Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus. In the method, a process in which a terminal device or a network device transmits radio frequency map data to a core network element by means of a NAS message is designed, and the radio frequency map data carries both channel information and location information, so that the radio frequency map data carries more diverse information / signals than positioning data supported by current protocols. Therefore, compared with an interaction process of positioning data transmission supported by the current protocols, the transmission of the radio frequency map data has wider usage scenarios, for example, the designed process can be applied to the transmission of other sensing data, so as to support diversified data transmission requirements, and can be applied to future communication application scenarios.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411260782.2, filed on September 9, 2024, and entitled “A communication method and apparatus”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the increasing richness of wireless communication application scenarios, large amount of data and / or various types of data may be generated in future wireless communication, such as perception data, artificial intelligence (AI) data, channel data, etc., which brings new requirements for transmission.

[0004] In the current fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, a corresponding non-access stratum (NAS) information element and interaction process are designed for the transmission of positioning data in perception data. However, the NAS information element designed in the above protocol for the transmission of positioning data can only support the sending of positioning data (including measurement information, positioning results, etc.), i.e., the use scenario is limited, such as cannot be directly applied to the transmission of other perception data, and may not be applicable to future communication application scenarios. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which relates to the NAS layer reporting and issuing of radio frequency map (RF map) data to support standardized processes, and the use scenarios of RF map data are more extensive, which can be applicable to future communication application scenarios. The RF map data can also have other possible expressions, such as radio map data, which have the same data type and content as the RF map data.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first communication device, for example, by the whole machine itself of the first communication device, or by a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the first communication device, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first communication device. For convenience of description, the method is introduced below by taking that it is performed by the first communication device as an example. The method comprises: determining radio frequency map data of the first device by receiving a radio frequency map measurement signal, and sending the radio frequency map data to a core network element through a NAS message. Wherein, the radio frequency map data is used to indicate channel information of the first device and position information of the first device, and the channel information and the position information have a corresponding relationship.

[0007] Based on the method of the first aspect, the flow of the first communication device (i.e., a terminal device or a network device) transmitting radio frequency map data to a core network element through a NAS message is designed, and the radio frequency map data carries channel information and position information at the same time, so that the radio frequency map data is more diverse than the information / signals carried by the positioning data supported by the current protocol. Therefore, compared with the interaction flow of the positioning data transmission supported by the current protocol, the use scenario of the radio frequency map data transmission is more extensive, such as can be applied to the transmission of other sensing data, thereby supporting the diversified data transmission demand and can be applied to future communication application scenarios.

[0008] Moreover, by the corresponding relationship between the channel information and the position information in the radio frequency map data, the terminal device or the network device can subsequently obtain the channel information corresponding to a specific position from the radio frequency map data to assist in the communication task. For example, the terminal device obtains the channel information corresponding to a specific position from the radio frequency map data, can know the direction / angle of the channel, thereby reducing the pilot scanning range, that is, the terminal device determines the pilot allocation and measurement mode according to the radio frequency map data to reduce the pilot overhead. For another example, the terminal device determines the approximate range of the beam direction according to the channel information in the radio frequency map data to reduce the communication overhead and latency of the beam search. In summary, the radio frequency map data can assist in the communication task and can be applied to various communication scenarios.

[0009] Optionally, the radio frequency map data can comprise radio frequency map measurement information and / or radio frequency map estimation result information. Wherein, the radio frequency map measurement information can comprise a radio frequency map measurement signal and position information of the first device, and the radio frequency map estimation result information comprises channel information of the first device and position information of the first device.

[0010] The radio map measurement information can be measurement data determined by the first communication device according to the radio map measurement signal, such as a received signal, a channel vector / matrix, and the like. The radio map estimation result information can be a result estimated by the first communication device according to the radio map measurement information. If the radio map data includes the radio map measurement information, the core network element is implicitly instructed to process the radio map measurement information, such as channel estimation, which can save the calculation overhead of the first communication device. If the radio map data includes the radio map estimation result information, the calculation overhead of the core network element can be saved.

[0011] Optionally, the radio map data can further include indication information, which is used to indicate a data format of the radio map measurement information and / or the radio map estimation result information, so that the core network element can more conveniently receive and process the radio map data.

[0012] When the radio map data includes the radio map measurement information, the indication information is used to indicate that the data format of the radio map measurement information is vector information and / or matrix information. When the radio map data includes the radio map estimation result information, the indication information is used to indicate that the data format of the radio map estimation result information is at least one of the following forms: scalar information, vector information, or matrix information.

[0013] When the radio map data includes the radio map estimation result information, the matrix information can include multi-path component (MPC) information. By designing different data formats corresponding to different contents of the radio map data, the core network element can more conveniently receive and process the radio map data.

[0014] Optionally, the radio map estimation result information can include MPC information, and the MPC information includes L-path parameters, and each path parameter in the L-path parameters includes at least one of the following: power, phase, time delay, angle of arrival (AOA), or angle of departure (AOD), where L is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The MPC information can succinctly and efficiently represent channel-related information.

[0015] Optionally, the radio map data can include a time stamp, which is used to represent time information of collecting the radio map measurement signal.

[0016] The radio map measurement information and the radio map estimation result information can both include a time stamp. In this way, when a subsequent terminal or network device obtains the radio map data, the terminal or network device can know the accurate time corresponding to the radio map data, and better utilize the radio map data to implement an auxiliary communication function.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the communication method can include: receiving a data request message from a core network element, the data request message being used to request information related to a radio frequency map. Thus, the first communication device sends radio frequency map data to the core network element through a NAS message according to the data request message. In this way, the radio frequency map data is sent when the first communication device receives the data request message, which can avoid resource waste.

[0018] Optionally, in the case where the data request message is used to request measurement information related to the radio frequency map, the radio frequency map data includes radio frequency map measurement information. In the case where the data request message is used to request an estimation result of the radio frequency map determined according to the measurement information, the radio frequency map data includes radio frequency map estimation result information.

[0019] In this way, the first communication device determines whether to send intermediate information (i.e., radio frequency map measurement information) or result information (i.e., radio frequency map estimation result information) according to the content requested in the data request message, or sends both, which improves the flexibility of the transmission content in the interaction process and the accuracy of the interaction content, and can accurately transmit data that meets the needs of the core network element.

[0020] Optionally, the location information is coordinate point information and / or coordinate range information. The coordinate range information can be location information of a region such as a polygon, a circle, or an ellipse, for example, the location of the polygon, the circle, or the ellipse is represented by a plurality of coordinate point information. The location information is represented by the coordinate point information and / or the coordinate range information, which makes the representation of the location information more accurate, and thus makes the correspondence between the location information and the channel information in the radio frequency map data more accurate.

[0021] Optionally, the radio frequency map data can further include an identifier of a cell where the first device is located and / or an identifier of a network device serving the first device.

[0022] The radio frequency map data is associated with a specific cell and / or a specific network device, the core network element fuses / summarizes radio frequency map data sent by a plurality of devices, and a subsequent terminal can query the core network element for radio frequency map data corresponding to a specific cell and / or a specific network device, to assist in a communication task.

[0023] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which includes: a core network element receiving radio frequency map data through a NAS message; wherein the radio frequency map data is used to indicate channel information of a first device and location information of the first device, and the channel information and the location information have a corresponding relationship.

[0024] Optionally, the radio frequency map data can include radio frequency map measurement information and / or radio frequency map estimation result information.

[0025] The radio map measurement information can include a radio map measurement signal and position information of the first device, and the radio map estimation result information includes channel information of the first device and position information of the first device.

[0026] Optionally, the radio map data can further include indication information, the indication information being used to indicate a data format of the radio map measurement information and / or the radio map estimation result information.

[0027] When the radio map data includes the radio map measurement information, the indication information is used to indicate that the data format of the radio map measurement information is vector information and / or matrix information; when the radio map data includes the radio map estimation result information, the indication information is used to indicate that the data format of the radio map estimation result information is at least one of the following: scalar information, vector information or matrix information.

[0028] Optionally, the radio map estimation result information can include multipath component (MPC) information, the MPC information including L-path parameters, each path parameter in the L-path parameters including at least one of the following: power, phase, time delay, angle of arrival (AOA) or angle of departure (AOD), wherein L is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0029] Optionally, the radio map data can include a time stamp, the time stamp being used to represent time information of collecting the radio map measurement signal.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the communication method can include: sending a data request message, the data request message being used to request information related to a radio map.

[0031] Optionally, in a case where the data request message is used to request measurement information related to a radio map, the radio map data includes radio map measurement information; in a case where the data request message is used to request a radio map estimation result determined according to the measurement information, the radio map data includes radio map estimation result information.

[0032] Optionally, the position information is coordinate point information and / or coordinate range information.

[0033] Optionally, the radio map data can further include an identifier of a cell where the first device is located and / or an identifier of a network device serving the first device.

[0034] The technical effects of the method of the second aspect described above can also be referred to the related description of the first aspect described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0035] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first communication device, for example, by the whole machine itself of the first communication device, or by a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the first communication device, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first communication device. For the convenience of description, the following will be introduced by taking the method performed by the first communication device as an example. The method comprises: sending a data request message to a core network element, the data request message being used to request data related to a radio frequency map, and receiving radio frequency map data from the core network element through a NAS message. The radio frequency map data is used to indicate channel information of the first device and location information of the first device, and the channel information and the location information have a corresponding relationship.

[0036] Based on the method of the third aspect, by designing the NAS layer delivery process of the radio frequency map data, and the radio frequency map data carrying the channel information and the location information at the same time, the radio frequency map data is more diverse than the information / signals carried by the positioning data supported by the current protocol, and therefore, the use scenario of the radio frequency map data is more extensive than the interaction process of the positioning data transmission supported by the current protocol, such as can be applied to the transmission of other sensing data, thereby supporting the diversified data transmission demand, and can be applied to future communication application scenarios. Moreover, by the corresponding relationship between the channel information and the location information in the radio frequency map data, the terminal device or the network device can obtain the channel information corresponding to a specific location from the radio frequency map data to assist the communication task, which can be applied to various communication scenarios.

[0037] Optionally, the radio frequency map data can comprise radio frequency map estimation result information.

[0038] The radio frequency map estimation result information can comprise channel information of the first device and location information of the first device.

[0039] That is to say, when the core network element delivers the radio frequency map data to the first communication device, the radio frequency map estimation result information, that is, the result data, is sent instead of the intermediate data (such as the radio frequency map measurement information). In this way, the calculation overhead of the first communication device can be saved.

[0040] Optionally, the radio frequency map data further comprises indication information, the indication information being used to indicate the data format of the radio frequency map estimation result information.

[0041] Optionally, the MPC information comprises L-path parameters, each path parameter in the L-path parameters comprising at least one of the following: power, phase, time delay, AOA, or AOD, wherein L is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0042] Optionally, the radio map data comprises a timestamp, the timestamp being used to indicate time information of collecting the radio map measurement signal, and the radio map data being determined according to the radio map measurement signal.

[0043] Optionally, the position information is coordinate point information and / or coordinate range information.

[0044] Optionally, the radio map data further comprises an identity of a cell where the first device is located and / or an identity of a network device serving the first device.

[0045] The technical effects of the method of the third aspect can also be referred to the above description of any one of the first aspect and the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0046] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which comprises: a core network element receiving a data request message, the data request message being used to request data related to a radio map, and sending radio map data through a NAS message. The radio map data is used to indicate channel information of a first device and position information of the first device, and the channel information and the position information have a corresponding relationship.

[0047] Optionally, the radio map data can comprise radio map estimation result information.

[0048] The radio map estimation result information can comprise the channel information of the first device and the position information of the first device.

[0049] That is, when the core network element sends the radio map data to the first communication device, the radio map estimation result information, i.e., the result data, is sent instead of intermediate data (such as the radio map measurement information) described above. In this way, the calculation overhead of the first communication device can be saved.

[0050] Optionally, the radio map data further comprises indication information, the indication information being used to indicate a data format of the radio map estimation result information.

[0051] Optionally, the MPC information comprises L-path parameters, each path parameter in the L-path parameters comprising at least one of the following: power, phase, time delay, AOA or AOD, wherein L is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0052] Optionally, the radio map data comprises a timestamp, the timestamp being used to indicate time information of collecting the radio map measurement signal, and the radio map data being determined according to the radio map measurement signal.

[0053] Optionally, the position information is coordinate point information and / or coordinate range information.

[0054] Optionally, the radio map data further comprises an identity of a cell where the first device is located and / or an identity of a network device serving the first device.

[0055] The technical effects of the method of the fourth aspect described above can also refer to the above-mentioned any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0056] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor configured to perform the method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus of the fifth aspect can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be configured to enable the communication apparatus of the fifth aspect to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus of the fifth aspect can further include a memory. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or can be separately arranged. The memory can be configured to store a computer program and / or data related to the method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0059] In embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus of the fifth aspect can be the terminal device or the network device in any one of the first aspect and the third aspect, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or an apparatus including the terminal device or the network device.

[0060] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the fifth aspect can refer to the technical effects of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0061] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor coupled to a memory, and the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0062] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be configured to enable the communication apparatus of the sixth aspect to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

[0063] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can further include the memory configured to store the computer program or instructions described above. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together.

[0064] In embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus of the sixth aspect can be the terminal device or the network device in any one of the first aspect and the third aspect, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or an apparatus including the terminal device or the network device.

[0065] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the sixth aspect can refer to the technical effects of any of the embodiments of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0066] In a seventh aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes a first communication apparatus configured to perform the method of any of the embodiments of the first aspect and the third aspect, and a core network element configured to perform the method of any of the embodiments of the second aspect and the fourth aspect.

[0067] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method of any of the embodiments of the first aspect to the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0068] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method of any of the embodiments of the first aspect to the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0069] In a tenth aspect, a chip is provided. The chip includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program. The processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the method of any of the embodiments of the first aspect to the fourth aspect is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0070] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system to which the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is applied;

[0071] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system to which the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is applied;

[0072] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process of transmitting radio map data according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a process of transmitting radio map data according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a process of transmitting radio map data according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a process of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a process of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle networking communication system, a 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system such as a new radio (NR) system, and a future communication system.

[0080] For the convenience of understanding, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are introduced first.

[0081] 1. Radio frequency map (RF map) data

[0082] The RF map data includes two parts of channel information (radio frequency data) and geographical position information.

[0083] 1) Channel information

[0084] The channel information can be in the form of multi-path component (MPC) information, scalar information, vector / matrix information, etc.

[0085] MPC information: contains multiple sets of multi-path parameters, such as the number of paths L, and each path parameter includes power, phase, time delay, angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD), etc. For example, a possible MPC information is shown in Table 1.

[0086] Table 1: MPC information

[0087] As shown in Table 1, the MPC information can include parameters of L paths, and each path parameter includes power, phase, time delay, angle of arrival and angle of departure, such as the parameters of path 1 including power A1, phase time delay τ1, angle of arrival θ AOA,1 and angle of departure θAOD,1 The parameters of the radius L include power A L , phase time delay τ L , angle of arrival θ AOA,L and angle of departure θ AOD,L .

[0088] Scalar information: a single number, such as channel quality indicator (CQI), rank indicator (RI), reference signal received power (RSRP) of a wideband mode, etc.

[0089] Vector / matrix information: contains multiple numbers, such as CQI, RI, RSRP of a subband mode (multiple subbands correspond to multiple numbers), and channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), etc.

[0090] 2) Geographical location information

[0091] The geographical location information can be a coordinate point on a regular grid, or can be recorded as a regular or irregular coordinate range, such as a polygon, a circle, an ellipse, etc.

[0092] Each set of channel information corresponds to one geographical location information, and the RF map data can contain one or more sets of channel information. For example, with N sets of channel information, N being a positive integer, the recording form of the RF map data is as follows:

[0093] {channel information 1, geographical location information 1}

[0094] {channel information 2, geographical location information 2}

[0095] …

[0096] {channel information N, geographical location information N}

[0097] As can be seen, the channel information and the geographical location information in the RF map data have a one-to-one correspondence.

[0098] 2. Positioning data transmission protocol and information element

[0099] Currently, in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) NAS protocol, only relevant protocols and information elements are designed for positioning data transmission, mainly including two aspects:

[0100] On one hand, related protocols and information elements are designed based on terminal device measurement positioning data transmission. Specifically, the terminal device collects positioning data and sends it to the core network (CN) through the LTE positioning protocol (LPP) protocol. In the LPP protocol, the ProvideLocationInformation information element is introduced to carry positioning-related information (such as measurement information, positioning results, etc.).

[0101] On the other hand, related protocols and information elements are designed based on base station (BS) measurement positioning data transmission. Specifically, the BS collects positioning data and sends it to the core network through the NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) protocol. In the NRPPa protocol, the MeasurementResponse information element is introduced to carry positioning-related measurement information.

[0102] However, with the increasing richness of wireless communication application scenarios, a large amount of native data will be generated in future wireless communication processes, such as future radio access network (RAN) native data, local traffic, etc. The above native data may include, for example:

[0103] 1) Sensing data: acquired environmental reflection point data, environmental surface patch data, environmental imaging data, environmental reconstruction map data, RF map data, positioning data, etc.

[0104] 2) Artificial intelligence (AI) data: including training data, model / gradient data, inference results, feature data, performance data, etc.

[0105] 3) Channel data: such as the H matrix and channel state information (CSI) feedback by devices in a multi-antenna system.

[0106] The above native data has the characteristics of large data volume, existence of redundancy / correlation, and diverse data types. These data also bring new requirements for transmission, such as the need for compression, the need to reduce transmission volume, and the need to use different types in different scenarios.

[0107] In the current fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, only the corresponding non-access stratum (NAS) information element (IE) and interaction process are designed for the transmission of positioning data, which can only support the sending of positioning data (including measurement information, positioning results, etc.), and cannot be directly used for the representation and transmission (such as reporting, issuing, etc.) of sensing data such as environmental map and RF map. That is, the use scenario of the NAS IE designed for the transmission of positioning data in the current protocol is limited, such as cannot be directly applied to the transmission of other sensing data, and may not be applicable to future communication application scenarios.

[0108] In addition, the current protocol only defines the reporting process for positioning data, and does not have a protocol design for the issuing process, and does not support the issuing of RF map data by the core network.

[0109] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application propose the NAS layer reporting and issuing of RF map data to support standardized processes and be applicable to future communication application scenarios, which will be described in detail below.

[0110] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0111] In the embodiments of the present application, "indication" can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by a certain information is referred to as to-be-indicated information, and there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information in the implementation process, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information itself or the index of the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be indicated only by a part of the to-be-indicated information, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, the common part of each information can be identified and indicated uniformly, so as to reduce the indication overhead caused by separately indicating the same information.

[0112] In addition, the specific indication manner can also be various existing indication manners, for example but not limited to the indication manners described above and various combinations thereof. As described above, for example, when multiple information of the same type needs to be indicated, the indication manners of different information can be different. In a specific implementation process, the required indication manner can be selected according to specific needs, and the selected indication manner is not limited by the embodiments of the application. In this way, the indication manners involved in the embodiments of the application should be understood as covering various methods that can enable the to-be-indicated party to know the to-be-indicated information.

[0113] The to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole or can be divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited by the embodiments of the application. The sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be predefined, for example, predefined according to a protocol, or configured by the sending node device by sending configuration information to the receiving node device.

[0114] In the application, "sending information" can be understood as a device sending information to another device, or can also be understood as a logical module in a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "network device sending information" can be understood as the network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal device or another network device), or can be understood as a logical module 1 in the network device sending information to a logical module 2 in the network device.

[0115] In the application, "receiving information" can be understood as a device receiving information from another device, or can also be understood as a logical module in a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "network device receiving information" can be understood as the network device receiving information from another device (such as a terminal device or another network device), or can be understood as a logical module 1 in the network device receiving information from a logical module 2 in the network device.

[0116] In the application, "sending information to (for example, a terminal device)" or related illustrations in the drawings can be understood as that the destination of the information is the terminal device. It can include directly or indirectly sending information to the terminal device. "Receiving information from (for example, a terminal device)" or "receiving information sent by (for example, a terminal device)" or "receiving information from (for example, a terminal device)" or related illustrations in the drawings can be understood as that the source of the information is the terminal device, which can include directly or indirectly receiving information from the terminal device. The information can be processed as necessary between the source and the destination of the information, for example, format change, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in the application can be understood similarly, and will not be described here.

[0117] The predefinition or pre-configuration can be realized by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other means for indicating relevant information in the device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation manner. The storage can be in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be separately arranged or integrated in the encoder or decoder, processor or communication device. The one or more memories can be partially separately arranged and partially integrated in the decoder, processor or communication device. The memory can be any form of storage medium, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the same.

[0118] The protocol referred to in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a protocol family in the communication field, a standard protocol similar to the protocol family frame structure, or a relevant protocol applied to a future communication system, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the same.

[0119] In the embodiments of the present application, the descriptions such as "when", "in the case of", "if" and "whether" all refer to that the device will make corresponding processing under certain objective conditions, and are not limited in time, and do not require the device to have a judgment action when implemented, nor mean that there are other limitations.

[0120] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents that the objects before and after the " / " are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the embodiments of the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. And, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or the like means any combination of the items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second", and the like are used to distinguish the functions and effects of the same items or similar items. Those skilled in the art can understand that "first", "second", and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily mean different. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present application, "exemplary" or "for example" means to serve as an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or implementation described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or implementations. Rather, "exemplary" or "for example" is used to present the relevant concept in a specific manner, for understanding.

[0121] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0122] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, the communication system shown in FIG. 1 is taken as an example to describe the communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application in detail. For example, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0123] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system mainly includes a first communication device and a core network element. The first communication device can be a terminal device or a network device. The core network element can be a sensing function (SF) network element, a sensing management function (SMF), a location management function (LMF) network element, etc., or a network element that can implement sensing function, session management function or location management function in the future, without limitation.

[0124] In a possible scenario, the communication system can be applied to a 5G or future communication system. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the communication system 10 includes a RAN 100, a core network (CN) 200 and an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b in FIG. 2, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120j in FIG. 2, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 can further include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG. 2), etc. The terminal device 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 in a wireless manner. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices respectively, or can be the same physical device integrated with the core network logical function and the wireless access network logical function.

[0125] The RAN 100 can be a 3GPP related cellular system, such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a future mobile communication system). The RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a Wi-Fi system. The RAN 100 can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0126] The RAN node 110, which can also be referred to as an access network device, a RAN entity, or an access node, etc., forms part of the communication system 10 and is configured to facilitate wireless access to the communication system 10 for terminal devices. The RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 10 can be the same type of node or different types of nodes. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal device 120 are relative, e.g., the network element 120i in Figure 2 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured to move as a mobile base station for terminal devices 120j accessing the RAN 100 via the network element 120i, which is a base station for those terminal devices 120j. But for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal device. The RAN nodes 110 and the terminal devices 120 are sometimes referred to as communication apparatuses, e.g., the network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 2 can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functionalities, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal device functionalities.

[0127] In a possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a future mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi system, etc. The RAN node can be a macro base station (e.g., 110a in Figure 2), a micro base station or an indoor station (e.g., 110b in Figure 2), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0128] In another possible scenario, a plurality of RAN nodes cooperate to assist a terminal device to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, a DU, a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately configured, or can also be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, included in an RRU, an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0129] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), the DU, or the RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, the CU-CP, the CU-UP, the DU, and the RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or the CU-CP, the CU-UP), the DU, and the RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0130] It can be understood that the RAN node described above can be a newly defined name, and the RAN node can also have different expressions, such as an access node, a network device, a wireless access node, etc., without limitation. In this application, the network device is used for description hereinafter unless otherwise specified.

[0131] The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal device, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), V2X communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), smart point of sale (POS), customer-premises equipment (CPE), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear (such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, smart glasses, etc.), smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiving function, a wearable device, a vehicle device (such as a whole vehicle device, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted chip, an on board unit (OBU), or a telematics box (T-BOX)), a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, a satellite terminal device, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal device.

[0132] For example, the embodiments of the present application provide three possible application scenarios, such as the following scenario 1, scenario 2 and scenario 3.

[0133] Scenario 1: The terminal device measures radio frequency map data and reports the radio frequency map data to a core network element.

[0134] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of transmitting radio frequency map data according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the flow can include the following steps.

[0135] S301: The UE and the BS interact with the CN about a radio frequency map data related capability and / or a data request message #1.

[0136] The radio frequency map data related capability can be a capability supported by the radio frequency map data, such as positioning, sensing, and auxiliary communication flow, which is sent by the CN to the UE / BS. The data request message #1 is used for the CN to request the UE to obtain data related to the radio frequency map.

[0137] The UE and the BS can interact with the SF, the SMF, the LMF, etc. in the CN through NAS layer signaling, without limitation.

[0138] S302: The CN sends a measurement signal resource to the BS.

[0139] The CN and the BS exchange measurement signal resources through NAS layer signaling. The measurement signal resources are used for measuring a measurement signal of a radio frequency map.

[0140] In S303, the BS sends the measurement signal resources to the UE.

[0141] The BS and the UE exchange the measurement signal resources through RAN layer signaling.

[0142] In S304, the CN sends the measurement signal resource locations to the UE and the BS.

[0143] The CN and the UE / BS exchange the measurement signal resource locations through NAS layer signaling. The measurement signal resource locations are used for scheduling the measurement signal resources.

[0144] S303 and S304 are optional steps, and one of them can be executed.

[0145] In S305, the BS sends the measurement signal to the UE.

[0146] The BS sends the measurement signal according to the measurement signal resources and / or the measurement signal resource locations.

[0147] In S306, the UE reports the radio frequency map data to the CN.

[0148] The radio frequency map data can be measured by the UE according to the measurement signal. The radio frequency map data is used for indicating channel information of the UE and location information of the UE, and the channel information and the location information have a corresponding relationship. The UE completes the measurement, and reports the radio frequency map data to the CN through NAS signaling.

[0149] Through the interaction process, the radio frequency map data collection on the UE side (achieved through downlink transmission) can be realized, and the radio frequency map data is fed back to the CN. The CN performs data fusion, such as multiple UEs collecting radio frequency map data of multiple regions, and the CN completes the summary of the radio frequency map data.

[0150] Scenario 2: The network device measures the radio frequency map data, and reports the radio frequency map data to the core network element.

[0151] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of transmitting radio frequency map data according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, the flowchart can include the following steps.

[0152] In S401, the UE and the BS exchange radio frequency map data related capabilities and / or data request message #2 with the CN.

[0153] The radio frequency map data related capabilities can refer to the description of the radio frequency map data related capabilities in S301, and will not be described herein. The data request message #2 is used for the CN to request the BS to obtain radio frequency map related data.

[0154] S402, the CN sends the measurement signal resource to the BS.

[0155] S403, the BS sends the measurement signal resource to the UE.

[0156] S404, the CN sends the measurement signal resource location to the UE and the BS.

[0157] S403 and S404 are optional steps, and one of them can be executed.

[0158] S405, the UE sends the measurement signal to the BS.

[0159] The UE sends the measurement signal according to the measurement signal resource and / or the measurement signal resource location. The UE and the BS interact the measurement signal resource through the NAS layer signaling.

[0160] S406, the BS reports the radio frequency map data to the CN.

[0161] The radio frequency map data can be measured by the BS according to the measurement signal. The radio frequency map data is used to indicate the channel information of the UE and the location information of the UE, and the channel information and the location information have a corresponding relationship. The UE completes the measurement, the BS completes the measurement, and the radio frequency map data is reported to the CN through the NAS signaling.

[0162] Through the interaction process, the radio frequency map data collection on the BS side (achieved through uplink transmission) can be realized, and the radio frequency map data is fed back to the CN, and the data fusion is performed by the CN. For example, the BS communicates with the UEs in multiple regions in batches, completes the collection of the radio frequency map data of the corresponding region, and then the CN completes the summary of the radio frequency map data.

[0163] Scenario 3: The core network element sends the radio frequency map data to the terminal device or the network device, for example, the core network element directly sends the radio frequency map data to the terminal device through the NAS signaling, or the radio frequency map data is first sent to the network device and then forwarded to the terminal device by the network device.

[0164] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of transmitting radio frequency map data according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the flowchart can include the following steps:

[0165] S501a, the UE and the CN interact a data request message #2.

[0166] The data request message #2 is used for the UE to request the CN to obtain the data related to the radio frequency map, for example, the UE directly sends the data request message #2 to the CN, that is, the transparent mode.

[0167] The UE can interact with the SF, the SMF, the LMF and the like in the CN through the NAS layer signaling, and is not limited.

[0168] S502a, the CN sends the radio map data to the UE.

[0169] As the UE requests the radio map data of a specific location or area, the radio map data is used to indicate the radio map data of the specific location or area, and the corresponding channel information is used to assist the communication process. For example, the UE determines the pilot allocation and measurement method according to the radio map data to reduce the pilot overhead, or the UE determines the approximate range of the beam direction according to the radio map data to reduce the communication overhead and latency of beam search.

[0170] As shown in FIG. 5, the process can include:

[0171] S501b, the UE and the CN interact with the data request message #2 through the BS.

[0172] The data request message #2 is used for the UE to request the CN to obtain the data related to the radio map, such as the UE sending the data request message #2 to the BS, and the BS forwarding the data request message #2 to the CN, that is, the BS forwarding mode.

[0173] The UE and the BS can interact with the SF, SMF, LMF and other network elements in the CN through the NAS layer signaling, without limitation.

[0174] S502b, the CN sends the radio map data to the BS.

[0175] S503, the BS sends the radio map data to the UE.

[0176] Through the interaction process, the core network element can deliver the radio map data to the terminal device, such as the core network element directly sending the radio map data to the terminal device through the NAS signaling, or first sending to the network device and then forwarding to the terminal device by the network device.

[0177] In the communication system, by designing the NAS layer reporting and delivery process of the radio map data, and the radio map data carrying the channel information and the location information at the same time, the radio map data carries more information / signals than the positioning data supported by the current protocol, and therefore, the use scenarios of the radio map data transmission are more extensive than the interaction process of the positioning data transmission supported by the current protocol, such as being applied to the transmission of other sensing data, thereby supporting the diversified data transmission demand, and being applied to the future communication application scenarios.

[0178] And, by the correspondence relationship between the channel information and the location information in the radio frequency map data, the terminal device or the network device can subsequently obtain the channel information corresponding to a specific location from the radio frequency map data to assist in the communication task. For example, the terminal device obtains the channel information corresponding to a specific location from the radio frequency map data, and can learn the direction / angle of the channel, thereby reducing the pilot scanning range, that is, the terminal device determines the pilot allocation and measurement mode according to the radio frequency map data to reduce the pilot overhead. For another example, the terminal device determines the approximate range of the beam direction according to the channel information in the radio frequency map data to reduce the communication overhead and latency of the beam search. In summary, the radio frequency map data can assist in the communication task and can be applied to various communication scenarios.

[0179] The interaction process between the network elements / devices in the communication system will be specifically introduced below in combination with FIGS. 6-7 through method embodiments. The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the above-mentioned communication system and specifically applied to various scenarios / processes mentioned in the above-mentioned communication system. The following will be specifically introduced.

[0180] First, embodiments applicable to scenario 1 and scenario 2 are introduced.

[0181] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication method is applied to the above-mentioned communication system and mainly involves the interaction between the first communication device and the core network element.

[0182] As shown in FIG. 6, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0183] S601, the first communication device determines the radio frequency map data of the first device by receiving a radio frequency map measurement signal.

[0184] The radio frequency map measurement signal can be a radio frequency signal transmitted between the first communication device and the second communication device (i.e., the sending end) for measuring data related to the radio frequency map. The first communication device can be a terminal device or a network device, wherein if the first communication device is a terminal device, the second communication device is a network device, and if the first communication device is a network device, the second communication device is a terminal device. That is, the radio frequency map measurement signal can be a radio frequency signal transmitted between the terminal device and the network device. For example, the terminal device sends the radio frequency map measurement signal to the network device, and the network device receives the radio frequency map measurement signal (i.e., uplink transmission), or the network device sends the radio frequency map measurement signal to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the radio frequency map measurement signal (i.e., downlink transmission).

[0185] The first device can be a terminal device, that is, the finally determined radio frequency map data is the radio frequency map data of the terminal device, or is associated with the terminal device.

[0186] The first communication device and the first device can be the same device or different devices. If the first communication device is a terminal device, the first device can be the same device as the first communication device. If the first communication device is a network device, the first device can be a terminal device served by the first communication device.

[0187] In the embodiments of the present application, the radio frequency map data can be radio frequency map data between the first device and the network device. That is, if the first communication device is a terminal device, the radio frequency map data can be radio frequency map data between the first device / first communication device and the second communication device. If the first communication device is a network device, the radio frequency map data can be radio frequency map data between the first device and the first communication device.

[0188] The radio frequency map data can also have other possible expressions, such as radio map data, which has the same data type and content as the RF map data.

[0189] S602, the first communication device sends the radio frequency map data to the core network element through the NAS message, and correspondingly, the core network element receives the radio frequency map data.

[0190] The radio frequency map data is used to indicate channel information of the first device and location information of the first device, and the channel information and the location information have a corresponding relationship. For example, the record form of the radio frequency map data is: {channel information 1, location information 1}.

[0191] The channel information of the first device can be measured by a radio frequency map measurement signal, and can include measurement data related to the channel and / or estimation results related to the channel. For example, the channel information can include measurement data measured by a radio frequency map measurement signal, which can be used for channel estimation, determination of channel estimation results, implicit indication of the core network element to perform channel estimation according to the measurement data, and the channel estimation results can refer to the radio frequency map estimation result information below. For another example, the channel information can include estimation results related to the channel, i.e., directly sending channel estimation results without the need for the core network element to estimate. The channel information can specifically include MPC information, scalar information, vector / matrix information, etc. The channel information can also refer to the introduction of the technical term part above for channel information, and will not be repeated here.

[0192] Optionally, the location information is coordinate point information and / or coordinate range information. The coordinate range information can be location information of a polygon, circle, ellipse, etc. area, such as indicating the location of a polygon, circle, ellipse, etc. area through multiple coordinate point information.

[0193] In a possible implementation, after the core network element receives the radio map data from the plurality of communication apparatuses (including the first communication apparatus), the core network element performs fusion of the radio map data. For example, the plurality of terminal devices respectively collect radio map data of a plurality of areas (corresponding to a plurality of location information), and the core network element completes aggregation of the radio map data of the plurality of areas. For example, the radio map data fused / aggregated by the core network element can include one or more groups of channel information, and each group of channel information corresponds to one location information. For example, taking N groups of channel information, where N is a positive integer, the record form of the radio map data is as follows:

[0194] {channel information 1, location information 1}

[0195] {channel information 2, location information 2}

[0196] …

[0197] {channel information N, location information N}

[0198] The network element that receives the radio map data and fuses / aggregates the radio map data can be different core network elements, which are not limited.

[0199] The core network element can refer to the description in the communication system part above, and details are not repeated.

[0200] In this way, by designing a process in which the terminal device or the network device transmits the radio map data to the core network element through the NAS message, and the radio map data carries the channel information and the location information, the radio map data carries more diversified information / signals than the positioning data supported by the current protocol, and therefore, the use scenario of the radio map data is more extensive than the interaction process of the positioning data transmission supported by the current protocol. For example, the radio map data can be applied to transmission of other sensing data, thereby supporting diversified data transmission requirements and can be applied to future communication application scenarios.

[0201] In addition, by including the correspondence between the channel information and the location information in the radio map data, the terminal device or the network device can subsequently obtain the channel information corresponding to a specific location from the radio map data, to assist in a communication task. For example, the terminal device obtains the channel information corresponding to a specific location from the radio map data, and can obtain the direction / angle of the channel, thereby reducing the pilot scanning range, that is, the terminal device determines the pilot allocation and measurement mode according to the radio map data, to reduce the pilot overhead. For another example, the terminal device determines the approximate range of the beam direction according to the channel information in the radio map data, to reduce the communication overhead and latency of the beam search. In summary, the radio map data can assist in a communication task and can be applied to various communication scenarios.

[0202] The following describes S602 in detail.

[0203] The radio frequency map data can be carried in a NAS message, such as a RF map data information element (ProvideRFMapInformation), or can be carried in other implementable NAS information elements without limitation.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the radio frequency map data can include radio frequency map measurement information and / or radio frequency map estimation result information.

[0205] The radio frequency map measurement information can be measurement data determined by the first communication device according to the radio frequency map measurement signal, such as a received signal, a channel vector / matrix, etc. The radio frequency map measurement information can include the radio frequency map measurement signal and position information of the first device. The radio frequency map measurement information can be carried in a NAS information element, such as a RF map measurement information element (RFMapMeasurementInformation) or a RF map measurement information instance element (rfMapMeasurementInformationInstances), for transmitting the radio frequency map measurement information.

[0206] The radio frequency map estimation result information can be a result estimated by the first communication device according to the radio frequency map measurement information, and can include channel information of the first device and position information of the first device. The radio frequency map estimation result information can be carried in a NAS information element, such as a RF map information element (RFMapInformation) or a RF map information instance element (rfMapInformationInstances), for transmitting the radio frequency map estimation result information.

[0207] If the radio frequency map data includes the radio frequency map measurement information, the core network element is implicitly instructed to process the radio frequency map measurement information, such as channel estimation, which can save the calculation overhead of the first communication device. If the radio frequency map data includes the radio frequency map estimation result information, the calculation overhead of the core network element can be saved.

[0208] Optionally, the radio frequency map data can further include indication information, which is used to indicate the data format of the radio frequency map measurement information and / or the radio frequency map estimation result information.

[0209] The indication information can be included in a radio frequency map data format indication information element (rfMapType), or can be included in other implementable NAS information elements without limitation. The data format can be, for example, an MPC information, a scalar information, a vector information, a matrix information, etc. By sending the indication information to the core network element by the first communication device, the core network element can more conveniently receive and process the radio frequency map data.

[0210] When the radio map data comprises radio map measurement information, the indication information is used to indicate that the data format of the radio map measurement information is vector information and / or matrix information. For example, when the first communication device sends the radio map measurement information to the core network element, the radio map data format indication information element selects the form of vector information and / or matrix information.

[0211] When the radio map data comprises radio map estimation result information, the indication information is used to indicate that the data format of the radio map estimation result information is at least one of the following forms: scalar information, vector information or matrix information. When the radio map data comprises radio map estimation result information, the matrix information can comprise MPC information. For example, when the first communication device sends the radio map measurement information to the core network element, the radio map data format indication information element selects at least one of the forms of scalar information, vector information or matrix information.

[0212] Of course, optionally, the first communication device can also not comprise the radio map measurement information and the radio map estimation result information in the radio map data, that is, only the format is sent in the handshake stage, and no specific radio map related data is carried.

[0213] Optionally, the radio map estimation result information can comprise MPC information, and the matrix information in the radio map estimation result information can comprise MPC information. The MPC information can comprise L-path parameters, and each path parameter in the L-path parameters comprises at least one of the following: power, phase, time delay, AOA or AOD, wherein L is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Examples of the MPC information can refer to the description in the technical terms section above, and will not be described here.

[0214] For example, when the radio map data comprises radio map estimation result information, the radio map data has different formats according to the different selection of the radio map data format indication (rfMapType) information element, as shown in the following examples:

[0215] Scalar information: a single number, such as CQI, RI, RSRP, etc. in wideband mode;

[0216] Vector / matrix information: contains multiple numbers, such as CQI, RI, RSRP, and CIR, PDP, etc. in sub-band mode;

[0217] The matrix information can comprise MPC information: multi-path parameters, such as path number L, and each path parameter such as power, phase, time delay, AOA, AOD. Specific examples of the MPC information are shown in Table 1, and will not be described here.

[0218] Optionally, the radio map data can further include a timestamp, which is used to represent time information of collecting the radio map measurement signal. The timestamp can be included in the radio map measurement information and the radio map estimation result information, and can be carried in a TimeStamp information element (IE) or a newly added IE.

[0219] Optionally, the radio map data can further include an identity of a cell where the first device is located and / or an identity of a network device serving the first device, so that the radio map data is associated with a specific cell and / or a specific network device. The core network element fuses / summarizes the radio map data sent by multiple devices, and a terminal can query the radio map data corresponding to a specific cell and / or a specific network device from the core network element to assist in a communication task.

[0220] Optionally, the radio map data can further include an identity of a current interaction flow, such as a transaction identity (transaction ID) or a newly added radio map protocol transaction identity (RMP-transaction ID).

[0221] In a possible implementation, the communication method can further include: the first communication device receives a data request message from the core network element, and the data request message is used to request information related to the radio map.

[0222] The first communication device sends the radio map data to the core network element through a NAS message according to the data request message.

[0223] Optionally, in a case where the data request message is used to request measurement information related to the radio map, the radio map data includes the radio map measurement information. In a case where the data request message is used to request a radio map estimation result determined according to the measurement information, the radio map data includes the radio map estimation result information.

[0224] The first communication device determines whether to send intermediate information (i.e., the radio map measurement information) or result information (i.e., the radio map estimation result information) according to content requested in the data request message, or sends both, which improves flexibility of transmission content and accuracy of interaction content in an interaction flow, and can accurately transmit data meeting a requirement of the core network element.

[0225] For example, if the data request message is used to request the measurement information related to the radio frequency map, the RF map data information element contains the RF map measurement information information element. If the data request message is used to request the radio frequency map estimation result determined according to the measurement information, the RF map data information element contains the RF map information information element. If the data request message is used to request the measurement information related to the radio frequency map and the radio frequency map estimation result determined according to the measurement information, the RF map data information element contains the RF map measurement information information element and the RF map information information element.

[0226] In addition, if the radio frequency map measurement information is sent, the core network element is implicitly instructed to perform the estimation of the radio frequency map, and the radio frequency map estimation result information is determined by the core network element.

[0227] The specific format (signaling content) of each NAS information element is described below.

[0228] For example, the specific format of the NAS information element corresponding to the radio frequency map data, i.e., the RF map data information element, is as follows:

[0229] The first communication device can report or issue a single set of radio frequency map data through the RF map measurement information information element and / or the RF map information information element, or report or issue a single set or multiple sets of radio frequency map data through the RF map measurement information instance information element (rfMapMeasurementInformationInstances) and the RF map information instance information element (rfMapInformationInstances).

[0230] For example, the specific format of the NAS information element corresponding to the radio frequency map measurement information, i.e., the RF map measurement information information element, is as follows:

[0231] The position information of the first device indicated by the radio frequency map measurement information can be carried in the RF map location information element (RFMapLocation) and can include coordinate point information and / or coordinate range information. The coordinate point information can be represented by multiplexing the existing protocol format, i.e., the Ellipsoid-Point information element. The coordinate range information can represent a polygonal area through the LocationRange information element, i.e., through multiple coordinate points), can represent a circular area through the CircleRange information element, or can represent an elliptical area through the EllipsoidRange information element. Of course, the coordinate point information and the coordinate range information can also be contained in a newly added information element without limitation.

[0232] An exemplary format of the NAS information element corresponding to the radio frequency map estimation result information, i.e., the RF map information element, is shown as follows:

[0233] The radio frequency map data information element (RFMapData) carries specific radio frequency map related information, such as channel information of the first device.

[0234] The implementation of the interaction process when the first communication device is a terminal device and when the first communication device is a network device will be introduced respectively.

[0235] Corresponding to the above scenario 1, when the first communication device is a terminal device, the terminal device sends the radio frequency map data to the core network element through a NAS message.

[0236] In a possible implementation, the first communication device (i.e., the terminal device, which can be the first device) can send the radio frequency map data through an LPP message (LPP-message). For example, the RF map data information element is taken as a subclass of the location information element (ProvideLocationInformation), and the radio frequency map data is sent through the RF map data information element in the LPP message.

[0237] An exemplary format of the LPP message containing the RF map data information element is shown as follows:

[0238] As can be seen, the RF map data information element (provideRFMapInformation / ProvideRFMapInformation) is taken as a subclass of the location information element (ProvideLocationInformation) and is carried in the LPP message. The above RF map data information element (provideRFMapInformation / ProvideRFMapInformation) can determine the specific information to be carried according to the content requested in the data request message sent by the core network element. The specific information can be the RF map measurement information element (RFMapMeasurementInformation) and / or the RF map information element (RFMapInformation).

[0239] In another possible implementation, a new message, such as a RMP message (RF map protocol-message, RMP-message), is defined, and the RF map data information element is encapsulated in the RMP message. Thus, the first communication device can send the RF map data through the RF map data information element in the RMP message.

[0240] For example, the specific format of the RMP message containing the RF map data information element is as follows:

[0241] As can be seen, the RF map data information element (ProvideRFMapInformation / ProvideRFMapInformation) is encapsulated in the RMP message entity (RMP-MessageBody) information element in the RMP message. The above RF map data information element (ProvideRFMapInformation / ProvideRFMapInformation) can determine the specific information carried according to the data request content, which can be an RF map measurement information element (RFMapMeasurementInformation) and / or an RF map information element (RFMapInformation).

[0242] Corresponding to the above scenario 2, when the first communication device is a network device, the network device sends the RF map data to the core network element through a NAS message.

[0243] In a possible implementation, the first communication device (i.e., a network device, which can serve the first device) can send the RF map data through a measurement response (MeasurementResponse) message in the NRPPa protocol, such as an RF map data information element encapsulated in the measurement response (MeasurementResponse) message in the NRPPa protocol.

[0244] For example, the specific format of the measurement response message containing the RF map data information element is as follows:

[0245] Similarly, the above RF map data information element (ProvideRFMapInformation) can determine the specific information carried according to the content requested in the data request message sent by the core network element, which can be an RF map measurement information element (RFMapMeasurementInformation) and / or an RF map information element (RFMapInformation).

[0246] The following describes an embodiment applicable to scenario 3.

[0247] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication method is applicable to the above communication system and mainly involves the interaction between a first communication device and a core network element. It can be understood that "first", "second", and the like can be a granularity-based description of embodiments. For example, the "first communication device" in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 7 can be the same as the "first communication device" in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 6, or can be different.

[0248] As shown in FIG. 7, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0249] S701, the first communication device sends a data request message to the core network element, and correspondingly, the core network element receives the data request message.

[0250] The data request message is used to request data related to the radio map. Since the radio map data contains the correspondence between the location information and the channel information, after the core network element fuses / summarizes the radio map data (including the radio map data of the first device) sent by multiple communication devices (including the first communication device), the first communication device requests data related to the radio map through the location information, such as requesting the channel information corresponding to the location information #1. Alternatively, the first communication device can request the core network element for the radio map data corresponding to a specific cell and / or a specific network device, such as carrying the cell identifier (cell ID) and / or the base station identifier (BS ID) in the data request message.

[0251] S702, the core network element sends the radio map data to the first communication device through a NAS message, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the radio map data.

[0252] The radio map data is used to indicate the channel information of the first device and the location information of the first device, and the channel information and the location information have a corresponding relationship.

[0253] Alternatively, the radio map data can include radio map estimation result information, wherein the radio map estimation result information can include the channel information of the first device and the location information of the first device. That is, when the core network element issues the radio map data to the first communication device, the radio map estimation result information, i.e., the result data, is sent instead of the intermediate data (such as the above radio map measurement information). In this way, the calculation overhead of the first communication device can be saved.

[0254] Optionally, the position information is coordinate point information and / or coordinate range information. The channel information of the first device and the position information of the first device can also refer to the description of the channel information of the first device and the position information of the first device in S601 to S602, and will not be described here.

[0255] In this way, by designing the NAS layer delivery process of the radio map data, and the radio map data carrying channel information and position information at the same time, the radio map data carries more diversified information / signals relative to the information / signals carried by the positioning data supported by the current protocol, and therefore, the use scenarios of the radio map data are more extensive relative to the interactive process of the positioning data transmission supported by the current protocol, such as can be applied to the transmission of other sensing data, thereby supporting the diversified data transmission demand, and can be applied to future communication application scenarios. Moreover, by including the correspondence between the channel information and the position information in the radio map data, the terminal device or the network device can obtain the channel information corresponding to a specific position from the radio map data to assist the communication task, which can be applied to various communication scenarios.

[0256] The first communication device can be a terminal device or a network device. The terminal device obtains the radio map data from the core network element for assisting the communication process. The network device obtains (preloads) the radio map data from the core network element, so that it can subsequently send the radio map data to the terminal device at a specific time or when the terminal device requests the radio map data from the network device.

[0257] The following describes S701 with the first communication device being a terminal device.

[0258] The first communication device (i.e., the terminal device) can multiplex an existing protocol to send a data request message, such as the RequestAssistanceData message in the LPP protocol, that is, add the request information (RFMap-RequestAssistanceData) for the radio map related assistance data in the RequestAssistanceData message. Of course, the data request message can also be sent by adding a new protocol or signaling, which is not limited.

[0259] Exemplarily, the specific format of the RequestAssistanceData message is as follows:

[0260] The RequestAssistanceData message contains one or more RF Map Location information elements (RFMapLocation), and can request one or more sets of RF map data, i.e., each RF Map Location information element corresponds to a set of RF map data. That is, since the RF map data contains the correspondence between the location information and the channel information, the first communication device can request the RF map data corresponding to the location information #1 by using the location information #1 indicated by one RF Map Location information element. The first communication device can request the RF map data corresponding to the location information #1, the RF map data corresponding to the location information #2, and the RF map data corresponding to the location information #3 by using the location information #1, the location information #2, and the location information #3 indicated by multiple RF Map Location information elements.

[0261] The following describes two cases of the first communication device being a terminal device in S702.

[0262] Case 1: The core network element directly sends the RF map data to the first communication device.

[0263] The core network element sends the RF map data to the terminal device through a NAS message, such as the core network element sending the RF map data to the first communication device through a ProvideAssistanceData message in the LPP protocol.

[0264] For example, the specific format of the ProvideAssistanceData message in the LPP protocol is as follows:

[0265] In this scenario, the RF map data can be carried in an RF map data information element (ProvideRFMapInformation), and the RF map data information element carries one or more sets of RF map estimation result information, such as an RF map information element (RFMapInformation), i.e., no RF map related measurement information (such as the RF map measurement information described above) is sent.

[0266] Case 2: The core network element sends the RF map data to the first communication device through the second communication device.

[0267] The second communication device can be a network device, and the core network element first sends the RF map data to the network device, and then the network device forwards the RF map data to the first communication device, i.e., the terminal device.

[0268] Similar to case 1, the core network network element can send the radio frequency map data to the second communication device through a data providing (ProvideAssistanceData) message in the LPP protocol, and the message format is the same as that in case 1.

[0269] The second communication device sends the radio frequency map data through radio resource control (RRC) signaling, such as broadcast or dedicated signaling. For example, when the second communication device sends the radio frequency map data through broadcast, the radio frequency map data can be placed in a system information block (SIB) for sending, such as adding a SIB RAN data signaling (SIBrandata) for RAN data in the SIB, or multiplexing an existing protocol, without limitation. For another example, when the second communication device sends the radio frequency map data through dedicated signaling for a specific terminal device (i.e., the first communication device), the radio frequency map data can be placed in an RRC reconfiguration message (RRCReconfiguration) for sending.

[0270] For example, the specific format of the SIB RAN data signaling (SIBrandata) is as follows:

[0271] Similar to case 1, the radio frequency map data can be carried in an RF map data information element (ProvideRFMapInformation), and the RF map data information element carries one or more sets of radio frequency map estimation result information, such as an RF map information element (RFMapInformation). That is, no measurement information related to the radio frequency map (such as the radio frequency map measurement information described above) is sent.

[0272] Optionally, the radio frequency map data can further include indication information, which is used to indicate the data format of the radio frequency map estimation result information.

[0273] Optionally, the MPC information includes L-path parameters, and each path parameter in the L-path parameters includes at least one of the following: power, phase, time delay, angle of arrival (AOA), or angle of departure (AOD), where L is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0274] Optionally, the radio frequency map data includes a timestamp, which is used to represent time information for collecting a radio frequency map measurement signal, and the radio frequency map data is determined according to the radio frequency map measurement signal.

[0275] Optionally, the radio frequency map data can further include an identifier of a cell where the first device is located and / or an identifier of a network device serving the first device.

[0276] The specific implementation of S701-S702 can also refer to the specific implementation of S601-S602, which will not be repeated here.

[0277] The various implementation manners in the embodiments of the present application can be combined for use, and the combination of the various implementation manners of the above embodiments is not limited.

[0278] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with FIGS. 6-7. The communication apparatus for executing the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 8-9.

[0279] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application. As an example, as shown in FIG. 8, the communication apparatus 800 includes a transceiver module 801 and a processing module 802. For ease of description, FIG. 8 only shows the main components of the communication apparatus.

[0280] The transceiver module 801 is configured to perform the transceiving function of the method shown in FIG. 6, and the processing module 802 is configured to perform other functions of the method shown in FIG. 6 except the transceiving function.

[0281] Optionally, the transceiver module 801 can include a sending module (not shown in FIG. 8) and a receiving module (not shown in FIG. 8). The sending module is configured to implement the sending function of the communication apparatus 800, and the receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the communication apparatus 800.

[0282] Optionally, the communication apparatus 800 can further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 8), which stores a program or instructions. When the processing module 802 executes the program or instructions, the communication apparatus 800 can perform the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the method shown in FIG. 6 in the above method.

[0283] It can be understood that the communication apparatus 800 can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or an apparatus containing the terminal device or the network device, and the present application does not limit this.

[0284] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus 800 can refer to the technical effects of the communication method shown in FIG. 6, which will not be repeated here.

[0285] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus can be a terminal device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the terminal device. As shown in Fig. 9, the communication apparatus 900 can include a processor 901. Optionally, the communication apparatus 900 can further include a memory 902 and / or a transceiver 903. The processor 901 is coupled to the memory 902 and / or the transceiver 903, for example, through a communication bus, through an intra-chip interface, or through other communication lines. Optionally, the memory 902 can be integrated with the processor 901.

[0286] The components of the communication apparatus 900 will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 9.

[0287] The processor 901 is the control center of the communication apparatus 900, and can be one processor or a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 901 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement one or more of the embodiments of the present application, such as one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors (DSPs)), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0288] Optionally, the processor 901 can perform various functions of the communication apparatus 900 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 902, and by invoking data stored in the memory 902, such as the communication method shown in Fig. 6.

[0289] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 901 can include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in Fig. 9.

[0290] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication apparatus 900 can also include a plurality of processors, such as the processor 901 and the processor 904 shown in Fig. 9. Each of the processors can be a single-CPU or a multi-CPU. The processor herein can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0291] The memory 902 is configured to store software programs for implementing the solutions of the present application, and the processor 901 is configured to control the execution of the software programs. The specific implementation manners can refer to the methods in the above embodiments, and will not be described here.

[0292] Optionally, the memory 902 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, and can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, an optical disc storage (including a compact disc, a laser disc, an optical disc, a digital versatile disc, a Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory 902 can be integrated with the processor 901 or exist independently, and is coupled with the processor 901 through an interface circuit (not shown in FIG. 9) of the communication apparatus 900, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0293] The transceiver 903 is configured to communicate with other communication apparatuses. For example, the communication apparatus 900 is a terminal device, and the transceiver 903 can be configured to communicate with a network device or another terminal device. For another example, the communication apparatus 900 is a network device, and the transceiver 903 can be configured to communicate with a terminal device or another network device.

[0294] Optionally, the transceiver 903 can include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in FIG. 9). The receiver is configured to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is configured to implement the transmitting function.

[0295] Optionally, the transceiver 903 can be integrated with the processor 901 or exist independently, and is coupled with the processor 901 through an interface circuit (not shown in FIG. 9) of the communication apparatus 900, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0296] It can be understood that the structure of the communication apparatus 900 shown in FIG. 9 does not constitute a limitation on the communication apparatus, and the actual communication apparatus can include more or fewer components than those shown, or combine certain components, or different component arrangements.

[0297] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus 900 can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0298] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor can also be other general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0299] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a ROM, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an EEPROM or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) 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 SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0300] The above-described embodiments can be implemented in part or in whole through software, hardware (e.g., circuitry), firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When loaded and executed by a computer, the computer instructions or computer programs can produce the processes or functions described above in accordance with the embodiments of the present application. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, such as from a website site, a computer, a server, or a data center to another website site, a computer, a server, or a data center through a wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium or a collection of medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, a data center, etc. containing one or more available medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state disk.

[0301] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this document is merely used to describe an associated relationship between associated objects, and can represent three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects, but can also represent an "and / or" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood according to the context before and after.

[0302] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of the items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0303] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of the above-described processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to their functions and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0304] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0305] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0306] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there can be another division manner in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0307] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e. they can be located in one place or distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0308] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0309] If the functions are realized in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application or the essential part of the technical solutions or the part of the technical solutions that make contributions to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes the above-mentioned various possible memories.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining radio frequency map data of the first device by receiving a radio frequency map measurement signal; sending the radio frequency map data to a core network element through a non-access stratum (NAS) message; wherein the radio frequency map data is used to indicate channel information of the first device and position information of the first device, and the channel information and the position information have a corresponding relationship.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The radio frequency map data comprises radio frequency map measurement information and / or radio frequency map estimation result information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The radio frequency map measurement information comprises the radio frequency map measurement signal and the position information of the first device, and the radio frequency map estimation result information comprises the channel information of the first device and the position information of the first device.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The radio frequency map data further comprises indication information used to indicate a data format of the radio frequency map measurement information and / or the radio frequency map estimation result information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The radio frequency map estimation result information comprises multipath component (MPC) information, and the MPC information comprises L-path parameters, each of which comprises at least one of the following: power, phase, time delay, angle of arrival (AOA) or angle of departure (AOD), wherein L is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The radio frequency map data comprises a timestamp used to represent time information of collecting the radio frequency map measurement signal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving a data request message from the core network element, the data request message being used to request information related to a radio frequency map.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, In a case where the data request message is used to request measurement information related to a radio frequency map, the radio frequency map data comprises the radio frequency map measurement information; in a case where the data request message is used to request a radio frequency map estimation result determined according to the measurement information, the radio frequency map data comprises the radio frequency map estimation result information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The position information is coordinate point information and / or coordinate range information.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The radio frequency map data further comprises an identity of a cell where the first device is located and / or an identity of a network device serving the first device.

11. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending a data request message to a core network element, the data request message being used to request data related to a radio frequency map; receiving radio frequency map data from the core network element through a non-access stratum (NAS) message; wherein the radio frequency map data is used to indicate channel information of the first device and position information of the first device, and the channel information and the position information have a corresponding relationship.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The radio frequency map data comprises radio frequency map estimation result information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The radio frequency map estimation result information comprises the channel information of the first device and the position information of the first device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The radio frequency map data further comprises indication information used to indicate a data format of the radio frequency map estimation result information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, The MPC information comprises L-path parameters, each of which comprises at least one of the following: power, phase, time delay, angle of arrival (AOA) or angle of departure (AOD), wherein L is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, The radio frequency map data comprises a time stamp for representing time information of collecting a radio frequency map measurement signal, the radio frequency map data being determined based on the radio frequency map measurement signal.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The position information is coordinate point information and / or coordinate range information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that, The radio frequency map data further comprises an identity of a cell in which the first device is located and / or an identity of a network device serving the first device.

19. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises means for performing the method of any of claims 1-10, or means for performing the method of any of claims 11-18.

20. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises a processing unit and a storage unit, the storage unit being configured to store computer instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the method of any of claims 1-10 to be performed, or cause the method of any of claims 11-18 to be performed.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium comprises computer programs or instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-10, or cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 11-18.

22. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the method of any of claims 1-10 to be performed, or cause the method of any of claims 11-18 to be performed.

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