Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and an apparatus. The method comprises: on the basis of a first beam set, a satellite sends a first reference signal to a terminal device in a first time unit within a first time period; the terminal device sends to the satellite first information comprising first channel information, the first channel information being obtained on the basis of the first reference signal; and, on the basis of the first information, the satellite determines an MCS within a second time period, the first beam set being associated with the second time period, and the end time of the first time period not being later than the start time of the second time period. In the method, the satellite knows the channel information of the next time period in advance and thus, on the basis of the channel information, adjusts the MCS of the next time period in advance, thereby reducing the bit error rate and improving communication efficiency.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411314976.6, filed on September 19, 2024, and entitled "A communication method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] An access network device can use adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) technology to obtain a better throughput. AMC refers to adjusting a reference modulation and coding scheme (MCS) according to an acknowledge (ACK) / negative acknowledge (NACK) feedback by a terminal device, and the adjusted MCS is the final MCS. The reference MCS is determined according to a channel quality indicator (CQI) reported by the terminal device. When the terminal device feeds back NACK, the reference MCS is downgraded; when the terminal device feeds back ACK, the reference MCS is upgraded.

[0005] In a satellite system, in order to obtain a better throughput, the satellite can also use AMC. However, the distance between the satellite and the ground is far, and the time delay is large, so the ACK / NACK actually fed back by the terminal device has not been received by the satellite, and then the satellite adjusts the reference MCS using the ACK / NACK received last time. If the response actually fed back by the terminal device is different from the response received by the satellite last time, the MCS will be adjusted incorrectly, and the communication efficiency will be reduced. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for improving the communication efficiency of a satellite system.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network side device (also referred to as a network device). The network device can be a satellite, or a module or unit, a logical node, a logical module, or software that completes part or all functions of the satellite. For example, the network device can be a component (such as a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the satellite. For aspect description, the method is taken as an example applied to a satellite.

[0009] The method includes: transmitting, by the satellite, a first reference signal to a terminal device based on a first beam set at a first time unit in a first time period, receiving first information, and determining an MCS in a second time period according to first channel information included in the first information. The first channel information is obtained based on the first reference signal. The first beam set is associated with the second time period, and an ending time of the first time period is not later than a starting time of the second time period.

[0010] In the method, the beam set used by the satellite to transmit the first reference signal in the first time period is a beam set associated with a second time period after the first time period. Accordingly, the first channel information obtained based on the first reference signal can represent the channel quality of the second time period. In this way, the satellite receives the first information, and can know the channel quality of the second time period in advance, so that the MCS of the second time period can be determined based on the first channel information, and the MCS can be adjusted in time, so as to reduce the bit error rate and improve the communication efficiency.

[0011] In an implementation manner, the method further includes: transmitting, by the satellite, a second reference signal and / or a data signal to the terminal device based on a second beam set at a second time unit in the first time period. The second beam set is associated with the first time period. An ending time of the second time unit is not later than a starting time of the first time unit.

[0012] In the method, the satellite still uses the second beam set to transmit signals at time units other than the first time unit in the first time period, so as to reduce the impact on services in the first time period and provide normal services for the terminal device.

[0013] In an implementation manner, a time length of an interval between the second time period and the first time period is related to a time delay of the satellite to the terminal device.

[0014] The second time period can be determined according to the first time period and the time delay of the satellite to the terminal device, so that the satellite can know the channel quality of the second time period as early as possible, so that the satellite can adjust the MCS in time and reduce the bit error rate. For example, the time length of the interval between the second time period and the first time period is greater than a round-trip time delay of the satellite to the terminal device, so as to ensure that the satellite can know the channel quality of the second time period before the second time period as much as possible.

[0015] In an implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving, by the satellite, first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a correspondence between the T time periods and the K beam sets, T and K being positive integers. It should be understood that the first beam set belongs to the K beam sets, and the second beam set belongs to the K beam sets. The scheme can realize flexible configuration of the correspondence between the T time periods and the K beam sets through the first indication information.

[0016] In an implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving, by the satellite, second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the first beam set. The scheme can flexibly configure the first beam set associated with the second time period through the second indication information.

[0017] In an implementation manner, the receiving the second indication information used to indicate the first beam set includes: receiving second indication information used to indicate a first reference signal resource. The time domain resource of the first reference signal resource is associated with the second time period, and the second time period is associated with the first beam set. The scheme can indirectly indicate the first beam set through the first reference signal resource.

[0018] In an implementation manner, the first information is further used to indicate the second time period.

[0019] In the scheme, the terminal device reports not only the first channel information but also indicates the second time period, so that the satellite can determine that the time period corresponding to the obtained first channel information is the second time period.

[0020] In an implementation manner, the first information used to indicate the second time period includes: the first information includes information of the second time period; the first information includes information of the first beam set associated with the second time period; or the first information includes information of a first reference signal resource, the time domain resource of the first reference signal resource being associated with the second time period.

[0021] The first information can directly or indirectly indicate the second time period, and the application embodiments do not limit the specific manner of indication.

[0022] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal-side device (also referred to as a terminal device). The terminal device can be a terminal device, or the terminal device is a module or unit that completes part of the functions of the terminal device, for example, the terminal device can be a circuit or a chip / chip system (for example, a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core) or other functional modules in the terminal device. Alternatively, the terminal device can be a logic node, a logic module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of the terminal device. For the convenience of description, the terminal device is taken as an example below.

[0023] The method includes: receiving, by the terminal device, a first reference signal in a first time unit in a first time period, and sending first information. The first information includes first channel information, which is obtained based on the first reference signal. The resource of the first reference signal is associated with a second time period, and the end time of the first time period is not later than the start time of the second time period.

[0024] In an implementation manner, the first information is further used to indicate the second time period.

[0025] In an implementation manner, the first information is used to indicate the second time period, including: the first information includes information of the second time period; the first information includes information of a first beam set associated with the second time period; or the first information includes information of a first reference signal resource, a time domain resource of the first reference signal resource being associated with the second time period.

[0026] The beneficial effects of the second aspect and its various implementation manners can refer to the beneficial effects of the foregoing first aspect and its various implementation manners, which will not be described here again.

[0027] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network-side device (also referred to as a network device). The network device can be an access network device, or the network device is a module or unit that completes part of the functions of the access network device. For example, a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Alternatively, the network device can be a logic node, a logic module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of the access network device. For the convenience of description, the network device is taken as an example below.

[0028] The method comprises: an access network device sending first indication information and / or second indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate a correspondence relationship between T time periods and K beam sets, T and K are both positive integers. The K beam sets comprise a first beam set, the first beam set is used to send a first reference signal in a first time unit in a first time period, the first beam set is associated with a second time period, and an ending time of the first time period is not later than a starting time of the second time period. The second indication information is used to indicate the first beam set associated with the second time period.

[0029] Optionally, the access network device sending the first indication information and / or the second indication information comprises: the access network device determining the first indication information and / or the second indication information, and sending the first indication information and / or the second indication information.

[0030] The beneficial effects of the third aspect and the various implementations thereof can refer to the beneficial effects of the aforementioned first aspect and the various implementations thereof, which will not be repeated here.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device has functions to implement behaviors in the method instances of the first aspect described above. For example, the first communication device comprises corresponding means or modules or units for executing the method of the first aspect, which can be implemented by software and / or hardware. The second communication device has functions to implement behaviors in the method instances of the second aspect described above. For example, the second communication device comprises corresponding means or modules or units for executing the method of the second aspect, which can be implemented by software and / or hardware. The first communication device can be the satellite described above, and the second communication device can be the terminal device described above. Hereinafter, the first communication device is taken as the satellite and the second communication device is taken as the terminal device as an example.

[0032] The method comprises: the satellite sending a first reference signal to the terminal device based on a first beam set in a first time unit in a first time period, the first beam set being associated with a second time period, and an ending time of the first time period being not later than a starting time of the second time period; the terminal device sending first information to the satellite, the first information comprising first channel information obtained based on the first reference signal; and the satellite determining a MCS in the second time period according to the first channel information.

[0033] The beneficial effects of the fourth aspect and the various implementations thereof can refer to the beneficial effects of the aforementioned first aspect and the various implementations thereof, which will not be repeated here.

[0034] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method examples of any of the first aspect to the third aspect, and the beneficial effects can be referred to the related description of the first aspect to the third aspect and will not be elaborated here. For example, the communication apparatus can be the satellite in the first aspect, or the communication apparatus can be an apparatus capable of supporting the functions required for the satellite to implement the method provided in the first aspect, for example, the communication apparatus can be a chip or chip system in the satellite. For another example, the communication apparatus can be the terminal device in the second aspect, or the communication apparatus can be an apparatus capable of supporting the functions required for the terminal device to implement the method provided in the second aspect, for example, the communication apparatus can be a chip or chip system in the terminal device. For another example, the communication apparatus can be the access network device in the third aspect, or the communication apparatus can be an apparatus capable of supporting the functions required for the access network device to implement the method provided in the second aspect, for example, the communication apparatus can be a chip or chip system in the access network device.

[0035] In a possible design, the communication apparatus includes a baseband apparatus and a radio frequency apparatus.

[0036] In a possible design, the communication apparatus includes corresponding means or modules or units for performing the method of any of the first aspect to the third aspect, which can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. For example, the communication apparatus includes a processing unit (sometimes referred to as a processing module or a processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes referred to as a transceiver module or a transceiver). The transceiver unit can implement the sending function and the receiving function. When the transceiver unit implements the sending function, it can be referred to as a sending unit (sometimes referred to as a sending module). When the transceiver unit implements the receiving function, it can be referred to as a receiving unit (sometimes referred to as a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional unit, which is referred to as a transceiver unit, and can implement the sending function and the receiving function. Alternatively, the sending unit and the receiving unit can be different functional units, and the transceiver unit refers to these functional units in general. These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the method examples of any of the first aspect to the third aspect, and the details can be referred to the method examples and will not be elaborated here.

[0037] For example, the communication apparatus is configured to implement the functions in the method examples of the first aspect. Accordingly, the transceiver is configured to transmit, to the terminal device, a first reference signal at a first time unit in a first time period based on a first set of beams, and receive first information. The first set of beams is associated with a second time period, and an end time of the first time period is no later than a start time of the second time period. The first information comprises first channel information obtained based on the first reference signal. The processing module is configured to determine a MCS in the second time period according to the first channel information.

[0038] For another example, the communication apparatus is configured to implement the functions in the method examples of the second aspect. Accordingly, the transceiver is configured to receive a first reference signal at a first time unit in a first time period, and transmit first information. The first information comprises first channel information obtained based on the first reference signal. A resource of the first reference signal is associated with a second time period, and an end time of the first time period is no later than a start time of the second time period. The processing module is configured to determine the first information.

[0039] For another example, the communication apparatus is configured to implement the functions in the method examples of the third aspect. Accordingly, the transceiver is configured to transmit first indication information and / or second indication information. The first indication information is configured to indicate a correspondence between T time periods and K sets of beams, where T and K are positive integers. The K sets of beams comprise a first set of beams, the first set of beams being configured to transmit a first reference signal at a first time unit in a first time period, and the first set of beams being associated with a second time period, and an end time of the first time period being no later than a start time of the second time period. The second indication information is configured to indicate the first set of beams associated with the second time period.

[0040] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus comprises a processor configured to cause the method in any of the first aspect to the third aspect and any implementation manner thereof to be executed. Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises a communication interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises a memory configured to store a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instruction), data, etc. The processor is coupled with the memory and the communication interface. When the processor reads the computer program, data, etc. from the memory, the method in any of the first aspect to the third aspect and any implementation manner thereof is caused to be executed by the communication apparatus.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus comprises an input / output interface and a logic circuit. The input / output interface is configured to input and / or output information. The input / output interface can be an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or a related circuit, etc. The logic circuit is configured to execute the method in any of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0042] In the sixth and seventh aspects, the communication apparatus can be the satellite in the first aspect. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be an apparatus capable of supporting the functions required for the satellite to implement the method provided in the first aspect, for example, the communication apparatus can be a chip or chip system in the satellite. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the terminal device in the second aspect. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be an apparatus capable of supporting the functions required for the terminal device to implement the method provided in the second aspect, for example, the communication apparatus can be a chip or chip system in the terminal device. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the access network device in the third aspect. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be an apparatus capable of supporting the functions required for the access network device to implement the method provided in the third aspect, for example, the communication apparatus can be a chip or chip system in the access network device. The chip can be a baseband chip and / or a radio frequency chip, and the chip system can be composed of the chip or can include the chip and other discrete devices.

[0043] In an implementation process of the seventh aspect, when the communication apparatus is a chip or chip system, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the logic circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, various logic circuits, etc. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver, the output signal output by the output circuit can be output to and transmitted by, for example but not limited to, a transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The specific implementation of the input / output interface and the logic circuit is not limited in the present application.

[0044] In an implementation process of the seventh aspect, when the communication apparatus is a chip or chip system, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the logic circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, various logic circuits, etc. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver, the output signal output by the output circuit can be output to and transmitted by, for example but not limited to, a transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The specific implementation of the input / output interface and the logic circuit is not limited in the present application.

[0045] In the eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which includes a satellite and a terminal device, wherein the satellite is configured to implement the functions of the method in the first aspect, and the terminal device is configured to implement the functions of the method in the second aspect. Optionally, the communication system further includes an access network device, which is configured to implement the functions of the method in the third aspect.

[0046] In the ninth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the method in any of the first aspect to the third aspect and any implementation form thereof to be implemented.

[0047] In a tenth aspect, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the method of any of the first aspect to the third aspect and any implementation thereof to be implemented.

[0048] The advantages of the fifth aspect to the tenth aspect and the implementation thereof can refer to the advantages of the first aspect and any implementation thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0049] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hopping beam;

[0051] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an AMC process;

[0052] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a principle of a communication efficiency reduction caused by an AMC technology of a satellite;

[0053] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a satellite transmitting beams in two hopping beam periods according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system. The NTN system is a communication system formed by networking of non-terrestrial network devices. The non-terrestrial network devices include, for example, satellites, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), unmanned aerial vehicles, and the like. The non-terrestrial network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the above examples. The non-terrestrial network devices in the present application can also be referred to as aerial network devices. In the embodiments of the present application, the satellite communication system can be integrated with a conventional mobile communication system. The mobile communication system can be a long term evolution (LTE) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, or a future mobile communication system, or other similar communication systems. Other similar communication systems can include wireless fidelity (WIFI), vehicle to everything (V2X), internet of things (IoT) systems, and the like.

[0058] As an example, referring to FIG. 1, a network architecture diagram of a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable is shown. The communication system includes satellites, terminal devices, gateways, and access network devices. The satellites can be highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites, geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. In addition, the NTN system can also include high altitude platform stations (HAPS), etc., which are not limited here. The gateway (or ground station, earth station, gateway station, gateway station) can be used to connect the satellite and the access network device. One or more satellites can be connected to one or more base stations through one or more gateways, which are not limited here. The terminal device includes, for example, a mobile phone, an airplane, etc. (FIG. 1 is an example). The link between the satellite and the terminal device is called a service link, and the link between the satellite and the gateway is called a feeder link.

[0059] The communication system described in the embodiments of the present application is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable. For example, the communication system can also include other devices, such as core network devices, etc., which are not drawn in FIG. 1. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, as the network architecture evolves, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems. When the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are applied to other communication systems, the devices, components, modules, etc. in the embodiments can be replaced by corresponding devices, components, modules in other communication systems, without limitation.

[0060] As introduced above, the communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable, for the convenience of understanding the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, the related technical terms, technical features, etc. involved in the embodiments of the present application will be explained first.

[0061] (1) Access network device

[0062] In the embodiments of the present application, the access network device refers to a (radio) access network ((R)AN) device / RAN node. In the embodiments of the present application, (R)AN and RAN are replaceable. The RAN can be a third generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system, for example, a 5G / new radio (NR) mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system. The RAN can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a virtualized RAN (vRAN), etc. The RAN can also be a communication system in which two or more of the above systems are integrated. The RAN device can also be referred to as a RAN node, a RAN entity, or an access node, etc.

[0063] In a possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, etc. The RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node / host node, or a radio controller, etc. The RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the RAN node in the V2X technology can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0064] In another possible scenario, the RAN node can be a module or unit that completes part of the function of a base station, or multiple RAN nodes cooperate to assist a terminal device to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the function of a base station. For example, the RAN node can be a CU, a DU, or an RU, etc. The function of the CU can be implemented by one entity, or also can be implemented by different entities. For example, the function of the CU can be further divided, that is, the control plane and the user plane are separated and implemented by different entities, respectively, as a control plane CU entity (namely, a CU-control plane (CP) entity) and a user plane CU entity (namely, a CU-user plane (UP) entity). The CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity can be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the function of the RAN node. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or also can be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). Any one of the CU (or the CU-CP and 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.

[0065] In different systems, the CU (or the CU-CP and the 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.

[0066] The CU and the DU can be configured according to protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the CU is configured to implement functions of a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as a radio resource control (RRC) layer and / or a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, etc.); the DU is configured to implement functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as a radio link control (RLC), a media access control (MAC) layer, and / or a physical (PHY) layer, etc.). For specific descriptions of the above protocol layers, refer to relevant technical specifications of the 3GPP or technical specifications of other applicable communication protocols.

[0067] The above division of processing functions of the CU and the DU according to protocol layers is only an example, and the division can be performed in other manners, which is not limited in the present application. For example, in one design, the CU or the DU can also be divided into partial processing functions of protocol layers. In one design, partial functions of an RLC layer and functions of protocol layers above the RLC layer are arranged in the CU, and remaining functions of the RLC layer and functions of protocol layers below the RLC layer are arranged in the DU.

[0068] In another possible design, the DU and the RU cooperate to implement functions of a PHY layer, or the design is described as moving partial PHY layer functions of the DU to the RU. One DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and the RU can be configured in multiple manners according to design. For example, the DU is configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement intermediate radio frequency functions. For another example, the DU is configured to implement high-layer functions in the PHY layer, and the RU is configured to implement low-layer functions in the PHY layer or implement the low-layer functions and radio frequency functions. The high-layer functions in the PHY layer can include partial functions of the PHY layer that are closer to the MAC layer, and the low-layer functions in the PHY layer can include another partial functions of the PHY layer that are closer to the intermediate radio frequency side. The specific functions of the DU and the RU are not limited in the present application. An interface between the DU and the RU can be referred to as a front-haul interface. In one design, the CU can have no PDCP layer, for example, the CU only includes an RRC layer. The CU-CP has no PDCP-C. The CU-UP can have no PDCP-U, or have no CU-UP. In one design, the DU can have no RLC layer, for example, the DU only has a MAC and a higher PHY layer.

[0069] When the RAN is an O-RAN, it can also have an artificial intelligence (AI) function, for example, the O-RAN includes an intelligent controller. The intelligent controller can be a non-real time RAN intelligent controller (non-RT RIC / non-RT RIC / NRT RIC) or a near-real time RAN intelligent controller (near-RT RIC / near-RT RIC / nRT RIC). The non-real time RIC can be used to implement non-real time intelligent management of the RAN function, can implement a workflow including model training and model updating, and guide applications / functions in the nRT RIC based on a policy. The near-real time RIC can be used to implement near-real time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, near-real time control and optimization of modules and resources of the O-RAN are implemented.

[0070] (2) Terminal device

[0071] In the embodiments of the present application, all devices capable of communicating data with a base station can be regarded as terminal devices. The terminal device is also referred to as a terminal, a terminal apparatus, a user equipment (UE), a user apparatus, a mobile station, or a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied to various scenarios, for example, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a station (STA), a mechanical arm, a camera, a robot, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, or a smart home device (such as a television, an air conditioner, a sweeping machine, a sound box, a set-top box), a relay, a customer premise equipment (CPE), etc.

[0072] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system, for example, a water meter, an electricity meter, etc. IoT is an important part of the future information technology development, and its main technical feature is to connect objects through communication technology and network, so as to realize the intelligent network of man-machine interconnection and object-object interconnection.

[0073] The terminal device can also be referred to as a V2X device when applied to V2X, for example, a smart car, an unmanned car, a road site unit (RSU), and the like. As introduced above, various terminal devices, if located on a vehicle (for example, placed / installed in the vehicle), can be considered as a vehicle-mounted terminal device. The vehicle-mounted terminal device can be built-in as one or more components or units in a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted module group, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip, or a vehicle-mounted unit of the vehicle, and the vehicle can implement the method of the present application through the built-in vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted module group, vehicle-mounted component, vehicle-mounted chip, or vehicle-mounted unit. The vehicle-mounted terminal device can be a whole vehicle device, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle, an on-board unit (OBU), an RSU, a telematics box (T-box), a chip, or an SoC, and the above-mentioned chip or SoC can be installed in the vehicle, OBU, RSU, or T-box.

[0074] 3) Gateway

[0075] The gateway is also referred to as a ground station, an earth station, a gateway station, or a gateway station, which can be used to connect satellite and ground network devices (such as ground base stations). One or more satellites can be connected to one or more ground network devices (such as ground base stations) through one or more gateways.

[0076] 4) Satellite

[0077] The satellite provides services to one or more terminal devices, each gateway can correspond to one or more satellites, and each satellite can correspond to one or more gateways. The orbit height of the satellite is not limited. The satellite can also be a DU of the base station, separated from the CU of the ground base station, forming a CU-DU distributed architecture. Under this network architecture, the service link between the terminal device and the satellite can transmit NR-Uu wireless interface signals, the feeder link between the satellite and the gateway transmits satellite radio interface (SRI) signals, and the F1 interface signals between the DU and the CU are transmitted on the SRI signals.

[0078] According to processing capability, the satellite payload can be divided into transparent payload and regenerative payload. The transparent payload corresponds to a transparent mode, and the regenerative payload corresponds to a regenerative mode.

[0079] The transparent mode, that is, the satellite acts as an analog radio frequency repeater, has a relay forwarding function, can realize wireless frequency conversion and amplification, and can transparently or copy signals between a base station and a terminal device. For example, a signal transmitted by a terminal device can be transparently transmitted by a satellite, and a gateway forwards the signal into a ground base station. The gateway has part or all functions of the base station, and at this time, the gateway can be regarded as a base station. It can be considered that the gateway and the base station can be deployed together or separately. If the gateway and the base station are deployed separately, the time delay of the feeder link includes the time delay from the satellite to the gateway and the time delay from the gateway to the base station.

[0080] The regenerative mode, that is, the satellite acts as a base station of wireless communication, has part or all functions of the base station, realizes regeneration of signals received from the ground, and can understand and process the signals. For example, the satellite can be a base station carried on a man-made satellite or a high-altitude aircraft, for example, the base station can be an evolved base station (eNB) or a 5G base station (gNB). The gateway can forward signaling between the satellite (or base station) and the core network.

[0081] (5) Beam-hopping

[0082] In a satellite system, the number of beams included in the coverage area of the satellite is large, and the area to be covered is large. A beam refers to a small area in the coverage area. For example, the earth's surface (the entire coverage area) is divided into a plurality of identical hexagonal grids, and a hexagonal grid can be regarded as a beam. The number of beams that the satellite can provide at the same time is limited, and the entire area cannot be covered at the same time. In order to enable the satellite to serve all beams, the satellite usually provides services in a time-division multiplexing beam manner, which is also called beam-hopping (BH) technology.

[0083] Beam hopping refers to that a certain beam transmitted by a satellite irradiates different wave positions at different time periods. In other words, the satellite uses different beam sets at different time periods. For example, please refer to FIG. 2, which is a schematic diagram of beam hopping. FIG. 2 takes the service time of a satellite as an example, which includes N beam hopping periods (BHPs). As shown in FIG. 2, in the first beam hopping period, the satellite transmits a first beam set, which irradiates wave positions of beam 1-1 to wave position 1-3; in the second beam hopping period, the satellite transmits a second beam set, which irradiates wave positions of beam 2-1 to wave position 2-3; and so on. Wherein, the wave positions irradiated by the same beam in different beam hopping periods can be the same or different. The information set composed of the time or frequency band and the like of the satellite providing service to a certain wave position or a certain beam is called a beam hopping pattern.

[0084] (6) AMC

[0085] Generally, a network device transmits a reference signal to a terminal device, the terminal device measures the reference signal to obtain a channel quality, and feeds back the channel quality to the network side. The network device can adaptively adjust a communication parameter (for example, an MCS) according to the channel quality fed back by the terminal device, so as to ensure better communication performance. For example, in order to obtain a better throughput, the network device can use an AMC technology.

[0086] Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of the process of AMC. FIG. 3 takes a satellite as an example.

[0087] The AMC mainly includes an inner loop link adaptation (ILLA) and an outer loop link adaptation (OLLA). The ILLA refers to that the satellite maps a CQI fed back by a terminal device based on a reference signal to a reference MCS. The OLLA refers to that the satellite corrects the reference MCS according to an ACK / NACK fed back by the terminal device. The basic principle of correction is: if the satellite receives a NACK, the MCS is lowered; if the satellite receives an ACK, the MCS is raised. The finally determined MCS of the satellite satisfies: MCS new =f(CQI)+Olla new , wherein, MCS new is the finally determined MCS of the satellite, f(CQI) is a reference MCS obtained based on the CQI in the ILLA process, and Olla new is an adjustment value of the MCS determined based on the ACK / NACK fed back by the terminal device in the OLLA process. When the satellite receives a NACK, Olla new =-Δ down , and when the satellite receives an ACK, Olla new =Δup , Δ up > 0 and Δ down > 0 satisfies wherein, BLER target is a target block error rate (BLER).

[0088] (7) Time unit

[0089] The time unit refers to a unit of time, and the time unit can be a radio frame, a subframe, a slot, a mini-slot, an OFDM symbol, a millisecond (ms), or a fractional millisecond (for example, 1 / 32 ms). Alternatively, the time unit is a plurality of slots, a plurality of subframes, a plurality of mini-slots, a plurality of OFDM symbols, a plurality of milliseconds (ms), or a plurality of fractional milliseconds. One radio frame can include a plurality of subframes, one subframe can include one or more slots, and one slot can include at least one symbol. Alternatively, one radio frame can include a plurality of slots, and one slot can include at least one symbol.

[0090] (8) In the embodiments of the present application, “transmitting” includes “sending” and / or “receiving”. “Sending” and “receiving” refer to the direction of signal transmission. For example, “sending information to XX” can be understood as that the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct transmission through the air interface, and also includes indirect transmission through the air interface by other units or modules. “Receiving information from YY” can be understood as that the source of the information is YY, which can include direct reception from YY through the air interface, and also includes indirect reception from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. “Sending” can also be understood as the “output” of the chip interface, and “receiving” can also be understood as the “input” of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be performed between devices, for example, between an access network device and a terminal device, or can be performed within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules in the device through a bus, a wire, or an interface.

[0091] In the embodiments of this application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, represents "a singular noun or a plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A / B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects. For example, A / B means A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b and (or) c means the following combinations: a exists alone, b exists alone, c exists alone, a and b exist together, a and c exist together, b and c exist together, or a and b and c exist together, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0092] In the embodiments of this application, "when", "if" and "whether" all mean that the device will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, not limited by time, and also does not require the device to have a judgment action when it is implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations. Unless otherwise specified, "if" and "if" can be replaced, and "when" and "in the case of" can be replaced. "When" and "if" / "if" can be replaced.

[0093] In the embodiments of this application, the words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean by way of example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner.

[0094] In the embodiments of this application, the ordinal numbers such as "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish a plurality of objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, time sequence, priority or importance of the plurality of objects. For example, the first beam set and the second beam set refer to two different beam sets, and do not mean that the priority or importance of the two beam sets is different.

[0095] As described above, the distance between the satellite and the ground is far, and the time delay of the signal between the satellite and the ground is large. If the satellite uses AMC, the satellite may use the last received ACK / NACK to adjust the reference MCS, which leads to the reduction of communication efficiency.

[0096] For the convenience of understanding, please refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic diagram of the principle that the adoption of the AMC technology by the satellite leads to the reduction of the communication efficiency. In FIG. 4, the channel quality is good in the nth time period, and at time t1 in the nth time period, the satellite can receive the ACK fed back by the terminal device, and the satellite adjusts the MCS upward according to the ACK; in the (n+1)th time period, the channel quality is poor, and it can be considered that the MCS is too high, and the terminal device will feed back the NACK, but due to the large time delay between the satellite and the terminal device, the satellite receives the NACK at time t2. That is, in the (n+1)th time period, the satellite does not receive the NACK fed back by the terminal device, and in this case, the satellite considers that the terminal device feeds back the ACK received at time t1, and still adjusts the MCS upward. In this way, the MCS becomes higher, but the channel quality is poor in the (n+1)th time period, and then the BLER of the data packet sent by the satellite at the terminal device side is also increased, the number of NACKs fed back by the terminal device is also increased, and the number of data packets that need to be re-sent by the satellite is also increased, thereby leading to the reduction of the system transmission efficiency.

[0097] In view of this, the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is provided. In the embodiments of the present application, the satellite adopts the BH technology. The satellite transmits the reference signal by using the beam set corresponding to the second time period in the first time period, and correspondingly, the channel information obtained by the terminal device according to the reference signal is the channel information of the second time period. The second time period is a time period after the first time period. The terminal device feeds back the channel information to the satellite, so that the satellite can know the channel information in the next time period in advance, and determine the MCS adapted to the next time period based on the channel information. Compared with the AMC, the scheme provided in the embodiments of the present application can determine the appropriate MCS more timely, thereby reducing the bit error rate and improving the communication efficiency (such as the transmission efficiency). Wherein, the specific type of the reference signal is not limited in the embodiments of the present application, for example, the reference signal can be a channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0098] In the embodiments of the present application, (pre)configuration means (pre)configuration through one or more signaling, for example, (pre)configuration through one or more signaling such as RRC message, downlink control information (DCI), MAC control element (CE). For another example, in the embodiments of the present application, the first indication information / second indication information can be carried in (or be) one or more of RRC message, DCI and MAC CE.

[0099] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is introduced below.

[0100] In the following introduction process, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is applied to the network architecture shown in FIG. 1, and the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be executed by a satellite, an access network device and a terminal device. The steps executed by the satellite can be implemented by the satellite itself, or by a component (such as a baseband chip, or other processing unit or processor module) in the satellite. The steps executed by the access network device can be implemented by the RAN device itself, or by a component (such as a baseband chip, or other processing unit or processor module) in the RAN device, or by a component (such as a CU, DU or RU) that completes part or all of the functions of the RAN device. The steps executed by the terminal device can be implemented by the terminal device itself, or by a component (such as a baseband chip, or other processing unit or processor module) in the terminal device.

[0101] Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a flowchart of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. FIG. 5 introduces the method from the perspective of interaction between the satellite, the access network device and the terminal device. It should be understood that the communication method can also be implemented by other devices, for example, by a chip or communication device with communication function. In addition, the processing performed by a single execution subject can also be divided into processing performed by multiple execution subjects, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the access network device can be divided into processing performed by at least one of the CU, DU, RU, etc. As shown in FIG. 5, the flow of the communication method includes the following steps.

[0102] S501, the satellite sends a first reference signal to the terminal device based on a first time unit of a first time period of a first beam set.

[0103] The first time period is one of the time periods of the service time of the satellite. Or in other words, the service time of the satellite includes multiple time periods, and the first time period is one of the multiple time periods. The sizes of different time periods can be the same or different. The size of the first time period is not limited by the embodiments of the present application. For example, the first time period can be one hop beam period.

[0104] The first time period can include multiple time units, and the size of each time unit is not limited by the embodiments of the present application, for example, one time unit can include one or more time slots. The sizes of different time units in one time period can be the same or different. For example, the first time period includes a first time unit, a second time unit and a third time unit, wherein the first time period is T time slots, the first time unit can be 1 time slot, the second time unit can be T-k time slots, and the third time unit can be k-1 time slots, T is a positive integer, and k is a positive integer.

[0105] In addition, the application embodiments do not limit the position of the first time unit in the first time period. For example, the start time of the first time unit is the same as the start time of the first time period, or the end time of the first time unit is the same as the end time of the first time period, or the start time of the first time unit is later than the start time of the first time period, and the end time of the first time unit is earlier than the end time of the first time period.

[0106] The first beam set is a set composed of one or more beams, which can also be referred to as a first beam group or a first beam pattern. In the application embodiments, the satellite adopts a beam hopping technology, and the beam sets corresponding to at least two time periods are different, or the beam sets associated with at least two time periods are different, or the beam sets mapped by at least two time periods are different. For convenience of description, in this paper, the first time period is associated with a second beam set, and the second time period is associated with a first beam set as an example. Different beam sets include different or all different beams. For example, the first beam set includes beam 0, beam 2, and beam 3, and the second beam set includes beam 1, beam 4, and beam 5; or the first beam set includes beam 0, beam 2, and beam 3, and the second beam set includes beam 0, beam 4, and beam 5.

[0107] In the application embodiments, the beam set used by the satellite to send the reference signal in a time period is the beam set associated with another time period to obtain the channel information of the other time period. For example, the satellite sends a first reference signal to the terminal device based on the first beam set in the first time unit in the first time period, and the end time of the first time period is not later than the start time of the second time period. In this way, the satellite can obtain the channel information of the second time period by using the first beam set to send the first reference signal in the first time period.

[0108] In addition, in the time unit other than the first time unit in the first time period, the satellite still uses the second beam set to send the reference signal or the data signal to minimize the impact on the service of the terminal device. For example, the satellite sends a second reference signal based on the second beam set in the second time unit in the first time period. For another example, the satellite sends a data signal based on the second beam set in the second time unit in the first time period. In the time unit other than the first time unit in the first time period, the satellite still uses the second beam set to send the data signal, so that the satellite can still provide services for the terminal device in the first time period, and the impact on the service of the terminal device can be reduced.

[0109] Or, in the embodiment of the application, the satellite transmits signals using at least two beam sets in a time period, the at least two beam sets including a beam set associated with the time period and a beam set associated with another time period. For example, the satellite transmits signals using at least two beam sets in a first time period, the at least two beam sets including a second beam set associated with the first time period and a first beam set associated with the first time period.

[0110] For ease of understanding, please refer to FIG. 6, which is a schematic diagram of a beam set used by the satellite in a first time period according to an embodiment of the application. FIG. 6 takes the first time period as an n th hop beam period and the second time period as an n+m th time period as an example. Moreover, FIG. 6 takes the first time period as including a second time unit, a first time unit and a third time unit in sequence as an example. The first time period is T time slots, the second time unit can be T-k time slots, the first time unit can be 1 time slot, and the third time unit can be k-1 time slots. The satellite transmits reference signals and / or data signals using the second beam set in the second time unit and the third time unit of the first time period, and transmits first reference signals using the first beam set in the first time unit.

[0111] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first reference signals in the first time unit of the first time period. The terminal device can measure the first reference signals to obtain first channel information. The first channel information includes channel quality information, for example, the first channel information includes (or is) CSI or CQI. It should be understood that the channel information is obtained according to the first reference signals, and therefore, the channel information is channel information of the second time period. In other words, the terminal device can obtain the channel information of the second time period in the first time period. In this way, the terminal device can report the first channel information to the satellite in the first time period, so that the satellite can obtain the channel information of the second time period in the first time period. In other words, the satellite knows the channel quality of the next time period in advance, so that the satellite can determine the MCS of the second time period based on the channel information, so as to timely adjust the MCS, reduce the error rate and improve the communication efficiency.

[0112] Optionally, the time interval between the second time period and the first time period is related to the time delay from the satellite to the terminal device. For example, the time interval between the second time period and the first time period is greater than or equal to the round-trip time delay from the satellite to the terminal device, so that the terminal device receives the first reference signals as early as possible, so that the satellite knows the channel quality of the second time period as early as possible before the second time period, so that the satellite can timely adjust the MCS to reduce the error rate. Assuming that there are multiple time periods with a time interval from the first time period greater than or equal to the round-trip time delay from the satellite to the terminal device, the second time period can be the time period closest to the first time period among the multiple time periods, or in other words, the second time period is the time period closest to the first time period among the multiple time periods.

[0113] The length of the interval between the second time period and the first time period includes the length of the interval between the start time / end time of the second time period and the start time / end time of the first time period. For the convenience of description, the length of the interval between the second time period and the first time period is taken as the length of the interval between the start time of the second time period and the start time of the first time period in the following description.

[0114] For example, the first time period includes 50 time slots, and the time delay between the satellite and the terminal device is 10 time slots. The first reference signal should be sent at least 10 time slots in advance, and accordingly, the interval between the second time period and the first time period should be greater than or equal to 10 time slots. Therefore, the second time period can be the next time period of the first time period. For example, the first time period is the nth hop beam period, and the second time period is the (n+1)th hop beam period.

[0115] For another example, the first time period includes 2 time slots, and the time delay between the satellite and the terminal device is 10 time slots. The first reference signal should be sent at least 10 time slots in advance, and accordingly, the interval between the second time period and the first time period should be greater than 10 time slots. Therefore, the second time period can be the next time period of the first time period. For example, the first time period is the nth hop beam period, and the second time period is the (n+m)th hop beam period, where m can be 1, 2, 3 or 4.

[0116] Optionally, the length of the interval between the first time unit and the second time period is related to the time delay between the satellite and the terminal device. For example, the length of the interval between the first time unit and the second time period is greater than or equal to the round-trip time delay between the satellite and the terminal device. Alternatively, the second time period and the first time unit can be determined according to the time delay between the satellite and the terminal device. In the above example of FIG. 6, the first time unit is the (T-k+1)th time slot of the first time period, and k can be determined according to the time delay between the satellite and the terminal device. For example, the smaller k is, the earlier the satellite learns the channel quality of the second time period. However, the smaller k is, the earlier the service transmission delay between the satellite and the terminal device is caused. In the embodiment of the present application, the reasonable position of the first time unit in the first time period is determined according to the time delay between the satellite and the terminal device, so as to minimize the impact on the normal transmission of services.

[0117] In a possible implementation, the correspondence / association / mapping relationship between each time period and beam set of the (pre-)configured satellite can be determined. For example, the satellite receives the first indication information, which can be used to indicate the correspondence between T time periods and K beam sets, where T and K are positive integers. One time period can correspond to one or more beam sets, and one beam set can correspond to one or more time periods. The T time periods can be all or part of the service time periods of the satellite, and the first time period and the second time period both belong to the T time periods. It should be understood that the first beam set belongs to the K beam sets, and the second beam set belongs to the K beam sets.

[0118] It can be understood that if the working mode of the satellite is the transparent mode, the satellite actually receives the first indication information from the gateway on the ground, and correspondingly, the gateway sends the first indication information to the satellite. In this case, the gateway has part or all of the functions of the base station, and the gateway can be regarded as the base station. If the working mode of the satellite is the regenerative mode, the satellite can act as a base station and has part or all of the functions of the base station. The satellite actually acquires the first indication information.

[0119] Optionally, the correspondence between the T time periods and the K beam sets can also be determined according to a specific rule, which can be (pre-)configured. For example, the specific rule is that the T time periods and the K beam sets are sequentially corresponding in order. For example, the T time periods are time period 1, time period 2, and time period 3, and the K beam sets are beam set 1 and beam set 2, then time period 1 corresponds to beam set 1, time period 2 corresponds to beam set 2, and time period 3 corresponds to beam set 1. In this case, the access network device does not need to send the first indication information, and therefore, in FIG. 5, it is illustrated by a dashed line.

[0120] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the way in which the satellite determines the correspondence between the T time periods and the K beam sets, as long as the satellite can know the corresponding beam set of each time period.

[0121] According to the correspondence between the T time periods and the K beam sets, the satellite can determine the second beam set associated with the first time period and the first beam set associated with the second time period, so as to use the first beam set to send the first reference signal in the first time unit in the first time period.

[0122] Alternatively, the satellite receives second indication information, which can indicate the first beam set associated with the second time period. Based on the second indication information, the satellite can explicitly determine the first beam set associated with the second time period. Similar to the satellite receiving the first indication information, the satellite receiving the second indication information includes: the satellite receiving the second indication information from the gateway on the ground, or the satellite obtaining the second indication information.

[0123] Optionally, the second indication information further indicates the second time period, so as to explicitly indicate that the first beam set is associated with the second time period.

[0124] The manner in which the second indication information indicates the first beam set includes but is not limited to the following.

[0125] (1) The second indication information can include the index of the beam included in the first beam set, which is direct and simple.

[0126] (2) The second indication information can indicate one of the K beam sets, and the beam set is the first beam set.

[0127] (3) The second indication information can indicate a first reference signal resource, and indirectly indicate the first beam set through the first reference signal resource.

[0128] For example, the time domain resource of the first reference signal resource is associated with the second time period, so that the satellite can determine the second time period according to the first reference signal resource, and then determine the first beam set associated with the second time period according to the correspondence between the T time periods and the K beam sets. The time domain resource of the first reference signal resource is associated with the second time period, which can be replaced by that the time domain resource of the first reference signal resource is the second time period.

[0129] It should be understood that the access network device sending the second indication information is not necessarily a step to be performed, and therefore is illustrated in FIG. 5 with a dashed line. Alternatively, the access network device can send the first indication information and the second indication information.

[0130] S502, the terminal device sends first information to the satellite, and the first information includes first channel information.

[0131] The terminal device receives a first reference signal, measures the first reference signal, and can obtain first channel information. The first channel information can be used to characterize the channel quality of the second time period. For example, the first channel information can be the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) of the first reference signal. The terminal device determines the first channel information, and can send the first channel information to the satellite. For example, the terminal device sends first information to the satellite, and the first information includes the first channel information. The first information can be CQI.

[0132] It can be understood that the length of the interval between the second time period and the first time period can be determined according to the time delay between the satellite and the terminal device, so that the satellite obtains the first channel information before the second time period. For example, the satellite can receive the first information in the first time period. In a possible scenario, the satellite can receive multiple channel information corresponding to multiple time periods in one time period, which can cause the satellite to incorrectly identify the channel information corresponding to each of the multiple time periods. For example, the satellite receives the first channel information and the second channel information in the first time period, where the first channel information is associated with the second time period, and the second channel information is associated with the third time period. For the satellite, the first channel information can be regarded as the channel information of the third time period.

[0133] To enable the satellite to determine the time period to which the obtained channel information corresponds, the terminal device can report, to the satellite, the time period to which the channel information corresponds when reporting the channel information to the satellite. For example, the first information can further indicate the second time period associated with the first channel information.

[0134] The first information can directly or indirectly indicate the second time period, including but not limited to the following indication manners.

[0135] (1) The first information further includes information of the second time period.

[0136] For example, the first information includes an index of the second time period in the T time periods, or the first information includes a start time and / or an end time of the second time period.

[0137] (2) The first information includes information of a first beam set associated with the second time period.

[0138] For example, the first information includes an index of the first beam set, and the satellite can determine the second time period according to a correspondence between the T time periods and K beam sets and the first beam set.

[0139] (3) The first information includes information of a first reference signal resource.

[0140] For example, the first information includes a start position and / or an end position of the first reference signal resource. The satellite can determine the second time period according to a time domain position of the first reference signal resource. For example, the time domain resource of the first reference signal resource is the second time period.

[0141] It should be noted that in a possible scenario, the offset between the time of receiving the channel information and the time period associated with the channel information is fixed. In this case, the satellite can determine the time period associated with the channel information according to the time of receiving the channel information and the offset. For example, the satellite can determine the second time period according to the time of receiving the first information / first channel information and the fixed offset. In this regard, the first information can not indicate the second time period.

[0142] In S503, the satellite determines the MCS of the second time period according to the first channel information.

[0143] The satellite obtains the first channel information, and can determine the MCS of the second time period according to the first channel information. For example, when the first channel information indicates that the channel quality of the second time period is good, the satellite can increase the MCS; when the first channel information indicates that the channel quality of the second time period is poor, the satellite can decrease the MCS.

[0144] In the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the satellite can know the channel information of the next time period in advance, so as to determine the MCS of the time period based on the channel information, so as to achieve the purpose of timely adjusting the MCS, reducing the bit error rate, and improving the communication efficiency.

[0145] The above embodiments provided in the present application are introduced by taking the access network device, the satellite and the terminal device as examples. In the present application, each embodiment can be independently implemented or implemented based on certain internal relationship; different implementation manners in each embodiment can be combined or independently implemented. In order to implement the functions in the method provided in the above embodiments of the present application, the steps performed by the terminal device can be implemented by the terminal device itself, or can be implemented by different functional entities constituting the terminal device. The steps performed by the access network device can be implemented by the access network device itself, or can be implemented by different functional entities constituting the access network device. For example, the network device is the access network device, which can be a CU-DU-RU architecture, the DU can generate the first indication information, and the RU can send the first indication information. The steps performed by the satellite can be implemented by the satellite itself, or can be implemented by different functional entities constituting the satellite. In order to implement the functions in the method provided in the above embodiments of the present application, the terminal device, the access network device and the satellite can include hardware structures and / or software modules, and the above functions can be implemented in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules. Whether a certain function in the above functions is implemented in the form of hardware structure, software module, or hardware structure plus software module depends on the specific application of the technical solution and the design constraint conditions.

[0146] Based on the same inventive concept as the method embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus used to implement the above method in the embodiments of the present application is introduced below with reference to the drawings. The above contents can be used in the subsequent embodiments, and the repeated contents will not be described herein.

[0147] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 700 can correspond to implement the functions or steps implemented by the satellite, the access network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned various method embodiments. For example, the communication apparatus 700 can be the terminal device in FIG. 1; or the communication apparatus 700 is a chip (system) in the terminal device; or the communication apparatus 700 is a software module of the terminal device. Or the communication apparatus 700 can correspond to implement the functions or steps implemented by the access network device in the above-mentioned various method embodiments. For example, the communication apparatus 700 can be the access network device in FIG. 1; or the communication apparatus 700 is a chip (system) in the access network device; or the communication apparatus 700 is a software module of the access network device. Or the communication apparatus 700 can correspond to implement the functions or steps implemented by the satellite in the above-mentioned various method embodiments. For example, the communication apparatus 700 can be the satellite in FIG. 1; or the communication apparatus 700 is a chip (system) in the satellite; or the communication apparatus 700 is a software module of the access network device. The communication apparatus 700 can include a processing module 710 and a transceiver module 720. Optionally, it can also include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions (codes or programs) and / or data. The storage module can be, for example, a memory. The processing module 710 and the transceiver module 720 can be coupled with the storage module. For example, the processing module 710 can read the instructions (codes or programs) and / or data in the storage module to implement the corresponding method. When the communication apparatus 700 is a chip in the terminal device, the storage module can be a storage module in the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc. For example, the storage module can also be a storage module in the terminal device located outside the chip, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc. The above-mentioned various units can be independently arranged, or partially or entirely integrated.

[0148] The processing module 710 can be a processor or a controller, for example, can be a general central processing unit (CPU), a general processor, a digital signal processing (DSP), an application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logical blocks, modules and circuits described in combination with the disclosure. The processor can also be a combination of computing functions, such as including one or more microprocessor combinations, combinations of DSP and microprocessor, etc. The transceiver module 720 is a transceiver, interface circuit, bus, pin or other possible communication interface for receiving signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the transceiver module 720 is an interface circuit of the chip for receiving signals from other chips or devices, or is an interface circuit of the chip for transmitting signals to other chips or devices.

[0149] In an implementation manner, the communication device 700 can correspondingly implement the behaviors and functions of the satellite in the above method embodiments. The communication device 700 can be a satellite, can be a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) in the satellite, can be a part of a chip or a chip set in the satellite for executing related method functions, or can be a software module in the satellite capable of implementing the above communication method, without limitation. For details, reference can be made to the related contents of the above method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0150] For example, the transceiver module 720 is configured to transmit a first reference signal to a terminal device and receive first information based on a first time unit of a first time period of a first beam set. The first beam set is associated with a second time period, and the end time of the first time period is not later than the start time of the second time period. The processing module 710 is configured to determine the MCS in the second time period according to the first channel information included in the first information. The first channel information is obtained based on the first reference signal.

[0151] As an optional implementation manner, the transceiver module 720 is further configured to transmit a second reference signal and / or a data signal to the terminal device based on a second time unit of the first time period of a second beam set. The second beam set is associated with the first time period. The end time of the second time unit is not later than the start time of the first time unit.

[0152] As an optional implementation, a length of a time interval between the second time period and the first time period is related to a time delay from the satellite to the terminal device.

[0153] As an optional implementation, the transceiver 720 is further configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a correspondence between T time periods and K beam sets, T and K being positive integers. It should be understood that the first beam set belongs to the K beam sets, and the second beam set belongs to the K beam sets.

[0154] As an optional implementation, the transceiver 720 is further configured to receive second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the first beam set.

[0155] As an optional implementation, the second indication information being used to indicate the first beam set includes that the second indication information is used to indicate a first reference signal resource. A time domain resource of the first reference signal resource is associated with the second time period, and the second time period is associated with the first beam set.

[0156] As an optional implementation, the first information is further used to indicate the second time period.

[0157] As an optional implementation, the first information being used to indicate the second time period includes that the first information includes information of the second time period, the first information includes information of the first beam set associated with the second time period, or the first information includes information of a first reference signal resource, a time domain resource of the first reference signal resource being associated with the second time period.

[0158] In an implementation, the communication apparatus 700 can correspondingly implement the behaviors and functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The communication apparatus 700 can be a terminal device, or a component (such as a chip or circuit) in the terminal device, or a part in a chip or chip set in the terminal device for executing related method functions, or a software module in the terminal device capable of implementing the above communication method, which is not limited. For details, reference can be made to the related contents of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0159] For example, the transceiver 720 is configured to receive a first reference signal in a first time unit in a first time period, and transmit first information. The first information includes first channel information, and the first channel information is obtained based on the first reference signal. A resource of the first reference signal is associated with a second time period, and an end time of the first time period is not later than a start time of the second time period.

[0160] As an optional implementation, the first information is further used to indicate the second time period.

[0161] As an optional implementation, the first information is used to indicate the second time period, including: the first information includes information of the second time period; the first information includes information of a first beam set associated with the second time period; or the first information includes information of a first reference signal resource, a time domain resource of the first reference signal resource being associated with the second time period.

[0162] In an implementation, the communication apparatus 700 can correspondingly implement the behaviors and functions of the access network device in the above method embodiments. The communication apparatus 700 can be the access network device, or a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) in the access network device, or a part in a chip or a chip set for executing the functions of the related method in the access network device, or a software module in the access network device capable of implementing the above communication method, without limitation. For details, refer to the related content of the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0163] For example, the transceiver module 720 is configured to transmit the first indication information and / or the second indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate a correspondence between T time periods and K beam sets, T and K being positive integers. The K beam sets include a first beam set, the first beam set being used to transmit a first reference signal in a first time unit in a first time period, the first beam set being associated with a second time period, an end time of the first time period being no later than a start time of the second time period. The second indication information is used to indicate the first beam set associated with the second time period.

[0164] When the communication apparatus 700 is a chip type apparatus or a circuit, the transceiver module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, and the processing module can be an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit.

[0165] FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 800 can be the terminal device, the satellite, or the access network device in the above embodiments. For example, the communication apparatus 800 can be the terminal device in FIG. 1 or a chip (system) in the terminal device. For another example, the communication apparatus 800 can be the access network device in FIG. 1 or a chip (system) in the access network device. For another example, the communication apparatus 800 can be the satellite in FIG. 1 or a chip (system) in the satellite. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. For details, refer to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0166] The communication apparatus 800 comprises one or more processors 801 for implementing or supporting implementation of the functions of the terminal device, the satellite, or the access network device in the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. For details, refer to the detailed description in the method examples, which will not be repeated here. The processor 801 can also be referred to as a processing unit or a processing module, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 801 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, it includes a baseband processor, a central processing unit, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processor, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video coding and decoding processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor, etc. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data. The central processing unit can be used to control the communication apparatus 800 (such as a terminal device, a satellite, or an access network device), execute software programs, and / or process data. Different processors can be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors, such as integrated into one or more application-specific integrated circuits.

[0167] In one design, the processor 801 can include a program 803 (which can also be referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 801 to cause the communication apparatus 800 to perform the methods described in the following embodiments. In another possible design, the communication apparatus 800 includes a circuit (not shown in FIG. 8) for implementing the functions of the terminal device, the satellite, or the access network device in the above embodiments.

[0168] In one design, the communication apparatus 800 can include one or more memories 802 having a program 804 (which can also be referred to as code or instructions) stored thereon, which can be run on the processor 801 to cause the communication apparatus 800 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0169] In one design, the processor 801 and / or the memory 802 can include an AI module 807, an AI module 808, which is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI module can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI module can include a RIC module. For example, the AI module can be a near-real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0170] In one possible design, the processor 801 and / or the memory 802 can also store data. The processor and the memory can be separately arranged or integrated together.

[0171] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 800 can further include a transceiver 805 and / or an antenna 806. The processor 801 can also be referred to as a processing unit, and can control the communication apparatus 800. The transceiver 805 can also be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, a transceiving circuit, or a transceiver, and can be configured to implement the transceiving function of the communication apparatus 800 via the antenna 806.

[0172] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 800 can further include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external storage interface, an internal storage, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display screen. It can be understood that, in some embodiments, the communication apparatus 800 can include more or fewer components, or some components can be integrated, or some components can be split. These components can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0173] The communication apparatus in the above-described embodiments can be a terminal device, a satellite, or an access network device, or can be a circuit, or can be a chip or other combination device, component, etc. applied in the terminal device, the satellite, or the access network device. When the communication apparatus is a terminal device, the transceiver module can be a transceiver, and can include an antenna and a radio frequency circuit, etc., and the processing module can be a processor, for example, a CPU. When the communication apparatus is a chip system, the communication apparatus can be an FPGA, can be a special-purpose ASIC, can be a SoC, can be a CPU, can be a network processor (NP), can be a DSP, can be a micro controller unit (MCU), can be a programmable logic device (PLD), or can be another integrated chip. The processing module can be a processor of the chip system. The transceiver module or the communication interface can be an input / output interface or an interface circuit of the chip system. For example, the interface circuit can be a code / data read / write interface circuit. The interface circuit can be configured to receive code instructions (the code instructions are stored in a memory, and can be read from the memory directly or through another device) and transmit the code instructions to the processor. The processor can be configured to execute the code instructions to perform the methods in the above-described method embodiments. For another example, the interface circuit can also be a signal transmission interface circuit between a communication processor and a transceiver.

[0174] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, comprising at least one terminal device, at least one satellite and at least one access network device. The satellite is used to implement the functions of the satellite in the above communication method, the terminal device is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the above communication method, and the access network device is used to implement the functions of the access network device in the above communication method.

[0175] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method executed by the terminal device, the satellite or the access network device in the above communication method.

[0176] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product comprising computer program code, which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method executed by the terminal device, the satellite or the access network device in the above communication method.

[0177] The embodiments of the present application provide a chip system, which comprises a processor and can further comprise a memory, and is used to implement the functions of the terminal device, the satellite or the access network device in the above communication method. The chip system can be composed of a chip or can comprise a chip and other discrete devices.

[0178] In order to implement the functions of the communication device in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the embodiments of the present application further provide a chip comprising a processor, which is used to support the communication device to implement the functions of the terminal device, the satellite or the access network device in the above method embodiments. In a possible design, the chip is connected with a memory or the chip comprises the memory, and the memory is used to save the computer program or instructions and data necessary for the communication device.

[0179] It should be understood that, in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of each process does not mean the execution order, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0180] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0181] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the system, device and unit described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0182] 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 actual implementation can have another division manner, 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.

[0183] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0184] 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 part essentially contributed by the technical scheme of the present application or part of the technical scheme can be embodied in the form of a software product, which 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 the various embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk, and various program code storage media.

[0185] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application belong to the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending a first reference signal to a terminal device based on a first time unit of a first time period of a first beam set, the first beam set being associated with a second time period, an end time of the first time period being no later than a start time of the second time period; receiving first information, the first information comprising first channel information, the first channel information being obtained based on the first reference signal; determining a modulation and coding strategy (MCS) in the second time period according to the first channel information. The method of claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: sending a second reference signal and / or a data signal to the terminal device based on a second time unit of the first time period of a second beam set, the second beam set being associated with the first time period, an end time of the second time unit being no later than a start time of the first time unit. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein A time interval between the second time period and the first time period is related to a time delay of a satellite to the terminal device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a correspondence between T time periods and K beam sets, the T and the K being positive integers, and the first beam set belonging to the K beam sets, the second beam set belonging to the K beam sets. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the first beam set. The method of claim 5, wherein The method further comprises: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the first beam set, comprising: The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that receiving the second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate a first reference signal resource, a time domain resource of the first reference signal resource being associated with the second time period, the second time period being associated with the first beam set. The method of claim 7, wherein The first information is further used to indicate the second time period. The first information is used to indicate the second time period, comprising: the first information comprising information of the second time period; the first information comprising information of the first beam set associated with the second time period; or A communication method characterized by comprising: the first information comprising information of a first reference signal resource, a time domain resource of the first reference signal resource being associated with the second time period. The method comprises: receiving a first reference signal at a first time unit in a first time period; The method of claim 9, wherein sending first information, the first information comprising first channel information, the first channel information being obtained based on the first reference signal, a resource of the first reference signal being associated with a second time period, an end time of the first time period being no later than a start time of the first time period. The method of claim 10, wherein The first information is further used to indicate the second time period. The first information is used to indicate the second time period, comprising: the first information comprising information of the second time period; the first information comprising information of the first beam set associated with the second time period; or A communication method characterized by comprising: the first information comprising information of a first reference signal resource, a time domain resource of the first reference signal resource being associated with the second time period. The method comprises: sending the first indication information and / or the second indication information; The first indication information is used for indicating a corresponding relationship between T time periods and K beam sets, T and K are positive integers, the K beam sets include a first beam set, the first beam set is used for transmitting a first reference signal in a first time unit in a first time period, the first beam set is associated with a second time period, and an end time of the first time period is not later than a start time of the second time period. The second indication information is used for indicating the first beam set associated with the second time period. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: A satellite transmits a first reference signal to a terminal device based on a first beam set in a first time unit in a first time period, the first beam set is associated with a second time period, an end time of the first time period is not later than a start time of the second time period, and the terminal device transmits first information to the satellite, the first information includes first channel information obtained based on the first reference signal; and the satellite determines a modulation and coding strategy (MCS) in the second time period according to the first channel information. The method comprises: A communication device characterized by comprising: A transceiver module is configured to transmit a first reference signal to a terminal device based on a first beam set in a first time unit in a first time period, receive first information, the first beam set is associated with a second time period, an end time of the first time period is not later than a start time of the second time period, the first information includes first channel information, and the first channel information is obtained based on the first reference signal. A processing module is configured to determine a modulation and coding strategy (MCS) in the second time period according to the first channel information. The transceiver module is further configured to: The apparatus of claim 14, wherein transmit a second reference signal and / or a data signal to the terminal device based on a second beam set in a second time unit in the first time period, the second beam set is associated with the first time period, and an end time of the second time unit is not later than a start time of the first time unit. A time interval between the second time period and the first time period is related to a time delay of a satellite to the terminal device. The apparatus of claim 14 or 15, wherein The transceiver module is further configured to: The apparatus of any one of claims 14-16, wherein receive first indication information, the first indication information is used for indicating a corresponding relationship between T time periods and K beam sets, T and K are positive integers, and the first beam set belongs to the K beam sets, and the second beam set belongs to the K beam sets. The transceiver module is further configured to: The apparatus of any one of claims 14-17, wherein receive second indication information, the second indication information is used for indicating the first beam set. The second indication information is used for indicating the first beam set, comprising: The apparatus of claim 18, wherein The second indication information is received, and the second indication information is used for indicating a first reference signal resource, a time domain resource of the first reference signal resource is associated with the second time period, and the second time period is associated with the first beam set. The first information is further used for indicating the second time period. The apparatus of any one of claims 14-19, wherein The first information is used for indicating the second time period, comprising: The apparatus of claim 20, wherein The first information includes information of the second time period; The first information includes information of the first beam set associated with the second time period; or, ​ The first information includes information of a first reference signal resource, and a time domain resource of the first reference signal resource is associated with the second time period. A communication device, characterized by Comprise: The transceiver module is configured to receive a first reference signal in a first time unit in a first time period, and transmit first information; The first information includes first channel information, the first channel information is obtained based on the first reference signal, a resource of the first reference signal is associated with a second time period, and an end time of the first time period is not later than a start time of the first time period; The processing module is configured to determine the first information. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein The first information is also used to indicate the second time period. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein The first information is used to indicate the second time period, comprising: The first information includes information of the second time period; The first information includes information of the first beam set associated with the second time period; or The first information includes information of a first reference signal resource, and a time domain resource of the first reference signal resource is associated with the second time period. A communication device, characterized by Comprise: The processing module is configured to determine first indication information and / or second indication information; The transceiver module is configured to transmit the first indication information and / or the second indication information; The first indication information is used to indicate a correspondence between T time periods and K beam sets, T and K are both positive integers, the K beam sets include a first beam set, the first beam set is used to transmit a first reference signal in a first time unit in a first time period, the first beam set is associated with a second time period, and an end time of the first time period is not later than a start time of the second time period; The second indication information is used to indicate the first beam set associated with the second time period. A communication system characterized by Comprise a satellite and a terminal device; The satellite is configured to transmit a first reference signal to the terminal device based on a first beam set in a first time unit in a first time period, the first beam set is associated with a second time period, and an end time of the first time period is not later than a start time of the second time period; The terminal device is configured to transmit first information to the satellite, the first information includes first channel information, and the first channel information is obtained based on the first reference signal; The satellite is further configured to determine a modulation and coding strategy (MCS) in the second time period according to the first channel information. A communication device, characterized by The communication device comprises at least one processor configured to enable the method of any one of claims 1-8 to be executed by the communication device, or the at least one processor is configured to enable the communication device to execute the method of any one of claims 9-11 to be executed by the communication device, or the at least one processor is configured to enable the communication device to execute the method of claim 12 to be executed by the communication device. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized by The computer readable storage medium is configured to store a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the method according to any one of claims 1-8 to be performed, or causes the method according to any one of claims 9-11 to be performed, or causes the method according to claim 12 to be performed. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the method according to any one of claims 1-8 to be performed, or causes the method according to any one of claims 9-11 to be performed, or causes the method according to claim 12 to be performed. A chip or chip system, characterized in that The chip or chip system comprises: at least one processor and an interface, the at least one processor being configured to call and execute instructions from the interface, when the at least one processor executes the instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1-8 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 9-11 is implemented, or the method according to claim 12 is implemented.

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