Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided are a communication method and a communication apparatus. The communication method is applied to the field of beam management. Embodiments of the present application provide using a system sensing capability to implement beam prediction, that is, assisting beam measurement by using a sensing beam, or it may be understood that a newly added sensing beam may be used during beam measurement, thereby facilitating reducing beam tracking overhead of a communication system in mobility of a user equipment, and guaranteeing quality of service of a high-mobility user equipment.

Description

Communication methods and communication devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411178991.2, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on August 26, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0003] Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is a current research hotspot in the field of communications, and can also be simply referred to as integrated sensing and communication. ISAC is an important application scenario for 6G. By introducing sensing capabilities, the service types and application scenarios of mobile communication systems can be expanded. The system's sensing capabilities can model the spatial structure, mobility, and surrounding environment of both connected and unconnected devices. However, there is currently no beam management scheme that applies ISAC to mobile communication systems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, this application provides a communication method, communication device, chip system, computer-readable storage medium, computer program product, and communication system that can help reduce beam tracking overhead in communication systems under user equipment mobility by using sensing beams to assist beam measurement.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first communication device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the first communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. This application does not limit this. For example, the first communication device is a user equipment (UE).

[0006] Specifically, the method includes: a first communication device receiving a sensing measurement signal (which can be used for sensing measurement), the sensing measurement signal including a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal; then obtaining a first sensing measurement result based on the sensing measurement signal, the first sensing measurement result being used to characterize channel quality information related to the sensing measurement signal; and finally using the first sensing measurement result to determine an available beam set, the available beam set including one or more beams; or, determining an unavailable beam set, the unavailable beam set including one or more beams.

[0007] Based on the above technical solution, the first communication device achieves beam prediction by introducing sensing signals. Compared to performing beam scanning more frequently in high-mobility scenarios, the embodiments of this application can utilize sensing beams to assist beam prediction, which helps reduce the beam tracking overhead of the communication system under user equipment mobility and ensures the quality of service for highly mobile user equipment.

[0008] This application does not specifically limit the sensing mode adopted by the first communication device. Optionally, the first communication device may use a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode for sensing and measurement, or it may use a self-transmitting and externally receiving mode for sensing and measurement.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can receive a sensing signal sent by the second communication device. Specifically, the first communication device receives the sensing measurement signal sent by the second communication device after it has passed through a wireless channel.

[0010] In another possible implementation, the first communication device employs a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode for sensing. For example, the aforementioned sensing measurement signal is the sensing measurement signal used by the first communication device when sensing in the self-transmitting and self-receiving mode. The self-transmitting and self-receiving mode refers to the first communication device sending a sensing measurement signal and receiving the echo signal of that sensing measurement signal; by sensing and measuring the back and forth signals, the sensing measurement result can be obtained.

[0011] Based on the sensing measurement signal, the first communication device can determine the sensing measurement result, and then use the sensing measurement result to determine the predicted beam. After obtaining the sensing measurement result, the first communication device can also report the sensing measurement result to the second communication device, so that the second communication device can use the sensing measurement result to determine the predicted beam. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the specific form of the measurement result reported by the first communication device to the second communication device.

[0012] For example, the first communication device sends the first sensing measurement result to the second communication device. The first sensing measurement result includes one or more of the following: velocity domain information, angle domain information, and distance domain information of the first communication device. Therefore, the first communication device can directly report the unprocessed sensing measurement result to the second communication device so that the second communication device can understand more comprehensive information.

[0013] For example, the first communication device processes the first sensing measurement result to obtain channel state information, which characterizes the beam quality of one or more communication beams mapped by the first sensing measurement result; and sends the channel state information to the second communication device. Therefore, the first communication device can report the processed sensing measurement result to the second communication device so that the second communication device can perform further processing.

[0014] For example, the first communication device sends the available beam set to the second communication device. The available beam set includes index information of each beam and beam quality information of each beam. Therefore, the first communication device can report the beams obtained from the processed sensing measurement results to the second communication device, so that the second communication device can obtain the information of the available beam set without further processing.

[0015] The first communication device can receive or transmit sensing measurement signals according to the sensing measurement configuration. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the method of obtaining the sensing measurement configuration.

[0016] For example, the first communication device receives a sensing measurement signal, including: receiving the sensing measurement signal according to a sensing measurement configuration.

[0017] Optionally, the sensing measurement configuration is predefined. Alternatively, the method may further include: a first communication device receiving a sensing measurement configuration sent by a second communication device.

[0018] It is understood that the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the message or signaling in which the sensing measurement configuration is located. For example, the first communication device receives RRC signaling from the second communication device, and the RRC signaling includes the sensing measurement configuration.

[0019] For example, the sensing measurement configuration includes one or more of the following: sensing mode, sensing measurement signal, sensing measurement quantity, sensing resource configuration, prediction mode, beam prediction frequency, and measurement gap.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can report its sensing capability information to the second communication device to assist the second communication device in determining the sensing measurement configuration.

[0021] Optionally, the method further includes: a first communication device reporting sensing capability information to a second communication device, the sensing capability information being used to indicate whether the first communication device indicates support for sensing capabilities.

[0022] This application does not specifically limit the content included in the sensing capability information. For example, the sensing capability information includes one or more of the following: the sensing capability indication bit of the first communication device, the sensing waveform supported by the first communication device, the maximum sensing bandwidth supported by the first communication device, the guard interval, the maximum time domain duration, and the number of antennas.

[0023] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the state of the first communication device. In other words, the specific application scenario for performing beam prediction using sensing capabilities in this application is not specifically limited.

[0024] In one possible application scenario, the first communication device and the second communication device do not establish an RRC connection.

[0025] In one possible application scenario, the first communication device is in an RRC connection state. Alternatively, the first communication device and the second communication device have already established an RRC connection.

[0026] In another possible application scenario, the first communication device is in an RRC connection state, and there is no effective beam between the first and second communication devices. That is, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to the beam recovery stage. Optionally, the sensing measurement signal is used for beam failure recovery; the method further includes: the first communication device receiving beam recovery resources sent by the second communication device, the beam recovery resources including a beam recovery sensing beam set; receiving the sensing measurement signal based on the beam recovery resources; wherein the first sensing measurement result is the measurement result of the beam recovery sensing beam set; the first sensing measurement result is used to determine a candidate beam subset (e.g., the first sensing measurement result is used to indicate a candidate beam subset, and / or assist the first communication device in determining a candidate beam subset). The candidate beam subset can be a subset of the aforementioned beam recovery sensing beam set. Therefore, in the beam recovery stage, the first communication device can perform the beam recovery process using the sensing beam by receiving the beam recovery resources sent by the second communication device.

[0027] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second communication device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the second communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second communication device. This application does not limit this. For example, the second communication device is a network device.

[0028] Specifically, the method includes: a second communication device triggering a prediction process based on a sensing measurement signal; transmitting the sensing measurement signal, which includes a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal; acquiring a first result, which includes channel quality information related to the sensing measurement signal; determining an available beam set based on the first result, which includes one or more beams; or determining an unavailable beam set, which includes one or more beams.

[0029] Based on the above technical solution, the second communication device achieves beam prediction by introducing sensing signals. In other words, both the first and second communication devices can perform beam prediction. Compared to performing beam scanning more frequently in high-mobility scenarios, this embodiment can utilize sensing beams to assist beam prediction, which helps reduce the beam tracking overhead of the communication system under user equipment mobility conditions and ensures the quality of service for highly mobile user equipment.

[0030] This application does not specifically limit the triggering conditions for the prediction process based on sensing measurement signals. For example, sensing-assisted beam prediction is triggered when the beam quality does not meet the quality of service requirements.

[0031] For example, the application layer of the sensing element in the network triggers the sensing beam prediction process.

[0032] Similarly, this application embodiment does not specifically limit the sensing mode adopted by the second communication device. Optionally, the second communication device may use a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode for sensing and measurement, or it may use a self-transmitting and externally receiving mode for sensing and measurement.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the second communication device can send the sensing measurement signal to the first communication device and receive the first result sent by the first communication device.

[0034] In another possible implementation, the second communication device employs a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode for sensing. The sensing measurement signal is the same signal used by the second communication device when sensing in this mode. For example, the second communication device transmits the sensing measurement signal and receives the echo signal corresponding to it; by demodulating the echo signal, the first result is determined.

[0035] The first result mentioned above can be determined by the second communication device itself, or it can be received by the second communication device from the first communication device.

[0036] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific form of the first result. For example, the first result is a first sensing measurement result, which includes one or more of the following: velocity domain information, angle domain information, and range domain information of the first communication device; or, the first result includes channel state information, which is used to characterize the beam quality of one or more communication beams mapped by the first sensing measurement result; or, the first result includes beam index information of one or more communication beams and beam quality information of each beam.

[0037] The second communication device can receive or transmit sensing measurement signals according to the sensing measurement configuration. For example, transmitting the sensing measurement signal by the second communication device includes: transmitting the sensing measurement signal according to the sensing measurement configuration. A detailed description of the sensing measurement configuration can be found in the description in the first aspect; for brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0038] Optionally, the sensing measurement configuration is predefined. Alternatively, the method may further include: the second communication device sending the sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the second communication device sends the sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device, including sending RRC signaling to the first communication device, the RRC signaling including the sensing measurement configuration.

[0040] Optionally, the sensing measurement configuration includes one or more of the following: sensing mode, sensing measurement signal, sensing measurement quantity, sensing resource configuration, prediction mode, beam prediction frequency, and measurement gap.

[0041] For a description of some of the terms or concepts involved in the second part, please refer to the first part. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving sensing capability information sent by a first communication device, the sensing capability information being used to indicate whether the first communication device indicates support for sensing capabilities.

[0043] Optionally, the sensing capability information includes one or more of the following: the sensing capability indication bit of the first communication device, the sensing waveform supported by the first communication device, the maximum sensing bandwidth supported by the first communication device, the guard interval, the maximum time domain duration, and the number of antennas.

[0044] The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the specific application scenarios for performing beam prediction using sensing capabilities.

[0045] In one possible application scenario, the first communication device and the second communication device do not establish an RRC connection.

[0046] In one possible application scenario, the first communication device is in an RRC connection state. Alternatively, the first communication device and the second communication device have already established an RRC connection.

[0047] In another possible application scenario, the first communication device is in an RRC connected state, and there is no effective beam between the first and second communication devices. That is, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to the beam recovery phase. Optionally, the sensing measurement signal is used for beam failure recovery; the method further includes: sending beam recovery resources to the first communication device, the beam recovery resources including a beam recovery sensing beam set. Therefore, during the beam recovery phase, the second communication device can send beam recovery resources to the first communication device so that the first communication device can perform beam recovery based on the beam recovery sensing beam set.

[0048] Thirdly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first communication device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the first communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. This application does not limit this. For example, the first communication device is a user equipment (UE). This first communication device has not established a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection. Embodiments of this application can be applied to the random access procedure of the first communication device.

[0049] Specifically, the method includes: a first communication device receiving a synchronization signal block (e.g., SSB signaling) sent by a second communication device, the synchronization signal block corresponding to a set of uplink random access sensing resources, wherein the uplink random access sensing resource set is used to determine a subset of available uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, the subset of available uplink random access beams including one or more beams, or to determine a subset of unavailable uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, the subset of unavailable uplink random access beams including one or more beams; receiving system information sent by the second communication device; acquiring sensing resources based on the synchronization signal block and the system information; and initiating a random access procedure based on the sensing resources and communication resources. Here, communication resources can be understood as the uplink random access beam set.

[0050] Based on the above technical solution, the first communication device performs random access by utilizing sensing resources during the random access process, and can perform beam management using sensing signals during the initial access.

[0051] Similarly, during initial access, the first communication device can use either a self-transmitting and self-receiving or a self-transmitting and other-receiving mode for sensing to assist in beam management.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the first communication device performs sensing based on a self-transmitting and receiving mode to obtain beam information from the second communication device. Exemplarily, the first communication device initiates a random access procedure based on the sensing resources and communication resources, including: sending message 1 to the second communication device and transmitting a sensing beam using the sensing resources; receiving message 2 sent by the second communication device, the message 2 including beam information used to characterize the uplink random access beam determined by the second communication device based on the sensing measurement results of the sensing beam; sending message 3 to the second communication device based on the beam information; and receiving message 4 sent by the second communication device, the beam corresponding to message 4 matching the beam corresponding to message 3.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the first communication device performs sensing based on a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode, obtains sensing measurement results, and performs beam prediction. Exemplarily, the first communication device initiates a random access procedure based on the sensing resources and communication resources, including: performing sensing using a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode based on the sensing resources to obtain a second sensing measurement result; determining an available uplink random access beam subset, or determining an unavailable uplink random access beam subset, based on the second sensing measurement result; and performing a random access procedure based on the available uplink random access beam subset. That is, not using the unavailable uplink random access beam subset to perform the random access procedure helps improve the success rate of random access.

[0054] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second communication device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the second communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second communication device. This application does not limit this. For example, the second communication device is a network device.

[0055] Specifically, the method includes: a second communication device sending a synchronization signal block (e.g., SSB signaling) to a first communication device, the synchronization signal block corresponding to a set of uplink random access sensing resources, wherein the uplink random access sensing resource set is used to determine an available subset of uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, the available subset of uplink random access beams including one or more beams, or to determine an unavailable subset of uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, the unavailable subset of uplink random access beams including one or more beams; and sending system information to the first communication device.

[0056] Based on the above technical solution, the second communication device sends a set of uplink random access sensing resources to the first communication device through the SSB, so that the first communication device can obtain sensing resources based on the SSB and system information, and then perform random access based on the sensing resources and communication resources, and can use the sensing signals for beam management during the initial access.

[0057] During initial access, the first communication device can use a self-transmitting and receiving mode to sense the situation and then interact with the second communication device.

[0058] For example, the second communication device receives message 1 and a sensing beam sent by the first communication device; sends message 2 to the first communication device, the message 2 including beam information, the beam information being used to characterize the uplink random access beam determined by the second communication device based on the sensing measurement results of the sensing beam; receives message 3 sent by the first communication device; and sends message 4 to the first communication device, the beam corresponding to message 4 matching the beam corresponding to message 3.

[0059] Therefore, during the random access process, the second communication device can also determine the beam information and send the determined beam information to the first communication device so that the first communication device can perform random access.

[0060] Fifthly, a communication apparatus is provided, comprising modules or units for performing the methods in any possible implementation of the first or third aspect described above.

[0061] In one design, the communication device may include modules that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the foregoing aspects. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0062] In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, which may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0063] In another design, the communication device is a communication equipment, which may include a transmitter for sending information or data and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0064] In another design, the communication device is used to perform the methods in any possible implementation of the first or third aspect described above. The communication device may be configured in the UE, or the communication device itself may be the UE.

[0065] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, comprising modules or units for performing the methods in any possible implementation of the second or fourth aspect described above.

[0066] In one design, the communication device may include modules that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the foregoing aspects. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0067] In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, which may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0068] In another design, the communication device is a communication equipment, which may include a transmitter for sending information or data and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0069] In another design, the communication device is used to perform the method in any possible implementation of the second or fourth aspect described above. The communication device may be configured in the second communication device, or the communication device itself may be the second communication device.

[0070] Optionally, the second communication device may be an access network device (e.g., gNB) or a sensing network element.

[0071] A seventh aspect provides a communication device including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the methods in any possible implementation of the first or third aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0072] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0073] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in the UE. When the communication device is a chip configured in the UE, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0074] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the methods in any possible implementation of the second or fourth aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0075] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0076] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a network device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a network device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0077] A ninth aspect provides a processor, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute a method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0078] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0079] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory, receive signals via a receiver, and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0080] Optionally, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0081] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be separated from the processor.

[0082] In specific implementation, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or set on different chips. The embodiments of this application do not limit the type of memory or the way the memory and processor are set.

[0083] It should be understood that the relevant data interaction process, such as sending indication information, can be the process of the processor outputting indication information, and receiving capability information can be the process of the processor receiving input capability information. Specifically, the data output by the processor can be sent to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. Here, the transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0084] The processing device mentioned in the tenth aspect above can be one or more chips. The processor in the processing device can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. The memory can be integrated into the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0085] Eleventhly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform a method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0086] In a twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0087] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, causing the methods in any of the above aspects or any possible implementations of the above aspects to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0088] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0089] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned first communication device and second communication device.

[0090] Optionally, the communication system may also include other devices that communicate with the first communication device and / or the second communication device. Attached Figure Description

[0091] Figure 1A is an example diagram of a communication system;

[0092] Figure 1B is an example diagram of another communication system;

[0093] Figure 2 is an example diagram of a beam pair;

[0094] Figure 3 is an exemplary interactive flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0095] Figure 4A is an exemplary interactive flowchart of a configuration sensing measurement configuration according to an embodiment of this application;

[0096] Figure 4B is an exemplary interactive flowchart of a reporting perception capability according to an embodiment of this application;

[0097] Figure 5A is an interactive example diagram of random access based on sensing beam according to an embodiment of this application;

[0098] Figure 5B is another interactive example diagram of random access based on sensing beam according to an embodiment of this application;

[0099] Figure 6A is an example interactive diagram of beam determination based on sensing signals according to an embodiment of this application;

[0100] Figure 6B is another example interactive diagram of beam determination based on sensing signals according to an embodiment of this application;

[0101] Figure 7 is another example interactive diagram of beam determination based on sensing signals according to an embodiment of this application;

[0102] Figure 8 is an exemplary flowchart of beam recovery when beam failure occurs according to an embodiment of this application;

[0103] Figure 9A is an example diagram showing the directional relationship between the sensing beam and the communication beam in an embodiment of this application;

[0104] Figure 9B is an example diagram of the time transmission relationship between the sensing beam and the communication beam in an embodiment of this application;

[0105] Figure 10A is an example interactive diagram of beam determination based on spontaneous and spontaneous sensing mode according to an embodiment of this application;

[0106] Figure 10B is an example interactive diagram of beam determination based on self-spontaneous and other-spontaneous sensing mode according to an embodiment of this application.

[0107] Figure 11 is an example interaction diagram of transmitting sensing beams and communication beams according to beam index values ​​according to an embodiment of this application;

[0108] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0109] Figure 13 is another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0110] Figure 14 is a structural example diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0111] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0112] For ease of understanding, the terms or concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of this application are briefly introduced below.

[0113] Beam: A beam is a communication resource. A beam can be wide, narrow, or other types of beams. Beamforming technology can be beamforming technology or other techniques. Beamforming technology can specifically be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, or hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology. Different beams can be considered different resources. The same or different information can be transmitted through different beams. Optionally, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics can be considered as a single beam. A beam can include one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, and detection signals, etc. For example, a transmit beam can refer to the signal strength distribution in different directions in space after a signal is transmitted through an antenna, and a receive beam can refer to the signal strength distribution in different directions in space of the wireless signal received from the antenna. It is understood that one or more antenna ports forming a beam can also be considered as a set of antenna ports.

[0114] Beam quality can be measured by metrics such as reference signal received power (RSRP), block error rate (BLER), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), signal to noise ratio (SNR), channel quality indicator (CQI), and correlation. It should be understood that the beam quality metrics used in this application are not limited. In some embodiments, the beam quality of the communication beam and / or the beam quality of the sensing beam can be evaluated using the beam quality metrics described herein.

[0115] Communication link: The link corresponding to the channel between the communication transceiver. For example, when the first communication device and the second communication device act as the communication receiver and the communication transmitter, respectively, the communication link between them is defined.

[0116] Sensing Link: The link corresponding to the channel between the sensing receiver and the sensing transmitter. A sensing link can be understood as the link through which sensing signals are transmitted and received. The sensing link can be interpreted differently for different sensing modes. For example, in a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode, there is no need to establish a connection between two communication devices; one communication device can complete the process independently. In this case, the sensing transmitter and receiver are the same device. On the other hand, in a self-transmitting and other-receiving sensing mode, the sensing transmitter sends the sensing signal, and the sensing receiver receives the sensing signal; in this case, the sensing transmitter and receiver are not the same device.

[0117] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the type and / or number of devices involved in spontaneous reception. In some embodiments, spontaneous reception sensing can occur between devices of the same type, such as spontaneous reception between terminal devices. In other embodiments, spontaneous reception sensing can occur between devices of different types, such as spontaneous reception between a terminal device and a network device.

[0118] In this application embodiment, "multiple" can be understood as "at least two"; "multiple items" can be understood as "at least two items".

[0119] This application can be applied to communication systems. Mobile communication systems include, but are not limited to, the following systems: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) systems, 5th Generation (5G) systems or New Radio (NR) systems, 5.5G systems or 6th Generation (6G) systems, and future mobile communication systems; vehicle-to-others (V2X) systems, where V2X can include vehicle-to-network (V2N), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), etc.; Long Term Evolution-Vehicle (LTE-V) technology for vehicle-to-everything (V2V) communication; vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication; machine-type communication (MTC); Internet of Things (IoT); and Long Term Evolution-Vehicle (LTE-V) technology for machine-to-machine communication. Evolution-machine (LTE-M), machine-to-machine (M2M), etc.

[0120] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system used in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1A, the mobile communication system includes a core network device 101, a radio access network device 102, and at least one terminal device (terminal device 103 to terminal device 106 in Figure 1A).

[0121] The terminal device connects wirelessly to the wireless access network device, which in turn connects wirelessly or via a wired connection to the core network device. The core network device and the wireless access network device can be independent physical devices, or they can integrate the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the wireless access network device onto the same physical device. Alternatively, a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of both the core network device and the wireless access network device. The terminal device can be fixed in location or mobile.

[0122] It should be understood that Figure 1A is only a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture. This communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1A. The embodiments of this application do not limit the number of core network devices, wireless access network devices, and terminal devices included in this mobile communication system.

[0123] Wireless access network devices and terminal devices communicate via the Uu interface.

[0124] It should be understood that the Uu interface mentioned above can be an air interface or wireless interface of 3GPP protocol specifications such as LTE air interface, NR air interface, RedCap air interface, etc., and this application does not limit it.

[0125] The terminal equipment in this application embodiment can also be referred to as: user equipment (UE), very small aperture terminal (VSAT), station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device, etc.

[0126] A User Equipment (UE) can be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to a user, such as a handheld device or in-vehicle device with wireless connectivity. Examples of current terminals include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals with cloud gaming capabilities, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The embodiments of this application do not limit this to personal assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks, terminal devices in 6G networks, or terminal devices in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

[0127] By way of example and not limitation, in this embodiment, the UE can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into a user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large size, and the ability to perform complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those focused on a specific application function that require interaction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0128] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the UE can also be a terminal device in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of future information technology development, and its main technical feature is connecting objects to networks through communication technologies, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the terminal devices.

[0129] In this embodiment, the UE includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on top of the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also called main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, or Windows. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. Furthermore, this embodiment does not specifically limit the structure of the execution entity of the method provided in this embodiment, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided in this embodiment by running a program that records the code of the method provided in this embodiment. For example, the execution entity of the method provided in this embodiment can be a terminal device, or a functional module in the terminal device that can call and execute a program.

[0130] The access network equipment in this application embodiment (such as the radio access network equipment 102 in Figure 1A or the base station in Figure 1B) refers to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal to a wireless network, and can also be called a base station. For example, the network equipment can be an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a sensing network element, a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a next-generation 6G communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access point (AP) in a WiFi system, a radio controller, relay station, access point, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable devices, or network equipment in other future evolved communication systems. Furthermore, the network equipment can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station; for example, it can be a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). This application does not limit the specific technology or specific equipment form used in the network equipment.

[0131] The core network equipment in this application embodiment (such as core network equipment 101 in Figure 1A, or the core network in Figure 1B) is a collective term for various functional entities used to manage users, data transmission, and network equipment configuration. Core network equipment may include one or more network elements. For example, in a 5G system, core network equipment may include access and mobility management functions (AMF), user plane functions (UPF), and session management functions (SMF), etc. As another example, in a 6G system, core network equipment may include sensing network elements, AMF, UPF, and SMF, etc.

[0132] This application applies to communication systems that support integrated sensing and communication (ISAC). In some embodiments, ISAC is an important application scenario for 6G.

[0133] Figure 1B illustrates another example of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1B, the communication system includes a core network, base stations, relay nodes, and various types of terminal devices (e.g., smartphones, vehicles, smart screens, laptops, routing devices, smart home devices, etc.).

[0134] It should be understood that the communication system shown in Figure 1B is merely an example description, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the network elements or nodes involved in Figure 1B can be replaced with other devices, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0135] To achieve integrated sensing and communication design, the sensing and communication systems will be integrated in stages, described below using three stages as examples. Of course, these three stages do not limit the embodiments of this application, nor do they limit the development trend or stages of integrated sensing and communication. For example, the first stage is the service coexistence stage, where the communication and sensing systems use independent hardware and are considered to interfere with each other. The second stage is capability cooperation, where the communication and sensing systems use independent hardware but share information. The third stage is the integrated design of communication and sensing, where the communication and sensing systems are integrated into a single system, sharing hardware, resources, an integrated air interface, and an integrated waveform.

[0136] It is understood that the functions of the communication equipment and / or the hardware used in different stages of the above three stages can support the capabilities required for the corresponding stage, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0137] The second stage mentioned above, also known as the capability cooperation stage, is a crucial phase in the integration of sensing and communication. Sensing capabilities can effectively enhance the communication system. For example, optimizing pilot resource allocation through sensing capabilities can reduce pilot overhead and improve the system's communication performance.

[0138] For clarity, as an example, the first communication device in this embodiment can be the terminal device shown in Figure 1A or Figure 1B; the second communication device can be the wireless access network device, core network device, or other sensing network element or terminal device shown in Figure 1A or Figure 1B. Optionally, the first and second communication devices can be of the same type or different types. For example, both the first and second communication devices can be terminal devices. Or, for example, the first communication device can be a terminal device, and the second communication device can be a network device.

[0139] In some embodiments, the second communication device has sensing and communication capabilities. This application does not specifically limit whether the communication waveform corresponding to the communication capability and the sensing waveform corresponding to the sensing capability are integrated waveforms; that is, the communication waveform and the sensing waveform can be independent or integrated.

[0140] Taking the second communication device as an access network device as an example, regarding the communication capabilities of the access network device, it supports communication waveforms, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms. On the other hand, the access network device supports sensing waveforms or integrated sensing and communication waveforms.

[0141] Taking the second communication device as an access network device as an example, the access network device supports sensing waveforms for its sensing capabilities. Optionally, the sensing waveforms include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW); single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA); orthogonal time-frequency space (OTFS); pulse signals, etc.

[0142] Alternatively, taking an access network device as an example where the second communication device is an access network device, the access network device possesses both sensing and communication capabilities, and accordingly, the access network device supports an integrated sensing and communication waveform. Optionally, the integrated sensing and communication waveform includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:

[0143] (1) Communication-based integrated waveforms for sensing and communication; for example, integrated waveforms based on OFDM include: 1) replacing the sinusoidal carrier with a chirped signal to enhance the sensing capability of OFDM signals; 2) replacing some OFDM symbols with sensing waveforms to enhance the sensing capability of OFDM symbols.

[0144] (2) Perception-based integrated waveform for sensing communication; for example, an integrated waveform based on FMCW, in which communication information is distinguished from information "0" and information "1" by up-chirping or down-chirping.

[0145] In some embodiments, the first communication device (e.g., UE) has communication capabilities. Accordingly, the first communication device may also support communication waveforms, the description of which can be found above, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0146] Optionally, the first communication device (e.g., UE) may also have sensing capabilities. Accordingly, the first communication device supports sensing waveforms. For a description of the sensing waveforms, please refer to the description above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0147] Optionally, when the first communication device (e.g., UE) has both communication and sensing capabilities, it can also support an integrated sensing and communication waveform. A description of the integrated sensing and communication waveform can be found above; for brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0148] In some embodiments, the sensing system and the communication system can share spectrum resources, which is a requirement for ISAC capability interoperability. For example, the sensing system and the communication system share resources without distinction, such as in an OFDM-based integrated waveform where a sinusoidal carrier is replaced with a chirped signal. Another example is that the sensing system and the communication system are configured using a time-division multiplexing approach, such as in an OFDM-based integrated waveform where some OFDM symbols are replaced with sensing waveforms. Yet another example is an OTFS-based integrated signal that simultaneously supports sensing and communication functions.

[0149] Taking Figure 2 as an example, the access network device and the UE perform uplink and downlink data transmission through beamforming. The access network device and the UE determine the initial beam pair through a downlink synchronized signal block (SSB) and physical random access. As shown in Figure 2, the access network device includes transmit beam 1, transmit beam 2, and transmit beam 3. The UE includes receive beam 1, receive beam 2, and receive beam 3.

[0150] Currently, due to the worsening path attenuation with increasing frequency, millimeter-wave bands rely on beamforming to achieve long-distance communication. However, millimeter-wave beams are narrow, resulting in small coverage areas. When user equipment moves relatively quickly, the beam cannot effectively cover the area, leading to beam failure. Beam tracking is a method for beam management under user equipment mobility. In high-mobility scenarios, more frequent beam scanning is required to achieve effective beam tracking, resulting in high system overhead and reduced communication rates.

[0151] In view of this, embodiments of this application propose to use system sensing capabilities to achieve beam prediction, that is, to assist beam measurement by sensing measurement signals or sensing beams, or to understand it as to use newly added sensing measurement signals or sensing beams when performing beam measurement, which can reduce the beam tracking overhead of the communication system under user equipment mobility and ensure the service quality of highly mobile user equipment.

[0152] For clarity, beams typically appear in pairs; the beams predicted in this application's embodiments refer to beam pairs; a beam pair includes a transmit beam and a receive beam.

[0153] It should be noted that, similar to communication beams, the newly added sensing beams are used to measure the transmission quality of the corresponding communication channel, or in other words, to measure the channel environment, so as to roughly determine the availability of the communication link based on the scanning results. Alternatively, the newly added sensing beams may be used to model the channel environment in order to select a suitable communication beam transmission path.

[0154] In some embodiments, the first communication device determines either a set of available beams (or a group of available beams) or a set of unavailable beams (or a group of unavailable beams) based on the sensed beams. For example, the first communication device determines, based on the sensed beams, that a certain group of communication beams cannot be used as candidate beams for reporting; or, the first communication device determines, based on the sensed beams, that a certain group of communication beams can be used as candidate beams for reporting. The set of available beams includes one or more predicted beams. A predicted beam can be understood as a beam predicted by the first communication device based on the sensed beams that can be used for subsequent communication. Predicted beams can also be called available beams, candidate beams, or communication beams, etc.

[0155] Optionally, in some embodiments, the communication device (which may be a first communication device or a second communication device) determines the predicted beam by receiving a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal. Alternatively, the communication device first transmits a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal, then receives the echo signal, and subsequently determines the predicted beam.

[0156] For example, an access network device can be configured with a set of reference signals for beam adjustment, wherein a portion of the reference signals are communication reference signals, and the beam indication of another portion of the reference signals is a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal. Each communication reference signal, or sensing signal or sensing-communication integrated signal, corresponds to a beam direction. Candidate beams can be determined through a beam scanning process.

[0157] The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the time order of beam scanning. For example, the sensing beam is scanned first to identify a smaller set of communication beams that can serve as candidate beams, and then this set of communication beams is scanned again to further determine the final candidate beams. Alternatively, the sensing beam and the communication beam are scanned sequentially without distinguishing between them, and the beam scanning results are finally integrated to determine the set of available beams. Or, the time order of scanning the communication beam and the sensing beam can be referred to the description in Figure 9B below.

[0158] The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the sorting method of the communication beams and sensing beams. For example, the communication beams can be sorted in an ascending order of index values; the sensing beams can be distributed at equal intervals within the communication beams. Alternatively, the sorting method of the communication beams and sensing beams can be referred to the description in Figure 9A below.

[0159] The solution provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the corresponding flowcharts. It is understood that the illustrative flowcharts provided in this application primarily use different devices (e.g., the first communication device, the second communication device) as examples of the execution subjects of this interactive illustration to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustrations. For example, the devices in the illustrative flowcharts (e.g., the first communication device, the second communication device) can also be chips, chip systems, or processors that support the implementation of this method on the device, or logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the device.

[0160] As a general statement, the message or signaling interactions involved in the interaction process of this application embodiment can be standard messages or signaling or newly introduced messages or signaling. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0161] Figure 3 shows an exemplary flowchart of beam management provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, it includes at least the following steps:

[0162] Step 10: The second communication device triggers beam prediction (or triggers a prediction process based on sensing measurement signals).

[0163] The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the triggering conditions for beam prediction.

[0164] Optionally, as a possible implementation, sensing-assisted beam prediction is triggered when the beam quality does not meet the quality of service (QoS). That is, a decrease in beam quality can trigger the sensing-assisted beam prediction process. Here, the first communication device may be in RRC connected state.

[0165] This application does not specify the specific factors that cause beam quality degradation. For example, due to the high mobility of the first communication device, the time delay for measuring all communication beams one by one is large, or there are obstacles blocking the communication link, obstructing the line of sight (LOS) path, resulting in the beam quality not meeting the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements.

[0166] Alternatively, as another possible embodiment, the application layer of the sensing network element in the network triggers the sensing beam prediction process. For example, the application layer of the sensing network element or device in the core network triggers the sensing beam prediction process. Another example is when the communication signal quality between the first and second communication devices is poor, making collaborative sensing impossible, or when there is no reliable connection; in this case, the beam prediction process can be triggered.

[0167] It should be understood that step 10 is described using the second communication device as an example, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, in some cases, the first communication device can also trigger beam prediction.

[0168] Optionally, beam quality can be evaluated by assessing the link quality in both the communication link and the sensing link to determine whether the beam quality meets QoS requirements.

[0169] Alternatively, as a possible implementation, beam quality can be described by multiple sets of conditions: beam quality satisfies condition A, beam quality satisfies condition B, and beam quality satisfies condition C. In some embodiments, beam quality can be evaluated using two dimensions: communication link quality and sensing link quality.

[0170] Optionally, beam quality meeting condition A includes: the communication link quality meeting communication requirements, and the sensing link quality meeting sensing performance requirements. For example, the communication link quality meeting communication requirements includes: the value used to characterize the communication link quality (e.g., block error rate (BLER)) being higher than a first threshold; the sensing link quality meeting sensing performance requirements includes: the value used to characterize the sensing link quality (e.g., normalized mean square error (NMSE)) being higher than a second threshold; in this case, the communication link quality degrades but still supports lower data rate transmission, while the sensing link quality meets sensing accuracy requirements.

[0171] Optionally, beam quality meeting condition B includes: the communication link quality not meeting communication requirements, but the sensing link quality meeting sensing performance requirements. For example, the communication link quality not meeting communication requirements includes: the value used to characterize the communication link quality (such as the block error rate BLER) is higher than the third threshold (optionally, the third threshold is greater than the first threshold); the sensing link quality meeting sensing performance requirements includes: the value used to characterize the sensing link quality (such as the root mean square error NMSE) is higher than the sixth threshold; in this case, the communication link quality does not meet communication requirements, but the sensing link quality meets sensing accuracy requirements.

[0172] Optionally, beam quality satisfying condition C includes situations where both communication link quality and sensing link quality fail to meet quality requirements. For example, the value characterizing communication link quality (e.g., BLER) is greater than a fourth threshold, and the value characterizing sensing link quality (e.g., NMSE) is greater than a fifth threshold. Optionally, the fourth threshold is greater than the third threshold. Optionally, the fifth threshold is greater than the second threshold and / or the sixth threshold.

[0173] It should be understood that the above description of beam quality is merely an example, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the evaluation metrics for the link in the above example can also use other metrics or factors. Furthermore, beam quality requirements can include other conditional representations, such as RSRP, RSSI, SNR, SINR, etc.

[0174] It should be noted that for different link qualities, the communication device (the first communication device or the second communication device) can select different sensing modes.

[0175] For example, when the beam quality meets condition A, the communication device supports a self-transmitting and other-receiving sensing mode, and can feed back the sensing signal processing results through the uplink communication link.

[0176] For example, when the beam quality meets condition B, the communication equipment preferentially supports the self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode. This is because the communication link quality is relatively poor in this case, making it difficult to feed back the processing results of the sensed signal to the transmitting end. Of course, if the receiving end has strong sensed signal processing capabilities, it can support the self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode.

[0177] For example, when the beam quality meets condition C, the communication device adopts a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode. This is because, in this case, both the sensing link and the communication link have relatively poor quality, and the receiver cannot estimate high-precision sensing results.

[0178] In some embodiments, when the second communication device triggers beam prediction, it may send a sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device so that the first communication device can execute the relevant sensing measurement configuration based on the sensing measurement configuration.

[0179] Optionally, in step 11, the second communication device sends a sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device. The sensing measurement configuration is used to configure configuration information related to sensing measurements.

[0180] It should be understood that step 11 is optional, meaning that in some cases, the second communication device may not send the sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device. For example, the second communication device may use a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode.

[0181] It should also be understood that the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the order of steps 10 and 11.

[0182] Optionally, the sensing measurement configuration can be predefined or configured by the second communication device to the first communication device, without specific limitations.

[0183] For example, the sensing and measurement configuration is predefined by the protocol. That is, the communication device can use the sensing and measurement configuration agreed upon by the protocol. Of course, the example here is only one example, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For another example, the sensing and measurement configuration can be specified by the communication device manufacturer, defined by the communication operator, pre-installed in the communication device at the factory, or agreed upon in advance in other ways.

[0184] This application does not specifically limit the information included in the sensing measurement configuration. Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing measurement configuration includes one or more of the following: 1) sensing mode, 2) sensing measurement signal, 3) sensing measurement quantity, 4) sensing resource configuration, 5) prediction mode, 6) beam prediction frequency, 7) measurement gap, etc.

[0185] Among them, 1) Sensing mode refers to the mode adopted by the communication device in managing the beam based on sensing signals, or the mode adopted by the communication device in sending sensing measurement signals.

[0186] Sensing modes include self-transmitting and self-receiving modes and self-transmitting-and-receiving-other-receiving modes. Taking the sensing measurement signal as an example, self-transmitting and self-receiving mode can be understood as the communication device sending the sensing signal itself and receiving the echo signal of that sensing signal. Self-transmitting-and-receiving mode can be understood as the communication device sending the sensing signal only to another communication device, without receiving the echo signal of that signal; that is, the other communication device receives the signal of the sensing signal sent by the first communication device after it has passed through the wireless channel.

[0187] 2) The sensing measurement signal is used for sensing measurement. The sensing measurement signal may include sensing signals or integrated sensing and communication signals. For example, if a sensing signal is used, the communication device uses the waveform corresponding to the sensing signal. If an integrated sensing and communication signal is used, the communication device uses the waveform corresponding to the integrated sensing and communication signal.

[0188] Among them, 3) the sensing measurement quantities include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: location information of the first communication device; obstacle information of the sensing link; channel environment imaging information, etc. The location information is used to indicate the movement information of the sensing target.

[0189] For example, the UE's position information includes distance, velocity, and angle domain information. The distance, velocity, and angle domain information are obtained by performing a three-dimensional fast Fourier transform (3D-FFT) on the received echo signal.

[0190] For example, obstacle information in the sensing link includes radar cross-section (RCS). RCS is a physical quantity representing the intensity of the echo signal generated by a sensed target under radar illumination. RCS characterizes the ratio of the transmitted signal to the echo signal and can be used to represent the hypothetical area of ​​the sensed target.

[0191] For example, channel environment imaging includes the radar cross-section of different sensing beams passing through scatterers, scatterer distribution, angle of arrival, angle of departure, round-trip time, RSSI of each scatterer, etc. The angle of departure or angle of arrival is used to indicate the angle of a signal (e.g., a transmitted or received signal) relative to the device antenna. A scatterer is an object or target that can reflect or scatter sensing signals.

[0192] 4) Sensing resource configuration includes time-frequency domain configuration of sensing signals, or time-frequency domain configuration of integrated sensing and communication signals. This application does not limit the dimension or granularity of sensing resource configuration. Sensing resources can be time-domain configuration resources, frequency-domain configuration resources, or time-frequency domain resources.

[0193] Optionally, the sensing signals are configured with equal intervals in the time domain. For example, one sensing time slot is configured every n time slots in the time domain. Or, one sensing time slot is configured every m OFDM symbols in the time domain. It should be understood that the granularity of time domain resources described here is only an example, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0194] Optionally, the sensing signals are configured with equal intervals in the frequency domain. For example, one sensing resource block is configured every e resource blocks (RBs) in the frequency domain. Or, one sensing PRB is configured every f PRBs in the frequency domain, and so on. It is understood that the granularity of frequency domain resources described here is only an example, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0195] Optionally, the sensing signals are configured with equal intervals on the time-frequency resources. For example, one sensing resource unit is configured every i time-frequency resource units. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the granularity of the smallest resource unit of the time-frequency resource units.

[0196] Optionally, in one implementation, the resource allocation density of sensing resources can be related to the movement speed of communication devices or other factors (such as the number of communication devices). For example, if the movement speed of the UE increases, the deployment density of sensing resources will also increase. Similarly, if the number of communication devices in the system increases, the deployment density of sensing resources will also increase.

[0197] Among them, 5) the prediction modes include periodic prediction mode and single prediction mode. Periodic prediction mode can be understood as a mode that performs beam prediction according to a preset period. Single prediction mode can be understood as a mode that performs beam prediction according to a preset start time and end time.

[0198] Optionally, for periodic prediction modes, the sensing measurement configuration also includes a preset period and duration.

[0199] Optionally, for single-shot prediction mode, the sensing measurement configuration also includes the start and end times of the prediction beam. Optionally, the start and end times of the prediction beam specify the usage time of the prediction beam.

[0200] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the prediction mode is a single-prediction mode during the initialization phase. When the number of single predictions within a preset time period exceeds a preset threshold, it can be switched to periodic prediction.

[0201] Among them, 6) beam prediction frequency is used to define or specify the time interval or beam spacing between two adjacent predicted beams. For example, the beam prediction frequency is selected to predict one beam every H milliseconds. Or, the beam prediction frequency is selected to predict one beam every J consecutive beams. This application does not specify the value of H or J.

[0202] 7) Measurement gap is used to define or specify the time interval for sensing measurements. Within the measurement gap, sensing signals or integrated sensing-communication signals are transmitted between the first and second communication devices. In other words, the measurement gap defines how often a sensing measurement is performed.

[0203] Different examples of sensing measurement configurations have been described above in conjunction with 1) through 7). It is to be understood that the above description does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0204] In the case where the sensing and measurement configuration is configured by the second communication device to the first communication device, the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the message or signaling in which the sensing and measurement configuration is located.

[0205] For example, as shown in FIG4A, in step 301, the second communication device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the first communication device, the RRC reconfiguration message including the sensing measurement configuration; in step 302, after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the first communication device sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the second communication device.

[0206] Optionally, the sensing measurement configuration can be predefined by the protocol. The first communication device and the second communication device can use the predefined sensing measurement configuration during initial connection or initial random access. The sensing measurement configuration can be adjusted or reconfigured subsequently based on the mobility of the communication devices or other conditions.

[0207] Optionally, the second communication device determines the sensing measurement configuration based on one or more of the following: the sensing capability of the first communication device, the mobility of the first communication device, and the beam quality.

[0208] The sensing capability of the first communication device can be reported by the first communication device to the second communication device. Optionally, before step 11, the method further includes: the first communication device and the second communication device performing a sensing capability reporting process.

[0209] For example, Figure 4B illustrates the reporting process of sensing capabilities according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4B, in step 201, the second communication device sends a sensing capability query request to the first communication device to query the sensing capabilities of the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the sensing capability query request.

[0210] Step 202: The first communication device sends sensing capability information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the sensing capability information.

[0211] Optionally, the sensing capability information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a sensing capability indicator bit of the first communication device, a sensing waveform supported by the first communication device, the maximum sensing bandwidth supported by the first communication device, a guard interval, a maximum time domain duration, and the number of antennas.

[0212] The sensing capability indicator bit of the first communication device is used to indicate whether the first communication device supports sensing capabilities. The sensing capability indicator bit can be used to directly indicate or explicitly indicate whether the first communication device supports sensing capabilities.

[0213] The sensing waveforms supported by the first communication device are used to indicate the supported waveform types, such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW), Orthogonal Time-Frequency Spatial Communication (OTFS), Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and pulse signals. The sensing waveforms can indicate whether the first communication device supports sensing capabilities. For example, if the first communication device displays a waveform corresponding to sensing capabilities, then it indicates that the first communication device supports sensing capabilities.

[0214] The maximum sensing bandwidth supported by the first communication device is used to characterize the sensing capability of the first communication device. For example, the larger the bandwidth of the sensing signal, the higher the distance resolution and the higher the positioning accuracy, the better the sensing capability of the communication device.

[0215] The guard interval is a time interval used to prevent interference between the sensed signal and other signals.

[0216] The maximum time-domain duration is related to the maximum distance sensed by the first communication device. The longer the duration of the sensed signal and the shorter the wavelength, the higher the velocity resolution and the higher the velocity measurement accuracy.

[0217] The number of antennas is related to the angular resolution sensed by the first communication device. The larger the antenna aperture for sensing the signal and the shorter the wavelength, the higher the angular resolution and the higher the angular measurement accuracy.

[0218] It is understandable that the sensing capability of a primary communication device is evaluated through parameters such as resolution and positioning accuracy, and is determined by the bandwidth, duration, SNR, antenna aperture, and wavelength of the sensing signal. Among these, a higher SNR generally indicates better performance.

[0219] The mobility of the first communication device may include information such as the speed and direction of movement of the first communication device. Optionally, the speed and direction of movement of the first communication device can be obtained by measuring the positioning reference signal (PRS) and the signaling reference signal (SRS).

[0220] The beam quality may include the current beam quality information reported by the first communication device. In some embodiments, when beam prediction is triggered, the first communication device reports its moving speed, direction, and current beam quality information via the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). The beam quality information can be represented by one or more of the following metrics: RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, SINR, SNR, etc. Optionally, the beam quality information can be represented by the BLER over a preset time period. For example, when the BLER of the link corresponding to the beam (communication link or sensing link) is greater than a preset threshold, the link quality can be considered very poor, i.e., the beam is ineffective.

[0221] Furthermore, if the first communication device has sensing capabilities, the second communication device supports a sensing mode that allows for both self-transmission and external reception.

[0222] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the sensing mode in the sensing measurement configuration can be determined based on the sensing capability and beam quality of the first communication device.

[0223] For example, if the UE has sensing capability and the beam quality meets condition A, a self-transmitting and UE-receiving sensing mode is adopted, i.e., the access network device transmits and the UE receives. This approach is easier to implement in the system and has lower costs. A description of beam quality meeting condition A can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0224] It should be understood that the specific values ​​of the first or second threshold involved in beam quality satisfaction condition A can be selected based on actual needs, and the embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0225] For example, if the UE has sensing capability and the beam quality meets condition B, a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode is adopted, i.e., the access network device transmits and the access network device receives. The advantage of self-transmitting and self-receiving is that no interaction process is required, which helps to save interaction overhead. Optionally, a beam prediction scheme on the UE side can also be adopted, i.e., a sensing mode in which the access network device transmits and the UE receives. The description of beam quality meeting condition B can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0226] It should be understood that the specific values ​​of the third or sixth threshold involved in beam quality satisfaction condition B can be selected based on actual needs, and the embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0227] For example, when the beam quality meets condition C, a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode is adopted. Furthermore, the entity performing the self-transmitting and self-receiving is not limited here; it can be either the UE transmitting and receiving, or the access network device transmitting and receiving. A description of the beam quality meeting condition C can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0228] It should be understood that the specific values ​​of the fourth or fifth threshold involved in beam quality satisfaction condition C can be selected based on actual needs, and the embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0229] In the embodiments of this application, both the first communication device and the second communication device can perform beam prediction (i.e., determine the set of available beams). Furthermore, both can adopt a self-transmitting and self-receiving or self-transmitting and receiving sensing mode.

[0230] Optionally, in step 12-1, the second communication device performs beam prediction based on the sensing signal or the integrated sensing and communication signal.

[0231] In some embodiments, the second communication device can determine the set of beams used for sensing measurements, i.e., the set of beams used for sensing measurements, based on the mobility and location information of the first communication device. For example, the access network device determines the candidate set of sensing measurement beams for the UE at the sensing beam prediction time based on the UE's location information, movement speed, and movement direction information.

[0232] Optionally, the location information of the first communication device can be determined by measuring and reporting RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and SNR to determine the approximate distance, and by using the beam index of the second communication device and the beam index of the first communication device to determine the approximate direction of the UE. Thus, the location information of the first communication device is determined based on the approximate distance and approximate direction. Optionally, the location information of the first communication device can also be obtained by measuring the positioning reference signal PRS and the detection reference signal SRS.

[0233] In some embodiments, based on the location information, moving speed, and moving direction of the first communication device, the trajectory of the first communication device over a future period of time can be determined. This determines a set of candidate sensing measurement beams, i.e., a candidate sensing measurement beam set.

[0234] Optionally, in step 12-2, the first communication device performs beam prediction based on the sensing signal or the integrated sensing and communication signal.

[0235] For example, the first communication device determines the predicted beam based on the sensing measurement results. Alternatively, the first communication device sends the sensing measurement results to the second communication device, or processes the sensing measurement results to enable the second communication device to determine the predicted beam.

[0236] In other words, the first communication device can directly report the received sensing measurement results to the second communication device. Alternatively, the second communication device can perform further calculations based on the received sensing measurement results to obtain a processed result, which can then be used to determine the predicted beam. The aforementioned sensing measurement results refer to those obtained through direct measurement without further processing.

[0237] The following describes the process by which the first communication device reports measurement results or processed results, using specific examples.

[0238] Taking the second communication device using a self-transmitting and receiving sensing mode as an example, the steps include:

[0239] Step a: The second communication device and the first communication device cooperate to perform sensing. For example, the second communication device sends sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device.

[0240] Step b: The second communication device sends a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal based on the sensing measurement configuration.

[0241] Step c: The first communication device receives the echo signal based on the sensing measurement configuration.

[0242] Step d: The first communication device demodulates the echo signal to obtain the sensing measurement results.

[0243] In other words, the first communication device can obtain the sensing measurement results by demodulating the echo signal.

[0244] The sensing measurement results can be understood as the results obtained by demodulating the echo signal without further processing. For example, the first communication device demodulates the range domain information, velocity domain information, and angle domain information of the first communication device from the echo signal, thereby determining the precise position and moving speed of the first communication device, and thereby predicting the angle, power, and beamwidth of the beam accordingly.

[0245] For example, when there is an obstacle blocking the sensing link, the first communication device can use the echo signal to identify the obstacle and determine the coverage area of ​​the obstacle; thereby corresponding to the angle, power, and beamwidth of the unavailable predicted beam.

[0246] For example, the first communication device demodulates the echo signal to sense the distribution of scatterers corresponding to the beam and the parameters of each scatterer, thereby determining the propagation path of the available predicted beam.

[0247] Furthermore, the first communication device can process the sensing measurement results to obtain the processed results. Optionally, the first communication device determines Channel State Information (CSI) based on the sensing measurement results. For example, using traditional signal processing algorithms or AI algorithms, the sensing measurement results are mapped to the RSRP and SINR indices of the wireless channels of multiple communication beams to identify or exclude communication beams. The communication beams are indicated by beam indices.

[0248] Optionally, in step e, the first communication device reports the sensing measurement result, or the result after processing the sensing measurement result, to the second communication device.

[0249] For example, the first communication device reports the sensing measurement results to the second communication device.

[0250] For example, the first communication device reports Channel State Information (CSI) to the second communication device.

[0251] For example, the first communication device reports the communication beam index and the corresponding communication beam quality to the second communication device. In this way, the second communication device does not need to further process the sensing measurement results, and can directly use the communication beam index and the corresponding communication beam quality to perform beam prediction.

[0252] For information on the sensory measurement results and the processed results, please refer to the description above.

[0253] It is understood that step e is an optional step. For example, the first communication device may not report the measurement results (such as sensing measurement results, or the result after processing the sensing measurement results) to the second communication device, but instead the first communication device may use resource prediction beams.

[0254] Optionally, in step f, the second communication device determines the predicted beam (e.g., obtains a set of predicted beams) based on the sensing measurement results or the result after processing the sensing measurement results.

[0255] For example, when a sensing measurement result is received, the second communication device can process the sensing measurement result to obtain a processed result. The specific processing method can be found in the preceding description and will not be repeated here.

[0256] For clarity, regardless of whether the first or second communication device determines the predicted beam, this application does not specifically limit the algorithm used for beam prediction. In some embodiments, the communication device performs beam prediction based on a prediction algorithm (such as extended Kalman filtering), a Bayesian estimation algorithm, an artificial intelligence algorithm (such as deep learning), or a machine learning algorithm, etc.

[0257] It is understandable that the predicted beam can be in the form of beam pairs, that is, each beam pair includes a transmit beam and a receive beam.

[0258] In some embodiments, a first communication device or a second communication device determines a predicted beampair set, which includes multiple beampairs. Each beampair has a corresponding beampair indicator and / or time indicator. The beampair indicator indicates the beam index (or beam ID) used by the transmit and receive beams. The time indicator can be understood as the effective time of the beam, or the time when the predicted beampair was used.

[0259] Step 13: The first or second communication device performs beam switching.

[0260] In some embodiments, the second communication device may send predicted beam indication information to the first communication device. The first communication device performs beam switching based on the predicted beam indication information.

[0261] This application does not specifically limit the time granularity of beam switching. For example, the second communication device switches based on a predefined time interval (e.g., a time slot-level time interval, or an OFDM symbol-level time interval). That is, the second communication device instructs the switching of the predicted beam at the predefined time interval by using predicted beam indication information.

[0262] In some embodiments, the predicted beam indication information includes a predicted beam index and / or a predicted beam indication bit. For example, the predicted beam indication bit may occupy 1 bit, indicating that the beam is a predicted beam, which can be used for subsequent predicted beam monitoring.

[0263] This application does not specifically limit the message or signaling carried by the predicted beam indication information, or the activation method. In some embodiments, the predicted beam indication information is carried in an RRC-based Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI), or carried in an RRC layer configuration, or activated by a Medium Access Control Element (MAC CE), or activated by a Downlink Control Indication (DCI) of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0264] For further details on beam switching, please refer to the relevant standard protocols; they will not be elaborated upon here.

[0265] Of course, beam failures can occur in practice. For example, if a predicted beam cannot meet communication requirements, the first communication device considers the predicted beam to be failed. This application does not specifically limit the method for determining predicted beam failure; for example, if the BLER of the measured signal quality is greater than a second threshold, the predicted beam can be considered to be failed.

[0266] Optionally, in the event of a predicted beam failure, the first communication device reports the predicted beam failure result to the second communication device. Upon receiving the predicted beam failure result, the second communication device starts a counter to count the number of predicted beam failures. When the number of beam failures exceeds a preset threshold within a preset time period, the second communication device terminates the beam prediction process, i.e., exits the beam prediction mode. Optionally, the first and / or second communication devices will use conventional beam scanning to determine the beam pair. Alternatively, the first communication device will re-perform the beam recovery process or a random access process.

[0267] Taking a UE as the first communication device and an access network device as the second communication device as an example, the UE and the access network device can communicate by establishing an RRC connection. However, during initial access, an RRC connection has not yet been established between the UE and the access network device. It should be noted that the method of this application embodiment is applicable regardless of whether it is during initial access, when the UE and the access network device have already established an RRC connection, or even when beam recovery is being performed after beam failure.

[0268] The following will describe in detail the process of beam management based on sensing beams, depending on the different connection states or application scenarios of the first and second communication devices.

[0269] Application Scenario 1

[0270] The first communication device and the second communication device did not establish an RRC connection. This application embodiment introduces a sensing resource set during random access to perform beam management.

[0271] For example, in application scenario 1, the UE does not establish an RRC connection. In this case, the access network device cannot configure sensing resources via RRC.

[0272] Figure 5A illustrates an example interaction diagram of the beam management process during random access according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5A, it includes at least the following steps:

[0273] Step 601: The second communication device sends a synchronization signal block (e.g., SSB signaling) to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the synchronization signal block.

[0274] In the embodiments of this application, taking SSB as an example, SSB corresponds to the same set of uplink random access sensing resources, that is, there is a correspondence between SSB and a set of uplink random access sensing resources.

[0275] The uplink random access sensing resource set is used to determine a subset of available uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, wherein the subset of available uplink random access beams includes one or more beams, or to determine a subset of unavailable uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, wherein the subset of unavailable uplink random access beams includes one or more beams.

[0276] Optionally, the uplink random access sensing resource set consists of a group of sensing resources, or in other words, the sensing resource set includes one or more sensing resources. Each sensing resource corresponds to a sensing beam.

[0277] It should be noted that this description only illustrates the correspondence between the SSB and the newly added uplink random access sensing resource set, and the embodiments of this application are not limited to this. For example, the uplink random access sensing resource set can also be carried in the newly added message or signaling.

[0278] Of course, the SSB in this embodiment can also have the original function or purpose of the SSB (refer to the relevant standard protocols for details). The SSB corresponds to the uplink random access beam set, or in other words, to the uplink random access pilot (preamble) resource set. For example, the SSB indicates the uplink random access time and the uplink random access pilot (preamble) resource set. The uplink random access pilot resource set consists of a set of uplink random access resources, and each random access resource corresponds to one uplink beam.

[0279] Specifically, by detecting the system information corresponding to the SSB, the first communication device can obtain not only uplink random access resources but also the aforementioned set of sensing resources for uplink random access. Optionally, the uplink random access resources include the timing (or opportunity) of uplink random access and pilot resources.

[0280] Step 602: The second communication device sends system information to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the system information. For a description of the system information, please refer to the description in the random access procedure; it will not be repeated here.

[0281] It should be noted that the sensing resources need to be obtained through system information. The sensing resources can be obtained through steps 601 and 602.

[0282] Step 603: The first communication device acquires sensing resources based on the SSB and system information.

[0283] For example, the first communication device can obtain sensing resources and uplink random access resources based on SSB and system information.

[0284] In this embodiment, the first communication device initiates a random access procedure based on the uplink random access time, the uplink random access pilot resource set, and the uplink random access sensing resource set allocated by the second communication device.

[0285] In step 604, the first communication device sends message 1 (Msg1) to the second communication device and transmits a sensing beam using sensing resources. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives message 1 and the sensing beam.

[0286] Msg1 can be understood as a random access request message. For example, the pilot resource for uplink random access can be Msg1. The first communication device sends a random access pilot to the second communication device. Simultaneously, the first communication device can also send a sensing beam based on sensing resources.

[0287] Step 605: The second communication device determines the uplink beam based on the sensed beam (or performs beam prediction).

[0288] After receiving the sensing beam, the second communication device can obtain the channel state information of the sensing link from the sensing beam. Based on the channel state information of the sensing link, the second communication device can determine the beam information used by subsequent message 3 (message3, Msg3) and message 4 (message4, Msg4), thereby realizing beam prediction.

[0289] For example, based on the sensing measurement results of the sensing beam, the second communication device determines that a certain uplink random access pilot resource is more suitable as the beam for the first communication device to perform uplink random access, or determines that a certain uplink random access pilot resource is not suitable as the beam for the first communication device to perform uplink random access. In this way, during subsequent random access, the available uplink random access beam is used, and the unavailable uplink random access beam is not used.

[0290] Step 606: The second communication device sends message 2 (message2, Msg2) to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives message 2. Msg2 can be understood as a random access confirmation message.

[0291] Optionally, message 2 may include beam information used in subsequent Msg3 and Msg4. For example, message 2 may include beam indication.

[0292] Alternatively, step 606 can be replaced by: the second communication device sending message 2 and beam indication to the first communication device.

[0293] Optionally, if the second communication device does not find a suitable beam pair based on the sensing measurement results of the sensing beam, it will not feed back Msg2.

[0294] Step 607: The first communication device sends Msg3 to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives Msg3.

[0295] Msg3 can be understood as a random access completion message. Optionally, the first communication device sends an RRC request via message 3 based on the beam information fed back by the second communication device. The RRC request is used to request the establishment of an RRC connection. For example, the RRC request message is an RRCSetupRequest message.

[0296] Step 608: The second communication device sends Msg4 to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives Msg4.

[0297] Msg4 can be understood as a random access completion confirmation message. For example, when the second communication device sends Msg4, it uses the same beam as Msg3 to send a contention resolution message, thereby completing the random access process.

[0298] Steps 604 to 606 above can be described as the first communication device adopting a self-transmitting and receiving sensing mode, which can be named Case 1.

[0299] Optionally, the first communication device may employ a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode for beam prediction. The following description is in conjunction with Case 2 shown in Figure 5B (e.g., steps 704 to 707 shown in Figure 5B).

[0300] Figure 5B illustrates another exemplary interaction diagram of the beam management process during random access in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5B, it includes at least the following steps:

[0301] Steps 701 to 703; the relevant descriptions of steps 701 to 703 can be referred to the descriptions of steps 601 to 603 above, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0302] Step 704: The first communication device uses sensing resources to perform sensing based on the self-transmitting and self-receiving mode and obtains the second sensing measurement result.

[0303] For example, the first communication device's sensing based on a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode includes: the first communication device using sensing resources to transmit a sensing signal (or sensing beam, also known as a sensing beam transmission wave), and receiving the echo signal (or sensing beam echo) of the sensing signal. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the object to which the first communication device transmits the sensing signal.

[0304] Step 705: The first communication device predicts the beam based on the second sensing measurement results (e.g., determines an available subset of uplink random access beams, or determines an unavailable subset of uplink random access beams) and selects a random access pilot (or uplink random access beam).

[0305] Step 706: The first communication device sends Msg1 to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives Msg1.

[0306] Step 707: The second communication device sends Msg2 to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives Msg2.

[0307] This application does not specify a particular order for transmitting the sensing beam and the uplink random access pilot (or Msg1). Figure 5B illustrates an example where the sensing beam is transmitted first, followed by message 1 (Msg1) (or the random access pilot), but this application is not limited to this. For example, the transmission order of the sensing beam and the uplink random access pilot (or beam) could be as follows: first, the sensing beam is transmitted; then, a subset of uplink random access pilots (or a subset of available uplink random access beams) is determined; and then the uplink random access pilots are transmitted.

[0308] Alternatively, for example, the sensing beam can be transmitted in the uplink random access pilot. Since the sensing beam can be used by the first communication device to calculate the sensing measurement results without needing Msg2 feedback from the second communication device, the first communication device can obtain a subset of usable uplink random access pilots (or a subset of usable uplink random access beams) or a subset of unusable uplink random access pilots (or a subset of unusable uplink random access beams) based on the sensing measurement results.

[0309] Step 708: The first communication device sends Msg3 to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives Msg3.

[0310] Step 709: The second communication device sends Msg4 to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives Msg4.

[0311] In the process shown in Figure 5B, the first communication device, based on the sensing resources configured by the second communication device, adopts a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode to receive and process the sensing signals.

[0312] It should be understood that steps 708 and 709 shown in Figure 5B can be referred to the description in the random access process, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0313] In summary, based on the process shown in Figure 5A or Figure 5B, beam prediction can be performed using sensing signals during random access.

[0314] Application Scenario 2

[0315] The first communication device and the second communication device have established an RRC connection. In other words, the first communication device is in RRC connected state (RRC_CONNECTED). For example, in application scenario 1, an RRC connection has been established between the UE and the access network device.

[0316] For application scenario 2, when the communication device (such as the first or second communication device) has sensing capabilities, the communication device can perform beam prediction. The following describes different situations with reference to Figures 6A and 7.

[0317] Optionally, as an embodiment, both the first and second communication devices have sensing capabilities, and the beam prediction process is performed by the second communication device. Figure 6A shows an interactive example diagram of an embodiment of this application. In Figure 6A, the second communication device performs beam prediction using a self-transmitting and receiving sensing mode. As shown in Figure 6A, at least the following steps are included:

[0318] Step 300: The first communication device and the second communication device perform the sensing capability reporting process.

[0319] For the reporting process of perception capabilities, please refer to the description in Figure 4B above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0320] Step 301: The second communication device determines the sensing measurement configuration based on its sensing capabilities.

[0321] For the configuration of sensing and measurement, please refer to the description of step 11 in Figure 3 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0322] Step 302: The second communication device sends the sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the sensing measurement configuration.

[0323] Step 303: The second communication device triggers the beam prediction process.

[0324] For details on triggering beam prediction, please refer to the description of step 10 in Figure 3 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0325] Step 304: The second communication device sends a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the sensing signal or the sensing-communication integrated signal.

[0326] Step 305: The first communication device sends the sensing signal processing result to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the sensing signal processing result.

[0327] The result of sensing signal processing can be understood as the result of processing the sensing measurement results. For details on the sensing measurement results and the results after processing them, please refer to the previous descriptions; for the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0328] It should be understood that this description uses the result of sensing signal processing as an example, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the first communication device may also send the sensing measurement result to the second communication device, and the second communication device may process the sensing measurement result.

[0329] Step 306: The second communication device performs beam prediction (or performs communication beam pair prediction).

[0330] For example, the second communication device performs beam prediction based on the sensing signal processing result in step 305. The description of the second communication device performing beam prediction can be found in step 13 of Figure 3 above; for brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0331] Step 307: The second communication device sends predicted beam indication information to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the predicted beam indication information.

[0332] The description of the predicted beam indication information can be found in step 13 above, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity. For example, the predicted beam indication information includes the predicted beam index and / or the predicted beam indication bit.

[0333] For example, the second communication device sends relevant information about the predicted beam to the first communication device, such as the index of the predicted beam.

[0334] Step 308-1: The first communication device switches the predicted beam.

[0335] For example, the first communication device performs beam switching based on the predicted beam indication information sent by the second communication device, or in other words, switches the current beam to the predicted beam.

[0336] Optionally, in step 308-2, the first communication device evaluates the quality of the predicted beam.

[0337] In other words, the first communication device can assess the quality of the predicted beam, or measure the predicted beam. If the quality of the predicted beam meets the requirements, subsequent operations can be performed using the predicted beam that meets the requirements; if the quality of the predicted beam does not meet the requirements, beam failure information can be reported to the second communication device. Evaluation metrics for beam quality can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0338] Optionally, in step 309, the first communication device sends failure information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the failure information.

[0339] In other words, when the first communication device determines that the predicted beam does not meet the quality requirements, it can report failure information to the second communication device. The failure information is used to indicate the failed predicted beam. For example, the failure information includes the index of the failed predicted beam and / or the beam quality of the failed predicted beam.

[0340] Optionally, in step 310, the second communication device statistically predicts the beam failure results and determines whether to terminate beam prediction.

[0341] For example, after receiving the failure information reported by the first communication device, the second communication device can start a counter to count the failure results. If the counted result exceeds a preset threshold, the beam prediction process is terminated. After terminating the prediction process, the first communication device switches the predicted beam to a non-predicted beam. Optionally, the first communication device can initiate random access (e.g., the process in application scenario 2 above) or a beam failure recovery process (e.g., the process in subsequent application scenario 3).

[0342] Based on the interaction process shown in Figure 6A, the second communication device can realize a beam prediction process that is self-transmitting and self-receiving.

[0343] This application does not specifically limit the entity performing beam prediction in its embodiments. Optionally, as one embodiment, both the first communication device and the second communication device have sensing capabilities, and the beam prediction process is performed by the first communication device. The following description is in conjunction with FIG6B. As shown in FIG6B, it includes at least the following steps:

[0344] Step 500: The first communication device and the second communication device perform the sensing capability reporting process.

[0345] Step 501: The second communication device determines the sensing measurement configuration based on its sensing capabilities.

[0346] Step 502: The second communication device sends the sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the sensing measurement configuration.

[0347] Step 503: The second communication device triggers the beam prediction process.

[0348] Step 504: The second communication device sends a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the sensing signal or the sensing-communication integrated signal.

[0349] Optionally, in step 505, the first communication device sends the sensing signal processing result to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the sensing signal processing result.

[0350] When the first communication device performs beam prediction, it may choose not to report the sensing signal processing results to the second communication device, or it may report the sensing signal processing results; there is no specific limitation on this.

[0351] For steps 500 to 505, please refer to the description of steps 300 to 305 in Figure 6A above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0352] Step 506: The first communication device performs beam prediction (or performs communication beam pair prediction). The difference here from Figure 6A is that the beam prediction process is performed by the first communication device, not the second communication device.

[0353] Step 507: The first communication device sends predicted beam indication information (including beam prediction indication and / or predicted beam) to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the predicted beam indication information.

[0354] In other words, after performing beam prediction, the first communication device can also inform the second communication device of the predicted beam.

[0355] Step 508-1: The first communication device switches the predicted beam.

[0356] Optionally, in step 508-2, the first communication device evaluates the quality of the predicted beam.

[0357] Optionally, in step 509, the first communication device sends failure information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the failure information.

[0358] Optionally, in step 510, the second communication device statistically analyzes the beam failure results and determines whether to terminate beam prediction.

[0359] For a description of steps 508-1 to 510, please refer to the description of steps 308-1 to 310 in Figure 6A above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0360] Based on the interaction process shown in Figure 6B, the second communication device can realize the sensing beam that is self-transmitted and received by others, and the beam prediction process is performed by the first communication device.

[0361] Optionally, as one embodiment, the first communication device lacks sensing capability (or, due to poor sensing link quality, the first communication device cannot accurately demodulate the sensing signal), while the second communication device possesses sensing capability, and the beam prediction process is performed by the second communication device. Since the beam prediction process is performed by the second communication device itself, the second communication device does not need to send sensing measurement configurations to the first communication device. The following description is in conjunction with Figure 7. In Figure 7, the second communication device performs beam prediction using a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode. As shown in Figure 7, it includes at least the following steps:

[0362] Step 401: The first communication device sends the measurement result to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the measurement result.

[0363] For example, the measurement result can be the measurement result of the communication signal or the communication link, or the measurement result of the current beam quality.

[0364] This application does not specifically limit the form in which the measurement results of the communication link are represented. Exemplarily, the measurement results of the communication link include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, Pre-coding matrix Indication (PMI), Rank Indicator (RI), Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), SNR, SINR, Bit Error Ratio (BER), Block Error Rate (BLER), etc.

[0365] Step 402: The second communication device triggers beam prediction.

[0366] Regarding the triggering conditions for the second communication device to trigger beam prediction, please refer to the description of step 10 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0367] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second communication device triggers beam prediction based on the measurement results in step 401. For example, if the measurement results in step 401 indicate that the communication beam does not meet the quality requirements, the second communication device triggers beam prediction.

[0368] Step 403: The second communication device performs sensing based on the self-transmitting and self-receiving mode and obtains sensing measurement results.

[0369] For example, the second communication device performs sensing based on a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode, including: the second communication device transmitting a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal; and receiving an echo signal.

[0370] Step 404: The second communication device performs beam prediction (or communication beam pair prediction) based on the sensing measurement results in step 403.

[0371] Step 405: The second communication device sends predicted beam indication information to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the predicted beam indication information. Optionally, the predicted beam indication information includes beam prediction indication and / or predicted beam.

[0372] For example, the second communication device sends relevant information about the predicted beam to the first communication device, such as the index of the predicted beam.

[0373] For a description of the predicted beam indication information, please refer to the description in step 13 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0374] Step 406-1: The first communication device switches the predicted beam.

[0375] For example, the first communication device performs beam switching according to the predicted beam indication information sent by the second communication device, switching the current beam to the predicted beam.

[0376] Optionally, in step 406-2, the first communication device evaluates the quality of the predicted beam.

[0377] Optionally, in step 407, the first communication device sends failure information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the failure information.

[0378] Optionally, in step 408, the second communication device statistically analyzes the beam failure results and determines whether to terminate beam prediction.

[0379] For a description of steps 406-1 to 408, please refer to the description of steps 308-1 to 310 in Figure 6A above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0380] Based on the interaction process shown in Figure 7, the second communication device performs sensing based on the self-transmitting and self-receiving mode to execute the beam prediction process.

[0381] It should be understood that Figures 6A and 7 above only show some interaction examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the second communication device can also perform beam prediction process based on the self-transmitting and receiving mode.

[0382] Application Scenario 3

[0383] There is no valid beam pair between the first and second communication devices. The first and second communication devices remain in an RRC connection state. This application provides a solution for beam management assisted by sensing capabilities during the beam failure recovery phase. Since beam recovery requires speed and reliability, introducing sensing beams can narrow the selection range of candidate beams, thereby restoring beam connectivity more quickly.

[0384] Optionally, as one embodiment, the second communication device configures beam failure recovery resources. The first communication device determines candidate beams based on the beam failure recovery resources. That is, the second communication device performs beam measurement and decides on the candidate beams.

[0385] Figure 8 shows an interactive example diagram of an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, it includes at least the following steps:

[0386] Step 801: The first communication device receives beam failure recovery resources.

[0387] Optionally, as an embodiment, the beam failure recovery resource is configured by the second communication device, that is, the second communication device sends it to the first communication device.

[0388] For example, the first communication device and the second communication device are in an RRC connection state, and the second communication device sends a beam failure recovery resource to the first communication device.

[0389] This application does not specifically limit the message or signaling in which the beam failure recovery resource is located. For example, the beam failure recovery resource may be carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0390] Optionally, the beam failure recovery resources include one or more of the following: beam recovery sensing beam set, candidate communication beam set.

[0391] The beam recovery sensing beam set includes one or more beam recovery sensing beams. Measurement results from the beam recovery sensing beam set can be used to determine candidate beam subsets. Candidate beam subsets are subsets of the beam recovery sensing beam set.

[0392] For example, the measurement results of the beam recovery sensing beam set can be used to indicate the candidate beam subset that should be selected, and / or to provide additional channel information to assist the first communication device in determining the candidate beam subset.

[0393] The measurement results of the beam recovery sensing beam set can be used to indicate the candidate beam subset to be selected. This can be understood as follows: by measuring each beam recovery sensing beam, channel state information of multiple corresponding candidate beams can be obtained. The first communication device can determine whether a candidate beam is available through the channel state information of each candidate beam; for available candidate beams, a set of candidate beam subsets can be determined.

[0394] For example, the sensing beam covers a wider beam that includes the directions of multiple candidate beams. By sensing the beam, signal quality measurements (such as SINR, NMSE, and other metrics used to characterize signal quality) can be obtained for each candidate beam. Based on these signal quality measurements, it can be determined whether a candidate beam is suitable for use, which helps reduce the scanning time of the candidate beam.

[0395] For example, the measurement results of the beam recovery sensing beam set can be used to provide additional channel information to assist the first communication device in determining the candidate beam subset. This can be understood as follows: by measuring the sensing measurement results (such as SINR, NMSE, and other indicators used to characterize signal quality) of a set of candidate beams corresponding to the sensing beam, and combining them with the signal quality strength information obtained from the measurement of the candidate communication beams, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms (such as deep learning) are used to obtain more accurate candidate beam quality, thereby improving the evaluation accuracy of the candidate beams.

[0396] It should be understood that the AI ​​algorithms mentioned here are merely illustrative examples, and the specific algorithms used are not limited in this application. For example, beam prediction can also be performed using the algorithms described in step f above, including but not limited to: prediction algorithms (such as extended Kalman filtering), Bayesian estimation algorithms, or machine learning algorithms, etc.

[0397] Step 802: The first communication device performs beam measurement based on beam recovery resources and obtains the measurement results.

[0398] In other words, the first communication device uses beam recovery resources to measure the signal quality of the beam recovery sensing beam, and can use relevant algorithms to obtain the measurement results of the beam recovery sensing beam.

[0399] Step 803: The first communication device determines the candidate beam subset based on the measurement results.

[0400] After obtaining the measurement results of the aforementioned beam recovery sensing beam, a candidate beam subset is selected so that beam recovery can be achieved using the candidate beam subset.

[0401] It should be understood that the sensing mode of the first communication device is not specifically limited here. The first communication device can adopt a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode, or a sensing mode in which the second communication device transmits and the first communication device receives. For the specific interaction process of the sensing mode, please refer to the description in Figures 6A to 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0402] To clarify, some of the above implementation methods may involve the transmission and reception of sensing and communication signals, or the transmission and reception of sensing and communication beams. It's understandable that "signal" and "beam" can be considered definitions at different stages. For example, before beamforming, the sensing signal transmitted by the communication device is a signal concept, not a beam concept; the directional signal generated after beamforming can be named a beam. In other words, a signal with a certain direction can be understood as a beam, or a signal without direction can be understood as a signal.

[0403] The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the transmission method of the sensing beam and the communication beam. For ease of understanding, the sensing beam and the communication beam are described below with examples.

[0404] In some embodiments, there are multiple possible correspondences between the directions of the sensing beam and the communication beam, including at least the following: Case 1, the direction of the sensing beam covers multiple communication beams; Case 2, the beam directions of the sensing beam and the communication beam are different; Case 3, the directions of the sensing beam and the communication beam are the same.

[0405] For example, Figure 9A shows an example diagram of the directional relationship between the sensing beam and the communication beam. In Figure 9A (1), the direction of sensing beam 1 is shown, covering multiple communication beams, namely communication beam 1, communication beam 2, and communication beam 3. In Figure 9A (2), the direction of sensing beam 2 is different from that of the communication beams (such as communication beam 1 and communication beam 3). In Figure 9A (3), the direction of sensing beam 1 and communication beam 1 is the same.

[0406] In some embodiments, the transmission order of the sensing beam and the communication beam can vary. Optionally, the communication device transmits the sensing beam first, and then transmits the communication beam after the sensing beam transmission is complete. Alternatively, the communication device transmits the communication beam first, and then transmits the sensing beam after the communication beam transmission is complete. Alternatively, the communication device transmits the communication beam and the sensing beam alternately. Alternatively, the communication device transmits the communication beam and the sensing beam according to their respective time sequences.

[0407] For example, Figure 9B shows an example diagram of the transmission relationship between the sensing beam and the communication beam. In Figure 9B (1), an example is shown where the sensing beam is transmitted first, followed by the communication beam. In Figure 9B (2), an example is shown where the sensing beam and the communication beam are transmitted in a cross-transmission manner.

[0408] It should be understood that Figure 9A or Figure 9B above are merely illustrative examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0409] To further understand the transmission timing relationship between the sensing beam and the communication beam, the following explanation is provided in conjunction with the sensing mode. Figures 10A and 10B illustrate the time-sharing transmission process of the sensing beam and the communication beam. Figure 11 illustrates the transmission process of the sensing beam and the communication beam based on index values. The communication system shown in Figures 10A to 11 includes a transmitting end and a receiving end. The transmitting end is the device that transmits the sensing signal; the receiving end is the device that receives the sensing signal. It can be understood that the transmitting end and the receiving end can be the aforementioned first communication device and second communication device, respectively, without specific limitations. For example, the transmitting end is the first communication device, and the receiving end is the second communication device. Or, for example, the transmitting end is the second communication device, and the receiving end is the first communication device.

[0410] As shown in Figure 10A, taking the transmitting end as an example, the transmitting end can perform beam prediction using a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode. The method shown in Figure 10A includes at least the following steps:

[0411] Step 901: The transmitting end performs sensing based on the self-transmitting and self-receiving mode and obtains the sensing measurement results.

[0412] For example, the transmitting end sends sensing signals or integrated sensing and communication signals; and receives corresponding echo signals.

[0413] Step 902: The transmitting end determines the candidate beam set based on the sensing measurement results.

[0414] In other words, the transmitting end determines the sensing measurement results by demodulating the echo signal. After obtaining the sensing measurement results, the transmitting end can map the results to a set of candidate beams to obtain a set of available beams, or candidate beams. Of course, if the sensing measurement results determine that a beam is unusable (or does not meet the quality requirements), then a set of unusable beams can be obtained.

[0415] Step 903: The transmitting end selects a communication beam based on the candidate beam set.

[0416] The transmitter can select a communication beam based on the candidate beam set and send the communication beam to the receiver so that the receiver can perform further selection.

[0417] Step 904: The transmitting end sends a communication beam to the receiving end. Correspondingly, the receiving end receives the communication beam.

[0418] Step 905: The receiving end selects the optimal beam based on the quality of the communication beam.

[0419] Step 906: The receiving end sends predicted beam indication information to the transmitting end. Correspondingly, the transmitting end receives the predicted beam indication information.

[0420] In other words, after receiving the communication beam, the receiving end can select the optimal beam based on its quality and perform beam switching. The receiving end sends predicted beam indication information to the transmitting end. The predicted beam indication information can be found in the previous description.

[0421] As shown in Figure 10B, taking the transmitting end as an example, the transmitting end can perform beam prediction using a self-transmitting and other-receiving sensing beam. The method shown in Figure 10B includes at least the following steps:

[0422] Step 1001: The transmitting end sends a sensing signal or a sensing-communication integrated signal to the receiving end. Correspondingly, the receiving end receives the sensing signal or the sensing-communication integrated signal.

[0423] Step 1002: After receiving the sensing signal or the integrated sensing and communication signal, the receiving end determines the sensing measurement result and associates the sensing measurement result with a set of candidate beam sets.

[0424] Step 1003: The receiving end configures the communication beam based on the candidate beam set.

[0425] Step 1004: The receiving end sends a communication beam to the sending end.

[0426] Step 1005: The transmitting end selects the optimal beam based on the quality of the communication beam and performs beam switching.

[0427] In other words, after receiving the communication beam, the transmitting end can select the optimal beam based on the quality of the communication beam and perform beam switching.

[0428] Step 1006: The transmitting end sends predicted beam indication information to the receiving end. Correspondingly, the receiving end receives the predicted beam indication information.

[0429] For the predicted beam indication information, please refer to the relevant description of predicted beam indication information in the previous text.

[0430] The following description, with reference to Figure 11, illustrates the transmission of the sensing beam and communication beam in order of index values. The difference between Figure 11 and the aforementioned Figure 10A or Figure 10B is that Figure 10A and Figure 10B transmit the sensing beam first, followed by the communication beam; in Figure 11, the sensing beam and communication beam are transmitted in order of index values. As shown in Figure 11, at least the following steps are included:

[0431] Step 1101: The receiving end sends the sensing beam and the communication beam in sequence according to the beam index value.

[0432] For example, the order of beam index values ​​is as follows: communication beam 1, sensing beam 2, communication beam 3, sensing beam 4, communication beam 5, communication beam 6, sensing beam 7, ..., etc.

[0433] Step 1102: The transmitting end determines the sensing measurement result based on the sensing beam, and determines the candidate beam set based on the sensing measurement result (that is, the sensing measurement result is matched with a set of candidate beams).

[0434] Step 1103: The transmitting end selects the optimal beam based on the quality of the communication beam and the sensing measurement results.

[0435] In some embodiments, since the sensing beam and communication beam in step 1101 are transmitted in index order, the calculation can be performed after the sensing beam and communication beam have been transmitted to obtain the measurement results of the communication beam and the sensing measurement results, so as to select the optimal beam. After obtaining the optimal beam, the transmitting end can perform beam switching.

[0436] Step 1104: The transmitting end performs beam switching.

[0437] Step 1105: The transmitting end sends the predicted beam indication information to the receiving end. Correspondingly, the receiving end receives the predicted beam indication information. The predicted beam indication information can be found in the previous description.

[0438] It should be noted that Figure 11 is described using the example of beam prediction performed by the transmitting end, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the process in Figure 11 can also be replaced by the process of beam prediction performed by the receiving end.

[0439] It should be understood that Figure 11 is introduced only to illustrate the transmission method of the sensing beam and the communication beam. Transmission can be performed sequentially according to the index values, but the subsequent sensing measurements and the process of beam prediction based on the sensing measurement results are similar to those described above, and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, both the transmitting and receiving ends in Figure 11 can perform beam prediction. There are no specific limitations on the sensing mode used by the transmitting or receiving ends in Figure 11; it can be self-transmitting and self-receiving, or self-transmitting and receiving from another party.

[0440] It should be understood that the various interactive processes shown above are merely exemplary descriptions, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. In fact, the various embodiments described above can be implemented independently or in reasonable combinations, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit them in this regard.

[0441] It should also be understood that the flowcharts or scenario diagrams shown in Figures 1A to 11 are for ease of understanding only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the examples shown. In fact, those skilled in the art can make equivalent transformations based on the examples in Figures 1A to 11 to obtain more implementation methods.

[0442] The communication methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1A to 11. The apparatus embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to Figures 12 to 14. It should be understood that the communication apparatus of the embodiments of this application can execute the various communication methods described in the foregoing embodiments of this application; that is, the specific working processes of the various products described below can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0443] In the embodiments described above, the first communication device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment; the second communication device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application. Moreover, the sequence number of each step does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0444] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1500 may include a communication module 1520. The communication module 1520 can implement corresponding communication functions, which can be internal communication functions of the communication device 1500 or communication functions between the communication device 1500 and other devices. Optionally, the communication module 1520 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver module. Optionally, the communication device 1500 further includes a processing module 1510. The processing module 1510 can implement corresponding processing functions.

[0445] Optionally, the communication device 1500 further includes a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data; the processing module 1510 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 1500 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0446] In one possible design, the communication device 1500 may correspond to the first communication device in the above method embodiments, or to a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the first communication device. The communication device 1500 may be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the first communication device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0447] In one possible design, the communication module 1520 is used to receive sensing measurement signals, which include sensing signals or integrated sensing and communication signals;

[0448] The processing module 1510 is used to obtain a first sensing measurement result based on the sensing measurement signal, wherein the first sensing measurement result is used to characterize channel quality information related to the sensing measurement signal;

[0449] The processing module 1510 is further configured to use the first sensing measurement result to determine an available beam set, the available beam set including one or more beams; or to determine an unavailable beam set, the unavailable beam set including one or more beams.

[0450] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is used to receive sensing measurement signals, including: receiving the signal after the sensing measurement signal sent by the second communication device has passed through the wireless channel.

[0451] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing measurement signal is the sensing measurement signal used by the first communication device when sensing in a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode.

[0452] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is further configured to: send the first sensing measurement result to the second communication device, wherein the first sensing measurement result includes one or more of the following: velocity domain information, angle domain information, and distance domain information of the first communication device.

[0453] Optionally, as an embodiment, the processing module 1510 is further configured to process the first sensing measurement result to obtain channel state information, the channel state information being used to characterize the beam quality of one or more communication beams that map the first sensing measurement result; the communication module 1520 is configured to send the channel state information to a second communication device.

[0454] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is further configured to: send the available beam set to the second communication device, the available beam set including index information of each beam and beam quality information of each beam.

[0455] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is used to receive sensing measurement signals, including: receiving the sensing measurement signals according to the sensing measurement configuration.

[0456] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing measurement configuration is predefined; or, the communication module 1520 is further configured to receive the sensing measurement configuration sent by the second communication device.

[0457] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is used to receive the sensing measurement configuration sent by the second communication device, including: receiving RRC signaling from the second communication device, wherein the RRC signaling includes the sensing measurement configuration.

[0458] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing measurement configuration includes one or more of the following: sensing mode, sensing measurement signal, sensing measurement quantity, sensing resource configuration, prediction mode, beam prediction frequency, and measurement gap.

[0459] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is further configured to: report sensing capability information to the second communication device, the sensing capability information being used to indicate whether the first communication device indicates support for sensing capabilities.

[0460] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing capability information includes one or more of the following: the sensing capability indication bit of the first communication device, the sensing waveform supported by the first communication device, the maximum sensing bandwidth supported by the first communication device, the guard interval, the maximum time domain duration, and the number of antennas.

[0461] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first communication device is in an RRC connection state.

[0462] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing measurement signal is used for beam failure recovery; the communication module 1520 is further configured to: receive beam recovery resources sent by a second communication device, the beam recovery resources including a beam recovery sensing beam set; the communication module 1520 is configured to receive the sensing measurement signal, including: receiving the sensing measurement signal based on the beam recovery resources; wherein, the first sensing measurement result is the measurement result of the beam recovery sensing beam set; the first sensing measurement result is used to determine a candidate beam subset.

[0463] Alternatively, in one possible design, the first communication device does not establish a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection. The communication module 1520 is used to receive a synchronization signal block sent by the second communication device. The synchronization signal block corresponds to a set of uplink random access sensing resources, wherein the uplink random access sensing resource set is used to determine a subset of available uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, the subset of available uplink random access beams including one or more beams, or to determine a subset of unavailable uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, the subset of unavailable uplink random access beams including one or more beams. The communication module 1520 is further used to: receive system information sent by the second communication device; the processing module 1510 is used to acquire sensing resources based on the synchronization signal block and the system information; the processing module 1510 is further used to perform random access based on the sensing resources and communication resources.

[0464] Optionally, as an embodiment, the processing module 1510 is used to perform random access based on the sensing resources and communication resources, including: calling the communication module 1520 to send message 1 to the second communication device and sending a sensing beam using the sensing resources; calling the communication module 1520 to receive message 2 sent by the second communication device, the message 2 including beam information, the beam information being used to characterize the uplink random access beam determined by the second communication device based on the sensing measurement results of the sensing beam; calling the communication module 1520 to send message 3 to the second communication device according to the beam information; calling the communication module 1520 to receive message 4 sent by the second communication device, the beam corresponding to message 4 matching the beam corresponding to message 3.

[0465] Optionally, as an embodiment, the processing module 1510 is configured to perform random access based on the sensing resources and communication resources, including: performing sensing in a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode based on the sensing resources to obtain a second sensing measurement result; determining an available uplink random access beam subset, or determining an unavailable uplink random access beam subset, based on the second sensing measurement result; and performing a random access procedure based on the available uplink random access beam subset.

[0466] It should be understood that the communication device 1500 may correspond to the first communication device in Figures 1A to 11 according to the embodiments of this application; the communication device 1500 may include modules or units for performing the methods performed by the first communication device in Figures 1A to 11. Furthermore, each module in the communication device 1500 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in Figures 1A to 11.

[0467] It should also be understood that when the communication device 1500 is a first communication device, the processing module 1510 in the communication device 1500 can be implemented by at least one processor, for example, it can correspond to the processor 1610 in the communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 13. For example, the communication module 1520 can correspond to the communication interface 1620 in the communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 13.

[0468] It should also be understood that when the communication device 1500 is a chip or chip system configured in the first communication device described above, the processing module 1510 of the communication device 1500 can be implemented by a processor, microprocessor or integrated circuit integrated on the chip or chip system.

[0469] Alternatively, in one possible design, the communication device 1500 may correspond to the second communication device in the above method embodiments, or to a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the second communication device. The communication device 1500 may be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the second communication device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0470] In one possible design, the processing module 1510 is used to trigger a prediction process based on the sensing measurement signal when preset conditions are met.

[0471] The communication module 1520 is used to send sensing and measurement signals, which include sensing signals or integrated sensing and communication signals.

[0472] The processing module 1510 is used to obtain a first result, the first result including channel quality information related to the sensing measurement signal;

[0473] The processing module 1510 is configured to determine an available beam set based on the first result, the available beam set including one or more beams; or, determine an unavailable beam set, the unavailable beam set including one or more beams.

[0474] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is used to send a sensing measurement signal, including: sending the sensing measurement signal to a first communication device;

[0475] The processing module 1510 is used to obtain a first result, including: calling the communication module 1520 to receive the first result sent by the first communication device.

[0476] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing measurement signal is the sensing measurement signal used by the second communication device when sensing in a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode. Exemplarily, the communication module 1520 is further configured to: receive an echo signal for the sensing measurement signal; wherein, the processing module 1510 is configured to obtain a first result, including: determining the first result by demodulating the echo signal.

[0477] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first result is a first sensing measurement result, which includes one or more of the following: speed domain information, angle domain information, and distance domain information of the first communication device;

[0478] Alternatively, the first result may include channel state information, which is used to characterize the beam quality of one or more communication beams mapped by the first sensing measurement result.

[0479] Alternatively, the first result may include beam index information of one or more communication beams and beam quality information for each beam.

[0480] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is used to send sensing measurement signals, including: sending the sensing measurement signals according to the sensing measurement configuration.

[0481] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing measurement configuration is predefined; or, the communication module 1520 is further configured to: send the sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device.

[0482] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is used to send the sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device, including: sending RRC signaling to the first communication device, wherein the RRC signaling includes the sensing measurement configuration.

[0483] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing measurement configuration includes one or more of the following: sensing mode, sensing measurement signal, sensing measurement quantity, sensing resource configuration, prediction mode, beam prediction frequency, and measurement gap.

[0484] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is further configured to: receive sensing capability information sent by the first communication device, the sensing capability information being used to indicate whether the first communication device indicates support for sensing capabilities.

[0485] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing capability information includes one or more of the following: the sensing capability indication bit of the first communication device, the sensing waveform supported by the first communication device, the maximum sensing bandwidth supported by the first communication device, the guard interval, the maximum time domain duration, and the number of antennas.

[0486] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first communication device is in an RRC connection state.

[0487] Optionally, as an embodiment, the sensing measurement signal is used for beam failure recovery; the communication module 1520 is further configured to: send beam recovery resources to the first communication device, the beam recovery resources including a beam recovery sensing beam set.

[0488] Alternatively, in one possible design, the communication module 1520 is used to send a synchronization signal block to the first communication device. The synchronization signal block corresponds to a set of uplink random access sensing resources, wherein the uplink random access sensing resource set is used to determine a subset of available uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, the subset of available uplink random access beams including one or more beams, or to determine a subset of unavailable uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, the subset of unavailable uplink random access beams including one or more beams; the communication module 1520 is also used to send system information to the first communication device.

[0489] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is further configured to receive message 1 and a sensing beam sent by the first communication device; the communication module 1520 is further configured to send message 2 to the first communication device, the message 2 including beam information, the beam information being used to characterize the uplink random access beam determined by the second communication device based on the sensing measurement result of the sensing beam; the communication module 1520 is further configured to receive message 3 sent by the first communication device; the communication module 1520 is further configured to send message 4 to the first communication device, the beam corresponding to message 4 matching the beam corresponding to message 3.

[0490] It should be understood that the communication device 1500 may correspond to the second communication device in Figures 1A to 11 according to the embodiments of this application; the communication device 1500 may include modules or units for performing the methods performed by the second communication device in Figures 1A to 11. Furthermore, each module in the communication device 1500 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in Figures 1A to 11.

[0491] It should also be understood that when the communication device 1500 is a second communication device, the processing module 1510 in the communication device 1500 can be implemented by at least one processor, for example, it can correspond to the processor 1610 in the communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 13. For example, the communication module 1520 can correspond to the communication interface 1620 in the communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 13.

[0492] It should also be understood that when the communication device 1500 is a chip or chip system configured in the second communication device described above, the processing module 1510 of the communication device 1500 can be implemented by a processor, microprocessor or integrated circuit integrated on the chip or chip system.

[0493] Figure 13 is another schematic block diagram of the communication device 1600 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1600 may be a first communication device, a second communication device, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first communication device or the second communication device in implementing the above methods. The communication device 1600 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0494] As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 1600 may include one or more processors 1610, which may also be referred to as processing units or processing modules, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1610 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 1600 (e.g., a base station, baseband chip, user, user chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0495] In an alternative design, the processor 1610 may also store instructions and / or data that can be executed by the processor 1610 to cause the communication device 1600 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0496] In another alternative design, the communication device 1600 may include a communication interface 1620 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 1620 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0497] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may include one or more memories 1630, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1610, causing the communication device 1600 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1630 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 1610 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1610 and the memories 1630 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0498] It should be understood that, in one possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0499] Optionally, if the communication device 1600 includes a processor 1610, a communication interface 1620, and a memory 1630, the processor 1610, the communication interface 1620, and the memory 1630 communicate with each other through internal connection paths.

[0500] Optionally, the memory 1630 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include non-volatile random access memory. The memory 1630 may be a separate device or integrated into the processor 1610.

[0501] In one implementation, the communication device 1600 may correspond to the first communication device in the above method embodiments, and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the first communication device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1610 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1630, and when the processor 1610 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1610 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the first communication device.

[0502] In another implementation, the communication device 1600 may correspond to the second communication device in the above method embodiments, and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the second communication device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1610 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1630, and when the processor 1610 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1610 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the second communication device.

[0503] Optionally, the communication interface 1620 is a transceiver, which may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more. The processor 1610 and memory 1630, along with the communication interface 1620, may be integrated on different chips. For example, the processor 1610 and memory 1630 may be integrated in a baseband chip, and the communication interface 1620 may be integrated in a radio frequency chip. Alternatively, the processor 1610, memory 1630, and communication interface 1620 may be integrated on the same chip. This application does not limit this.

[0504] This application also provides a processing device, including a processor and an interface; the processor is used to execute the communication method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0505] It should be understood that the aforementioned processing device can be one or more chips. For example, the processing device can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0506] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0507] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0508] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0509] Figure 14 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a UE applicable to this application.

[0510] The UE may include a processor 110, a satellite communication processor 111 (a processor with satellite communication function, or a satellite communication chip, which may also have other communication functions, such as cellular communication function), an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) interface 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, a microphone 170C, a headphone jack 170D, a sensor module 180, buttons 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 195, etc. The sensor module 180 may include a pressure sensor 180A, a gyroscope sensor 180B, a barometric pressure sensor 180C, a magnetic sensor 180D, an accelerometer sensor 180E, a distance sensor 180F, a proximity sensor 180G, a fingerprint sensor 180H, a temperature sensor 180J, a touch sensor 180K, an ambient light sensor 180L, a bone conduction sensor 180M, etc.

[0511] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 14 does not constitute a specific limitation on the UE. In other embodiments of this application, the UE may include more or fewer components than those shown in Figure 14, or the UE may include a combination of some of the components shown in Figure 14, or the UE may include sub-components of some of the components shown in Figure 14. The components shown in Figure 14 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0512] Processor 110 may include one or more processing units. For example, processor 110 may include at least one of the following processing units: application processor (AP) (AP may include a satellite protocol stack), modem processor, graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), controller, video codec, digital signal processor (DSP), modem processor (also known as baseband processor, modem may include cellular protocol stack and cellular physical layer), and neural network processing unit (NPU). The different processing units may be independent devices or integrated devices.

[0513] The controller can generate operation control signals based on the instruction opcode and timing signals to complete the control of instruction fetching and execution.

[0514] The processor 110 may also include a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 110 is a cache memory. This memory can store instructions or data that the processor 110 has just used or that are used repeatedly. If the processor 110 needs to use the instruction or data again, it can directly retrieve it from the memory. This avoids repeated accesses, reduces the waiting time of the processor 110, and thus improves the efficiency of the system. The processor 110 may be a System-on-a-Chip (SoC).

[0515] In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include one or more interfaces. Interfaces may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a subscriber identification card (e.g., a SIM card) interface, and / or a universal serial bus (USB) interface, etc.

[0516] Satellite communication processor 111 is communicatively connected to the AP in processor 110. When part or all of the satellite protocol stack is integrated into the AP, communication can occur between the satellite protocol stack in the AP and the satellite physical layer in satellite communication processor 111 via this connection.

[0517] The wireless communication function of a smartphone can be implemented through antenna 1, antenna 2, antenna 3, mobile communication module 150, satellite communication module 161, wireless communication module 160, access point (AP), modem, and satellite communication chip. Antennas 1, 2, and 3 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the electronic device can be used to cover one or more communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with a tuning switch.

[0518] The mobile communication module 150 can provide solutions for cellular communication (such as 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G) applications on smartphones. The mobile communication module 150 may include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 150 can receive electromagnetic waves via antenna 1, and perform filtering, amplification, and other processing on the received electromagnetic waves before transmitting them to a modem for demodulation. The mobile communication module 150 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modem and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation via antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 may be housed in processor 110. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 and at least some modules of the processor 110 may be housed in the same device. In some embodiments, the electronic device initiates or receives call requests through the mobile communication module 150 and antenna 1.

[0519] The satellite communication module 161 can provide a solution for satellite communication applications in smartphones. The satellite communication module 161 may include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low-noise amplifier, etc. The satellite communication module 161 can receive electromagnetic waves via antenna 3, and perform filtering, amplification, and other processing on the received electromagnetic waves before transmitting them to the satellite communication chip (i.e., satellite communication processor 111) and AP for processing. The satellite communication module 161 can also amplify the signal processed by the AP and satellite communication chip, and then convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation via antenna 3.

[0520] The satellite communication module 161 can be independent of the satellite communication processor 111. Alternatively, the satellite communication module 161 can be partially encapsulated within the satellite communication processor 111. For example, the RFIC in the satellite communication module 161 can be encapsulated within the satellite communication processor 111.

[0521] The wireless communication module 160 can provide solutions for wireless communication applications in smartphones, including wireless local area networks (WLAN) (such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks), Bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC), and infrared (IR) technologies. The wireless communication module 160 can be one or more devices integrating at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 160 receives electromagnetic waves via antenna 3, performs frequency modulation and filtering of the electromagnetic wave signals, and sends the processed signal to processor 110. The wireless communication module 160 can also receive signals to be transmitted from processor 110, perform frequency modulation and amplification, and convert them into electromagnetic waves for radiation via antenna 2.

[0522] In some embodiments, antenna 1 of the terminal device is coupled to mobile communication module 150, and antenna 2 is coupled to wireless communication module 160, enabling the terminal device to communicate with networks and other devices via wireless communication technology. Wireless communication technologies may include Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time-Division Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), BitTorrent, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), WLAN, NFC, FM, and / or IR technologies, etc. GNSS can include the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), and / or satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS).

[0523] The UE can implement display functions through a GPU, a display screen 194, and an application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, connected to the display screen 194 and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations and for graphics rendering. The processor 110 may include one or more GPUs, which execute program instructions to generate or modify display information.

[0524] The UE can achieve shooting functions through ISP, camera 193, video codec, GPU, display 194 and application processor.

[0525] Digital signal processors (DSPs) are used to process digital signals, including digital image signals and other digital signals. For example, when a UE selects a frequency, a DSP can perform Fourier transforms on the frequency energy.

[0526] In addition, an operating system runs on top of the aforementioned components. Examples include iOS, Android, and Windows. Applications can be installed and run on this operating system.

[0527] Various aspects or features of this application can be implemented as methods, apparatus, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. As used herein, the term "article of manufacture" encompasses a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical discs (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). Additionally, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0528] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a chip system, which includes one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, thereby causing the method described in the embodiments of this application to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0529] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0530] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned first communication device and second communication device.

[0531] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the first communication device or the second communication device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0532] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the first communication device or the second communication device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0533] The computer-readable storage medium can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or it can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0534] The above-described device and method embodiments are completely corresponding, with corresponding modules or units performing corresponding steps. For example, a communication unit or communication interface performs the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiment, while other steps besides sending and receiving can be performed by a processing unit or processor.

[0535] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations are exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0536] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0537] In the above-described device embodiments, the terminal devices and network devices in the device and method embodiments completely correspond to each other, with corresponding modules or units performing corresponding steps. For example, the communication unit (transceiver) performs the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiments, while other steps besides sending and receiving can be performed by the processing unit (processor). The functions of specific units can be found in the corresponding method embodiments. There can be one or more processors.

[0538] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," etc., are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. As illustrated, applications running on computing devices and computing devices can both be components. One or more components may reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and components may be located on a single computer and / or distributed among two or more computers. Furthermore, these components can be executed from various computer-readable media on which various data structures are stored. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0539] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented 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 each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0540] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0541] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0542] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0543] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0544] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0545] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0546] Furthermore, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this paper. The term "and / or" in this paper merely 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, and B alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this paper generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B.

[0547] The terms (or designations) "first," "second," etc., appearing in the embodiments of this application are for descriptive purposes only, that is, only to distinguish different objects, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "at least one (item)" refers to one or more. "Multiple" means two or more. "At least one (item) below" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items.

[0548] For example, expressions like "the item includes at least one of the following: A, B, and C" appearing in the embodiments of this application generally mean, unless otherwise specified, that the item can be any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C; A and A; A, A and A; A, A and B; A, A and C, A, B and B; A, C and C; B and B, B, B and B, B, B and C, C and C; C, C and C, and other combinations of A, B, and C. The above uses three elements, A, B, and C, as examples to illustrate the possible entries for the item. When expressed as "the item includes at least one of the following: A, B, ..., and X," that is, when the expression contains more elements, then the applicable entries for the item can also be obtained according to the aforementioned rules.

[0549] In summary, the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, the method includes: Receive sensing and measurement signals, wherein the sensing and measurement signals include sensing signals or integrated sensing and communication signals; Based on the sensing measurement signal, a first sensing measurement result is obtained, and the first sensing measurement result is used to characterize channel quality information related to the sensing measurement signal; Using the first sensing measurement result, a set of available beams is determined, which includes one or more beams; or, a set of unavailable beams is determined, which includes one or more beams.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The received sensing measurement signal includes: The signal received is the result of the sensing and measurement signal sent by the second communication device passing through the wireless channel.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensing measurement signal is the sensing measurement signal used by the first communication device when it adopts self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first sensing measurement result is sent to the second communication device, and the first sensing measurement result includes one or more of the following: velocity domain information, angle domain information, and distance domain information of the first communication device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first sensing measurement result is processed to obtain channel state information, which is used to characterize the beam quality of one or more communication beams mapped by the first sensing measurement result. The channel status information is sent to the second communication device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The available beam set is sent to the second communication device. The available beam set includes index information of each beam and beam quality information of each beam.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The received sensing measurement signal includes: According to the sensing and measurement configuration, the sensing and measurement signal is received.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The sensing measurement configuration is predefined; Alternatively, the method may further include: Receive the sensing measurement configuration sent by the second communication device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The receiving of the sensing measurement configuration sent by the second communication device includes: Receive Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling from the second communication device, wherein the RRC signaling includes the sensing measurement configuration.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The sensing and measurement configuration includes one or more of the following: sensing mode, sensing measurement signal, sensing measurement quantity, sensing resource configuration, prediction mode, beam prediction frequency, and measurement gap.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first communication device reports sensing capability information to the second communication device, the sensing capability information being used to indicate whether the first communication device indicates support for sensing capabilities.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The sensing capability information includes one or more of the following: the sensing capability indicator bit of the first communication device, the sensing waveform supported by the first communication device, the maximum sensing bandwidth supported by the first communication device, the guard interval, the maximum time domain duration, and the number of antennas.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The first communication device is in RRC connection state.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The sensing and measurement signal is used for beam failure recovery; the method further includes: Receive beam recovery resources sent by a second communication device, wherein the beam recovery resources include a beam recovery sensing beam set; The received sensing measurement signal includes: Based on the beam recovery resources, the sensing measurement signal is received; Wherein, the first sensing measurement result is the measurement result of the beam recovery sensing beam set; the first sensing measurement result is used to determine the candidate beam subset.

15. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to random access of a first communication device, and the method includes: The system receives a synchronization signal block sent by a second communication device. The synchronization signal block corresponds to an uplink random access sensing resource set. The uplink random access sensing resource set is used to determine an available subset of uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, which includes one or more beams. Alternatively, the system can determine an unavailable subset of uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, which includes one or more beams. Receive system information sent by the second communication device; Based on the synchronization signal block and the system information, the sensing resources are obtained; Random access is performed based on the aforementioned sensing and communication resources.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The random access based on the sensing resources and communication resources includes: Send message 1 to the second communication device and send a sensing beam using the sensing resources; Receive message 2 sent by the second communication device, the message 2 including beam information, the beam information being used to characterize the uplink random access beam determined by the second communication device based on the sensing measurement results of the sensing beam; Based on the beam information, message 3 is sent to the second communication device; The device receives message 4 sent by the second communication device, and the beam corresponding to message 4 matches the beam corresponding to message 3.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The random access based on the sensing resources and communication resources includes: Based on the sensing resources, a self-spontaneous and self-receiving mode is used to perform sensing, and a second sensing measurement result is obtained. Based on the second sensing measurement result, determine the available uplink random access beam subset, or determine the unavailable uplink random access beam subset; The random access procedure is performed based on the available uplink random access beam subset.

18. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a second communication device, and the method includes: Triggering a prediction process based on sensed measurement signals; Send sensing and measurement signals, which include sensing signals or integrated sensing and communication signals; Obtain a first result, which includes channel quality information related to the sensing measurement signal; Based on the first result, determine an available beam set, which includes one or more beams; or determine an unavailable beam set, which includes one or more beams.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The transmission of the sensing measurement signal includes: Send the sensing measurement signal to the first communication device; The process of obtaining the first result includes: Receive the first result sent by the first communication device.

20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The sensing measurement signal is the sensing measurement signal used by the second communication device when it adopts the self-transmitting and self-receiving mode for sensing.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, characterized in that, The first result is a first sensing measurement result, which includes one or more of the following: velocity domain information, angle domain information, and distance domain information of the first communication device; Alternatively, the first result may include channel state information, which is used to characterize the beam quality of one or more communication beams mapped by the first sensing measurement result. Alternatively, the first result may include beam index information of one or more communication beams and beam quality information for each beam.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that, The transmission of the sensing measurement signal includes: The sensing measurement signal is sent according to the sensing measurement configuration.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The sensing measurement configuration is predefined; Alternatively, the method may further include: The sensing measurement configuration is sent to the first communication device.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, Sending the sensing measurement configuration to the first communication device includes: Send Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling to the first communication device, wherein the RRC signaling includes the sensing measurement configuration.

25. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 24, characterized in that, The sensing and measurement configuration includes one or more of the following: sensing mode, sensing measurement signal, sensing measurement quantity, sensing resource configuration, prediction mode, beam prediction frequency, and measurement gap.

26. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 25, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives sensing capability information sent by a first communication device, the sensing capability information being used to indicate whether the first communication device indicates support for sensing capabilities.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The sensing capability information includes one or more of the following: the sensing capability indicator bit of the first communication device, the sensing waveform supported by the first communication device, the maximum sensing bandwidth supported by the first communication device, the guard interval, the maximum time domain duration, and the number of antennas.

28. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 27, characterized in that, The first communication device is in RRC connected state.

29. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 28, characterized in that, The sensing and measurement signal is used for beam failure recovery; the method further includes: A beam recovery resource is sent to a first communication device, the beam recovery resource including a beam recovery sensing beam set.

30. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a second communication device, and the method includes: A synchronization signal block is sent to a first communication device. The synchronization signal block corresponds to a set of uplink random access sensing resources. The uplink random access sensing resource set is used to determine a subset of available uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, which includes one or more beams. Alternatively, it is used to determine a subset of unavailable uplink random access beams in the uplink random access beam set, which includes one or more beams. Send system information to the first communication device.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive message 1 and sensing beam sent by the first communication device; Send message 2 to the first communication device, the message 2 including beam information, the beam information being used to characterize the uplink random access beam determined by the second communication device based on the sensing measurement results of the sensing beam; Receive message 3 sent by the first communication device; Message 4 is sent to the first communication device, and the beam corresponding to message 4 matches the beam corresponding to message 3.

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