Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: on the basis of an initial beam weight corresponding to a first terminal device in a first terminal device group, temporarily allocating frequency-domain resources to terminal devices in the first terminal device group, so as to determine a target terminal device from among the terminal devices in the first terminal device group; and then on the basis of a spectral efficiency of the target terminal device under a beam corresponding to each candidate beam weight, adaptively determining a first target beam weight from among a plurality of candidate beam weights. This process ensures that the width of a first transmission beam corresponding to the first target beam weight can closely fit current network scheduling requirements and communication environment. By means of the dynamic adjustment, signal coverage and interference suppression can be optimized, thereby improving the overall throughput of a cell.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411217017.2, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on August 30, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Despite the significant achievements made by the rapid development of global terrestrial cellular mobile communication networks, traditional terrestrial communication networks still have many coverage blind spots. Against this backdrop, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), with their unique wide coverage capabilities, are gradually becoming an important supplement to terrestrial communication networks.

[0004] In NTN scenarios, a simulated fully connected architecture is used to optimize link performance and control costs. In this architecture, a channel is typically configured to generate only one beam, and all frequency domain resources within that beam must point in the same direction. Under this constraint, all user equipment (UEs) requiring shared resources for frequency division multiplexing must be under the same beam. Currently, this beamwidth is usually fixed; a narrow beam results in no other UEs under it, wasting spectrum resources; a wide beam reduces the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of UEs, impacting user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus, which aims to solve the problems of resource waste and low user experience rate caused by fixed beam in NTN scenarios.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component of the network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0007] The method includes: determining a target terminal device from terminal devices in a first terminal device group based on an initial beam weight corresponding to a first terminal device, wherein the target terminal device includes at least the first terminal device, the center point of the beam corresponding to the initial beam weight points to the first terminal device, the first terminal device belongs to the first terminal device group, and the number of terminal devices in the first terminal device group is N, where N is a positive integer greater than 1; determining the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device based on each candidate beam weight; and determining a first target beam weight from the multiple candidate beam weights based on multiple spectral efficiencies, wherein the first target beam weight is used to determine a first transmission beam for downlink signals of the first terminal device group.

[0008] In this embodiment, the network device may be a satellite base station; the number of the first terminal device group may be at least one. The first terminal device is a terminal device selected from the terminal devices in the first terminal device group. The number of target terminal devices may be at least one, and the at least one target terminal device includes the first terminal device.

[0009] According to the communication method provided in this application, based on an initial beam weight, temporary frequency domain resources are allocated to the terminal devices of the first terminal device group to determine the target terminal device from the terminal devices of the first terminal device group. Subsequently, based on the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device under the beam corresponding to each candidate beam weight, a first target beam weight is adaptively determined from multiple candidate beam weights. This process ensures that the width of the first transmission beam corresponding to the first target beam weight closely matches the current network scheduling requirements and communication environment, avoiding the problems of resource waste or low user experience rate caused by fixed beam width in related technologies. Through this dynamic adjustment, signal coverage and interference suppression can be optimized, thereby improving the overall throughput of the cell.

[0010] In one possible implementation, determining a target terminal device from the terminal devices in the first terminal device group based on the initial beam weight corresponding to the first terminal device includes: allocating frequency domain resources from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device to the terminal devices in the first terminal device group according to the priority of the terminal devices, based on the initial beam weight, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or there are no terminal devices in the first terminal device group without allocated frequency domain resources; and taking the terminal device in the first terminal device group that has been allocated frequency domain resources as the target terminal device.

[0011] The above scheme determines target terminal devices from the terminal devices in the first terminal device group based on the initial beam weights corresponding to the first terminal device. These target terminal devices are the initially selected devices that need to be frequency-division multiplexed. In order to determine the first target beam weight from multiple candidate beam weights based on the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device, the beam directivity is optimized and the communication quality is further improved.

[0012] In one possible implementation, determining the first target beam weight based on the plurality of spectral efficiencies from the plurality of candidate beam weights includes: when the number of target terminal devices is one, taking the candidate beam weight corresponding to the largest spectral efficiency among the plurality of spectral efficiencies as the first target beam weight; when the number of target terminal devices is multiple, determining the sum of the plurality of spectral efficiencies corresponding to each candidate beam weight, and taking the candidate beam weight corresponding to the largest sum among the plurality of sums as the first target beam weight.

[0013] The above scheme helps to maximize data transmission rate and improve overall system performance. Furthermore, by using the first target beam weight, the strength of the signal received by the target terminal device can be ensured, reducing signal attenuation and interference, thereby improving the user's communication experience.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: determining the initial beam weight based on the location information of the first terminal device and the preset beamwidth.

[0015] The first terminal device can be the highest priority terminal device in the first terminal device group.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: allocating frequency domain resources from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group according to the priority of the terminal devices, based on the first target beam weight, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or there are no terminal devices in the first terminal device group without allocated frequency domain resources; and sending a downlink signal to the second terminal device based on the frequency domain resources of the first transmission beam and the second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is a terminal device that has been allocated frequency domain resources in the first terminal device group based on the first target beam weight.

[0017] The above scheme enables small packet users capable of frequency division multiplexing to use beamwidths of appropriate width, thereby maximizing cell throughput.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: obtaining location information of M terminal devices, where M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N; grouping the M terminal devices into candidate terminal device groups based on the location information; and determining the first terminal device group from the candidate terminal device groups.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: determining a second target beam weight for the second terminal device group, wherein the center point of the beam corresponding to the second target beam weight points to a terminal device in the second terminal device group, the second terminal device group being a candidate terminal device group that includes one terminal device, and the second target beam weight being used to determine a second transmission beam for downlink signals of the second terminal device group.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: determining the terminal device with the highest priority from the terminal devices in the first terminal device group as the first terminal device.

[0021] Secondly, this application provides a communication device. In one possible design, the communication device has the functions to implement the first aspect or the first aspect described above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means that perform the operations involved in the first aspect. These modules, units, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0022] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of the necessary computer program or instructions for implementing any of the above-described aspects or the functions involved in that aspect. The one or more processors are executable to the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of any of the above-described aspects or that aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication functions within the communication device and / or the communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0023] In one possible design, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0024] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0025] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, a communication module in a terminal, or a chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem module, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip.

[0026] Fourthly, a communication system is provided, including a network device and N terminal devices, wherein the N terminal devices belong to a first terminal device group, and N is a positive integer greater than 1. The network device can be used to implement the methods described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0027] Fifthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, wherein when a computer reads and executes the computer-readable instructions, the method in any of the above aspects or any possible implementation of the above aspects is performed.

[0028] Sixthly, this application provides a computer program product in which, when a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method in any of the above aspects or any possible implementation of the above aspects is executed.

[0029] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor, wherein when the processor executes a program or instructions, a method of any of the foregoing aspects or any possible implementation of such aspects is executed.

[0030] Eighthly, a chip is provided, including a processor for calling and running a computer program from memory, wherein the method of any of the foregoing aspects or any possible implementation of the foregoing aspects is executed. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the beam direction of a simulated fully connected architecture using ABF provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of multiple candidate terminal groups in a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of frequency domain resource allocation based on initial beam weights in a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of frequency domain resource allocation based on the first target beam weight in a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of frequency domain resource allocation based on the second target beam weight in a communication method provided based on Figure 7;

[0039] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application 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, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or the order of execution, and that the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0043] In the various method embodiments of this application, the order of the sequence numbers does not imply the order of execution. The execution order 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.

[0044] It is understood that in this application, descriptions such as "under the circumstances," "if," "when," and "if..." can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, these descriptions all refer to the corresponding actions that will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require any judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0045] It is understood that in this application, the information indicated by the instruction information / information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementations, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly instructing the information to be instructed, such as using the instruction information / information as an index to the information to be instructed. It can also indirectly instruct the information to be instructed by instructing other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also instruct only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent.

[0046] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0047] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The following embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0048] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, and other mobile communication systems that may emerge in the future.

[0049] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the concepts involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced first below.

[0050] A satellite base station (satellite gNodeB, s-gNodeB) is a device mounted on a satellite for communication purposes. A satellite base station can also be referred to as an s-gNB.

[0051] The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is the ratio of the strength of the received useful signal to the strength of the received interference signal. The useful signal refers to the information carrier that needs to be received and processed, while the interference signal refers to signal interference from other systems and noise generated inside the receiver.

[0052] Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) is one of the three major application scenarios. It primarily focuses on providing high-speed, high-bandwidth mobile communication services to meet users' demands for high-speed data services such as high-definition video and large file transfers.

[0053] A remote radio unit (RRU) is used to amplify the radio frequency signals of a base station so that they can be transmitted through an antenna to cover a wider area.

[0054] Spectral efficiency (SE) refers to the number of bits that can be transmitted per second on a transmission channel per unit bandwidth, measured in bps / Hz. Spectral efficiency can also be abbreviated as spectral effectiveness.

[0055] A beam is a spatial resource involving multi-antenna technology. When multiple antennas are arranged together, by adjusting the amplitude and phase of the signals on the antennas, the transmitted signal can be concentrated in a specific direction, weakening signals in other directions. A beam can be wide, narrow, or other types. The technology used to form a beam is called beamforming, which can be specifically digital beamforming, analog beamforming, or a hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology.

[0056] Beam weights refer to the weights of a group of antenna elements corresponding to a beam. When a specific target beam needs to be formed, the beam weights required to form that target beam can be calculated, and then the communication system can form the target beam based on the beam weights.

[0057] Beamwidth refers to the angular range formed by an antenna's radiation in a specific direction. This angular range measures the width of the antenna's energy or signal distribution in space. Beamwidth can be divided into horizontal beamwidth and vertical beamwidth. Horizontal beamwidth represents the range of the antenna's radiation angle in the horizontal direction; vertical beamwidth represents the range of the antenna's radiation angle in the vertical direction. Narrow beamwidth means the antenna's radiated energy is more concentrated and has stronger directivity, typically resulting in higher gain. Wide beamwidth means the antenna's radiated energy is more widely distributed, covering a larger area.

[0058] Wireless communication systems operate under two propagation conditions: non-line-of-sight (NLOS) and line-of-sight (LOS). In LOS, the wireless signal propagates in a straight line between the transmitter and receiver without obstruction.

[0059] An RBG is a unit used for resource allocation in a communication system. It consists of a set of consecutive RBs (resource blocks), and the specific number of RBs it contains depends on the system bandwidth and configuration.

[0060] Large packet users and small packet users are mainly distinguished based on the size of the data packets. Large packet users refer to users who send or receive data packets with a large amount of data. Small packet users refer to users who send or receive data packets with a small amount of data.

[0061] This application relates to non-terrestrial networks (NTNs).

[0062] Non-terrestrial networks, also known as satellite communication networks, have the characteristics of wide communication range, high reliability, and multiple access connections. Generally speaking, the higher the satellite's orbit, the larger its coverage area, but the longer the communication delay. According to the satellite's altitude, i.e., the satellite's orbital altitude, satellites can be divided into: (1) Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites: stationary relative to the Earth, with a constant orbital altitude of 35,786 km; (2) Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites: orbital altitude of 300–1,500 km; (3) Other satellites: including Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites and High Earth Orbit (HEO) satellites. MEO orbital altitude is 2,000–35,786 km; HEO orbital altitude is usually greater than 20,000 km. In addition to satellites, NTN also includes some aircraft: such as high altitude platforms (HAPs), unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), etc.

[0063] The NTN involved in the embodiments of this application can be implemented using any of the above-mentioned satellite, altitude platform, or unmanned aerial vehicle systems. Furthermore, the NTN in the embodiments of this application can be a 4G- or 5G-based NTN, an Internet of Things (IoT)-based NTN, a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT)-based NTN, or an NTN based on other current or future technologies.

[0064] The terminal equipment involved in the embodiments of this application can be a device used to implement communication functions. Terminal equipment can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device, etc. Terminal equipment can be, for example, a wireless terminal or wired terminal in IoT, V2X, D2D, M2M, 5G networks, or future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs). A wireless terminal can refer to a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as ships); and it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons, and satellites).

[0065] For example, terminal devices can be IoT devices (e.g., sensors, electricity meters, water meters, etc.), V2X devices, stations (STs) in wireless local area networks (WLANs), cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices (also known as wearable smart devices), tablets or computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes. Wireless terminals (such as those in the home), vehicle-mounted terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, and drones with drone-to-drone (U2U) communication capabilities are all examples of such terminals. Terminals can be mobile or fixed; this application does not specifically limit their location.

[0066] Currently, in NTN scenarios, to optimize link performance and control costs, a simulated fully connected architecture using analog beamforming (ABF) is employed to generate beams. In this architecture, a single channel is typically configured to transmit only one beam, and all frequency domain resources within that beam must point in the same direction. Under this constraint, all user equipment requiring shared resources for frequency division multiplexing must be within the coverage area of ​​the same beam.

[0067] Beamwidth is a key parameter. Currently, beamwidth is usually fixed. Narrower beams can improve directivity, but may result in fewer terminal devices covered by the beam, thus wasting spectrum resources. Conversely, wider beams can cover more terminal devices, but may reduce the SINR of the terminal devices, thereby affecting the user's experience rate.

[0068] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the beam direction of the analog fully connected architecture using ABF. In this architecture, resources are divided into multiple RBGs in the frequency domain, and each RBG represents a certain amount of frequency domain resources.

[0069] As shown in Figure 1, the frequency domain resources under the coverage of a beam are divided into multiple RBGs. The base station can dynamically schedule these RBGs and allocate them to at least one terminal device to meet different communication needs.

[0070] For example, a cell might have 20 RBGs (Radio Basebands), which can be allocated to multiple terminal devices to support their communication needs. In an analog fully connected architecture using ABF (Alternating Broadband Function), since one channel can only transmit one beam, and all RBGs within that beam must point in the same direction, this places demands on the geographical location of the terminal devices: for frequency division multiplexing (FDM), multiple terminal devices must be located within the coverage area of ​​that beam and relatively close to each other. While a narrower beamwidth can improve beam directionality and gain, it also means limited coverage. In this case, even if there are enough RBG resources in the cell, these resources may not be utilized due to insufficient number of terminal devices covered by the beam, resulting in wasted resources. Conversely, a wider beamwidth can cover more terminal devices, thus achieving FDM, but this also brings new problems; for example, a too-wide beamwidth can lead to a decrease in SINR, affecting the experience rate for users with large data packets.

[0071] Therefore, determining the appropriate beamwidth is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0072] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, comprising: temporarily allocating frequency domain resources to the terminal devices of the first terminal device group based on initial beam weights corresponding to the first terminal devices in the first terminal device group, to determine a target terminal device from the terminal devices in the first terminal device group; and then adaptively determining a first target beam weight from multiple candidate beam weights based on the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device under the beam corresponding to each candidate beam weight. This process ensures that the width of the first transmission beam corresponding to the first target beam weight closely matches the current network scheduling requirements and communication environment. Through this dynamic adjustment, signal coverage and interference suppression can be optimized, thereby improving the overall throughput of the cell.

[0073] The number of devices in the first terminal device group can be at least one, and the number of terminal devices in the first terminal device group is N, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The first terminal device belongs to the first terminal device group; that is, the first terminal device is one of the N terminal devices in the first terminal device group. The terminal devices in this first terminal device group are the terminal devices to be scheduled, meaning these terminal devices are either ready or waiting to transmit data.

[0074] The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied in NTN scenarios. In NTN scenarios, satellite base stations, as an important component of the communication system, communicate with terminal devices via wireless links, together forming a complete communication system.

[0075] For example, the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to eMBB services in NTN scenarios. In eMBB services in NTN scenarios, the path from the satellite base station to the terminal device is usually a LOS path, and the data packets to be transmitted by the terminal device vary in size.

[0076] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the communication system 200 includes N terminal devices (such as terminal devices 210 and 220 shown in Figure 2) and at least one network device 230. The N terminal devices belong to a first terminal device group, and the network device 230 is, for example, a satellite base station, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0077] Terminal devices 210 and 220 can communicate with network device 230 via a wireless connection. It should be understood that the communication system shown in Figure 2 may also include more terminal devices and network devices.

[0078] The satellite base station (s-gNB) provides a communication network for terminal devices. Terminal devices connect to the core network via the s-gNB, and the air interface link between the terminal device and the s-gNB is a UU link, enabling user access and scheduling. The s-gNB needs to achieve wide-area coverage to meet the needs of users accessing the network anytime, anywhere, and to manage mobility caused by continuous user movement.

[0079] In one possible implementation, as shown in Figure 3, the network device 230 includes a location management module, a scheduler, a baseband board, and an RRU. The location management module establishes communication connections with both the scheduler and the baseband board, and the baseband board establishes communication connections with both the scheduler and the RRU.

[0080] For example, the location management module is used to acquire the location information of M terminal devices, and based on the location information, group the M terminal devices into a first terminal device group. The first terminal device group has at least one member, and each first terminal device group contains N terminal devices, where M and N are both positive integers greater than 1, and M is greater than or equal to N. The distance between any two terminal devices in the first terminal device group is less than a target distance threshold. The M terminal devices represent all or some of the terminal devices currently to be scheduled.

[0081] The baseband board is used to designate the highest-priority terminal device in the first terminal device group as the first terminal device, and to generate a beam weight for the first terminal device, using this beam weight as the initial beam weight. The center point of the beam corresponding to the initial beam weight points to the first terminal device.

[0082] Scheduler: Based on the initial beam weight, it allocates frequency domain resources from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group according to the priority of the terminal devices in the first terminal device group, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or there are no terminal devices in the first terminal device group without allocated frequency domain resources, and then the terminal device with allocated frequency domain resources is designated as the target terminal device.

[0083] Baseband board: It is also used to calculate the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device under the beam corresponding to each candidate beam weight, and to determine the first target beam weight from multiple candidate beam weights based on the frequency domain efficiency of the target terminal device, and to give the first target beam weight to the RRU and the scheduler.

[0084] The scheduler is further configured to allocate frequency domain resources from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group according to the priority of the terminal devices, based on the first target beam weight, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or no terminal devices in the first terminal device group without allocated frequency domain resources. Subsequently, the terminal devices that have been allocated frequency domain resources in the first terminal device group based on the first target beam weight are designated as the second terminal devices.

[0085] The RRU can generate a corresponding beam (i.e., a first transmit beam) based on the first target beam weight. This beam can be understood as a transmit beam for the downlink signal of the first terminal device group. Based on this beam and the frequency domain resources of the second terminal device, the RRU transmits the downlink signal to the second terminal device. Correspondingly, the second terminal device can receive the downlink signal from the network device. In this way, a wide beam can be used by small packet users that can be frequency-division multiplexed. For example, the second terminal device can be terminal device 210 and / or terminal device 220 shown in FIG. 2.

[0086] The above scheme achieves dynamic optimization of beamwidth, ensuring that the determined first target beam weight closely matches current scheduling requirements. Based on this, frequency domain resources are allocated to the second terminal devices in the first terminal device group according to the first target beam weight. Subsequently, a corresponding beam is generated based on the first target beam weight, and combined with the frequency domain resources of the second terminal devices, downlink signals are transmitted to the second terminal devices. This process not only improves the accuracy of frequency domain resource allocation but also effectively enhances signal coverage, thereby maximizing the overall throughput of the cell and ensuring the efficient operation of the communication system.

[0087] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 400 shown in Figure 4 can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2, specifically in an NTN scenario. The method 400 includes steps S401 to S408. Exemplarily, the method 400 can be executed in each transmission time interval (TTI). Figure 4 illustrates this method 400 with an example of two second terminal devices. The steps of the method 400 will be explained in detail below.

[0088] S401. The network device determines the target terminal device from the N terminal devices in the first terminal device group based on the initial beam weight corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0089] The target terminal equipment includes at least a first terminal equipment. The center point of the beam corresponding to the initial beam weight points to the first terminal equipment, and the first terminal equipment belongs to a first terminal equipment group. The number of first terminal equipment groups can be one or more. The number of terminal equipment in a first terminal equipment group is N, and each first terminal equipment group corresponds to a frequency domain resource set.

[0090] In this embodiment, the network device first determines a first terminal device from N terminal devices in the first terminal device group, then generates beam weights for the first terminal device and uses them as initial beam weights. Based on the initial beam weights, temporary frequency domain resources are allocated to the terminal devices in the first terminal device group, and based on the frequency domain resource allocation, a target terminal device is determined from the N terminal devices. The distance between any two terminal devices in the first terminal device group is less than or equal to a target distance threshold.

[0091] It should be understood that the target distance threshold can be predefined or set according to the communication quality of terminal devices within the cell.

[0092] The first group of terminal devices can be determined in the following way:

[0093] Obtain the location information of M terminal devices, where M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N; based on the location information, group the M terminal devices into candidate terminal device groups; determine the first terminal device group from the candidate terminal device groups. The M terminal devices are all or some of the terminal devices currently to be scheduled. The terminal devices currently to be scheduled refer to terminal devices that are preparing or waiting to transmit data. The number of candidate terminal device groups can be at least one.

[0094] In one possible implementation, grouping M terminal devices based on location information to obtain candidate terminal device groups can be done as follows: First, select an ungrouped terminal device (represented as the first terminal device) from the M terminal devices as the starting point. Then, iterate through all remaining ungrouped terminal devices, checking if the distance between each of these terminal devices and the first terminal device is less than a target distance threshold. Group the terminal devices whose distance to the first terminal device is less than the target distance threshold together with the first terminal device and mark them as grouped. After constructing this group, select the next unprocessed terminal device from the ungrouped terminal devices, for example, the second terminal device, and use it as the new starting point. Repeat the above grouping steps until all M terminal devices have been traversed and assigned to their respective groups. For terminal devices that remain ungrouped, they are each grouped independently. In this way, it is ensured that each of the M terminal devices is grouped, and the resulting groups are used as candidate terminal device groups. The location information of the M terminal devices can be sent from the M terminal devices to the network device, and the location management module of the network device can store and manage the location information.

[0095] For example, taking M as 7, the 7 terminal devices are UE1, UE2, UE3, UE4, UE5, UE6, and UE7. Following the grouping method described above, these 7 terminal devices can be divided into 4 candidate terminal device groups. As shown in Figure 5, the first candidate terminal device group includes 2 terminal devices, UE1 and UE2, where the distance between UE1 and UE2 is less than the target distance threshold; the second candidate terminal device group includes 3 terminal devices, UE3, UE4, and UE5, where the distance between any two of these 3 terminal devices is less than the target distance threshold; the third candidate terminal device group includes 1 terminal device, UE6; and the fourth candidate terminal device group includes 1 terminal device, UE7.

[0096] In this case, a candidate terminal device group containing multiple terminal devices can be designated as the first terminal device group. For example, if the number of terminal devices in the first candidate terminal device group is 2 and the number of terminal devices in the second candidate terminal device group is 3, then the first candidate terminal device group can be designated as the first first terminal device group and the second candidate terminal device group can be designated as the second first terminal device group. In other words, the number of first terminal device groups is 2.

[0097] In the embodiments of this application, the first terminal device may be the terminal device with the highest priority among the N terminal devices in the first terminal device group. The following provides a detailed explanation of how to determine the first terminal device from the first terminal device group for each first terminal device group.

[0098] In one possible implementation, the network device can obtain the priorities of N terminal devices in the first terminal device group and determine the terminal device with the highest priority from the N terminal devices as the first terminal device. The priority of the terminal devices in the first terminal device group can be determined based on at least one of the following: the service type of the terminal device, the data transmission rate of the terminal device, and the channel quality information of the terminal device. The channel quality information is used to represent the transmission quality of the channel under the current conditions.

[0099] For example, the priority of terminal devices is determined based on the data transmission rate and channel quality information of terminal devices in the first terminal device group, and the first terminal device is determined based on the priority. Specifically, the priority can be determined based on the ratio between channel quality information and data transmission rate, with a higher ratio indicating a higher priority. For example, there can be two first terminal device groups. The first first terminal device group is the first candidate terminal device group shown in Figure 5. The data transmission rate and channel quality information of UE1 in the first candidate terminal device group can be obtained, and the ratio between the channel quality information and the data transmission rate of UE1 can be calculated. This ratio is recorded as the first ratio, which represents the priority of UE1. Similarly, the data transmission rate and channel quality information of UE2 in the first candidate terminal device group can be obtained, and the ratio between the channel quality information and the data transmission rate of UE2 can be calculated. This ratio is recorded as the second ratio, which represents the priority of UE2. Compare the two ratios. If the second ratio is higher than the first ratio, then UE2 has a higher priority than UE1, and UE2 can be designated as the first terminal device in the first terminal device group.

[0100] The second group of first terminal devices is the second candidate terminal device group shown in Figure 5. These two candidate terminal device groups contain three terminal devices: UE3, UE4, and UE5. The data transmission rate and channel quality information of UE3 can be obtained, and the ratio between the channel quality information and the data transmission rate of UE3 is calculated. This ratio is recorded as the third ratio, representing the priority of UE3. Similarly, the data transmission rate and channel quality information of UE4 are obtained, and the ratio between the channel quality information and the data transmission rate of UE4 is calculated. This ratio is recorded as the fourth ratio, representing the priority of UE4. Finally, the data transmission rate and channel quality information of UE5 are obtained, and the ratio between the channel quality information and the data transmission rate of UE5 is calculated. This ratio is recorded as the fifth ratio, representing the priority of UE5. Comparing these three ratios, if the fourth ratio is greater than the third ratio, and the third ratio is greater than the fifth ratio, then UE4 has a higher priority than UE3, and UE3 has a higher priority than UE5. Clearly, UE4 is the highest priority terminal device in the second first terminal device group, and therefore UE4 can be designated as the first terminal device in the second first terminal device group.

[0101] In this embodiment of the application, generating beam weights for the first terminal device and using them as initial beam weights can be achieved in the following way: determining the initial beam weights based on the location information of the first terminal device and the preset beamwidth.

[0102] Specifically, the location information of the first terminal device can be obtained, and the coordinates of the beam center point can be determined based on the location information of the first terminal device and the preset beamwidth. Based on the coordinates of the beam center point and the geometric characteristics of the antenna array of the network device, the beam pointing angle, which includes the horizontal angle and the vertical angle, is calculated. Based on the beam pointing angle and the preset beamwidth, the initial beam weights are calculated.

[0103] In this embodiment of the application, based on the initial beam weights, the terminal devices of the first terminal device group are temporarily allocated frequency domain resources, and based on the allocation of frequency domain resources, the target terminal device is determined from the N terminal devices in the following way:

[0104] In one possible implementation, the radiation mode L1 of the network device's antenna array can be determined based on the initial beam weights, i.e., the shape and directionality of the beam corresponding to the initial beam weights. Based on the radiation mode L1 of the network device's antenna array and the channel model, the signal received power of each terminal device in the first terminal device group is determined. Subsequently, for each terminal device in the first terminal device group, the noise power of the terminal device is calculated, and the ratio between the received signal power and the noise power is calculated to obtain the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the terminal device. According to the SNR and target correspondence, the spectral efficiency of the terminal device is determined, where the target correspondence characterizes the mapping relationship between the SNR and the spectral efficiency. Based on the spectral efficiency of the terminal device and the amount of data to be transmitted by the terminal device, the amount of frequency domain resources required by the terminal device is determined. In this way, the amount of frequency domain resources required by each terminal device in the first terminal device group can be obtained. Then, according to the priority order of the terminal devices, frequency domain resources are allocated to the terminal devices in the first terminal device group one by one from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or there are no terminal devices in the first terminal device group without allocated frequency domain resources.

[0105] Specifically, if there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set, and all frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set have been allocated to all terminal devices in the first terminal device group, then the target terminal device is all terminal devices in the first terminal device group. If there are no remaining spectrum resources in the frequency domain resource set, and all frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set have been allocated to some terminal devices in the first terminal device group, then the target terminal device is some terminal devices in the first terminal device group.

[0106] If there are remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set, it means that all terminal devices in the first terminal device group have been allocated frequency domain resources. If there are still remaining frequency domain resources, but there are no terminal devices in the first terminal device group that have not been allocated frequency domain resources, then the target terminal device is all the terminal devices in the first terminal device group.

[0107] For example, taking two first terminal device groups as an example, the first first terminal device group is the first candidate terminal device group shown in Figure 5. The first terminal device determined from the first first terminal device group is UE2. The frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first first terminal device group has 5 RBGs, such as RBG1 to RBG5. According to the priority of the terminal devices, frequency domain resources need to be allocated to UE2 first. According to the above method, the number of RBGs required by UE2 based on the initial beam weight is 5, as shown in Figure 6. 5 RBGs can be allocated to UE2. That is to say, all frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first first terminal device group have been allocated to UE2. At this time, there are no remaining resources to allocate to other terminal devices in the first first terminal device group. UE2 can be used as the target terminal device.

[0108] The second first terminal device group is the second candidate terminal device group shown in Figure 5. The first terminal device determined from the second first terminal device group is UE4. The frequency domain resource set corresponding to the second first terminal device group also has 5 RBGs, specifically RBG1 to RBG5. According to the priority of the terminal devices, frequency domain resources need to be allocated to UE4 first. The number of RBGs required by UE4 calculated based on the initial beam weights in the above method is 3, as shown in Figure 6. 3 RBGs can be allocated to UE4. At this time, there are still 2 RBGs left in the frequency resource set, which can be allocated to other terminal devices. According to the priority of the terminal devices, frequency domain resources can be allocated to UE3. The number of RBGs required by UE3 calculated based on the initial beam weights in the above method is 2, as shown in Figure 6. The remaining 2 RBGs can be allocated to UE3. In the second second terminal device group, there is still a terminal device (i.e., UE5) that has not been allocated frequency domain resources, but there are no remaining resources to allocate. UE3 and UE4 can be used as target terminal devices.

[0109] The above scheme determines the target terminal device from N terminal devices in the first terminal device group based on the initial beam weight corresponding to the first terminal device. These target terminal devices are the initially selected devices that need to be frequency division multiplexed. Then, based on the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device, the first target beam weight is determined from multiple candidate beam weights, which optimizes the beam directivity and improves communication quality.

[0110] It should be noted that, based on the initial beam weights, the allocation of frequency domain resources from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal equipment group to the terminal equipment in the first terminal equipment group according to the priority of the terminal equipment can be understood as a temporary allocation, pre-allocation, or probing allocation. The allocated frequency domain resources are not used for signal transmission. The purpose of this process is to determine the target terminal equipment from the terminal equipment in the first terminal equipment group.

[0111] S402. For each candidate beam weight, the network device determines the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device based on the candidate beam weight.

[0112] In this embodiment of the application, there are multiple candidate beam weights. For each candidate beam weight, the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device under the beam corresponding to the candidate beam weight can be calculated.

[0113] In one possible implementation, for each candidate beam weight, the radiation mode L2 of the network device's antenna array is determined based on the candidate beam weight, i.e., the shape and directivity of the beam corresponding to the candidate beam weight. Based on the radiation mode L2 of the network device's antenna array and the channel model, the signal received power of the target terminal device is determined. Subsequently, for each target terminal device, the noise power of the target terminal device is calculated, and the ratio between the received signal power and the noise power is calculated to obtain the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the target terminal device; based on the correspondence between the SNR and the target, the spectral efficiency of the terminal device is determined. The spectral efficiency of each target terminal device can be obtained in this way.

[0114] For example, there are 10 candidate beam weights, as shown in Figure 6. The number of target terminal devices determined from the first group of first terminal devices is 1, which is UE2. Then, following the method described above for calculating spectral efficiency, the spectral efficiency of UE2 under each candidate beam weight can be obtained. The number of target terminal devices determined from the second group of first terminal devices is 2, namely UE3 and UE4. Following the method described above for calculating spectral efficiency, the spectral efficiency of UE3 and UE4 under each candidate beam weight can be obtained.

[0115] S403. The network device determines the first target beam weight from multiple candidate beam weights based on multiple spectrum efficiencies.

[0116] The first target beam weight is used to determine the first transmission beam for the downlink signal of the first terminal equipment group.

[0117] In this embodiment of the application, multiple candidate beam weights can be screened based on multiple spectral efficiencies to obtain the first target beam weight.

[0118] In one possible implementation, when there is only one target terminal device, the maximum spectral efficiency is determined from multiple spectral efficiencies corresponding to the target terminal device, and the candidate beam weight corresponding to the maximum spectral efficiency is used as the first target beam weight. Alternatively, a spectral efficiency greater than or equal to a spectral threshold is determined from multiple spectral efficiencies, and the candidate beam weight corresponding to the spectral efficiency greater than or equal to the spectral threshold is used as the first target beam weight.

[0119] For example, the number of candidate beam weights is 10, as shown in Figure 6. The number of target terminal devices determined from the first group of first terminal devices is 1. The target terminal device is UE2. The maximum spectral efficiency can be determined from the spectral efficiency of UE2 corresponding to the 10 candidate beam weights, and the candidate beam weight corresponding to the maximum spectral efficiency is used as the first target beam weight.

[0120] In one possible implementation, when there are multiple target terminal devices, for each candidate beam weight, the sum of the spectral efficiencies of the multiple target terminal devices corresponding to the candidate beam weight is calculated to obtain a sum value. The maximum sum value is determined from the sum values ​​corresponding to the multiple candidate beam weights, and the candidate beam weight value corresponding to the maximum sum value among the multiple candidate beam weights is taken as the first target beam weight value.

[0121] For example, there are 10 candidate beam weights, as shown in Figure 6. The number of target terminal devices determined from the second group of first terminal devices is 2, namely UE3 and UE4. For each candidate beam weight, the sum of the spectral efficiency of UE3 and UE4 under that candidate beam weight can be calculated to obtain a sum value. Subsequently, the candidate beam weight corresponding to the largest sum value is determined from the 10 sum values ​​as the first target beam weight.

[0122] The above scheme can select the candidate beam weight corresponding to the maximum spectral efficiency of the target terminal device under different candidate beam weights as the first target beam weight; or, it can select the candidate beam weight corresponding to the maximum sum of the spectral efficiencies of multiple target terminal devices under different candidate beam weights as the first target beam weight. This helps to maximize the data transmission rate and improve the overall system performance. Moreover, the first transmission beam for the downlink signal of the first group of terminal devices can be determined based on the first target beam weight, which can ensure the strength of the received signal of the target terminal device, reduce signal attenuation and interference, and thus improve the user's communication experience.

[0123] Based on the foregoing embodiments, in other embodiments of this application, the communication method further includes:

[0124] S404. Based on the first target beam weight, the network device allocates frequency domain resources from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group according to the priority of the terminal devices, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or no terminal devices in the first terminal device group without allocated frequency domain resources. The terminal devices that have been allocated frequency domain resources in the first terminal device group based on the first target beam weight are then designated as second terminal devices. There can be multiple second terminal devices. These multiple second terminal devices include the target terminal device.

[0125] In this embodiment, the radiation mode L3 of the network device's antenna array, i.e., the shape and directionality of the beam corresponding to the first target beam weight, can be determined based on the first target beam weight. Based on the radiation mode L3 of the network device's antenna array and the channel model, the signal received power of each terminal device in the first terminal device group is determined. Subsequently, for each terminal device, the noise power of the terminal device is calculated, and the ratio between the received signal power and the noise power is calculated to obtain the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the terminal device. According to the SNR and target correspondence, the spectral efficiency of the terminal device is determined. Based on the spectral efficiency of the terminal device and the amount of data to be transmitted by the terminal device, the amount of frequency domain resources required by the terminal device is determined. Then, frequency domain resources are allocated to the terminal devices in the first terminal device group one by one from the frequency domain resource set according to their priority, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or no terminal devices in the first terminal device group without allocated frequency domain resources. The terminal devices in the first terminal device group that have been allocated frequency domain resources based on the first target beam weight are designated as second terminal devices. Here, the target correspondence characterizes the mapping relationship between the SNR and the spectral efficiency.

[0126] For example, taking two first terminal device groups as shown in Figure 7, the first terminal device group has two UEs. UE2 has a higher priority than UE1, so frequency domain resources can be allocated to UE2 first. For instance, if UE2 needs 3 RBGs calculated based on the first target beam weight using the above method, then 3 RBGs can be allocated to UE2 from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group. The frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first first terminal device group has a total of 5 RBGs, so 5-3=2 RBGs remain. If the number of RBGs needed by UE1 calculated based on the first target beam weight using the above method is greater than or equal to 2, then the remaining 2 RBGs can be allocated to UE1. UE2 is designated as the first second terminal device in the first first terminal device group, and UE1 is designated as the second second terminal device in the first first terminal device group.

[0127] In the second first terminal device group, there are 3 UEs. UE4 has a higher priority than UE3, and UE3 has a higher priority than UE5. Frequency domain resources can be allocated to UE4 first. Based on the first target beam weight, UE4 requires 2 RBGs, as shown in Figure 7. Therefore, 2 RBGs can be allocated to UE4 from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the second first terminal device group. The frequency domain resource set corresponding to the second first terminal device group has a total of 5 RBGs, leaving 5-2=3 RBGs remaining. Based on the first target beam weight, UE3 requires 1 RBG, as shown in Figure 7. Therefore, 1 RBG can be allocated to UE3 from the remaining 3 RBGs, leaving 3-1=2 RBGs remaining. Based on the first target beam weight, UE5 requires more than or equal to 2 RBGs, as shown in Figure 7. Therefore, the remaining 2 RBGs can be allocated to UE5. UE4 can be used as the first second terminal device in the second first terminal device group, UE3 can be used as the second second terminal device in the second first terminal device group, and UE5 can be used as the third second terminal device in the second first terminal device group.

[0128] The above scheme improves spectral efficiency and reduces the amount of spectral resources required to transmit the same amount of data by optimizing beam weights. These saved spectral resources can be allocated to other terminal devices within the group, thereby achieving frequency division multiplexing and improving overall resource utilization (for example, when allocating frequency domain resources to the terminal devices in the first terminal device group based on the initial beam weights, UE2 was allocated 5 RBGs, while when allocating frequency domain resources to the terminal devices in the first terminal device group based on the first target beam weights corresponding to the first terminal device group, UE2 was allocated 3 RBGs).

[0129] S405. The network device transmits a downlink signal to the first second terminal device based on the first transmission beam and the frequency domain resources of the first second terminal device (for ease of distinction from the downlink signal mentioned later, this downlink signal can be referred to as the first downlink signal).

[0130] For example, taking the first first terminal device group as an example, the first second terminal device determined from the first first terminal device group is UE2 as shown in FIG7. The network device can send a first downlink signal to UE2 based on the frequency domain resources of UE2 and the first transmit beam corresponding to the first first terminal device group.

[0131] S406, The first second terminal device receives the first downlink signal.

[0132] For example, the first second terminal device is UE2 in FIG7, and UE2 receives the first downlink signal.

[0133] S407. The network device sends a second downlink signal to the second terminal device based on the frequency domain resources of the first transmission beam and the second terminal device.

[0134] For example, taking the first first terminal device group as an example, the second second terminal device determined from the second first terminal device group is UE1 as shown in FIG7. The network device can send a second downlink signal to UE1 based on the frequency domain resources of UE1 and the first transmit beam corresponding to the first first terminal device group.

[0135] S408, the second terminal device receives the second downlink signal.

[0136] It should be understood that the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal are different.

[0137] In other embodiments of this application, the communication method further includes:

[0138] The network device determines the second target beam weight of the second terminal device group. The center point of the beam corresponding to the second target beam weight points to the terminal device of the second terminal device group. The second terminal device group is a candidate terminal device group that includes one terminal device. The second target beam weight is used to determine the second transmission beam for the downlink signal of the second terminal device group (in order to facilitate the distinction from other downlink signals, the downlink signal of the second terminal device group can be represented as the third downlink signal).

[0139] Specifically, if there is a candidate terminal device group with only one terminal device, this group can be designated as the second terminal device group. Based on the location information and preset beamwidth of the terminal devices in the second terminal device group, a second target beam weight is generated for this group. Based on this second target beam weight, frequency domain resources are allocated from the corresponding frequency domain resource set to the terminal devices in the second terminal device group. A third downlink signal is transmitted to the terminal devices in the second terminal device group based on the beam corresponding to the second target beam weight (i.e., the second transmit beam) and the frequency domain resources of the terminal devices in the second terminal device group. Correspondingly, the terminal devices in the second terminal device group receive the third downlink signal. This allows small packet users who do not require frequency division multiplexing to use a narrow beam, ensuring efficient resource utilization and improving user experience.

[0140] For example, the number of second terminal device groups can be two, as shown in Figure 8. The terminal device in the first second terminal device group is UE6. According to the aforementioned calculation method, the number of RBGs required by UE6 under the second target beam weight is, for example, 5. Therefore, 5 RBGs can be allocated to UE6 from the frequency domain resource set of the first second terminal device. As shown in Figure 8, the terminal device in the second second terminal device group is UE7. According to the aforementioned calculation method, the number of RBGs required by UE7 under the second target beam weight is, for example, 5. Therefore, 5 RBGs can be allocated to UE7 from the frequency domain resource set of the second second terminal device. The number of RBGs in the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first second terminal device group can be 5, and the number of RBGs in the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the second second terminal device group can also be 5.

[0141] The above scheme allows network devices to group terminal devices based on their reported location information, forming a first terminal device group. The number of terminal devices is M. An initial beam weight is determined for each first terminal device group (i.e., the initial beam weight generated for the first terminal device in each group), and optimization is performed to determine the first target beam weight for each terminal device group. Furthermore, a second target beam weight can be generated for a second terminal device group. This achieves the goal of using a narrow beam for large packet users who do not require frequency division multiplexing, and a wide beam for small packet users who can use frequency division multiplexing.

[0142] The communication method provided in this application, based on the initial beam weights corresponding to a first terminal device in a first terminal device group, temporarily allocates frequency domain resources to determine a target terminal device from the first terminal device group. Then, based on the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device under the beam corresponding to each candidate beam weight, it adaptively determines a first target beam weight from multiple candidate beam weights. This process achieves dynamic optimization of beamwidth, ensuring that the first target beam weight closely matches current scheduling requirements, thereby maximizing the overall throughput of the cell. This allows users requiring frequency division multiplexing to use appropriately wide beams, improving the user experience.

[0143] The method embodiments provided in this application have been described above. The apparatus embodiments provided in this application will be described below. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0144] Figure 9 illustrates a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 9 may include modules or units for implementing the methods described above. In one possible design, the communication device 9 includes a processing unit 91 and a communication unit 92. Optionally, the communication device 9 may further include a storage unit 93 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0145] In one design, the communication device 9 can implement the method 400 described above. For example, the communication device 9 is a network device, a communication module in a network device, or a circuit or chip in a network device responsible for communication functions.

[0146] In one embodiment, the processing unit 91 is configured to determine a target terminal device from the terminal devices of the first terminal device group based on the initial beam weight corresponding to the first terminal device; for each candidate beam weight, determine the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device based on the candidate beam weight; and determine a first target beam weight from multiple candidate beam weights based on multiple spectral efficiencies. The target terminal device includes at least the first terminal device, the center point of the beam corresponding to the initial beam weight points to the first terminal device, the first terminal device belongs to the first terminal device group, and the number of terminal devices in the first terminal device group is N, where N is a positive integer greater than 1; the first target beam weight is used to determine the first transmission beam for the downlink signal of the first terminal device group.

[0147] Optionally, the processing unit 91 is specifically used to allocate frequency domain resources from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group according to the priority of the terminal devices based on the initial beam weight, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or there are no terminal devices in the first terminal device group that have not been allocated frequency domain resources, and then take the terminal devices in the first terminal device group that have been allocated frequency domain resources as target terminal devices.

[0148] Optionally, the processing unit 91 is specifically configured to, when there is only one target terminal device, take the candidate beam weight corresponding to the largest spectral efficiency among multiple spectral efficiencies as the first target beam weight; when there are multiple target terminal devices, determine the sum of multiple spectral efficiencies corresponding to each candidate beam weight, and take the candidate beam weight corresponding to the largest sum among multiple sums as the first target beam weight.

[0149] Optionally, the processing unit 91 is further configured to determine the initial beam weight based on the location information of the first terminal device and the preset beamwidth.

[0150] Optionally, the processing unit 91 is further configured to allocate frequency domain resources from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group according to the priority of the terminal devices, based on the first target beam weight, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or there are no terminal devices in the first terminal device group without allocated frequency domain resources; the communication unit 92 is configured to send downlink signals to the second terminal device based on the first transmission beam and the frequency domain resources of the second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is a terminal device that has been allocated frequency domain resources in the first terminal device group based on the first target beam weight.

[0151] Optionally, the processing unit 91 is further configured to obtain the location information of M terminal devices, where M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N; based on the location information, group the M terminal devices to obtain candidate terminal device groups; and determine the first terminal device group from the candidate terminal device groups.

[0152] Optionally, the processing unit 91 is further configured to determine a second target beam weight for the second terminal device group, wherein the center point of the beam corresponding to the second target beam weight points to a terminal device in the second terminal device group. The second terminal device group is a candidate terminal device group that includes one terminal device. The second target beam weight is used to determine a second transmission beam for downlink signals targeting the second terminal device group. The communication unit 92 is further configured to transmit downlink signals to the terminal devices in the second terminal device group based on the second transmission beam and the frequency domain resources of the terminal devices in the second terminal device group.

[0153] Optionally, the processing unit 91 is further configured to determine the terminal device with the highest priority from the terminal devices in the first terminal device group as the first terminal device.

[0154] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0155] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0156] In one example, storage unit 93 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0157] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. This network device 10 can perform the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0158] In one implementation, the network device 10 is used to determine a target terminal device from the terminal devices of a first terminal device group based on an initial beam weight corresponding to a first terminal device. The target terminal device includes at least the first terminal device, the center point of the beam corresponding to the initial beam weight points to the first terminal device, the first terminal device belongs to the first terminal device group, and the number of terminal devices in the first terminal device group is N, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. For each candidate beam weight, the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device is determined based on the candidate beam weight. Based on multiple spectral efficiencies, a first target beam weight is determined from multiple candidate beam weights. The first target beam weight is used to determine a first transmission beam for the downlink signal of the first terminal device group.

[0159] As shown in Figure 10, the network device 10 may include one or more DU 101 and one or more CU 102. CU 102 can communicate with the NG core (Next Generation Core, NC). DU 101 may include at least one antenna 1011, at least one radio frequency unit 1012, at least one processor 1013, and at least one memory 1014. The DU 101 is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals, converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals, and performing some baseband processing. CU 102 may include at least one processor 1022 and at least one memory 1021. CU 102 and DU 101 can communicate via an interface, where the control plane (CP) interface can be Fs-C, such as F1-C, and the user plane (UP) interface can be Fs-U, such as F1-U.

[0160] The CU 102 is mainly used for baseband processing and controlling the network device 10. The DU 101 and CU 102 can be physically installed together or separately, i.e., a distributed base station. The CU 102 is the control center of the network device 10, also known as a processing unit, and is mainly used to complete baseband processing functions. For example, the CU 102 can be used to control the network device 10 to execute the operation flow of the above-described method embodiments.

[0161] Specifically, the baseband processing on the CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layers of the wireless network. For example, the functions of the PDCP layer and above are set in the CU, while the functions of the protocol layers below PDCP, such as the RLC layer and MAC layer, are set in the DU. For another example, the CU implements the functions of the RRC layer and PDCP layer, while the DU implements the functions of the RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer.

[0162] Alternatively, the network device 10 may include one or more radio frequency units (RUs), one or more DUs, and one or more CUs. A DU may include at least one processor 1013 and at least one memory 1014, an RU may include at least one antenna 1011 and at least one radio frequency unit 1012, and a CU may include at least one processor 1022 and at least one memory 1021.

[0163] In one example, CU 102 can be composed of one or more boards. These boards can collectively support a single access-indicating radio access network (such as a 5G network), or they can each support radio access networks with different access standards (such as LTE, 5G, or other networks). Memory 1021 and processor 1022 can serve one or more boards. That is, each board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each board can also have necessary circuitry. DU 101 can also be composed of one or more boards. These boards can collectively support a single access-indicating radio access network (such as a 5G network), or they can each support radio access networks with different access standards (such as LTE, 5G, or other networks). Memory 1014 and processor 1013 can serve one or more boards. That is, each board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each board can also have necessary circuitry.

[0164] It should be understood that the network device 10 shown in Figure 10 can implement the various processes of the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiments. The operation and / or function of each module in the network device 10 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0165] It should be understood that the network device 10 shown in Figure 10 is only one possible architecture for a network device and should not be construed as limiting this application in any way. The method provided in this application can be applied to network devices with other architectures, such as network devices including CU, DU, and AAU. This application does not limit the specific architecture of the network device.

[0166] 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.

[0167] 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.

[0168] 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.

[0169] This application also provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes performed by the network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0170] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the various steps or processes performed by the network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0171] This application also provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface for sending and / or receiving signals, such that the processor performs the various steps or processes performed by the network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0172] 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.

[0173] 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.

[0174] 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 storage 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).

[0175] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps 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 implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0176] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be based on the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0177] 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.

[0178] 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.

[0179] 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.

[0180] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is 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, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center 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 that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs).

[0181] If a function is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it 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 of the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0182] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Based on the initial beam weight corresponding to the first terminal device, a target terminal device is determined from the terminal devices of the first terminal device group. The target terminal device includes at least the first terminal device. The center point of the beam corresponding to the initial beam weight points to the first terminal device. The first terminal device belongs to the first terminal device group. The number of terminal devices in the first terminal device group is N, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. For each candidate beam weight, the spectral efficiency of the target terminal device is determined based on the candidate beam weight. Based on multiple spectral efficiencies, a first target beam weight is determined from the multiple candidate beam weights, and the first target beam weight is used to determine a first transmit beam for the downlink signal of the first terminal device group.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the target terminal device from the terminal devices in the first terminal device group based on the initial beam weight corresponding to the first terminal device includes: Based on the initial beam weights, frequency domain resources are allocated from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group according to the priority of the terminal devices to the terminal devices in the first terminal device group, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or there are no terminal devices in the first terminal device group that have not been allocated frequency domain resources. The terminal devices in the first terminal device group that have been allocated frequency domain resources are then designated as the target terminal devices.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The step of determining the first target beam weight from the plurality of candidate beam weights based on the plurality of spectral efficiencies includes: When the number of target terminal devices is one, the candidate beam weight corresponding to the maximum spectral efficiency among multiple spectral efficiencies is taken as the first target beam weight. When there are multiple target terminal devices, the sum of multiple spectral efficiencies corresponding to each candidate beam weight is determined, and the candidate beam weight corresponding to the largest sum among the multiple sums is taken as the first target beam weight.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The initial beam weight is determined based on the location information of the first terminal device and the preset beamwidth.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the first target beam weight, frequency domain resources are allocated from the frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first terminal device group according to the priority of the terminal devices, until there are no remaining frequency domain resources in the frequency domain resource set or there are no terminal devices in the first terminal device group without allocated frequency domain resources. Then, based on the first transmit beam and the frequency domain resources of the second terminal device, a downlink signal is sent to the second terminal device, which is a terminal device that has been allocated frequency domain resources in the first terminal device group based on the first target beam weight.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the location information of M terminal devices, where M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N; Based on the location information, the M terminal devices are grouped to obtain candidate terminal device groups; The first terminal device group is determined from the candidate terminal device group.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second target beam weight is determined for the second terminal device group. The center point of the beam corresponding to the second target beam weight points to the terminal device of the second terminal device group. The second terminal device group is a candidate terminal device group that includes one terminal device. The second target beam weight is used to determine the second transmission beam for the downlink signal of the second terminal device group.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device with the highest priority from the terminal devices in the first terminal device group is determined as the first terminal device.

9. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units for performing the various steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

11. A readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

12. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer program instructions that cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

13. A chip, characterized in that, Includes a processor for calling and running a computer program from memory, wherein the method as described in any one of claims 1-8 is performed.

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