Report transmission apparatus and communication system

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a report transmission method and apparatus, and a communication system. The apparatus comprises: a processor, which determines, when a report satisfies a trigger condition, to transmit a PUCCH on a PUCCH resource, or not to transmit the PUCCH on the PUCCH resource; and a transmitter, which transmits the report when it is determined to transmit the PUCCH, and does not transmit the report when it is determined not to transmit the PUCCH.

Description

Report sending device and communication system Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this application relate to the field of communication technology. Background Technology

[0002] 5G NR supports Channel State Information (CSI) reporting. For example, a CSI report may include at least one of the following: CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI), SSB Resource Indicator (SSBRI), Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP), and Layer 1 Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (L1-SINR), i.e., beam-related reporting. The terminal device sends beam reports to the network device, which can then perform beam management based on these reports, for example, indicating a better beam for the terminal device.

[0003] When a terminal device sends a CSI report is determined by the network device; that is, the report is scheduled by the network device. The network device can be configured to send periodic CSI reports, thus the terminal device sends CSI reports periodically; the network device can be configured to send semi-persistent CSI reports, which the terminal device sends periodically after being activated by the network device; the network device can be configured to send a non-periodic CSI reports, which the terminal device sends once after being triggered by the network device. The CSI report includes measurement results specific to the serving cell.

[0004] Rel-19 will introduce event-driven reporting (also known as event-triggered reporting or end-device-initiated reporting). More specifically, it will introduce further enhancements to CSI reporting, namely support for event-driven CSI reporting. Event-driven CSI reporting corresponds to traditional CSI reporting.

[0005] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the purpose of providing a clear and complete explanation of the technical solutions of this application and facilitating understanding by those skilled in the art. It should not be assumed that these technical solutions are known to those skilled in the art simply because they have been described in the background section of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Unlike traditional reports, for event-driven reports, the timing of report delivery can be determined by the terminal device itself. However, how the terminal device specifically delivers the report, such as how it determines whether it can deliver the report, is a problem that needs to be addressed.

[0007] To address at least one of the above-mentioned problems, embodiments of this application provide a report sending device and a communication system.

[0008] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a report sending apparatus is provided, which is applied to a terminal device configured with periodic Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources, wherein the apparatus includes:

[0009] The processor, upon reporting that the triggering conditions are met, determines whether to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource or not to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource.

[0010] The transmitter sends a report if it determines that the PUCCH will be sent, and does not send a report if it determines that the PUCCH will not be sent.

[0011] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a communication system is provided, the system including a terminal device, the terminal device including the report sending device described in the preceding aspect.

[0012] One of the beneficial effects of this application's embodiments is that, even when a report meets the triggering conditions, the terminal device still needs to further determine whether to send the report. This avoids unnecessary report sending, reduces reporting overhead, and thus reduces congestion and interference.

[0013] Specific embodiments of this application are disclosed in detail with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, indicating how the principles of this application can be adopted. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, embodiments of this application include many changes, modifications, and equivalents.

[0014] Features described and / or illustrated for one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0015] It should be emphasized that the term "including / comprises" as used herein refers to the presence of a feature, whole, step, or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, or components. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The elements and features described in one drawing or embodiment of this application may be combined with elements and features shown in one or more other drawings or embodiments. Furthermore, in the drawings, similar reference numerals denote corresponding parts in several drawings and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an event-driven report according to an embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 3 is another schematic diagram of an event-driven report according to an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a report sending method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the candidate beams and the current beam before the PUCCH resource in an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the time window in an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the time window in an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the change of the report triggering condition according to an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the change of the report triggering condition according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a report receiving method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a report sending device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a report receiving device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the foregoing and other features of this application will become apparent from the following description. Specific embodiments of this application are specifically disclosed in the description and drawings, illustrating partial implementations in which the principles of this application may be adopted. It should be understood that this application is not limited to the described embodiments; rather, it includes all modifications, variations, and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

[0032] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish different elements by name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or chronological order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one or more of the terms listed in association and all combinations thereof. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," etc., refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components, or assemblies, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, or assemblies.

[0033] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc., including the plural forms, should be broadly understood as "a kind" or "a class" rather than limited to the meaning of "an." Furthermore, the term "the" should be understood to include both the singular and plural forms, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. Additionally, the term "according to" should be understood as "at least partially based on…," and the term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on…," unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0034] In the embodiments of this application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that conforms to any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0035] Furthermore, communication between devices in a communication system can be carried out according to communication protocols at any stage, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), future 6G, etc., and / or other currently known or future communication protocols.

[0036] In the embodiments of this application, the term "network device" refers, for example, to a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to a communication network and provides services to that terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0037] Base stations can include, but are not limited to: NodeBs (or NBs), evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs or eNBs), and 5G base stations (gNBs), IAB hosts, etc. They can also include Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), Remote Radio Units (RRUs), relays, or low-power nodes (e.g., femeto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" can encompass some or all of their functions, and each base station can provide communication coverage to a specific geographic area. The term "cell" can refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0038] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "User Equipment" (UE) or "Terminal Equipment" (TE) refer, for example, to a device that accesses a communication network and receives network services through a network device. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile, and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), terminal, subscriber station (SS), access terminal (AT), station, etc.

[0039] The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, the following devices: cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, machine-type communication device, laptop computer, cordless phone, smartphone, smartwatch, digital camera, etc.

[0040] For example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), terminal devices can also be machines or devices for monitoring or measurement, such as including but not limited to: machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, vehicle communication terminals, device-to-device (D2D) terminals, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminals, and so on.

[0041] Furthermore, the terms "network side" or "network equipment side" refer to one side of the network, which can be a base station or include one or more network devices as described above. The terms "user side," "terminal side," or "terminal equipment side" refer to the side of the user or terminal, which can be a UE or include one or more terminal devices as described above. Unless otherwise specified, "equipment" can refer to either network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0042] The following examples illustrate the scenarios of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0043] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application, illustrating the case of a terminal device and a network device as examples. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include a network device 101 and terminal devices 102 and 103. For simplicity, Figure 1 only illustrates the case of two terminal devices and one network device, but the embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0044] In this embodiment of the application, network device 101 and terminal devices 102 and 103 can transmit existing services or services that can be implemented in the future. For example, these services may include, but are not limited to: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), etc.

[0045] It is worth noting that Figure 1 shows that both terminal devices 102 and 103 are within the coverage area of ​​network device 101, but this application is not limited to this. Both terminal devices 102 and 103 may be outside the coverage area of ​​network device 101, or one terminal device 102 may be within the coverage area of ​​network device 101 while the other terminal device 103 may be outside the coverage area of ​​network device 101.

[0046] In the embodiments of this application, the signaling may be, for example, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; for example, referred to as an RRC message, including MIB, system information, dedicated RRC messages; or referred to as an RRC information element. The signaling may also be, for example, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling; or referred to as a MAC control element. However, this application is not limited to these.

[0047] In the following description, without confusion, the terms "PDCCH" and "Physical Downlink Control Channel" or "Downlink Control Information" are used interchangeably, as are the terms "PDSCH" and "Physical Downlink Data Channel" or "Downlink Data". Furthermore, transmitting or receiving a PDCCH can be understood as transmitting or receiving downlink control information carried by the PDCCH; transmitting or receiving a PDSCH can be understood as transmitting or receiving downlink data carried by the PDSCH.

[0048] The terms "PUCCH" and "Physical Uplink Control Channel" or "Uplink Control Information" are interchangeable, as are the terms "PUSCH" and "Physical Uplink Data Channel" or "Uplink Data." Furthermore, transmitting or receiving a PUCCH can be understood as transmitting or receiving downlink control information carried by the PUCCH; transmitting or receiving a PUSCH can be understood as transmitting or receiving downlink data carried by the PUSCH.

[0049] Terminal devices need to send event-driven reports on certain time-frequency resources. The determination of resources requires corresponding information interaction. For example, the terminal device may send a first message to request dynamically scheduled resources or to notify whether semi-statically configured resources are actually being used.

[0050] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an event-driven report according to an embodiment of this application, referred to as Mode B. As shown in Figure 2, the first resource used to send the first message is a configured periodic PUCCH resource (only one period is shown in Figure 2 for simplicity), and the second resource used to send the event-driven report is a configured periodic PUSCH or PUCCH resource (only one resource is shown). There is an association between the first resource and the second resource, for example, one first resource is associated with one second resource.

[0051] As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device measures one or more reference signals (RS1 to RSN). After detecting an event that triggers a report, it notifies the network device that a report is being transmitted on the second resource associated with the first message (first resource) by sending a first message, and then sends a report on the associated second resource.

[0052] Conversely, if the terminal device does not detect an event, it may not send a first message. Without loss of generality, if the terminal device does not detect an event, it may also send a first message, but the content of the first message will be different from the previous one. In this case, the first message will notify the network device that there is no report transmission on the second resource associated with the first message.

[0053] Figure 3 is another schematic diagram of event-driven reporting according to an embodiment of this application, referred to as Mode A. As shown in Figure 3, the first resource used to send the first message is a configured periodic PUCCH resource (only one resource is shown), and the second resource used to send the event-driven report is a PDCCH (or DCI) scheduled resource.

[0054] As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device measures one or more reference signals (RS1 to RSN). After detecting an event that triggers a report, it requests the resources needed to send the report (i.e., requests the second resource) from the network device by sending a first message on the first resource. Then, upon receiving the PDCCH, it sends the report on the second resource scheduled by the PDCCH. The report can be carried by either PUSCH or PUCCH, with the first message carried by PUCCH. Here, "resources" refers to time-frequency resources.

[0055] This application does not limit the events that trigger reports. For example, an event could be that the measurement (L1-RSRP) of a new beam (one of RS1 to RSN) is higher than the measurement of the current beam by a certain value, or that the measurement of the current beam is lower than a certain value. In other words, the triggering condition for an event is that the measurement of a new beam is higher than the measurement of the current beam by a certain threshold, and the event occurs when the triggering condition is met; or, the triggering condition for an event is that the measurement of the current beam is lower than a certain threshold, and the event occurs when the triggering condition is met. A report is associated with an event, and the terminal device sends the report when the event occurs. "Event occurrence" can be referred to as the event meeting the triggering condition, or as the event being triggered, or as the report meeting the triggering condition. This application does not limit the content of the report. For example, the report includes a reference signal index and a measurement based on the reference signal, and the report may include one or more reference signal indices and measurements. The report is used to report beam information, and its purpose is to report the beam and the measurement for that beam. The report can also be replaced by a beam report. A new beam can also be replaced with a candidate beam. "The measurement of the new beam is higher than that of the current beam" means that the measurement of the reference signal associated with the new beam is higher than that of the reference signal associated with the current beam; this can also be expressed as "the new beam is better than the current beam" or "the quality of the new beam is better than / better than the current beam." "Higher than" can also be replaced with "greater than or equal to." "Lower than" can also be replaced with "less than or equal to."

[0056] In this embodiment, "report" refers to "event-driven report." "Event-driven" can be replaced with "UE-initiated" or "event-triggered." DCI can be replaced with PDCCH or uplink DCI. The uplink channel carrying the report (also known as a CSI report) is, for example, the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) or the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). Report configuration information refers to the report configuration information for event-driven reports; PUCCH and PUSCH are used by the terminal device during the transmission of event-driven reports.

[0057] The indication or update of the Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state includes the indication or update of the beam used by the terminal device. Within the unified TCI state framework, the higher-layer parameter "unifiedTCI-StateType" can be configured to use either a joint TCI state or a separate TCI state. When the "unifiedTCI-StateType" parameter is set to 'joint', the TCI state is a joint TCI state; when the "unifiedTCI-StateType" parameter is set to 'separate', the TCI state is a downlink TCI state and / or an uplink TCI state. The uplink beam is also called the uplink transmit spatial filter. MAC CE can activate one or more TCI states. When MAC CE activates multiple TCI states, DCI can further indicate one of the TCI states as the TCI state applied by the terminal device. When MAC CE activates only one TCI state, that TCI state is the TCI state applied by the terminal device.

[0058] The following examples illustrate situations where a terminal device needs to send an event-driven report.

[0059] First aspect of the embodiments

[0060] This application provides a report sending method, which is described from the perspective of the terminal device.

[0061] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a report sending method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes:

[0062] 401. If the terminal device reports that the triggering conditions are met, it determines whether to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource or not to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource.

[0063] 402. If the terminal device determines that it will send the PUCCH, it sends a report; if it determines that it will not send the PUCCH, it does not send a report.

[0064] It is worth noting that Figure 4 above is only an illustrative description of the embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various operations can be appropriately adjusted, and other operations can be added or some operations can be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above content, and are not limited to the description in Figure 4 above.

[0065] In some embodiments, the terminal device is configured with a periodic Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource. For example, the network device configures a PUCCH resource (time-frequency location) via higher-layer RRC signaling and simultaneously configures a period for this PUCCH resource. By configuring a periodic PUCCH resource, the terminal device can quickly use a specific PUCCH resource to send a PUCCH to the network device when it determines that it needs to send a PUCCH.

[0066] In some embodiments, in 401, before a PUCCH resource, if the terminal device determines that a report meets the triggering condition, it determines to send a PUCCH on that PUCCH resource.

[0067] In some embodiments, in 401, before a PUCCH resource, even though the terminal device determines that a report meets the triggering condition, it is still necessary to further determine whether to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource. That is, it is still necessary to further determine whether to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource or not to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource.

[0068] In some embodiments, at 402, if the terminal device determines to send a PUCCH, it will subsequently send the report. If the terminal device determines not to send a PUCCH, it will not subsequently send the report. For mode A, the sent PUCCH is used to request PUSCH resources required to send the report from the network device, and the report is sent on the PUSCH resources allocated by the network device. If the terminal device does not send a PUCCH, it will not be scheduled by the DCI for a PUSCH to carry the report, and therefore will not send the report. For mode B, the sent PUCCH is used to notify the network device that a report to be sent exists on the PUSCH resources associated with the PUCCH, and the terminal device sends the report on the PUSCH resources associated with that PUCCH. If the terminal device does not send a PUCCH, it will not send the report on the PUSCH resources associated with that PUCCH.

[0069] The following explains how to determine whether a report meets the triggering conditions.

[0070] In some embodiments, the terminal device determines that a report meets the triggering condition based on the current beam and / or candidate beam and / or time window; wherein the current beam is determined based on a reference signal associated with an active Transmission Configuration Indication State (TCI state), or based on a reference signal associated with a TCI state applied by the terminal device; the candidate beam is determined based on a reference signal configured by the network device; and the time window is determined based on a second parameter configured for the terminal device.

[0071] In the above embodiments, "beam determination based on a reference signal" includes the terminal device using the same quasi-co-address assumption as the received reference signal when receiving using the beam; or, the terminal device using the same uplink transmit filter as the reference signal when transmitting using the beam. If the beam is determined based on a certain reference signal, that reference signal can be called the beam-associated reference signal or the beam's reference signal. "Beam determination based on a reference signal associated with a TCI state" can also be called "beam determination based on a TCI state," or "beam associated with a TCI state." For a TCI state, the reference signal associated with the TCI state is the source reference signal of the TCI state, or a reference signal quasi-co-addressed with the source reference signal of the TCI state. If multiple reference signals are associated with a TCI state, the beam is determined based on the reference signal of quasi-co-address type D. The above reference signal can be CSI-RS or SSB.

[0072] For example, the terminal device activates Qmax (Qmax ≥ 1) TCI states. The current beam is determined based on a reference signal associated with a specific TCI state, which has the Q-th largest (1 ≤ Q ≤ Qmax) measurement among the reference signals associated with the Qmax activated TCI states. In other words, this TCI state is the Q-th best TCI state among the activated TCI states. Measurements include, but are not limited to, L1-RSRP, RSRP, filtered RSRP, L1-SINR, SINR, filtered SINR, etc. Q is configurable.

[0073] For example, a terminal device is instructed to a TCI state, and thus applies that TCI state. The current beam is determined based on the reference signal associated with the applied TCI state. The applied TCI state can also be referred to as the instructed TCI state.

[0074] For example, a terminal device is configured by RRC signaling to use a set of reference signals for measurement. This set is associated with a report configuration. The terminal device measures the reference signals in the set and includes the measurement results in the transmitted report. Candidate beams are determined based on these reference signals, with each reference signal in the set corresponding to one candidate beam.

[0075] In some embodiments, the time window is configurable. If the terminal device is configured with a second parameter, it indicates that the terminal device has been configured with a time window. For example, the second parameter may include a time window length W. When a time window length W is configured, the terminal device may also be configured with a first threshold M (M≥1).

[0076] In some embodiments, the time window is configurable. Determining whether a report meets the triggering condition when the terminal device has not configured a time window length W and a first threshold M (M≥1) includes: the terminal device configuring a report whose associated event is associated with a current beam and one or more candidate beams; the report meets the triggering condition when the quality of a candidate beam is higher than a certain threshold of the current beam (i.e., the event is triggered). Otherwise, the report does not meet the triggering condition.

[0077] In some embodiments, the time window is configurable. Determining whether a report meets the triggering condition when the terminal device has not configured a time window length W and a first threshold M (M≥1) includes: the terminal device configuring a report associated with an event linked to a current beam; the report meets the triggering condition when the quality of the current beam is below a certain threshold. Otherwise, the report does not meet the triggering condition.

[0078] In some embodiments, the time window is configurable. When the terminal device is configured with a second parameter, determining whether a report meets the triggering condition based on the time window includes: within the time window, determining that the report meets the triggering condition when the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam is greater than or equal to a first threshold. The second parameter can be configured to have a time window length W. The terminal device can be configured with a first threshold M (M≥1).

[0079] For example, a terminal device is configured to report an event associated with a current beam and one or more candidate beams. When the quality of a candidate beam exceeds a certain threshold of the current beam, its counter is incremented. The counter starts counting from zero within a time window of length W. If, within the time window of length W, the counter of a candidate beam is greater than or equal to a first threshold M, the report meets the triggering condition. Otherwise, the report does not meet the triggering condition.

[0080] For example, a terminal device is configured to report an event associated with a current beam. When the quality of the current beam falls below a certain threshold, the counter for that current beam is incremented. The counter counts from zero over a time period of length W. If, within the time period of length W, the counter for the current beam is greater than or equal to a first threshold M, the report meets the trigger condition. Otherwise, the report does not meet the trigger condition.

[0081] For example, when a candidate beam is reconfigured and / or the current beam is reconfigured, the candidate beam counter is reset to zero. For example, when a candidate beam is first configured to a terminal device via RRC reconfiguration signaling, the counter for that candidate beam starts counting from zero. For example, "current beam reconfigured" includes "the terminal device has activated a new set of TCI states," or "the terminal device has been instructed to use a new current beam."

[0082] In the above embodiments, the terminal device is configured with a time window by a second parameter. For example, the second parameter may indicate the length of the time window, in units such as milliseconds, time slots, or symbols. For instance, the second parameter may include the number of these time units, and the length of the time unit is determined based on the subcarrier spacing of the reference signal associated with the current beam, the reference signal associated with the candidate beam, the PUCCH resource, or the PUSCH resource. This second parameter may be configured by higher-layer parameters (RRC). The start and end points of the time window will be explained later.

[0083] The above has explained how to determine whether a report is triggered. When the terminal device is configured with a second parameter to determine the time window, some specific scenarios also need to be considered, such as how to determine whether a report is triggered when the current beam changes within the time window. This will be further explained below.

[0084] In some embodiments, within a time window, when the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam is greater than or equal to a first threshold, a report is determined to meet the triggering condition. The current beam is determined based on a reference signal with the Q-th largest measurement among the reference signals associated with the activated TCI state. The determination is made by identifying a first reference signal of the current beam with the Q-th largest measurement among the reference signals associated with the activated TCI state, and then by identifying a second reference signal of the current beam with the Q-th largest measurement among the reference signals associated with the activated TCI state, wherein the first reference signal is different from the second reference signal.

[0085] For example, the terminal device is configured with a second parameter, and the terminal device is configured to associate a report with a current beam and one or more candidate beams. Within a time window, if a candidate beam is better than the current beam more than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device determines that the report meets the trigger condition. Similarly, the report meeting the trigger condition can be determined using the counter method described above. The first reference signal has the Q-th largest measurement among the reference signals associated with the active TCI state; in other words, the first reference signal is the reference signal associated with the Q-th best TCI state among the active TCI states. Therefore, the current beam is determined based on the reference signal associated with the Q-th best TCI state; in other words, the reference signal of the current beam is the source reference signal of the Q-th best TCI state, or a reference signal quasi-co-located with the source reference signal of the Q-th best TCI state. From a certain point thereafter, the second reference signal has the Q-th largest measurement among the reference signals associated with the active TCI state. The candidate beam is determined as described above.

[0086] When determining that the report meets the triggering conditions, the aforementioned specific scenario is: within the configured time window, the candidate beam does not change, but the current beam changes. For example, in the earlier period within the time window, the Qth best TCI state is TCI state 0 (associated with the first reference signal), so the current beam is determined according to TCI state 0; in the later period within the time window, the Qth best TCI state is TCI state 2 (associated with the second reference signal), so the current beam is determined according to TCI state 2; the current beam in the earlier period is different from the current beam in the later period, and for simplicity, they can be referred to as current beam 1 and current beam 2 (or beam 1 and beam 2) respectively. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the candidate beams and current beams before the PUCCH resource in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the terminal device determines that the report meets the triggering conditions. Within the time window, neither the candidate beams nor the four activated TCI states have changed, i.e., they have not been reconfigured or reactivated. The reference signals associated with the candidate beams and the reference signals associated with the activated TCI states are both periodic reference signals (i.e., both the candidate beams and the current beams are periodic), and their periods are the same. Within the time window, there are two different current beams, namely current beam 1 and current beam 2. In the earlier period of the time window, the Qth best TCI state among the four activated TCI states is TCI state 0 (associated with the first reference signal), corresponding to current beam 1. In the later period, the Qth best TCI state among the four activated TCI states is TCI state 2 (associated with the second reference signal), corresponding to current beam 2. This application does not limit the start and end points of the earlier (and later) period. Figure 5 shows only the case of one candidate beam. Without loss of generality, it can be extended to the case of multiple candidate beams, that is, the operation of Figure 5 is performed for each candidate beam.

[0087] In some embodiments, within a time window, a report is determined to meet a trigger condition when the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam is greater than or equal to a first threshold; or, a report is determined to meet a trigger condition when the number of times the measured quantity of the reference signal used to determine the current beam is lower than a third threshold is greater than or equal to the first threshold. The current beam is determined based on a reference signal associated with the applied TCI state, and a first reference signal for determining the current beam is a reference signal associated with a first TCI state of the application, and a second reference signal for determining the current beam is a reference signal associated with a second TCI state of the application, wherein the first reference signal is different from the second reference signal.

[0088] For example, the current beam is determined based on the reference signal associated with the applied TCI state. Within a time window, the applied TCI state changes from the first TCI state to the second TCI state, thereby causing the current beam to change within the time window, from the current beam 1 to the current beam 2.

[0089] In some embodiments, the current beam determined according to the second reference signal is the latest current beam within the time window. As shown in FIG5, current beam 2 is the latest current beam within the time window. During a previous period within the time window, beam 1 was the current beam (i.e., became current beam 1). Afterward, beam 1 no longer met the conditions for becoming the current beam, while beam 2 met the conditions for becoming the current beam. Therefore, beam 2 became the latest current beam (i.e., became current beam 2).

[0090] Within a time window, if the candidate beam and the current beam remain unchanged, the number of times each candidate beam outperforms the current beam can be determined, thus determining whether the report meets the triggering condition. However, when the current beam changes within the time window, determining the number of times a candidate beam outperforms the current beam within that time window is a problem that needs to be solved. This can be addressed in the following way.

[0091] In some implementations, when the current beam changes within a time window, the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam within the time window includes: the number of times the candidate beam is better than the current beam determined according to the first reference signal and the number of times the candidate beam is better than the current beam determined according to the second reference signal.

[0092] For example, as shown in Figure 5, within a time window, if the current beam changes from beam 1 to beam 2, the number of times (S) a candidate beam is better than the current beam is equal to the sum of the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam 1 (S1) and the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam 2 (S2), i.e., S = S1 + S2. If S is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the trigger condition is met. Although the current beam (corresponding to the Q-th best TCI state) changes, if a candidate beam is better than the current beam multiple times, the TCI state corresponding to the candidate beam will still be among the top Q TCI states for a period of time, i.e., still a better TCI state. Therefore, it is worthwhile to report the candidate beam to the network device, so that the network device can subsequently activate the TCI state corresponding to the candidate beam for the terminal device.

[0093] In some examples, the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam determined according to the second reference signal is greater than 0. For example, in Figure 5, when S = S1 + S2 is greater than or equal to the first threshold and S2 > 0, the terminal device determines that the report meets the triggering condition. In the case of S = S1 + S2 and S2 = 0 (i.e., S = S1), although S = S1 is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the terminal device still judges that the report does not meet the triggering condition. This is because the number of times a candidate beam is better than the latest current beam (current beam 2) may be 0 for a long period of time. At this time, the TCI state corresponding to the candidate beam has not become the current top Q TCI state, thus not triggering the report. Therefore, unnecessary report sending can be avoided, thereby reducing congestion and interference. For example, if the current beam determined based on the second reference signal is the latest current beam within the time window, and if the terminal device is configured with a time window and multiple current beams exist within the time window, the terminal device must determine that the report meets the triggering condition based at least on the latest current beam within the time window, that is, at least based on S2 (S2>0) obtained from the latest current beam. This avoids unnecessary report transmissions, thereby reducing congestion and interference.

[0094] In some implementations, when the current beam changes within a time window, the number of times the candidate beam is better than the current beam within the time window includes the number of times the candidate beam is better than the current beam determined according to the second reference signal.

[0095] For example, in Figure 5, the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam (S) is equal to the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam 2 (S2), i.e., S = S2. If S is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the report meets the triggering condition. For example, the current beam determined based on the second reference signal is the latest current beam within the time window. Therefore, the report is considered to meet the triggering condition only if the candidate beam is better than the latest current beam multiple times (i.e., better than the same current beam multiple times). That is, the terminal device always determines whether to report based on the latest beam quality, which can avoid excessive triggering of reports to a certain extent. When the terminal device is configured with a time window and there are multiple current beams within the time window, the terminal device needs to determine whether the report meets the triggering condition based on the latest current beam within the time window. This can avoid unnecessary report sending, thereby reducing congestion and interference.

[0096] The starting point of the time window is explained below.

[0097] In some embodiments, when the terminal device is configured with a second parameter for determining a time window, the time window begins at the start of an evaluation period.

[0098] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the time window in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the reference signals associated with the current beam and candidate beams are periodic. The terminal device evaluates the current beam and candidate beams within one evaluation cycle, and determines whether the quality of a candidate beam is higher than the current beam by a certain threshold through the evaluation. The time window length W is configurable. When the terminal device is configured with a second parameter, the starting point of the time window is determined in the following way: the starting point of a time window coincides with the starting point of an evaluation cycle. Thus, multiple time windows can be generated as shown in the figure, i.e., sliding time windows. Within a time window, if the number of times the same candidate beam (e.g., beam 1) is better than the current beam is greater than or equal to a certain threshold, a trigger condition is reported as met.

[0099] In some embodiments, the terminal device opens the time window after the current beam and / or candidate beam meet a second condition, wherein the time window begins at the start of the evaluation period to which the current beam and / or candidate beam belongs. For example, meeting the second condition may include: determining that the measured value of the reference signal for the candidate beam is higher than the measured value of the reference signal for the current beam by a second threshold, or determining that the measured value of the reference signal for the current beam is lower than a third threshold.

[0100] For example, the terminal device does not need to open a time window at the beginning of each evaluation cycle. Instead, it opens the time window only when the second condition is met based on the current beam and / or candidate beams. The starting point of the opened time window coincides with the starting point of the evaluation cycle in which the current beam and / or candidate beams are located. This reduces the number of time windows that the terminal device needs to maintain. Specifically, if the measurement of the reference signal used to determine the candidate beam is higher than the measurement of the reference signal used to determine the current beam by a certain threshold (i.e., a candidate beam is better than the current beam), or if the measurement of the reference signal used to determine the current beam is lower than a certain threshold (i.e., the quality of the current beam is lower than a threshold), then the second condition is determined to be met, and the time window is opened.

[0101] In some embodiments, the time windows for different candidate beams are the same within an evaluation period, with the start of the evaluation period serving as the start of the time window; or, the time windows for different candidate beams are different within an evaluation period, with the start of the time window using the candidate beam as a reference.

[0102] As shown in Figure 6, taking the first evaluation period as an example, within this evaluation period, assuming candidate beam 0 is superior to the current beam, the terminal device opens a time window (time window 1) starting from the beginning of this evaluation period. Within time window 1, it counts whether the number of times candidate beam 0 is superior to the current beam exceeds a first threshold. If the number exceeds the first threshold, it reports that the trigger condition is met. Within this evaluation period, assuming candidate beam 2 is also superior to the current beam, the terminal device opens a time window starting from the beginning of this evaluation period. Since the opened time window is the same as time window 1, the terminal device can reuse the previously opened time window 1. Within time window 1, it counts whether the number of times candidate beam 2 is superior to the current beam exceeds a first threshold. If the number exceeds the first threshold, it reports that the trigger condition is met. Within time window 1 opened for candidate beam 0 and candidate beam 2, if the count for candidate beam 0 or candidate beam 2 exceeds the first threshold, it reports that the trigger condition is met. In other words, as long as one candidate beam meets the trigger condition within the time window, it is sufficient. Within an evaluation period, the activation time window for different candidate beams is the same, starting from the beginning of the evaluation period. Since the activation time window for candidate beams within the same evaluation period is the same for the terminal equipment, the number of maintenance time windows for the terminal equipment can be reduced, which helps to reduce the implementation complexity of the terminal equipment.

[0103] Figure 7 is another schematic diagram of the time window in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the time windows opened for different candidate beams are different within an evaluation period. For example, the starting point of the time window is based on the candidate beam, so the starting points are different. Compared with Figure 7, the scheme in Figure 6 can reduce the number of time windows that the terminal device needs to maintain.

[0104] In the above embodiments, the evaluation period is equal to the period of the current beam, and / or, the evaluation period is equal to the period of the candidate beam. As shown in Figure 6, the reference signal associated with the current beam is periodic, or simply referred to as the current beam being periodic; the reference signal associated with the candidate beam is periodic, or simply referred to as the candidate beam being periodic; the period of the current beam and the period of the candidate beam are the same. The evaluation period is equal to the period of the current beam and also equal to the period of the candidate beam. All current beams and candidate beams exist within one evaluation period, allowing the terminal device to complete a full evaluation within one evaluation period. Figure 6 only provides one example and does not restrict the temporal order of the current beam and candidate beams.

[0105] The above are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application are not intended to limit the scope. For instance, the unit of the evaluation period may be the period of the current beam, and the evaluation period may be configured as an integer multiple of the period of the current beam. Alternatively, the unit of the evaluation period may be the period of a candidate beam, and the evaluation period may be configured as an integer multiple of the period of the candidate beam. The unit of the evaluation period may be seconds, milliseconds, time slots, or symbols, etc., which will not be listed here.

[0106] The following explains how to determine whether to send a PUCCH.

[0107] In some embodiments, before a PUCCH resource, if the report changes from "reporting that the trigger condition is met" to "reporting that the trigger condition is not met," the terminal device determines not to send the PUCCH on that PUCCH resource. That is, the terminal device does not determine whether to send the PUCCH based on outdated evaluation results, but rather based on the latest evaluation results. When the latest evaluation result is "reporting that the trigger condition is not met," it is determined not to send the PUCCH. This latest evaluation result may be based on the latest beam and / or the most recent time period. The terminal device does not send a report when the report changes from "reporting that the trigger condition is met" to "reporting that the trigger condition is not met." This avoids unnecessary report sending, thereby reducing congestion and interference. This is described in detail below.

[0108] In some embodiments, changing from reporting that the trigger condition is met to reporting that the trigger condition is not met includes: determining that the trigger condition is met based on a first current beam and / or a first candidate beam, and then determining that the trigger condition is not met based on a second current beam and / or a second candidate beam, wherein the first current beam is different from the second current beam, and / or the first candidate beam is different from the second candidate beam; and / or, before a first time period (T_config) preceding the PUCCH resource, the trigger condition is met, and during the first time period, the trigger condition is not met, wherein the first time period is determined based on a first parameter configured for the terminal device.

[0109] The following examples, with reference to Figures 8 and 9, illustrate the concepts.

[0110] In one example, as shown in Figure 8, the terminal device evaluates whether the report meets the triggering conditions in order to send a PUCCH on the most recent PUCCH resource. Prior to the PUCCH resource, the current beam and / or candidate beam changed from (current beam 1, candidate beam 1) to (current beam 2, candidate beam 2), where current beam 2 is different from current beam 1, and / or candidate beam 1 is different from candidate beam 2; that is, at least one beam changed. The terminal device determines that the report meets the triggering conditions based on current beam 1 and candidate beam 1. Then, the terminal device determines that the report does not meet the triggering conditions based on current beam 2 and candidate beam 2.

[0111] In the above embodiments, "determining that the report meets the triggering condition based on the current beam and / or candidate beam" can also be referred to as the current beam and / or candidate beam meeting the triggering condition. For example, "candidate beam 1 is different from candidate beam 2" includes candidate beam 1 no longer being a candidate beam, while candidate beam 2 has been newly configured as a candidate beam.

[0112] In the above embodiments, the second current beam is the latest current beam prior to the PUCCH resource, and / or the second candidate beam is the latest candidate beam prior to the PUCCH resource. As shown in Figure 8, assume that current beam 2 and candidate beam 2 are the latest current beam and candidate beam prior to the PUCCH resource. Although the triggering condition was previously met in the previous report for the PUCCH resource, the latest current beam and candidate beam do not meet the triggering condition. In other words, the evaluation based on current beam 1 and candidate beam 1 is outdated. The terminal device does not determine whether to send PUCCH based on the outdated evaluation result, but rather determines whether to send PUCCH based on the latest evaluation result. Therefore, unnecessary PUCCH and report transmissions can be avoided, thereby reducing congestion and interference.

[0113] For example, "before the PUCCH resource" includes a time period of length T_process before the PUCCH resource. For example, T_process represents the processing time or preparation time required for the terminal device to send the PUCCH. In order to allow sufficient processing time to send the PUCCH on the PUCCH resource, the terminal device can only determine that the report meets the triggering conditions based on the current beam and / or candidate beam before T_process. Therefore, current beam 2 is the latest current beam before T_process, and candidate beam 2 is the latest candidate beam before T_process.

[0114] In one example, as shown in Figure 9, before the PUCCH resource, the current beam and candidate beam remain unchanged, consistently being current beam 1 and candidate beam 1. The terminal device determines that the report meets the triggering conditions based on current beam 1 and candidate beam 1. However, during a relatively long first time period (T_config) before the PUCCH resource, neither current beam 1 nor candidate beam 1 meets the triggering conditions. In this case, the previous assessment that current beam 1 and candidate beam 1 meet the triggering conditions is outdated. The terminal device does not determine whether to send a PUCCH based on the outdated assessment result, but rather on the latest assessment result. The latest assessment result in T_config is that the report does not meet the triggering conditions; therefore, the terminal device does not send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource. This avoids unnecessary PUCCH and report transmissions, thereby reducing congestion and interference.

[0115] In the above embodiments, the first time period T_config is configurable. The terminal device is configured with T_config by a first parameter. For example, the first parameter can indicate the length of time, such as in milliseconds, time slots, or symbols. The first parameter includes the number of these time units, and the length of the time unit is determined based on the subcarrier spacing of the reference signal associated with the current beam, the reference signal associated with the candidate beam, the PUCCH resource, or the PUSCH resource. The terminal device determines a first time period preceding the PUCCH resource based on the first parameter. The end of this first time period coincides with the start time of the PUCCH resource, or coincides with the time T_process preceding the PUCCH resource, where T_process represents the processing or preparation time required for the terminal device to send the PUCCH. This first parameter can be configured by higher-layer parameters (RRC).

[0116] In some examples, the methods in Figures 8 and 9 can be used in combination. For instance, if the terminal device is not configured with the first parameter, and the latest current beam and candidate beam in Figure 8 do not meet the triggering conditions, then the terminal device will not send a PUCCH. Alternatively, if the terminal device is configured with the first parameter, and assuming the latest current beam and candidate beam in Figure 8 meet the triggering conditions, if the latest current beam and candidate beam do not meet the triggering conditions within a first time period, then the terminal device will determine not to send a PUCCH.

[0117] In some embodiments, the terminal device determines to transmit the PUCCH on the PUCCH resource if a first condition is met; the first condition includes: determining that a triggering condition is met based on the latest current beam and / or the latest candidate beam prior to the PUCCH resource; and / or, the terminal device is configured to determine a first parameter for a first time period prior to the PUCCH resource, during which the triggering condition is met. If the terminal device is not configured with the first parameter, it may report that the triggering condition is met prior to the PUCCH resource.

[0118] For example, the terminal device determines whether a report meets the triggering conditions based on the latest current beam and the latest candidate beam of the PUCCH resource. If the report meets the triggering conditions, the terminal device sends a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource. This avoids unnecessary PUCCH and report transmissions, thereby reducing congestion and interference.

[0119] For example, the first time period is configurable. If the terminal device is configured with a first parameter, it determines whether to send a PUCCH based on whether the trigger condition is met within the first time period. If the trigger condition is met within the first time period, the terminal device sends a PUCCH. This avoids unnecessary PUCCH and report sending, thereby reducing congestion and interference.

[0120] For example, the two methods described above can be used in combination. For instance, the terminal device is configured with a first parameter that if the latest current beam and candidate beam meet the triggering conditions within a first time period, the terminal device sends a PUCCH. This avoids unnecessary PUCCH and report transmissions, thereby reducing congestion and interference.

[0121] For example, in order to determine the latest current beam and candidate beams, the terminal device needs to continuously evaluate the current beam and candidate beams. For example, the terminal device is configured with a first parameter, which allows the terminal device to continuously evaluate the current beam and candidate beams within a first time period, thereby determining the latest current beam and candidate beams within the first time period.

[0122] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device that determines whether to send PUCCH may or may not have a time window configured.

[0123] In this embodiment of the application, the first time period and the aforementioned time window can be configured independently. The terminal device can be configured with both the time window and the first time period. The terminal device determines whether the report meets the triggering conditions based on the time window and determines whether the report meets the triggering conditions within the first time period based on the first parameter.

[0124] In this embodiment, the first time period and the aforementioned time window can be configured independently. The terminal device may not have a configured time window, but it may be configured with a first time period. The terminal device determines whether the report meets the triggering conditions when no time window is configured, and determines whether the report meets the triggering conditions within the first time period based on the first parameter.

[0125] In this embodiment of the application, "PUCCH resource before" can mean before the starting position (symbol) of the resource, or before the starting position of the time slot in which the resource is located.

[0126] If it is determined that a report will be sent, the following is an explanation of the report to be sent.

[0127] In some embodiments, the transmitted report includes information about the current beam determined based on the second reference signal within the time window. The current beam information includes: the ID of the TCI state associated with the second reference signal, and / or, the ID of the second reference signal, and / or, the measurement of the second reference signal.

[0128] For example, in the case of a beam change as shown in Figure 8, suppose the terminal device sends a report and needs to report the current beam, that is, include relevant information about the current beam in the report. Within this time window, the current beam changes from current beam 1 to current beam 2, and current beam 2 is the latest current beam, that is, the current beam determined according to the second reference signal is the latest current beam. The terminal device reports current beam 2 as the current beam. This avoids ambiguity regarding which of the multiple current beams is included in the report, and avoids uncertain terminal device behavior.

[0129] For example, the report includes the ID of the TCI state associated with the current beam 2, which can be numbered in the TCI state activated by MAC CE, or in the TCI state configured by RRC signaling. For example, the report includes the ID of the reference signal associated with the current beam 2. For example, the report includes the L1-RSRP of the reference signal associated with the current beam 2.

[0130] In some embodiments, when the terminal device receives the first configuration information and sends a report, the report includes information about the current beam determined according to the second reference signal; and / or, when the terminal device receives the second configuration information and sends a report, the report includes information about the current beam determined according to the first reference signal, or includes information about the current beam determined according to the second reference signal.

[0131] For example, if the terminal device is configured with first configuration information, the current beam included in its transmitted report is the latest current beam; if the terminal device is not configured with first configuration information or is configured with second configuration information, the terminal device can determine a current beam from one or more current beams and include that determined current beam in its transmitted report. This current beam can be the current beam determined based on the first reference signal, or it can be the current beam determined based on the second reference signal; this embodiment of the application does not limit this. For example, if the terminal device is configured with the RRC parameter `new` (equivalent to being configured with first configuration information), the current beam included in its transmitted report is the latest current beam; if the terminal device is not configured with the RRC parameter `new` (equivalent to being configured with second configuration information), or if the terminal device is configured with the RRC parameter `autonomous` (equivalent to being configured with second configuration information), the terminal device can determine a current beam from one or more current beams and include it in its report.

[0132] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined. The embodiments of this application are illustrated using two reports as an example, but can be extended to cases with more than two reports, which will not be elaborated further.

[0133] As can be seen from the above embodiments, when a report meets the triggering conditions, the terminal device still needs to further determine whether to send the report on the PUCCH resource. This avoids unnecessary report sending, reduces reporting overhead, and thus reduces congestion and interference. For example, if the terminal device changes from reporting that the triggering conditions are met to reporting that the triggering conditions are not met, it will not send a report. Furthermore, when the terminal device is configured with a time window and multiple current beams exist within that time window, the terminal device needs to determine whether the report meets the triggering conditions based at least on the latest current beam within the time window. Additionally, the terminal device includes this latest current beam in the sent report. The start point of the time window coincides with the start point of the evaluation period. This avoids ambiguity regarding which current beam is included in the report and reduces the number of time windows that the terminal device needs to maintain.

[0134] Second aspect of the embodiments

[0135] This application provides a report receiving method, described from the perspective of a network device. The embodiments of the second aspect can be combined with the embodiments of the first aspect, and the content identical to that of the embodiments of the first aspect will not be repeated.

[0136] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a report receiving method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the method includes:

[0137] 1001, The network device configures the periodic physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource for the terminal device;

[0138] 1002. When a network device receives a PUCCH on a PUCCH resource, it receives a report sent by the terminal device.

[0139] The implementation methods for 1001-1002 can be referred to the embodiments of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. The implementation method for determining whether the terminal device sends a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource can be referred to the embodiments of the first aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0140] In some embodiments, the network device may also send a first parameter and / or a second parameter, and / or a first configuration information and / or a second configuration information to the terminal device. For specific implementation details, please refer to the embodiments of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0141] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined.

[0142] Third aspect of the embodiments

[0143] This application provides a report sending device. This device may be, for example, a terminal device, or one or more components or parts configured within a terminal device; details identical to those in the first aspect of the embodiment will not be repeated.

[0144] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a report sending apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, the report sending apparatus 1100 includes: a processor 1101 and a transmitter 1102;

[0145] Processor 1101 determines, upon reporting that the triggering condition is met, whether to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource or not to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource.

[0146] Transmitter 1102 sends a report if it determines that the PUCCH will be sent, and does not send a report if it determines that the PUCCH will not be sent.

[0147] In some embodiments, the device may further include:

[0148] The receiver (not shown) receives the first parameter and / or the second parameter, and / or the first configuration information and / or the second configuration information sent by the network device. The specific implementation of the receiver can be referred to the embodiment of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0149] It is worth noting that the above description only covers the components or modules relevant to this application, but this application is not limited thereto. The report sending device 1100 may also include other components or modules, and for details regarding these components or modules, please refer to related technologies.

[0150] Furthermore, for simplicity, Figure 11 only illustrates the connection relationships or signal flow between the various components or modules, but those skilled in the art should understand that various related technologies such as bus connections can be used. The aforementioned components or modules can be implemented using hardware facilities such as processors, memory, transmitters, and receivers; this application does not limit this implementation.

[0151] As can be seen from the above embodiments, when the terminal device reports that the triggering conditions are met, it still needs to further determine whether to send the report on the PUCCH resource. This avoids unnecessary report sending, reduces reporting overhead, and thus reduces congestion and interference.

[0152] Fourth aspect of the embodiment

[0153] This application provides a report receiving device. This device may be, for example, a network device, or one or more components or parts configured within a network device; details identical to those in the second aspect of the embodiment will not be repeated.

[0154] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a report receiving device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the report receiving device 1200 includes:

[0155] Processor 1201, which configures periodic physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources for terminal devices;

[0156] Receiver 1202 receives reports sent by terminal devices when a PUCCH is received on the PUCCH resource.

[0157] The implementation methods for processor 1201 and receiver 1202 can be referred to the embodiments of the second aspect, and will not be repeated here. The implementation method for determining whether the terminal device transmits a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource can be referred to the embodiments of the first aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0158] In some embodiments, the device may further include:

[0159] A transmitter (not shown) sends a first parameter and / or a second parameter, and / or a first configuration information and / or a second configuration information to a terminal device. Specific implementation details can be found in the embodiments of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0160] It is worth noting that the above description only covers the components or modules relevant to this application, but this application is not limited thereto. The report receiving device 1200 may also include other components or modules, and for details regarding these components or modules, please refer to related technologies.

[0161] Furthermore, for simplicity, Figure 12 only illustrates the connection relationships or signal flow between the various components or modules, but those skilled in the art should understand that various related technologies such as bus connections can be used. The aforementioned components or modules can be implemented using hardware facilities such as processors, memory, transmitters, and receivers; this application does not limit this implementation.

[0162] Fifth aspect of the embodiment

[0163] This application also provides a communication system, which can be referred to FIG1. ​​The contents that are the same as those in the embodiments of the first to fourth aspects will not be repeated.

[0164] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include at least:

[0165] The terminal device includes the aforementioned report sending device 1100, and the network device includes the aforementioned report receiving device 1200. Repeated details will not be repeated.

[0166] This application also provides a terminal device, but the application is not limited thereto and may also include other devices.

[0167] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 13, the terminal device 1300 may include a processor 1310 and a memory 1320; the memory 1320 stores data and programs and is coupled to the processor 1310. It is worth noting that this figure is exemplary; other types of structures may also be used to supplement or replace this structure to implement telecommunications functions or other functions.

[0168] For example, processor 1310 can be configured to execute a program to implement the report sending method as described in the embodiments of the first aspect.

[0169] As shown in Figure 13, the terminal device 1300 may further include: a communication module 1330, an input unit 1340, a display 1350, and a power supply 1360. The functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and will not be described again here. It is worth noting that the terminal device 1300 does not necessarily include all the components shown in Figure 13; these components are not essential. Furthermore, the terminal device 1300 may also include components not shown in Figure 13, which can be referred to in the prior art.

[0170] This application also provides a network device, such as a base station, but this application is not limited to this and may also include other network devices.

[0171] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the network device configuration according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the network device 1400 may include: a processor 1410 (e.g., a central processing unit CPU) and a memory 1420; the memory 1420 is coupled to the processor 1410. The memory 1420 can store various data; in addition, it also stores an information processing program 1430, and executes the program 1430 under the control of the processor 1410.

[0172] For example, processor 1410 may be configured to execute a program to implement the report receiving method as described in the embodiments of the second aspect.

[0173] In addition, as shown in Figure 14, network device 1400 may also include transceiver 1440 and antenna 1450, etc.; the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art, and will not be described in detail here. It is worth noting that network device 1400 does not necessarily include all the components shown in Figure 14; furthermore, network device 1400 may also include components not shown in Figure 14, which can be referred to in the prior art.

[0174] This application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a terminal device, the program causes the terminal device to perform the report sending method described in the first aspect of the embodiment.

[0175] This application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a terminal device to execute the report sending method described in the first aspect of the embodiment.

[0176] This application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a network device, the program causes the network device to perform the report receiving method described in the second aspect of the embodiment.

[0177] This application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a network device to perform the report receiving method described in the second aspect of the embodiment.

[0178] The apparatus and methods described above in this application can be implemented in hardware or in combination with software. This application relates to a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the apparatus or components described above, or to implement the various methods or steps described above. This application also relates to storage media for storing the above programs, such as hard disks, magnetic disks, optical disks, DVDs, flash memory, etc.

[0179] The methods / apparatus described in conjunction with the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of both. For example, one or more and / or combinations of one or more functional block diagrams shown in the figures can correspond to various software modules in a computer program flow, or to various hardware modules. These software modules can correspond to the various steps shown in the figures, respectively. These hardware modules can be implemented, for example, using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to embed these software modules.

[0180] The software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium can be coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium can be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The software module can be stored in the memory of a mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a high-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a high-capacity flash memory device, the software module can be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the high-capacity flash memory device.

[0181] One or more and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings can be implemented as a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described herein. One or more and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0182] The present application has been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application based on its spirit and principles, and these modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

[0183] Regarding the implementation methods including the above embodiments, the following notes are also disclosed:

[0184] 1. A report receiving method, applied to a network device, the method comprising:

[0185] Network devices configure periodic physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources for terminal devices;

[0186] When the network device receives a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource, it receives a report sent by the terminal device.

Claims

1. A report sending apparatus configured in a terminal device, the terminal device being configured with periodic Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources, wherein, The device includes: The processor, upon reporting that the triggering conditions are met, determines whether to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource or not to send a PUCCH on the PUCCH resource. The transmitter sends a report if it determines that the PUCCH will be sent, and does not send a report if it determines that the PUCCH will not be sent.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processor determines whether the report meets the triggering conditions based on the current beam and / or candidate beams and / or time window; The current beam is determined based on a reference signal associated with the activated Transmission Configuration Indication State (TCI state), or based on a reference signal associated with the TCI state applied by the terminal device. The candidate beam is determined based on the reference signal configured in the network device; The time window is determined based on a second parameter configured for the terminal device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, Prior to the PUCCH resource, if the report changes from meeting the trigger condition to not meeting the trigger condition, the processor determines not to send the PUCCH on the PUCCH resource.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, The change from a report meeting the trigger conditions to a report not meeting the trigger conditions includes: If the report is determined to meet the triggering condition based on the first current beam and / or the first candidate beam, and then the report is determined to not meet the triggering condition based on the second current beam and / or the second candidate beam, the first current beam is different from the second current beam, and / or the first candidate beam is different from the second candidate beam; and / or, Before a first time period preceding the PUCCH resource, a report is submitted indicating that the triggering condition is met; during the first time period, a report is submitted indicating that the triggering condition is not met. The first time period is determined based on a first parameter configured for the terminal device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, The second current beam is the latest current beam prior to the PUCCH resource, and / or the second candidate beam is the latest candidate beam prior to the PUCCH resource.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor determines to send the PUCCH on the PUCCH resource if a first condition is met; The first condition includes: The triggering condition is met based on the latest current beam and / or latest candidate beam determination report of the PUCCH resource. And / or, The terminal device is configured to determine a first parameter for a first time period preceding the PUCCH resource, during which a trigger condition is reported to be met.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, When the terminal device is configured with a second parameter for determining a time window, within that time window, when the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the processor determines that the trigger condition is met. The current beam is determined based on a reference signal with the Qth largest measurement value among the reference signals associated with the activated TCI state. The current beam is then used to determine that a first reference signal of the current beam has the Qth largest measurement value among the reference signals associated with the activated TCI state. Subsequently, the current beam is used to determine that a second reference signal of the current beam has the Qth largest measurement value among the reference signals associated with the activated TCI state. The first reference signal is different from the second reference signal.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, The current beam determined based on the second reference signal is the latest current beam within the time window.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, Within the time window, the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam includes: the number of times the candidate beam is better than the current beam determined according to the first reference signal and the number of times the candidate beam is better than the current beam determined according to the second reference signal.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, The number of times the candidate beam is better than the current beam determined according to the second reference signal is greater than 0.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, Within the time window, the number of times a candidate beam is better than the current beam includes the number of times the candidate beam is better than the current beam determined according to the second reference signal.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, The report includes information about the current beam determined based on the second reference signal within the time window.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, The information of the current beam includes: the ID of the TCI state associated with the second reference signal, and / or, the ID of the second reference signal, and / or, the measurement of the second reference signal.

14. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, When the terminal device receives the first configuration information and sends a report, the report includes information about the current beam determined according to the second reference signal; and / or, when the terminal device receives the second configuration information and sends a report, the report includes information about the current beam determined according to the first reference signal, or includes information about the current beam determined according to the second reference signal.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, When the terminal device is configured with a second parameter for determining a time window, the time window begins at the start of an evaluation period.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The processor opens the time window after the current beam and / or candidate beam meet the second condition, wherein the time window starts from the beginning of the evaluation period to which the current beam and / or candidate beam belong.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein, The second condition being met by the current beam and / or candidate beam includes: the measurement of the reference signal used to determine the candidate beam being higher than the measurement of the reference signal used to determine the current beam being higher than a second threshold, or the measurement of the reference signal used to determine the current beam being lower than a third threshold.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The evaluation period is equal to the period of the current beam, and / or the evaluation period is equal to the period of the candidate beam.

19. A communication system, the system comprising a terminal device, the terminal device comprising a report sending device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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