible design, the first device can use the smallest circular area, smallest square area, or smallest other shape covering both the first and second cells as the target area. Figure 5 shows an example of a target area. In this example, the smallest square area covering both the first and second cells is used as the target area.

[0092] In another possible design, the first device determines the target area based on regions with specific wireless traffic characteristics associated with the first and second cells. In this case, the target area is the region with specific wireless traffic characteristics corresponding to the first and second cells. This region with specific wireless traffic characteristics is also called a traffic autonomous zone (TAZ). For example, places like universities, hospitals, and scenic spots are areas with specific groups of people using terminals or other devices, and these groups have specific spatiotemporal distribution patterns, thus generating wireless traffic with specific characteristics in terms of temporal distribution. Figure 6 shows an example of a target area. In this example, the TAZs associated with the first and second cells include TAZ#1, TAZ#2, TAZ#3, TAZ#4, and TAZ#5. Therefore, the region consisting of TAZ#1, TAZ#2, TAZ#3, TAZ#4, and TAZ#5 can be considered the target area; that is, the target area includes TAZ#1, TAZ#2, TAZ#3, TAZ#4, and TAZ#5.

[0093] Map information for the target area is used to indicate information about various geographic entities (such as buildings, vegetation, roads, water bodies, etc.) in the target area.

[0094] Sacrificial areas within a target area refer to spatial regions within the target area that are rarely or never entered or traversed. For example, areas within the target area where the number of people entering or traversing is less than or equal to a preset threshold are defined as sacrificial areas. For instance, sacrificial areas could be areas with trees, green spaces, or rivers. Because fewer people and vehicles enter or traverse sacrificial areas, the wireless traffic within them is typically lower. Therefore, sacrificial areas also represent spatial regions with low wireless resource usage. For example, areas within the target area where wireless resource usage is less than or equal to a first threshold are defined as sacrificial areas. Exemplarily, wireless resource usage here can be wireless traffic usage. Figure 7 shows an example of sacrificial areas within a target area. In this example, there is one sacrificial area within the target area; in practical applications, there may be multiple sacrificial areas.

[0095] For example, step 401 may specifically include: a first device dividing the target area into multiple sub-blocks based on map information of the target area, such as dividing the target area into multiple sub-blocks based on road information, and then constructing a spatial connectivity graph, wherein each sub-block is a node in the spatial connectivity graph, and adjacent sub-blocks have connecting edges in the spatial connectivity graph. Then the first device calculates the shortest path between any two nodes in the spatial connectivity graph, and uses the total number of times each node appears in all shortest paths as the selectivity of that node. When the selectivity of a node is less than or equal to the selectivity threshold, the sub-block corresponding to that node is determined as a sacrificial area. Figure 8 is an example diagram for determining sacrificial areas. In this example, the target area is divided into 3 sub-blocks, namely sub-block 1, sub-block 2, and sub-block 3. The spatial connectivity graph corresponding to the target area includes 3 nodes, where node 1 corresponds to sub-block 1, node 2 corresponds to sub-block 2, and node 3 corresponds to sub-block 3. And the selectivity of node 1 is 2, the selectivity of node 2 is 3, and the selectivity of node 3 is 2. Assuming the selectivity threshold is 2, then sub-block 1 corresponding to node 1 and sub-block 3 corresponding to node 3 are both determined as sacrificial regions.

[0096] Step 402: The first device determines the degree of punishment information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region based on the sacrificial region.

[0097] For example, the penalty level information of the analysis region corresponding to the target region can be represented by a penalty coefficient.

[0098] The penalty level information for each analysis region within the at least one analysis region is related to the size of the overlapping coverage area between the sacrificial region and the analysis region. Exemplarily, two different implementations of step 402 are described below.

[0099] In method 1, the first device divides the target area into multiple grid areas and determines the penalty level information corresponding to each of the multiple grid areas based on the sacrificial area and the multiple grid areas.

[0100] In this implementation method 1, at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region described in step 402 is the plurality of grid regions. That is, step 402 specifically involves the first device determining the penalty level information corresponding to each of the plurality of grid regions based on the sacrificial region.

[0101] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the target area after rasterization. In this example, each raster area is a square, so the target area can be rasterized into multiple square raster areas. Some raster areas overlap with the sacrificial area, while others do not. In the example in Figure 9, a raster area is marked that overlaps with the sacrificial area (the shaded area in the figure). It should be noted that the size of each raster area can be set as needed, and this application does not limit it.

[0102] Regarding implementation method 1, in one possible design, for each grid area, the penalty level information corresponding to that grid area can be determined based on the size of the overlap coverage area between the grid area and the sacrificial area. Specifically, a larger overlap coverage area indicates lower wireless traffic or wireless resource usage within the grid area, thus allowing for a relatively lower penalty. This means that when the overlap coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes the grid area, a smaller penalty can be imposed, indicating that such an overlap coverage area is acceptable. Conversely, a smaller overlap coverage area indicates higher wireless traffic or wireless resource usage within the grid area, thus allowing for a relatively higher penalty. This means that when the overlap coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes the grid area, a larger penalty can be imposed, indicating that such an overlap coverage area is unacceptable.

[0103] As one implementation method, the plurality of grid regions includes a first grid region. The penalty information corresponding to the first grid region includes a first penalty coefficient, which is the ratio of a first difference to the size of the first grid region. The first difference is the size of the first grid region minus the size of the overlapping area between the sacrificial region and the first grid region. The first grid region can be any one of the plurality of grid regions. Taking the example in Figure 9, assuming the size of the grid region in the figure is x, and the size of the overlapping area between the grid region and the sacrificial region is y, then the penalty coefficient corresponding to the grid region is (xy) / x. Wherein, when y = 0, the penalty coefficient is equal to 1; when x = y, the penalty coefficient is equal to 0; when y is a number greater than 0 and less than x, the penalty coefficient is between 0 and 1.

[0104] For example, taking the example of Figure 9, by calculating the penalty coefficient corresponding to each grid region, the penalty coefficient table shown in Table 1 can be obtained, where the penalty coefficients in Table 1 correspond one-to-one with the grid regions in Figure 9.

[0105] Table 1

[0106] In method 2, the first device determines the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell based on the sacrificial area. The first cell and the second cell are defined as at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area.

[0107] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the first cell and the second cell. In this example, the size of the first cell is the size of its wireless coverage area, and the size of the second cell is the size of its wireless coverage area. There is an overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell; this overlapping coverage area is referred to as the first area. There is also an overlapping coverage area between this first area and the sacrificial area; this overlapping coverage area is referred to as the second area.

[0108] Regarding this implementation method 2, in one possible design, the first device determines the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information of the second cell based on the size of the second area. Specifically, a larger second area indicates lower wireless traffic or wireless resource usage within the first area, thus allowing for a relatively lower penalty. This means that when the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes the second area, a smaller penalty can be imposed, indicating that such an overlap is acceptable. Conversely, a smaller second area indicates higher wireless traffic or wireless resource usage within the first area, thus allowing for a relatively higher penalty. This means that when the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes the second area, a larger penalty can be imposed, indicating that such an overlap is unacceptable.

[0109] As one implementation method, the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell includes a second penalty coefficient, which is the ratio of the difference between the size of the first region and the size of the second region to the size of the first cell. For example, if 'a' represents the size of the first region, 'b' represents the size of the second region, and 'c' represents the size of the first cell, then the second penalty coefficient corresponding to the first cell is equal to (ab) / c.

[0110] As one implementation method, the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell includes a third penalty coefficient, which is the ratio of the difference between the size of the first region and the size of the second region to the size of the second cell. For example, if 'a' represents the size of the first region, 'b' represents the size of the second region, and 'd' represents the size of the second cell, then the third penalty coefficient corresponding to the second cell is equal to (ab) / d.

[0111] In one possible design, after step 402 above, the first device can further send penalty information for at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area to the access network device to which the first cell belongs. This penalty information is used to adjust the radio coverage of the first cell. That is, the access network device can use the penalty information for at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area to ensure that the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes sacrificial areas, rather than non-sacrificial areas, thereby guaranteeing network quality for users. This is because, although the network quality in the overlapping coverage area is poor, the overlapping coverage area falls into or includes sacrificial areas, and sacrificial areas have less pedestrian and vehicular traffic, resulting in less user traffic. Therefore, the poor network quality in the coverage area will not affect users or will affect only a small number of users. This method, by adjusting and optimizing the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells, places coverage areas prone to poor radio quality into sacrificial areas, ensuring continuous coverage while reducing the impact of neighboring cell coverage, achieving a precise match between cell coverage and user distribution.

[0112] Similarly, after step 402 above, the first device can also send penalty information for at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area to the access network device to which the second cell belongs. This penalty information is used to adjust the radio coverage of the second cell. That is, the access network device can use the penalty information for at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area to ensure that the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes sacrificial areas, rather than non-sacrificial areas, thereby guaranteeing the user's network quality.

[0113] Figure 11 shows an example of adjusting cell wireless coverage. In this example, before the adjustment, the overlapping coverage area of ​​the first and second cells falls into or includes a non-sacrificeable area, which contains an office building. This office building has a high volume of people and users, resulting in high wireless traffic demand. Due to poor network quality in this overlapping coverage area, the wireless communication quality for users in the office building is significantly affected. Based on the penalty level information, the access network device determines that the penalty level corresponding to this overlapping coverage area is high. Therefore, it adjusts the wireless coverage of the first and second cells so that, after the adjustment, the overlapping coverage area of ​​the first and second cells falls into or includes a sacrificeable area with a lower penalty level. On the one hand, since the location of the aforementioned office building is moved out of the overlapping coverage area of ​​the first and second cells, the wireless communication quality for users in the office building is significantly improved. On the other hand, after the adjustment, the overlapping coverage area of ​​the first and second cells falls into or includes a sacrificeable area, which has a lower volume of people and users, resulting in lower wireless traffic demand and therefore not a significant impact on users.

[0114] In addition, the first device can also send penalty information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area to devices other than access network devices, such as network optimization devices or handheld terminals operated by technicians. Thus, the network optimization devices or technicians can adjust and optimize the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell based on the penalty information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area, and put coverage areas prone to poor wireless quality into sacrificial areas. This can reduce the impact of neighboring cell coverage while ensuring continuous coverage, and achieve precise matching between cell coverage and user distribution.

[0115] Based on the above scheme, by determining the penalty level information of each analysis region corresponding to the target area, this penalty level information is used to indicate the penalty degree when the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell falls into the analysis region. Therefore, this penalty level information can guide the optimization of the overlapping coverage between the first cell and the second cell, thereby improving the user experience. Furthermore, by determining the penalty level information of each analysis region corresponding to the target area, this method can standardize and efficiently promote the neighbor cell coverage optimization capability, reducing the inefficient optimization work of multiple manual trials and measurements.

[0116] In one possible design, since the traffic characteristics of the same area may differ at different times, for the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, the penalty level information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area can be determined at different times by combining the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area. That is, for the same analysis area, there is different penalty level information at different times. The traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area is also called the point of interest (POI) traffic characteristic information. The traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area indicates the change of traffic (e.g., pedestrian traffic, vehicle traffic, wireless traffic, etc.) within the target area over time. Optionally, the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area can be obtained by methods such as building pattern derivation, manual configuration based on experience, automatic generation by calling large models, or calling datasets. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the curve of user density changing with time within the target area. This figure shows the relationship between user density and time in the canteen and office building within the target area. The canteen and office building have higher user density and generate more wireless traffic within certain time ranges, while at other times, the user density is lower and the wireless traffic is also lower.

[0117] For example, when combining the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area, step 401 above may specifically be: the first device determines the sacrificial areas within the target area at different time periods based on the map information of the target area and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area. Here, the traffic characteristic information is used to indicate the traffic distribution characteristics within the target area at different time periods. Correspondingly, step 402 above may specifically be: the first device determines the penalty level information of at least one analysis area at different time periods based on the sacrificial areas within the target area at different time periods. Here, the analysis area can be either the aforementioned grid area or the aforementioned first cell or second cell.

[0118] For example, the first device determines sacrificial areas within the target area at different times based on map information and traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area. Specifically, this includes: the first device dividing the target area into multiple sub-regions based on map information, and determining sacrificial areas within the target area at different times based on the connection relationships between the sub-regions and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area. For instance, the first device divides the target area into multiple sub-blocks based on road information, and then constructs a spatial connectivity graph, where each sub-block is a node in the spatial connectivity graph, and adjacent sub-blocks are connected by edges in the spatial connectivity graph. Then, the first device sets different weight values ​​for the nodes corresponding to each sub-block based on the type of each sub-block (e.g., buildings, vegetation, water bodies, etc.), and the weight value of the same node may be the same or different at different times. Then, the first device calculates the shortest path between any two nodes in the spatial connectivity graph, uses the product of the weight values ​​of the two nodes as the weight value of the shortest path, and uses the sum of the weight values ​​of all shortest paths to which each node belongs as the selectivity of that node. When the selectivity of a node is less than or equal to the selectivity threshold, the sub-block corresponding to that node is determined as a sacrificial region. Figure 13 shows an example of determining sacrificial regions. In this example, the target region is divided into three sub-blocks: sub-block 1, sub-block 2, and sub-block 3. The spatial connectivity graph corresponding to this target region includes three nodes: node 1 corresponds to sub-block 1, node 2 corresponds to sub-block 2, and node 3 corresponds to sub-block 3. During time periods t1 and t2, each node is assigned a corresponding weight value, and then the selectivity of each node is calculated for each time period. Assuming the selectivity threshold is 8, then during time period t1, sub-block 3 corresponding to node 3 is determined as a sacrificial region; during time period t2, sub-block 1 corresponding to node 1 is determined as a sacrificial region.

[0119] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes the following steps:

[0120] Step 1401: The first device determines the sacrificial adequacy information of each sub-region within the target area based on the map information of the target area.

[0121] The target area is the area to be optimized corresponding to the first cell and the second cell. The second cell is a wireless neighbor cell of the first cell, that is, a cell spatially adjacent to the first cell. There may be overlapping coverage areas between the first cell and the second cell.

[0122] The first and second cells here are also called wireless cells, which refer to wireless coverage areas identified by base station identification codes or cell identification codes.

[0123] The number of the second cell can be one or more. This application will use the example of a single second cell to illustrate the point.

[0124] The method for determining the target area can be found in the relevant description in the embodiment of Figure 4, and will not be repeated here.

[0125] Map information for the target area is used to indicate information about various geographic entities (such as buildings, vegetation, roads, water bodies, etc.) in the target area.

[0126] In one implementation method, each sub-region within the target area may be a space with few or no people entering or passing through, or a space with a large number of people entering or passing through. For example, each sub-region may be an area with rivers or greenery, where wireless traffic is reduced, or an area with office buildings or a canteen, where wireless traffic is higher. Therefore, the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area can be used to indicate the wireless resource usage of each sub-region, where wireless resource usage can be wireless traffic usage. For a given sub-region, if the wireless resource usage of that sub-region is high, then the sacrificiality of that sub-region is low, meaning that the sub-region has higher requirements for wireless signal quality. Figure 15 is an example diagram of sub-region division within the target area. In this example, the target area is divided into multiple sub-regions, each corresponding to a sacrificiality information. The higher the sacrificiality, the lower the wireless resource usage within that sub-region. For example, for areas with rivers, greenery, or other areas with low pedestrian and vehicular traffic, the sacrificiality is high.

[0127] In another implementation, the target region is divided into multiple sub-regions, each containing a set number of pixels, such as 1 pixel per sub-region or 4 pixels per sub-region, and so on.

[0128] Step 1402: The first device determines the penalty level information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region based on the sacrifice level information.

[0129] For example, the penalty level information of the analysis region corresponding to the target region can be represented by a penalty coefficient.

[0130] The penalty level information of each analysis region in the at least one analysis region is related to the sacrificial level information of at least one sub-region in the target region, and the at least one sub-region has an overlapping coverage area with the analysis region. Exemplarily, two different implementation methods of step 1402 are described below.

[0131] In method A, the first device divides the target area into multiple grid areas and determines the penalty level information corresponding to each of the multiple grid areas based on the sacrificial information of each sub-region within the target area and the multiple grid areas.

[0132] Specifically, based on implementation method A, at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region described in step 1402 is the plurality of grid regions. That is, step 1402 specifically involves: the first device determining the penalty level information corresponding to each of the plurality of grid regions based on the sacrifice level information.

[0133] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the target area after rasterization. In this example, each raster area is a square, so the target area can be rasterized into multiple square raster areas. Furthermore, each raster area contains 4 sub-regions, that is, every 4 sub-regions in the multiple sub-regions of the target area constitute a raster area, which is also called the region to be analyzed.

[0134] Regarding implementation method A, in one possible design, for each grid area, the penalty level information corresponding to that grid area can be determined based on the sacrificiality information of the sub-regions contained within that grid area. Specifically, a higher sacrificiality of the sub-regions within the grid area indicates lower wireless traffic or wireless resource usage within that grid area, thus allowing for a relatively lower penalty. This means that when the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes that grid area, a smaller penalty can be imposed, indicating that it is acceptable for the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells to fall into or include that grid area. Conversely, a lower sacrificiality of the sub-regions within the grid area indicates higher wireless traffic or wireless resource usage within that grid area, thus allowing for a relatively higher penalty. This means that when the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes that grid area, a larger penalty can be imposed, indicating that it is unacceptable for the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells to fall into or include that grid area.

[0135] As one implementation method, the plurality of grid regions includes a first grid region, and the penalty level information corresponding to the first grid region includes a first penalty coefficient, which is the sum of the sacrificiality information of the sub-regions contained within the grid region. The first grid region can be any one of the plurality of grid regions. Taking the example in Figure 16, each grid region contains 4 sub-regions. Assuming that the sacrificiality information of the 4 sub-regions within the grid region shown in the figure is represented by x1, x2, x3, and x4 respectively, then the penalty coefficient of the grid region is equal to x1 + x2 + x3 + x4.

[0136] For example, taking the example of Figure 16, by calculating the penalty coefficient corresponding to each grid region, the penalty coefficient table shown in Table 2 can be obtained, where the penalty coefficients in Table 2 correspond one-to-one with the grid regions in Figure 16.

[0137] Table 2

[0138] In method B, the first device determines the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell based on the sacrifice level information. At least one analysis region corresponding to the target area is the first cell and the second cell.

[0139] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the first cell and the second cell. In this example, the size of the first cell is the size of its wireless coverage area, and the size of the second cell is the size of its wireless coverage area. There is an overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell; this overlapping coverage area is referred to as the first area.

[0140] In one possible design for implementation method B, the first device determines the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information of the second cell based on the magnitude of the sacrifice level information of the first region.

[0141] As one implementation method, the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell includes a second penalty coefficient, which is the ratio of the sum of the sacrificial information of the sub-regions falling into the first region within the target area to the size of the first cell. For example, if m represents the sum of the sacrificial information of the sub-regions falling into the first region within the target area, and n represents the size of the first cell, then the second penalty coefficient corresponding to the first cell is equal to m / n.

[0142] As one implementation method, the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell includes a third penalty coefficient. This third penalty coefficient is the ratio of the sum of the sacrificial potential information of each sub-region within the target area that falls into the first area to the size of the second cell. For example, if k represents the size of the second cell, then the third penalty coefficient corresponding to the second cell is equal to m / k.

[0143] It should be noted that if only a portion of a sub-region falls into the first region, the sacrificiality information of that sub-region can be multiplied by a weighting coefficient to obtain a weighted value. This weighted value is then used to calculate the second or third penalty coefficient. The magnitude of this weighting coefficient is related to the proportion of that sub-region that falls into the first region.

[0144] In one possible design, after step 1402 above, the first device can further send penalty information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area to the access network device to which the first cell belongs. This penalty information is used to adjust the radio coverage of the first cell. That is, the access network device can, based on the penalty information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area, try to ensure that the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes sacrificial areas, rather than falling into or including non-sacrificial areas, thereby guaranteeing network quality for users. This is because, although the network quality in the overlapping coverage area is poor, the overlapping coverage area falls into or includes sacrificial areas, and there is less pedestrian and vehicular traffic in sacrificial areas. Therefore, the user traffic in sacrificial areas is also less, so the poor network quality problem in the coverage area will not affect users or will affect a small number of users. This method, by adjusting and optimizing the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells, places coverage areas prone to poor radio quality into sacrificial areas, which can reduce the impact of neighboring cell coverage while ensuring continuous coverage, achieving a precise matching effect between cell coverage and user distribution.

[0145] Similarly, after step 1402 above, the first device can also send penalty information for at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area to the access network device to which the second cell belongs. This penalty information is used to adjust the radio coverage of the second cell. That is, the access network device can use the penalty information for at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area to ensure that the overlapping coverage area between the first and second cells falls into or includes sacrificial areas, rather than non-sacrificial areas, thereby guaranteeing the user's network quality.

[0146] In addition, the first device can also send penalty information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area to devices other than access network devices, such as network optimization devices or handheld terminals operated by technicians. Thus, the network optimization devices or technicians can adjust and optimize the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell based on the penalty information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area, and put coverage areas prone to poor wireless quality into sacrificial areas. This can reduce the impact of neighboring cell coverage while ensuring continuous coverage, and achieve precise matching between cell coverage and user distribution.

[0147] Based on the above scheme, by determining the penalty level information of each analysis region corresponding to the target area, this penalty level information is used to indicate the penalty degree when the overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell falls into the analysis region. Therefore, this penalty level information can guide the optimization of the overlapping coverage between the first cell and the second cell, thereby improving the user experience. Furthermore, by determining the penalty level information of each analysis region corresponding to the target area, this method can standardize and efficiently promote the neighbor cell coverage optimization capability, reducing the inefficient optimization work of multiple manual trials and measurements.

[0148] In one possible design, since the traffic characteristics of the same area may differ at different times, for the embodiment shown in Figure 14 above, the penalty level information for at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area can be determined at different times by combining the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area. That is, for the same analysis area, there is different penalty level information at different times. The traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area is also called POI traffic characteristic information. The traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area indicates the changes in traffic (e.g., pedestrian traffic, vehicle traffic, wireless traffic, etc.) within the target area over time. Optionally, the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area can be obtained through methods such as building pattern derivation, manual configuration based on experience, automatic generation by calling large models, or calling datasets.

[0149] For example, when combining the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area, step 1401 above may specifically be: the first device determines the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area at different time periods based on the map information of the target area and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area. Here, the traffic characteristic information is used to indicate the traffic distribution characteristics within the target area at different time periods. Correspondingly, step 1402 above may specifically be: the first device determines the penalty level information of at least one analysis area at different time periods based on the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area at different time periods. Here, the analysis area can be either the aforementioned grid area or the aforementioned first cell and second cell.

[0150] It should be noted that the information in the above-mentioned schemes, such as target area, map information, sacrificial area, first cell, second cell, analysis area, grid area, etc., can be information in two-dimensional space or planar space, or information in three-dimensional space or solid space. This application does not limit this.

[0151] It should be noted that the above solutions are applicable not only to the application scenarios of adjusting wireless coverage in outdoor communities, but also to the application scenarios of adding indoor distribution stations, WiFi and other equipment, and automatically adjusting parameters.

[0152] Figure 18 illustrates a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 18, the communication device 1800 may include modules or units for implementing the methods described above. In one possible design, the communication device 1800 includes a processing unit 1802 and a communication unit 1803. Optionally, the communication device 1800 may further include a storage unit 1801 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0153] The communication device 1800 can be a first device-side device in the above embodiments, such as a first device, a module (e.g., a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the first device, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device.

[0154] For example, in one embodiment, the processing unit 1802 is configured to determine a sacrificial area within the target area based on map information of the target area, wherein the target area is an area to be optimized corresponding to a first cell and a second cell, and the sacrificial area represents a spatial area where the wireless resource usage is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell; and determine penalty level information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area based on the sacrificial area; wherein the penalty level information of each analysis area in the at least one analysis area is related to the size of the overlapping coverage area between the sacrificial area and the analysis area.

[0155] In one possible design, the processing unit 1802 is configured to determine, based on the sacrificial region, the penalty level information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region, including: dividing the target region into multiple grid regions, the at least one analysis region being the multiple grid regions; and determining the penalty level information corresponding to each of the multiple grid regions based on the sacrificial region and the multiple grid regions.

[0156] In one possible design, the processing unit 1802 is configured to determine, based on the sacrificial area, at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region, including: determining, based on the sacrificial area, the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell; wherein, the at least one analysis region is the first cell and the second cell.

[0157] In one possible design, the processing unit 1802 is configured to determine sacrificial areas within the target area based on map information of the target area, including: determining sacrificial areas within the target area at different time periods based on the map information and traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area; wherein the traffic characteristic information is used to indicate the traffic distribution characteristics within the target area at different time periods; the processing unit 1802 is configured to determine penalty level information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area based on the sacrificial areas, including: determining the penalty level information of the at least one analysis area at different time periods based on the sacrificial areas within the target area at different time periods.

[0158] In one possible design, the processing unit 1802 is configured to determine the sacrificial areas within the target area at different times based on the map information and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area, including: dividing the target area into multiple sub-areas based on the map information; and determining the sacrificial areas within the target area at different times based on the connection relationship between the multiple sub-areas and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area.

[0159] For example, in another embodiment, the processing unit 1802 is configured to determine the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area based on map information of the target area, wherein the target area is an area to be optimized corresponding to a first cell and a second cell, and the sacrificiality information is used to indicate the amount of radio resource usage, and the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell; and to determine the penalty information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area based on the sacrificiality information; wherein the penalty information of each analysis area in the at least one analysis area is related to the sacrificiality information of at least one sub-region in the target area, and the at least one sub-region has an overlapping coverage area with the analysis area.

[0160] In one possible design, the processing unit 1802 is configured to determine the penalty level information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region based on the sacrifice level information, including: dividing the target region into multiple grid regions, the at least one analysis region being the multiple grid regions; and determining the penalty level information corresponding to each of the multiple grid regions based on the sacrifice level information and the multiple grid regions.

[0161] In one possible design, the processing unit 1802 is configured to determine, based on the sacrificeability information, the penalty level information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region, including: determining, based on the sacrificeability information, the penalty level information corresponding to the first cell and the penalty level information corresponding to the second cell, wherein the at least one analysis region is the first cell and the second cell.

[0162] In one possible design, processing unit 1802 is configured to determine the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area based on map information of the target area, including: determining the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area at different time periods based on the map information and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area; wherein the traffic characteristic information is used to indicate the traffic distribution characteristics of the target area at different time periods; processing unit 1802 is configured to determine the penalty information of the analysis area corresponding to the target area based on the sacrificiality information, including: determining the penalty information of the analysis area at different time periods based on the sacrificiality information of each sub-region within the target area at different time periods.

[0163] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software 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 specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0164] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0165] In one example, storage unit 1801 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0166] Figure 19 illustrates a possible exemplary block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1900 shown in Figure 19 includes a processor 1910 and an interface circuit 1920. The processor 1910 and the interface circuit 1920 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1920 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1900 may further include a memory 1930 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1910, or storing input data required by the processor 1910 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1910 executes instructions.

[0167] When the communication device 1900 is used to implement the above method embodiment, the processor 1910 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1802, and the interface circuit 1920 is used to implement the function of the communication unit 1803.

[0168] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0169] The terms "system" and "network" in this application embodiment are used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B, or C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC; "at least one of A, B, and C" can also be understood as including A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in this application embodiment are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects.

[0170] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0171] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0172] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0173] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0174] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining a sacrificial region in a target region according to map information of the target region, the target region being a to-be-optimized region corresponding to a first cell and a second cell, the sacrificial region representing a spatial region with a wireless resource usage less than or equal to a first threshold, and the second cell being a neighboring cell of the first cell; determining penalty degree information of at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region according to the sacrificial region, wherein the penalty degree information of each analysis region in the at least one analysis region is related to a size of an overlapping coverage region between the sacrificial region and the analysis region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determining of the penalty degree information of the at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region according to the sacrificial region comprises: dividing the target region into a plurality of grid regions, the at least one analysis region being the plurality of grid regions; and determining penalty degree information corresponding to the plurality of grid regions respectively according to the sacrificial region and the plurality of grid regions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The plurality of grid regions comprise a first grid region, and the penalty degree information corresponding to the first grid region comprises a first penalty coefficient, the first penalty coefficient being a ratio of a first difference value to a size of the first grid region, and the first difference value being the size of the first grid region minus a size of an overlapping coverage region between the sacrificial region and the first grid region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determining of the penalty degree information of the at least one analysis region corresponding to the target region according to the sacrificial region comprises: determining penalty degree information corresponding to the first cell and penalty degree information corresponding to the second cell according to the sacrificial region, wherein the at least one analysis region comprises the first cell and the second cell.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The penalty degree information corresponding to the first cell comprises a second penalty coefficient, the second penalty coefficient being a ratio of a difference between a size of a first region and a size of a second region to a size of the first cell, the first region being an overlapping coverage region between the first cell and the second cell, and the second region being an overlapping coverage region between the first region and the sacrificial region. The penalty degree information corresponding to the second cell comprises a third penalty coefficient, the third penalty coefficient being a ratio of the difference between the size of the first region and the size of the second region to a size of the second cell.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The determining of the sacrificial region in the target region according to the map information comprises: determining sacrificial regions in different time periods in the target region according to the map information and traffic feature information corresponding to the target region, wherein the traffic feature information is used to indicate traffic distribution features in different time periods in the target region. The determining of the penalty degree information of the at least one analysis region according to the sacrificial region comprises: determining penalty degree information of the at least one analysis region in different time periods according to the sacrificial regions in the different time periods in the target region.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The determining of the sacrificial regions in different time periods in the target region according to the map information and the traffic feature information corresponding to the target region comprises: According to the map information, the target area is divided into a plurality of sub-areas; According to the connection relationship between the plurality of sub-areas and the traffic characteristic information corresponding to the target area, a sacrificial area in the target area in different time periods is determined.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The to-be-optimized area is an area with a specific wireless traffic characteristic.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, Further comprising: sending the penalty degree information to an access network device to which the first cell belongs, the penalty degree information being used to adjust wireless coverage of the first cell; or, sending the penalty degree information to an access network device to which the second cell belongs, the penalty degree information being used to adjust wireless coverage of a neighboring cell of the second cell.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: Comprising: According to the map information of the target area, sacrificial degree information of each sub-area in the target area is determined, the target area being a to-be-optimized area corresponding to a first cell and a second cell, the sacrificial degree information being used to indicate a wireless resource usage amount, the second cell being a neighboring cell of the first cell; According to the sacrificial degree information, penalty degree information of at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area is determined; wherein the penalty degree information of each analysis area in the at least one analysis area is related to the sacrificial degree information of at least one sub-area in the target area, and the at least one sub-area all has an overlapping coverage area with the analysis area.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The determination of the penalty degree information of the at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area according to the sacrificial degree information comprises: The target area is divided into a plurality of grid areas, and the at least one analysis area is the plurality of grid areas; According to the sacrificial degree information and the plurality of grid areas, penalty degree information corresponding to the plurality of grid areas is determined.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The plurality of grid areas include a first grid area, and the penalty degree information corresponding to the first grid area includes a first penalty coefficient, the first penalty coefficient being a sum of the sacrificial degree information of the at least one sub-area.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein, The determination of the penalty degree information of the at least one analysis area corresponding to the target area according to the sacrificial degree information comprises: According to the sacrificial degree information, penalty degree information corresponding to the first cell and penalty degree information corresponding to the second cell are determined, and the at least one analysis area is the first cell and the second cell.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The penalty degree information corresponding to the first cell includes a second penalty coefficient, the second penalty coefficient being a ratio of a sum of the sacrificial degree information of the sub-area falling into a first area in the at least one sub-area to a size of the first cell; The penalty degree information corresponding to the second cell includes a third penalty coefficient, the third penalty coefficient being a ratio of a sum of the sacrificial degree information of the sub-area falling into the first area in the at least one sub-area to a size of the second cell; The first area is an overlapping coverage area between the first cell and the second cell.

15. The method of any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein, The determination of the sacrificial degree information of each sub-area in the target area according to the map information of the target area comprises: According to the map information and traffic feature information corresponding to the target area, determine the sacrifice degree information of each sub-area in the target area in different time periods; wherein, the traffic feature information is used to indicate the traffic distribution characteristics in different time periods in the target area; According to the sacrifice degree information, determine the penalty degree information of the analysis area corresponding to the target area, including: According to the sacrifice degree information of each sub-area in the target area in different time periods, determine the penalty degree information of the analysis area in different time periods.

16. The method of any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein, The to-be-optimized area is an area with specific wireless traffic characteristics.

17. The method of any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein, Also includes: Send the penalty degree information to the access network device to which the first cell belongs, and the penalty degree information is used to adjust the wireless coverage of the first cell; or, Send the penalty degree information to the access network device to which the second cell belongs, and the penalty degree information is used to adjust the wireless coverage of the second cell.

18. A communications device, characterized by The module for executing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or the method of any one of claims 10 to 17.

19. A communications device, characterized by The processor and the interface circuit, the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit, to realize the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or realize the method of any one of claims 10 to 17.

20. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product includes instructions, when the instructions run, realize the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or realize the method of any one of claims 10 to 17.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium has a computer program or instructions, when the computer program or instructions are executed, realize the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or realize the method of any one of claims 10 to 17.

22. A communication system, characterized by Including: The first device is used to realize the method of any one of claims 1 to 9; The access network device is used to receive the penalty degree information from the first device, and adjust the wireless coverage of the cell under the access network device according to the penalty degree information.

23. A communication system, characterized by Including: The first device is used to realize the method of any one of claims 10 to 17; The access network device is used to receive the penalty degree information from the first device, and adjust the wireless coverage of the cell under the access network device according to the penalty degree information.

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