Communication method, apparatus, storage medium and program product

Abstract

A communication method, an apparatus, a storage medium and a program product. In the method, a first communication apparatus receives first information, the first information being used for indicating a communication beam set; the first communication apparatus further receives second information, the second information being used for indicating a sensing beam set; and the first communication apparatus further receives third information, the third information being used for indicating a related parameter of a sensing beam. In this way, the first communication apparatus can obtain an inclusion relationship between the sensing beam set and the original communication beam set on the basis of the received first information and second information, so that a specific beam in the sensing beam set can be determined by using the related parameter of the sensing beam, thereby performing sensing measurement on the specific beam; thus, sensing measurement can be implemented by using original communication beams, thereby enabling an ISAC network to provide sensing services without affecting original communication beam services, and reducing resource overheads.

Description

A communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510112652.2, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on January 22, 2025, entitled "A Communication Method, Apparatus, Storage Medium and Program Product", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of communication technologies, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, big data, and automation technologies are reshaping traditional industries and giving rise to intelligent applications such as smart cities and autonomous driving. As a crucial infrastructure supporting these emerging intelligent applications, mobile communication systems are gradually evolving into a unified infrastructure of Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC).

[0004] Currently, how to enable mobile communication systems to provide sensing services is a hot topic of concern in the field of communications. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product for providing sensing services without affecting existing communication beam services.

[0006] The first aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a first communication device. For example, the first communication device may be a communication equipment (such as a terminal device), or it may be a component of the communication equipment (such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions), or it may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. The following description uses a first communication device as an example. In this method, the first communication device receives first information indicating a communication beam set; the first communication device receives second information indicating a sensing beam set, which is a subset of the communication beam set, including M beams and N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N; subsequently, the first communication device receives third information indicating relevant parameters of the sensing beams, which are beams in the sensing beam set, and these parameters are used for sensing measurements.

[0007] Based on the above scheme, after receiving the first and second information, the first communication device can obtain the inclusion relationship between the sensing beam set and the original communication beam set, that is, it can obtain which beams in the original communication beam set can be used for sensing measurement. Then, after receiving the third information, the first communication device can use the relevant parameters of the sensing beams to determine specific beams in the sensing beam set and perform sensing measurement on the specific beams. Since the sensing beam set is a subset of the communication beam set, sensing measurement can be achieved using the original communication beams. This allows the ISAC network to provide sensing services without affecting the original communication beam service, saving resource costs.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam are indexes of the sensing transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state, and the method may further include: the first communication device determining the sensing beam based on the index of the sensing TCI state.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the index of the perceived TCI state based on the third information, thereby determining the corresponding sensing beam and realizing sensing measurement on a specific beam, thus improving the feasibility of the scheme.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second information includes N sensing TCI states, which are used to indicate a set of sensing beams; correspondingly, the first communication device determines the sensing beams based on the index of the sensing TCI states, which may include: the first communication device determines the sensing beams based on the index of the sensing TCI states and the N sensing TCI states.

[0011] Based on the above scheme, by modifying the original communication TCI state, a sensing TCI state is obtained, which allows the sensing beam to be determined using a process similar to that of the original communication TCI state. For example, the first communication device can obtain N sensing TCI states based on the second information, and then determine the target sensing TCI state from the N sensing TCI states based on the index of the sensing TCI states. Then, the sensing beam is determined based on the target sensing TCI state. In this way, without major modifications, the ISAC network can provide sensing services without affecting the original communication beam service, saving resource overhead and facilitating the implementation of the scheme.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam are the index of the communication TCI state, and the method may further include: the first communication device determining the sensing beam based on the index of the communication TCI state.

[0013] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the index of the communication TCI status based on the third information, thereby determining the corresponding sensing beam and realizing sensing measurement on a specific beam, thus improving the feasibility of the scheme.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes M communication TCI states, which are used to indicate a set of communication beams; the second information includes N sensing TCI states, which are used to indicate a set of sensing beams; correspondingly, the first communication device determines the sensing beams based on the index of the communication TCI states, which may include: the first communication device determines the sensing beams based on the index of the communication TCI states, the M communication TCI states, and the N sensing TCI states.

[0015] Based on the above scheme, by modifying the original communication TCI state, a sensing TCI state is obtained, which allows the determination of the sensing beam to be achieved using a process similar to that of the original communication TCI state. For example, the first communication device can obtain M communication TCI states based on the first information and N sensing TCI states based on the second information. Then, based on the index of the communication TCI states, the target communication TCI state is determined from the M communication TCI states. Finally, based on the relevant information included in the target communication TCI state, the target sensing TCI state is determined from the N sensing TCI states to determine the sensing beam. In this way, without major modifications, the ISAC network can provide sensing services without affecting the original communication beam service, saving resource costs and facilitating the implementation of the scheme.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first communication device sending fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate the maximum number of bearers sensing the TCI state.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device will actively report its own carrying capacity of the perceived TCI state. In this way, the second communication device can obtain the maximum number of perceived TCI states that the first communication device can carry based on the fourth information. This facilitates the second communication device to construct a set of sensing beams and send out the corresponding second information, avoiding the problem of lost perceived TCI states sent by the second communication device. This ensures that the first communication device can determine the corresponding sensing beams in the future.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a first parameter, which is used to indicate whether a reference signal is located on the sensing beam. The method may further include: a first communication device performing sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the first parameter.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can determine whether the reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the first parameter. When the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the reference signal on the sensing beam to obtain the corresponding sensing result. In this way, the sensing service can be provided without affecting the original communication beam service. Moreover, the first communication device can adaptively select whether to perform sensing measurement based on the first parameter to avoid the waste of resources caused by performing sensing measurement on the reference signal that is not located on the sensing beam.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a second parameter, which is used to indicate the sensing beam index interval. The method may further include: a first communication device performing sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval.

[0021] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the sensing beam index interval based on the second parameter. In this way, the first communication device can determine whether the subsequently received reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval. If the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the sensing beam to obtain the corresponding sensing result. In this way, sensing service can be provided without affecting the original communication beam service, and the resource waste caused by sensing and measuring reference signals that are not located on the sensing beam can be avoided.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam further include a third parameter, which is used to indicate the initial sensing beam offset; the first communication device performs sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval, which may include: the first communication device performs sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval and the initial sensing beam offset.

[0023] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can also obtain the initial sensing beam offset based on the third parameter. In this way, the first communication device can more accurately determine whether the subsequently received reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval and the initial sensing beam offset, and more accurately determine whether to perform sensing measurement on the reference signal, thereby further avoiding wasting resources.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a fourth parameter, which is used to indicate the period of the sensing beam. The method may further include: a first communication device performing sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the period of the sensing beam.

[0025] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the sensing beam period based on the fourth parameter. In this way, the first communication device can determine whether the subsequently received reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam period. If the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the sensing beam to obtain the corresponding sensing result. In this way, sensing service can be provided without affecting the original communication beam service, and the resource waste caused by sensing and measuring reference signals that are not located on the sensing beam can be avoided.

[0026] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a second communication device. For example, the second communication device may be a communication equipment (such as a network device), or it may be a component of the communication equipment (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions). Alternatively, the second communication device may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication equipment's functions. The following description uses a second communication device as an example. In this method, the second communication device sends first information indicating a communication beam set; the second communication device sends second information indicating a sensing beam set, which is a subset of the communication beam set, including M beams and N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N; the second communication device sends third information indicating relevant parameters of the sensing beams, which are beams in the sensing beam set, and these parameters are used for sensing measurements.

[0027] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device will send first information and second information, so that the first communication device can obtain the inclusion relationship between the sensing beam set and the original communication beam set, that is, to obtain which beams in the original communication beam set can be used for sensing measurement. Then, the second communication device will send third information, so that the first communication device can use the relevant parameters of the sensing beam to determine a specific beam in the sensing beam set and perform sensing measurement on the specific beam. Since the sensing beam set is a subset of the communication beam set, sensing measurement can be achieved using the original communication beams. Thus, the ISAC network can provide sensing services without affecting the original communication beam service, saving resource consumption.

[0028] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam are indexes of the sensing TCI state, which are used to determine the sensing beam.

[0029] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device will send third information indicating the index of the perceived TCI state. In this way, the first communication device can obtain the index of the perceived TCI state, determine the corresponding sensing beam, and realize sensing measurement on a specific beam, thereby improving the feasibility of the scheme.

[0030] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second information includes N sensing TCI states, which are used to indicate a set of sensing beams, and which, together with the index of the sensing TCI states, are used to determine the sensing beams.

[0031] Based on the above scheme, by modifying the original communication TCI state, a sensing TCI state is obtained, which allows the indication and determination of the sensing beam to be achieved using a process similar to that of the original communication TCI state. In this way, without major modifications, the ISAC network can provide sensing services without affecting the original communication beam service, saving resource overhead and facilitating the implementation of the scheme.

[0032] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam are indices of the communication TCI state, which are used to determine the sensing beam.

[0033] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device will send third information indicating the index of the communication TCI status. In this way, the first communication device can obtain the index of the communication TCI status, determine the corresponding sensing beam, and realize sensing measurement on a specific beam, thereby improving the feasibility of the scheme.

[0034] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes M communication TCI states, which are used to indicate a set of communication beams; the second information includes N sensing TCI states, which are used to indicate the set of sensing beams; the M communication TCI states and the N sensing TCI states are used together with the index of the communication TCI states to determine the sensing beams.

[0035] Based on the above scheme, by modifying the original communication TCI state, a sensing TCI state is obtained, which allows the determination and indication of the sensing beam to be achieved using a process similar to that of the original communication TCI state. In this way, without major modifications, the ISAC network can provide sensing services without affecting the original communication beam service, saving resource overhead and facilitating the implementation of the scheme.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second communication device receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate the maximum number of bearers sensing the TCI state.

[0037] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can obtain the carrying capacity of the sensing TCI state of the first communication, which facilitates the second communication device to construct a sensing beam set and send the corresponding second information, avoiding the problem of loss of the sensing TCI state sent by the second communication device, thereby ensuring that the first communication device can determine the corresponding sensing beam in the future.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a first parameter, which is used to indicate whether the reference signal is located on the sensing beam.

[0039] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can indicate whether the reference signal is located on the sensing beam. When the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the reference signal on the sensing beam to obtain the corresponding sensing result. This can provide sensing service without affecting the original communication beam service. Moreover, the first communication device can adaptively select whether to perform sensing measurement based on the first parameter to avoid the waste of resources caused by performing sensing measurement on the reference signal that is not located on the sensing beam.

[0040] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a second parameter, which is used to indicate the sensing beam index interval.

[0041] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can indicate the sensing beam index interval. In this way, the first communication device can determine whether the subsequently received reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval. If the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the sensing beam to obtain the corresponding sensing result. In this way, sensing service can be provided without affecting the original communication beam service, and the resource waste caused by sensing and measuring reference signals that are not located on the sensing beam can be avoided.

[0042] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam also include a third parameter, which is used to indicate the initial sensing beam offset.

[0043] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can also indicate the initial sensing beam offset. In this way, the first communication device can more accurately determine whether the subsequently received reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval and the initial sensing beam offset, and more accurately determine whether to perform sensing measurement on the reference signal, thereby further avoiding wasting resources.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a fourth parameter, which is used to indicate the period of the sensing beam.

[0045] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can indicate the sensing beam period, so that the first communication device can determine whether the subsequently received reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam period. If the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the sensing beam to obtain the corresponding sensing result. In this way, sensing service can be provided without affecting the original communication beam service, and the resource waste caused by sensing and measuring reference signals that are not located on the sensing beam can be avoided.

[0046] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device that performs the functions described in the first aspect. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first aspect. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For instance, the communication device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The transceiver unit receives first information indicating a communication beam set. It also receives second information indicating a sensing beam set, which is a subset of the communication beam set. The communication beam set includes M beams, and the sensing beam set includes N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N. The transceiver unit also receives third information indicating relevant parameters of the sensing beams, which are beams in the sensing beam set, and these parameters are used for sensing measurements.

[0047] In the third aspect of the embodiments of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps executed in various possible implementations of the first aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0048] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device that performs the functions described in the second aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in the second aspect. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For instance, the communication device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The transceiver unit transmits first information indicating a communication beam set. It also transmits second information indicating a sensing beam set, which is a subset of the communication beam set. The communication beam set includes M beams, and the sensing beam set includes N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N. The transceiver unit further transmits third information indicating relevant parameters of the sensing beams, which are beams in the sensing beam set. These relevant parameters are used for sensing measurements.

[0049] In the fourth aspect of the embodiments of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps executed in various possible implementations of the second aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0050] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor, which is configured to execute a computer program or instructions to enable the communication device to implement the communication method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or to execute the communication method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0051] Optionally, the at least one processor is coupled to a memory for storing computer programs or instructions.

[0052] Optionally, the communication device includes the memory.

[0053] Optionally, the memory is integrated with at least one processor.

[0054] A sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device, including at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the logic circuit is used to execute the communication method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or to execute the communication method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or chip system.

[0056] A seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes the first communication device and the second communication device described above.

[0057] An eighth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer programs or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the communication method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or execute the communication method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0058] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when a computer program or instruction in the computer program product is executed by a processor, implements the communication method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or executes the communication method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0059] A tenth aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the communication method in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or executing the communication method in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. For example, the chip may be a baseband chip, a modem chip, a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, a system-in-package (SIP) chip, or a communication module, etc.

[0060] In one possible design, the chip or chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0061] The eleventh aspect of this application provides a chip including one or more interface circuits and one or more processors; the interface circuits are used to receive signals from the memory of an electronic device and send signals to the processors, the signals including computer instructions stored in the memory; when the processor executes the computer instructions, it causes the electronic device to perform the communication method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to perform the communication method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0062] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through eleven can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspects one through two above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication beam set provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figures 2a to 2c are schematic diagrams of some communication systems provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a sensing mode provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a selective sensing beam set provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another selective sensing beamset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another selective sensing beamset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0079] First, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0080] (1) Terminal device: can be a wireless terminal device that can receive network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem.

[0081] Terminal devices can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). Terminal devices can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), computers, and data cards. For example, they can be portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. Examples include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and computers with wireless transceiver capabilities. Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, access point (AP), remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, subscriber station (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile terminal (MT), drone, etc. Terminal equipment can also be wearable devices and next-generation communication systems, such as terminal equipment in 5G communication systems or terminal equipment in future public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

[0082] (2) Network equipment (or network element): This can be equipment in a wireless network. For example, network equipment can be a RAN node (or device) that connects terminal devices to the wireless network, and can also be called a base station. Currently, some examples of RAN equipment include: base station, evolved NodeB (eNodeB), gNB (gNodeB) in 5G communication systems, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), etc. In addition, in a network structure, network equipment can include centralized unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, or RAN equipment including CU nodes and DU nodes.

[0083] Optionally, RAN nodes can also be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, or radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios. RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0084] In this embodiment, network equipment can be deployed on satellites or on the ground. For example, a base station can be deployed entirely on a satellite, or only some of its functions can be deployed on a satellite. For instance, the radio frequency unit (RU) of a base station can be deployed on a satellite, while other parts can be deployed on the ground. Another example is that the RU and DU of a base station can be deployed on a satellite, while the CU can be deployed on the ground. Similarly, core network equipment can also be deployed on satellites. For example, some core network user plane elements can be deployed on satellites to support direct interaction between terminals via satellite, eliminating the need for ground-based communication. Some core network control plane elements can also be deployed on satellites. For example, deploying mobility management and session management elements on satellites can support emergency disaster relief services in situations where there is no terrestrial network.

[0085] For example, network devices may be deployed on non-terrestrial platforms, including but not limited to low-Earth orbit satellites, medium-Earth orbit satellites, high-Earth orbit satellites, high-altitude platforms, drones, and other high-altitude platforms.

[0086] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0087] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0088] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. This protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, or physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or physical layer, etc.

[0089] Network devices can be other devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or form of the network device. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application are not limited.

[0090] Network equipment may also include core network equipment, such as the Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Serving Gateway (S-GW), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and Public Data Network Gateway (PDN Gateway, P-GW) in 4th generation (4G) networks; and AMF, User Plane Function (UPF), or Session Management Function (SMF) in 5G networks. Furthermore, this core network equipment may also include other core network equipment in 5G networks and next-generation networks of 5G networks.

[0091] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing that function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the example of a network device being used to implement the function of the network device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0092] (3) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0093] (4) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include receiving directly from YY through the air interface or receiving indirectly from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0094] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0095] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0096] (5) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (as described below, the instruction information) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction can be implemented by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be instructed; for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0097] (6) A beam is a radiation pattern with a certain direction and shape formed in space by electromagnetic waves emitted by an antenna. It can be used for the transmission of various signals. Among them, beams include beam-based synchronization signal (SSB) beams, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) beams, etc.

[0098] Beam scanning is a technology that controls the transmission and reception directions of an antenna to move a beam within a specific spatial area in a predetermined manner. By sending and receiving signals in different directions, it achieves coverage of a target area and target tracking. Beam scanning technology is widely used in wireless communication, radar detection, and other fields. Especially in 5G NR networks, beam scanning is a key technology for achieving efficient coverage and communication.

[0099] It should be noted that NR specifies beam scanning, and the protocol limits the number and period of beam scans. Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a communication beam set provided in an embodiment of this application. The following explanation, using Figure 1 as an example of an SSB beam set, illustrates the original communication beam management process of NR. The protocol specifies that the SSB period (SsbPeriod) is one of {5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, 160ms}, where the SSB period is the interval between SSB beam scans. Regardless of the SSB period, SSB beam scanning is completed within a 5ms time window, called the burst window. The SSB beams that complete scanning within the burst window are called a burst set, and each SSB beam within the burst set corresponds to a different scanning direction. In addition, the agreement also specifies the number of SSB beams in the burst set. The maximum number of candidate beams in the SSB beam set is 64, which means the size of the candidate beam set is 64.

[0100] (7) Reference signal (RS), also known as pilot signal, may also be called measurement reference signal or sensing measurement reference signal in some cases. In communication systems, estimating the uplink or downlink channel is necessary for transmitting and receiving data, obtaining system synchronization and feedback channel information. Channel estimation refers to the process of reconstructing or recovering the received signal to compensate for signal distortion caused by channel fading and noise fading. It uses reference signals known to the transmitter and receiver to determine the time and frequency domain variations of the channel. The aforementioned reference signals are distributed in different resource elements (REs) in the time-frequency two-dimensional space within the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and have known amplitudes and phases.

[0101] For example, at the physical layer, uplink communication can include the transmission of uplink physical channels and uplink signals. Uplink physical channels include random access channels (PRACH), physical uplink control channels (PUCCH), and physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH), etc. Uplink signals include sounding reference signals (SRS), PUCCH de-modulation reference signals (PUCCH-DMRS), PUSCH de-modulation reference signals (PUSCH-DMRS), uplink phase noise tracking reference signals (PTRS), and uplink positioning signals (RS), etc.

[0102] For example, at the physical layer, downlink communication can include the transmission of downlink physical channels and downlink signals. Downlink physical channels include the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. Downlink signals include the primary synchronization signal (PSS) / secondary synchronization signal (SSS), the downlink control channel demodulation reference signal (PDCCH-DMRS), the downlink data channel demodulation reference signal (PDSCH-DMRS), the phase noise tracking signal (PTRS), the channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS), the cell reference signal (CRS), the tracking reference signal (TRS), and the positioning signal (RS), etc.

[0103] It should be noted that the reference signal in the embodiments of this application can also be a sensing-specific reference signal (Sensing RS), that is, the reference signal in the embodiments of this application does not need to reuse the original communication reference signal. It is understood that the reference signals listed above are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application.

[0104] (8) TCI is a mechanism used in 5G NR systems to configure and indicate the quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between reference signals. The TCI state is used to establish the QCL relationship between the target reference signal and the source reference signal, and to indicate the QCL relationship of the alternative beams to the terminal equipment, thereby helping the terminal equipment to better perform channel estimation and signal reception; QCL is used to indicate the association relationship between two reference signals.

[0105] The NR protocol specifies the data format for each TCI state as follows:

[0106] TCI-State={TCI-StateID, QCL-Info};

[0107] QCL-Info={cell, BWP_ID, referenceSingal, qcl-type}.

[0108] Here, TCI-State refers to the communication TCI state; TCI-StateID refers to the index of the communication TCI state; QCL-Info represents QCL information, used to help terminal equipment perform channel estimation, frequency offset estimation, and signal synchronization; cell refers to the serving cell index (ServCellIndex), used to specify the serving cell for configuring the reference signal; BWP_ID refers to the downlink bandwidth part (BWP) identifier where the reference signal is located; referenceSignal refers to the reference signal, which can be SSB-Index or NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceId, etc.; qcl-type refers to the QCL type, which is an enumeration value, including typeA, typeB, typeC, and typeD. Each type corresponds to a different set of large-scale attributes, used for different channel estimation and measurement purposes.

[0109] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0110] To facilitate understanding of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the system architecture of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below. It is understood that the system architecture described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the solutions of the embodiments of this application and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0111] Please refer to Figure 2a, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2a, the communication system includes a RAN 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 2a, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 2a, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 2a). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminals can be connected to each other, as can RAN nodes, via wired or wireless means.

[0112] The core network equipment that may be involved in the embodiments of this application includes:

[0113] Access and mobility management function (AMF) devices / network elements / entities are deployed in the wireless core network to manage the access and mobility of terminal devices, performing registration, connection, reachability, and mobility management. AMF can also provide a session management message transmission channel for terminal devices and session management function (SMF) network elements, providing authentication and authorization functions for user access, and serving as an access point for the terminal and the wireless core network control plane.

[0114] User plane function (UPF) devices / network elements / entities refer to the user plane, which carries data traffic and is responsible for forwarding traffic between the radio access network and the Internet, reporting traffic usage, and enforcing quality of service (QoS) policies.

[0115] Figure 2b illustrates another architecture diagram of the communication system applied in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 2b, the communication system may include multiple base stations, multiple user equipment, RSUs, and physical devices of the Sensing Management Function (SeMF), etc. The communication system shown in Figure 2b can perform collaborative sensing measurement and transmission among multiple sensing nodes. Among them, the base station is responsible for both communication and sensing functions, and is partially responsible for the centralized storage, management, distribution, and calculation of target object information; the user equipment and RSU are mainly responsible for assisting the base station in providing sensing services and undertaking some sensing calculation and storage work; the SeMF is a high-level network element, mainly responsible for high-level management functions related to sensing services, and its role is similar to that of the Location Management Function (LMF) in 5G positioning services. The form of the SeMF may have various possibilities, it may be a high-level network element on the core network side, or it may be a network element mounted on the RAN side. In addition, it may also be a sensing-specific function management module with a physical entity.

[0116] Figure 2c illustrates an example of an O-RAN system, which may include components other than those shown in the figure. As shown in Figure 2c, the access network device (RAN, such as an eNB, gNB, or next-generation access network device) communicates with the core network (CN) via a backhaul link and with the UE via an air interface.

[0117] In one possible implementation, the embodiments of this application can be applied to long-term evolution (LTE) wireless communication systems, NR wireless communication systems, and future new radio (NR) wireless communication systems. For example, this application can be applied to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems in LTE, OFDM systems in NR, future OFDM systems, and OFDM-like systems.

[0118] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application can add a sensing module device with a physical entity to existing equipment such as base stations and terminals for hardware modification; or add new sensing algorithms and solutions for software modification. For devices with existing sensing functions, or devices that have completed ISAC modification, no hardware modification is required, only software modification. Software modification requires adding new sensing algorithms to base stations, user equipment, and SeMF, and the transmitted air interface data contains new information, messages, signaling, flags, or data added to provide sensing services. This may consume some transceiver resources, and the transmitted sensing measurements and / or sensing results may also consume some storage resources.

[0119] This application involves sensing in its embodiments. Wireless communication sensing fusion is a key technology in current communication network research and can be widely used in typical application scenarios such as intelligent transportation, intelligent low-altitude airspace, and intelligent networks. Communication sensing fusion achieves unified design of communication and sensing functions through signal joint design and hardware sharing. Sensing in communication sensing fusion can be understood as wireless sensing technology based on a communication system. For example, terminal devices or network devices transmit wireless signals to a target area or object and receive the echo signals reflected by the object. By analyzing the received signals, corresponding sensing measurements are obtained, such as the number, location, speed, and identification of the target object. In other words, with the development of communication technology, future communication systems may provide sensing services in addition to communication services; such networks can be understood as ISAC networks.

[0120] It should be noted that in a wireless communication system (such as the communication system shown in Figure 2a), network devices can calculate and determine the transmission resources for signals. These transmission resources may include time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, etc., used to carry the signals. Correspondingly, terminal devices can transmit and receive signals on these transmission resources. In this way, different communication devices can transmit service data related to communication services through the communication system to obtain communication services. Generally, the signals transmitted during communication may include a reference signal, which may have a known amplitude and / or phase. The receiver of the reference signal can perform measurements based on the received reference signal.

[0121] As an example, taking network devices and / or terminal devices as sensing devices, sensing signals may be transmitted between network devices and terminal devices, between terminal devices, and between network devices. The following will describe the process with reference to Figure 2, taking a vehicle as the target object.

[0122] As shown in Figure 3, the sensing signal can have the following six modes:

[0123] (a) The network device sends a sensing signal, and the network device receives the sensing signal.

[0124] (b) The terminal device sends a sensing signal, and the terminal device receives the sensing signal.

[0125] (c) One network device sends a sensing signal, and another network device receives the sensing signal.

[0126] (d) One terminal device sends a sensing signal, and another terminal device receives the sensing signal.

[0127] (e) The network device sends a sensing signal, and the terminal device receives the sensing signal.

[0128] (f) The terminal device sends a sensing signal, and the network device receives the sensing signal.

[0129] Among them, modes (a) and (b) can be sensed by a single device, which can be understood as spontaneous and self-receiving mono-static sensing, with the transmitter and receiver in the same location; modes (c) to (f) can be sensed by two devices, which can be understood as spontaneous and self-receiving bi-static sensing, with the transmitter and receiver in different locations.

[0130] For bistatic sensing, a crucial issue is how to select the beams used for sensing. To address this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product that designs an inclusion relationship between the sensing beam set and the existing communication beam set. This allows specific beams within the sensing beam set to be determined using relevant parameters of the sensing beams, enabling sensing measurements to be performed on those specific beams. This achieves sensing measurements using the existing communication beams, allowing the ISAC network to provide sensing services without affecting the existing communication beam services, thus saving resource overhead.

[0131] Specifically, please refer to Figure 4, which is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes the following steps.

[0132] It should be noted that in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, and related implementation examples below, the first and second communication devices are used as examples to illustrate the method in the interaction illustration. However, the embodiments of this application do not limit the execution subject of the interaction illustration. For example, the first communication device can be a terminal device, or a chip, baseband chip, modem chip, system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, system-in-package (SIP) chip, communication module, chip system, processor, logic module, or software in the terminal device; the second communication device can be a network device, or a chip, baseband chip, modem chip, system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, system-in-package (SIP) chip, communication module, chip system, processor, logic module, or software in the network device. As an example, the network device can be a base station or access network device. As another example, the second communication device can be an ORAN device (including at least one of O-CU, O-DU, and O-RU). For example, the second communication device may include an O-RU. Alternatively, the second communication device may include an O-CU and / or an O-DU, etc.

[0133] S401. The second communication device sends the first information.

[0134] The first piece of information is used to indicate the communication beam set.

[0135] In this embodiment of the application, after the second communication device sends the first information, the first communication device will receive the first information accordingly, and the first communication device can obtain the communication beam set based on the first information.

[0136] S402. The second communication device sends the second information.

[0137] The second piece of information is used to indicate the sensing beam set, which is a subset of the communication beam set. The communication beam set includes M beams, and the sensing beam set includes N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N.

[0138] In this embodiment of the application, after the second communication device sends the second information, the first communication device will receive the second information accordingly, and the first communication device can obtain the sensing beam set based on the second information.

[0139] In this embodiment of the application, a sensing beam set is designed based on the original communication beam set of NR, so as to call all or part of the beams in the communication beam set for sensing services. The relationship between the communication beam set and the sensing beam set is explained below.

[0140] The communication beam set in this embodiment can be represented as follows:

[0141] Where S represents the communication beam set, which contains M elements, meaning the number of communication beams corresponding to the current cell is M, where M≥1, and each element corresponds to a communication beam index BeamIndex. S BeamIndex S This represents any one of the M communication beam indices. It should be noted that the value of M in NR is usually 64 or 8. In this embodiment, the value of M is not limited and can be set according to actual needs.

[0142] The communication beam set in this application embodiment can be an SSB beam set, a CSI-RS beam set, etc. This application embodiment does not limit this and can select and set it according to actual needs. Specifically, when the communication beam set is an SSB beam set, then BeamIndex... S This corresponds to the parameter "SSB Index" in the NR protocol; when the communication beam set is a candidate beam set for CSI-RS beams, then BeamIndex... S This corresponds to the parameter "Non-zero-Power Channel State Information Reference Signal Resource Identifier (NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceId)" in the NR protocol.

[0143] The sensing beam set in the application embodiments can be represented as follows:

[0144] Where T represents the set of sensing beams, S contains N elements (i.e., the number of beams used for sensing is N, N≥1), and each element corresponds to a sensing beam index BeamIndex. T BeamIndex T It represents any one of the N sensing beam indices.

[0145] In this embodiment, sensing requirements can be met by performing sensing measurements on a portion of the cell's communication beams. This reduces the resource consumption of the sensing service and promotes energy conservation. The sensing beam set can be a subset of the communication beam set, and the relationship between the sensing beam set and the communication beam set can be expressed as follows: For example: S = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}, that is... T = {2, 3, 4}, that is The sensing beam set T will include the third, fourth, and fifth beams from the communication beam set S. It is understood that the above is merely illustrative and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0146] It should be noted that the transmission of the first and second information in this embodiment of the application is not related in terms of timing. That is, the first information can be sent first and then the second information; or the second information can be sent first and then the first information; or the first and second information can be sent simultaneously.

[0147] S403. The second communication device sends the third information.

[0148] The third piece of information indicates the relevant parameters of the sensing beam, which may include: the index of the sensing TCI state, the index of the communication TCI state, the sensing beam index interval, etc. The sensing beam is a beam within the sensing beam set, and its relevant parameters are used for sensing measurements.

[0149] In this embodiment of the application, after the second communication device sends the third information, the first communication device will receive the third information accordingly. The first communication device can obtain the relevant parameters of the sensing beam based on the third information, determine the sensing beam using the relevant parameters of the sensing beam, and then the first communication device can perform sensing measurements based on the sensing beam.

[0150] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the second communication device sends first information and second information, so that the first communication device can obtain the inclusion relationship between the sensing beam set and the original communication beam set, that is, to obtain which beams in the original communication beam set can be used for sensing measurement. Then, the second communication device sends third information, so that the first communication device can use the relevant parameters of the sensing beam to determine a specific beam in the sensing beam set and perform sensing measurement on the specific beam. Since the sensing beam set is a subset of the communication beam set, the sensing measurement is achieved by using the original communication beams, so that the ISAC network can provide sensing services without affecting the original communication beam service, saving resource consumption.

[0151] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application. Figure 5 uses the relevant parameters of the sensing beam as an index for sensing the TCI state as an example. Based on the communication method provided in Figure 4, the communication method is further described. The communication method provided in this application embodiment may include the following steps:

[0152] S501. The first communication device sends the fourth message.

[0153] The fourth information indicates the maximum number of TCI states that the first communication device can support. Specifically, the first communication device will report its capabilities, indicating the maximum number of TCI states it can support. It should be noted that step S501 is optional. If the first communication device does not send the fourth information, it can be assumed that the first communication device has sufficient maximum capacity, such as supporting 128 TCI states.

[0154] In this embodiment of the application, after the first communication device sends the fourth information, the second communication device will receive the fourth information accordingly. Based on the fourth information, the second communication device can obtain the maximum number of sensing TCI states carried by the first communication device, which facilitates the subsequent construction of the sensing beam set by the second communication device and the sending of the corresponding second information. This avoids the problem of loss of sensing TCI states sent by the second communication device, thereby ensuring that the first communication device can determine the corresponding sensing beam.

[0155] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application are based on QCL and TCI. In addition to the original TCI state data format, a new sensing TCI state for indicating the sensing beam is defined. The data format of the sensing TCI state is as follows:

[0156] TCI-State-forSensing={TCI-StateID-forSensing, QCL-Info}

[0157] QCL-Info={cell, BWP_ID, referenceSingal, qcl-type}

[0158] Here, TCI-State-forSensing refers to the sensing TCI state; TCI-StateID-forSensing refers to the index of the sensing TCI state; and the value of referenceSingal for i of the N TCI-State-forSensings is determined by the sensing beam set T. QCL-Info, cell, BWP_ID, referenceSingal, and qcl-type are similar to the QCL-Info, cell, BWP_ID, referenceSingal, and qcl-type in the aforementioned communication TCI states, so they will not be described again.

[0159] S502. The second communication device sends the first information.

[0160] It is understood that S502 in this embodiment is similar to S401 described above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0161] In this embodiment of the application, the first information may include M communication TCI states, which are used to indicate the communication beam set, that is, the second communication device will assign M communication TCI states to the first communication device.

[0162] It should be noted that in the embodiment where the relevant parameters of the sensing beam are the index of the sensing TCI state, step S502 is an optional step. In one possible implementation, the second communication device may not send the first information to the first communication device.

[0163] S503. The second communication device sends the second information.

[0164] It is understood that S503 in the embodiments of this application is similar to S402 described above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0165] In this embodiment, the second information may include N sensing TCI states. These N sensing TCI states are used to indicate a sensing beam set, meaning the second communication device will assign N TCI-State-forSensings to the first communication device. Each sensing TCI state has a different index, and the referenceSingal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to each sensing TCI state is also different. Each of the N TCI-State-forSensings is QCL-associated with a sensing beam index in the sensing beam set. Specifically, the referenceSingal field value corresponding to the i-th TCI-State-forSensing sent by the second communication device to the first communication device is a value from the sensing beam set.

[0166] It should be noted that in communication beam management, since the maximum number of TCI-States sent to the first communication device is 64 (M = 64), TCI-stateId needs to occupy 6 bits to indicate 64 different schemes. However, for sensing beam management, the number of TCI-States for Sensing is the size of the sensing beam set N. Since N ≤ M, the number of bits occupied by TCI-stateId for Sensing is not as high. The bit allocation of TCI-stateId for Sensing can be determined by the formula... Sure.

[0167] For example, if N = 16, then there are 16 different beams in the sensing beam set T. The second communication device sends 16 TCI-state-forSensings to the first communication device, indicating which TCI-state-forSensing's TCI-stateId-forSensing can occupy 4 bits. If the value of TCI-stateId-forSensing is 0101, it means that QCL is directed to the 6th beam out of the 16 beams in the sensing beam set T. It should be understood that the above is only an exemplary description and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0168] In one possible implementation, the second information in this application may be carried in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message or in other messages; this application does not limit this.

[0169] It should be noted that the M communication TCI states and N sensing communication TCI states in this embodiment only need to be sent once and can be pre-configured in the first communication device; the subsequent sensing measurement repeats the process of steps S504 to S508, sending the index of the sensing TCI state of the beam under test each time to complete one beam sensing measurement.

[0170] S504. The second communication device sends the third information.

[0171] It is understood that S504 in this embodiment is similar to S403 described above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0172] In this embodiment, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam are the index of the sensing TCI state, that is, the third information is used to indicate the index of the sensing TCI state.

[0173] In one possible implementation, in this embodiment of the application, the second communication device can send a configuration message of the reference signal to the first communication device, and the third information can be carried in the configuration message of the reference signal. The channel through which the configuration message is sent may include, but is not limited to, Downlink Control Information (DCI), Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE) messages, etc.

[0174] S505. The first communication device determines the sensing beam based on the index of the sensing TCI state and N sensing TCI states.

[0175] In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device can obtain the index of the perceived TCI state based on the third information, and then determine the target perceived TCI state from N perceived TCI states based on the index of the perceived TCI state. Then, by looking at the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to the target perceived TCI state, it can determine which beam in the set of perceived beams T is the beam that needs to be sensed and measured, and thus determine the sensing beam.

[0176] For example: N=3, S={0,1,2,3,4}, T={2,3,4}, meaning the sensing beam set T will include the 3rd, 4th, and 5th beams in the communication beam set S. The three sensing TCI states are Sensing TCI State 1, Sensing TCI State 2, and Sensing TCI State 3. Specifically, in Sensing TCI State 1, TCI-StateID-forSensing is 00, and the referenceSingal field in the corresponding QCL-Info is 2; in Sensing TCI State 2, TCI-StateID-forSensing is 01, and the referenceSingal field in the corresponding QCL-Info is 3; in Sensing TCI State 3, TCI-StateID-forSensing is 10, and the referenceSingal field in the corresponding QCL-Info is 4. If the third information sent by the second communication device indicates that the index of the perceived TCI state is 01, then the first communication device, based on 01, determines the target perceived TCI state as perceived TCI state 2 from the three perceived TCI states. The referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to perceived TCI state 2 is 3, and the perceived beam is determined to be the second beam in the perceived beam set. It should be understood that the above is merely an illustrative description and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0177] S506. The second communication device sends a reference signal.

[0178] S507. The first communication device performs sensing and measurement on the reference signal on the sensing beam to obtain the sensing result.

[0179] In this embodiment of the application, after the second communication device sends a reference signal, the first communication device can receive the reference signal on the sensing beam and perform sensing measurement on the reference signal to obtain the sensing result.

[0180] It should be noted that if the current beam does not belong to the sensing beam set, only the reference signal is received and measured to obtain a measurement quantity, which only includes the communication measurement quantity defined in the original communication definition. If the current beam belongs to the sensing beam set, the reference signal is received and sensing measurement is performed on the reference signal to obtain a measurement quantity, which includes both the communication measurement quantity defined in the original communication definition and the sensing measurement quantity. Then, the measurement quantity is processed to obtain the sensing result.

[0181] The communication measurements can include: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Signal-to-Interference Plus Noise Ratio (SINR), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), etc.; the sensing measurements can include: target path delay information, target path arrival angle information (including azimuth and elevation angles), target path departure angle information (including azimuth and elevation angles), target path Doppler information, target path sensing service quality index (SQI), target presence / absence indication, multipath line-of-sight / non-line-of-sight (LOS / NLOS) indication, multipath bounce count indication, etc. The sensing results calculated based on the measurements can include: target ID, target position information, target velocity information, target type identification, etc. It should be noted that if a target is discovered, its position, speed and other information will be compared with previously discovered targets. If it is identified as an old target, its corresponding existing ID will be matched; if it is identified as a new target, a new ID will be assigned.

[0182] S508. The first communication device sends the sensing results.

[0183] It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, the first communication device may transmit all or part of the measurement quantity and / or sensing result to the second communication device. The measurement quantity includes communication measurement quantity and sensing measurement quantity.

[0184] As can be seen, the embodiments of this application modify the original communication TCI state to obtain the sensing TCI state, so that the sensing beam can be determined using a process similar to the original communication TCI state. In this way, without major modifications, the ISAC network can provide sensing services without affecting the original communication beam service, saving resource overhead and facilitating the implementation of the solution.

[0185] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application. Figure 6 uses the relevant parameters of the sensing beam as an index of the communication TCI state as an example. Based on the communication method provided in Figure 4, the communication method is further described. The communication method provided in this application embodiment may include the following steps:

[0186] S601. The first communication device sends the fourth message.

[0187] It is understood that S601 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S501 described above, so it will not be repeated here.

[0188] S602. The second communication device sends the first information.

[0189] It is understood that S602 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S502 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0190] S603. The second communication device sends the second information.

[0191] It is understood that S603 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S503 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0192] S604. The second communication device sends the third information.

[0193] It is understood that S604 in the embodiments of this application is similar to S403 and S504 described above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0194] In this embodiment, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam are the index of the communication TCI state, that is, the third information is used to indicate the index of the communication TCI state.

[0195] S605. The first communication device determines the sensing beam based on the index of the communication TCI state, M communication TCI states and N sensing TCI states.

[0196] In this embodiment, the first communication device can obtain the index of the communication TCI state based on third information. Then, based on the index of the communication TCI state, it determines the target communication TCI state from M communication TCI states and obtains the value of the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to the target communication TCI state. Then, it searches among N sensing TCI states to see if there is a sensing TCI whose referenceSignal field value is the same as the referenceSignal field value in the QCL-Info corresponding to the target communication TCI state. If there is a referenceSignal field value that matches the target communication TCI state... If a perceived TCI state has the same value as the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info, then the perceived TCI state with the same value as the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to the target communication TCI state is the target perceived TCI state. Sensing measurement is performed on the beam corresponding to the target perceived TCI state. If there is no perceived TCI state with the same value as the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to the target communication TCI state, it means that the beam corresponding to the target communication TCI state is not within the range of the sensing set T, and no sensing measurement action is performed.

[0197] For example: M=5, N=3, S={0,1,2,3,4}, T={2,3,4}, meaning the sensing beam set T will include the 3rd, 4th, and 5th beams in the communication beam set S. The 5 communication TCI states are communication TCI state 1, communication TCI state 2, communication TCI state 3, communication TCI state 4, and communication TCI state 5. Specifically, in Communication TCI State 1, the TCI-StateID is 000, and the value of the referenceSingal field in the corresponding QCL-Info is 0; in Communication TCI State 2, the TCI-StateID is 001, and the value of the referenceSingal field in the corresponding QCL-Info is 1; in Communication TCI State 3, the TCI-StateID is 010, and the value of the referenceSingal field in the corresponding QCL-Info is 2; in Communication TCI State 4, the TCI-StateID is 011, and the value of the referenceSingal field in the corresponding QCL-Info is 3; in Communication TCI State 5, the TCI-StateID is 100, and the value of the referenceSingal field in the corresponding QCL-Info is 4. The three perception TCI states are Perception TCI State 1, Perception TCI State 2, and Perception TCI State 3. In this context, the value of the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to perceived TCI state 1 is 2; the value of the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to perceived TCI state 2 is 3; and the value of the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to perceived TCI state 3 is 4. ① Assuming the third information sent by the second communication device indicates that the index of the communication TCI state is 011, the first communication device determines the target communication TCI state as communication TCI state 4 from the 5 communication TCI states based on 011, obtains the value of the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to communication TCI state 4 as 3, searches among the 3 perceived TCI states to see if there is a perceived TCI state with a referenceSignal field value of 3. Since the value of the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to perceived TCI state 2 is 3, perceived TCI state 2 is the target perceived TCI state, and the sensing beam is determined to be the 2nd beam in the sensing beam set, and corresponding sensing measurements are performed.② Assuming the third information sent by the second communication device indicates that the index of the communication TCI state is 000, the first communication device, based on 000, determines the target communication TCI state as communication TCI state 1 from among the 5 communication TCI states, obtains that the value of the referenceSignal field in the QCL-Info corresponding to communication TCI state 1 is 0, searches among the 3 sensing TCI states to see if there is a sensing TCI state with a referenceSignal field value of 0, determines that there is no sensing TCI state with a referenceSignal value of 0, and does not perform sensing measurement. It should be understood that the above is merely an exemplary description and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0198] S606. The second communication device sends a reference signal.

[0199] S607. The first communication device performs sensing and measurement on the reference signal on the sensing beam to obtain the sensing result.

[0200] It is understood that S607 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S507 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0201] S608. The first communication device sends the sensing results.

[0202] It is understood that S608 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S508 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0203] As can be seen, the embodiments of this application modify the original communication TCI state to obtain the sensing TCI state, so that the sensing beam can be determined using a process similar to the original communication TCI state. In this way, without major modifications, the ISAC network can provide sensing services without affecting the original communication beam service, saving resource overhead and facilitating the implementation of the solution.

[0204] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application. Figure 7 takes the relevant parameters of the sensing beam, including the first parameter, as an example. Based on the communication method provided in Figure 4, the communication method is further explained. The communication method provided in this application embodiment may include the following steps:

[0205] S701. The second communication device sends the first information.

[0206] It is understood that S701 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S401 described above, so it will not be repeated here.

[0207] S702. The second communication device sends the second information.

[0208] It is understood that S702 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S402 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0209] It should be noted that in embodiments where the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include the first parameter, steps S701 and S702 are optional. In one possible implementation, the second communication device may not send the first information or the second information to the first communication device; that is, the first communication device may not know the specific content of the sensing beam set T.

[0210] S703. The second communication device sends the third information.

[0211] It is understood that S703 in the embodiments of this application is similar to S403 described above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0212] In this embodiment, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a first parameter, which indicates whether the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, that is, whether the beam containing the reference signal belongs to the sensing beam set T. The first parameter can be named isSensingBeam or other names; this embodiment does not limit this and can be set according to actual needs.

[0213] In one possible implementation, the first parameter takes the value of 0 or 1, occupying 1 bit. Specifically, if the beam containing the reference signal belongs to both the aforementioned communication beam set S and the aforementioned sensing beam set T, then the reference signal is considered to be located on the sensing beam, and the first parameter is set to 1; if the beam containing the reference signal belongs only to the aforementioned communication beam set S and not to the aforementioned sensing beam set T, then the reference signal is considered not to be located on the sensing beam, and the first parameter is set to 0. The value of the first parameter satisfies the following formula:

[0214] In one possible implementation, third information can be carried in different signaling types and combinations such as Non-Access Stratum (NAS), RRC, MAC-CE, and DCI.

[0215] In one possible implementation, the third information can be placed in the configuration message of the reference signal and sent accordingly. Accordingly, S703 may include: the second communication device sending a configuration message of the reference signal, which carries the third information. For example, the third information can be carried in the CSI-RS configuration message CSI-RS-ResourceConfig specified by NR. It is understood that the above is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application.

[0216] In one possible implementation, the third information can be transmitted along with the reference signal. Accordingly, S703 may include: the second communication device transmitting the reference signal, which carries the third information. For example, the third information can be placed on the PBCH channel message of the SSB signal. It is understood that the above is merely illustrative and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application. If the third information is carried in the reference signal, S703 may be omitted, and only the subsequent step S704 may be performed.

[0217] S704. The second communication device transmits a reference signal.

[0218] S705. The first communication device performs sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the first parameter and obtains the sensing result.

[0219] It is understood that S704 in the embodiments of this application is similar to S507 and S607 described above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0220] In one possible implementation, S705 includes: when the first parameter indicates that the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device performs sensing measurement on the reference signal on the sensing beam to obtain a sensing result.

[0221] It should be noted that if the first reference information indicates that the reference signal is not located on the sensing beam, then there is no need to perform sensing measurement and sensing result calculation on the reference signal.

[0222] S706. The first communication device transmits the sensing results.

[0223] It is understood that S706 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S508 and S608 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0224] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the first communication device can determine whether the reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the first parameter. When the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the reference signal on the sensing beam to obtain the corresponding sensing result. In this way, the sensing service can be provided without affecting the original communication beam service. Moreover, the first communication device can adaptively select whether to perform sensing measurement based on the first parameter to avoid the waste of resources caused by performing sensing measurement on the reference signal that is not located on the sensing beam.

[0225] The embodiments corresponding to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 above illustrate how to use the first communication device to perform sensing measurements using beams from the sensing beam set via information instruction. Before performing sensing measurements using the beams from the sensing beam set, it is necessary to first determine the sensing beam set. The following describes how to partition a subset from the communication beam set S to obtain the sensing beam set T, i.e., how to select the sensing beam set T from the communication beam set S.

[0226] In one possible implementation, the second communication device in this embodiment can first perform coarse sensing within the target cell area, detecting sensing targets (such as vehicles, pedestrians, buildings, etc.) in some beam directions of the communication beam set S. Only beams in specific beam directions containing sensing targets can be included in the sensing beam set T, thus obtaining the sensing beam set T. Here, coarse sensing refers to the second communication device using limited sensing measurement signals to perform a rough beam scan of the target cell, quickly determining the approximate location range of the targets.

[0227] For example, please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of selecting a sensing beam set according to an embodiment of this application. Assume that the current communication beam set S contains 8 beams, numbered 0 to 7. Assume that after the second communication device performs coarse sensing of the target cell, it determines that a sensing target exists on beams 3, 5, and 6, then only beams 3, 5, and 6 are included in the sensing beam set T. The relationship between the sensing beam set T and the communication beam set S is shown in Figure 8. It should be understood that the above is merely an illustrative example and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0228] It should be noted that, as shown in Figure 8, after the second communication device completes the establishment of the sensing beam set T, the sensing beam set management can be completed using the embodiments corresponding to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, so as to realize the sensing measurement of some beams in a specific direction.

[0229] In another possible implementation, a second and a third parameter can be added to this embodiment. The second parameter indicates the sensing beam index interval, which refers to the interval at which a beam is selected to enter the sensing beam set. The third parameter indicates the starting sensing beam offset, which refers to the nth beam in the communication beam set S from which the beam is selected to join the sensing beam set T. This third parameter defaults to 0, meaning that selection starts from the first beam in the communication beam set. The second parameter can be named sensingBeamComb, and the third parameter can be named sensingBeamOffset. Of course, the second and third parameters can also be named other names; this embodiment does not limit the specific names used.

[0230] It should be noted that in this implementation, the second parameter is mandatory, while the third parameter is optional.

[0231] For example, please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of another selection of sensing beam set provided in an embodiment of this application. Assume that the current communication beam set S has 8 beams, numbered 0 to 7, with the second parameter set to 1 and the third parameter set to 0 by default. Beams 0, 2, 4, and 6 are included in the sensing beam set T. The relationship between the sensing beam set T and the beam set S is shown in Figure 9. It should be understood that the above is merely an illustrative example and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0232] It should be noted that, as shown in Figure 9, after the second communication device completes the establishment of the sensing beam set T, the sensing beam set management can be completed using the embodiments corresponding to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, enabling sensing measurements based on a portion of the beams at a specific beam index interval. Specifically, if the embodiments corresponding to Figures 5 and 6 are implemented, the second and third parameters can function only within the second communication device to construct the sensing beam set T, without needing to be transmitted over the air interface to the first communication device. If the embodiment corresponding to Figure 7 is implemented, the second and third parameters can replace the function of the first parameter in the embodiment corresponding to Figure 7, allowing the second and third parameters to be transmitted to the first communication device without configuring the first parameter for each reference signal, thus saving signaling overhead to some extent.

[0233] Accordingly, please refer to Figure 10, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application. Figure 10 takes the relevant parameters of the sensing beam, including the second parameter, as an example. Based on the communication methods provided in Figures 4 and 7, the communication method is further explained. The communication method provided in this application embodiment may include the following steps:

[0234] S1001. The second communication device sends the first information.

[0235] It is understood that S1001 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S401 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0236] S1002. The second communication device sends the second information.

[0237] It is understood that S1002 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S402 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0238] It should be noted that in embodiments where the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include the second parameter, step S1002 is an optional step. In one possible implementation, the second communication device may not send the second information to the first communication device, that is, the first communication device may not know the specific content of the sensing beam set T.

[0239] S1003. The second communication device sends the third information.

[0240] It is understood that S1003 in the embodiments of this application is similar to S403 and S703 described above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0241] In the embodiments of this application, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a second parameter, which is used to indicate the sensing beam index interval.

[0242] In one possible implementation, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam in this embodiment of the application further include a third parameter, which is used to indicate the initial sensing beam offset.

[0243] S1004. The second communication device sends a reference signal.

[0244] S1005. The first communication device performs sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval to obtain the sensing results.

[0245] It is understood that S1004 in the embodiments of this application is similar to S507, S607 and S705 above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0246] In one possible implementation, S1005 may include: the first communication device determining that the reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval and the communication beam set, performing sensing measurement on the sensing beam to obtain the sensing result.

[0247] It should be noted that if it is determined that the reference signal is not located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval and the communication beam set, then there is no need to perform sensing measurement and sensing result calculation on the reference signal.

[0248] In one possible implementation, S1005 may include a first communication device performing sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval and the initial sensing beam offset, and obtaining a sensing result.

[0249] S1006. The first communication device sends the sensing results.

[0250] It is understood that S1006 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S508, S608 and S706 mentioned above, so it will not be described again.

[0251] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the first communication device can obtain the sensing beam index interval based on the second parameter and the initial sensing beam offset based on the third parameter. In this way, the first communication device can determine whether the subsequently received reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval and the initial sensing beam offset. If the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the sensing beam to obtain the corresponding sensing result. In this way, sensing service can be provided without affecting the original communication beam service, and the resource waste caused by sensing and measuring reference signals that are not located on the sensing beam can be avoided.

[0252] In another possible implementation, a fourth parameter can be added to this embodiment. This fourth parameter indicates the sensing beam period, which refers to the period value of the sensing beam, such as 40ms, 60ms, etc. The sensing beam period is an integer multiple of the communication beam period, i.e., the ratio of the sensing beam period to the communication beam period is X, where X is greater than or equal to 1 and X is a positive integer. The fourth parameter can be named sensingBeamPeriod, but it can also be named something else; this embodiment does not limit the name.

[0253] It should be noted that in this implementation, the fourth parameter can be a specific sensing beam period, such as 40ms, 60ms, etc., or the fourth parameter can be X, such as 2, 3, etc., all of which can indicate the sensing beam period.

[0254] For example, please refer to Figure 11, which is a schematic diagram of another selection of sensing beam set provided by an embodiment of this application. Assume that the current communication beam set S has 8 beams, numbered 0 to 7, and the fourth parameter is the ratio X of the sensing beam period to the communication beam period, where X is 2. Beams within the first communication beam period, the third communication beam period, the fifth communication beam period, etc., are included in the sensing beam set T. The relationship between the sensing beam set T and the communication beam set S is shown in Figure 11. It should be understood that the above is merely an illustrative description and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0255] It should be noted that, as shown in Figure 11, after the second communication device completes the establishment of the sensing beam set T, the sensing beam set management can be completed using the embodiments corresponding to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, enabling sensing measurements based on a portion of the beams with a specific beam period. Specifically, if the embodiments corresponding to Figures 5 and 6 are implemented, the fourth parameter can function only within the second communication device to construct the sensing beam set T, without needing to be transmitted over the air interface to the first communication device. If the embodiment corresponding to Figure 7 is implemented, the fourth parameter can replace the function of the first parameter in the embodiment corresponding to Figure 7, allowing the fourth parameter to be transmitted to the first communication device without configuring the first parameter for each reference signal, thus saving signaling overhead to some extent.

[0256] Accordingly, please refer to Figure 12, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application. Figure 12 takes the relevant parameters of the sensing beam, including the fourth parameter, as an example. Based on the communication methods provided in Figures 4 and 7, the communication method is further explained. The communication method provided in this application embodiment may include the following steps:

[0257] S1201. The second communication device sends the first information.

[0258] It is understood that S1201 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S401 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0259] S1202. The second communication device sends the second information.

[0260] It is understood that S1202 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S402 described above, so it will not be described again.

[0261] It should be noted that in embodiments where the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include the fourth parameter, step S1202 is an optional step. In one possible implementation, the second communication device may not send the second information to the first communication device, that is, the first communication device may not know the specific contents of the sensing beam set T.

[0262] S1203. The second communication device sends the third information.

[0263] It is understood that S1203 in the embodiments of this application is similar to S403 and S703 described above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0264] In the embodiments of this application, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a fourth parameter, which is used to indicate the period of the sensing beam.

[0265] S1204. The second communication device sends a reference signal.

[0266] S1205. The first communication device performs sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval to obtain the sensing results.

[0267] It is understood that S1204 in the embodiments of this application is similar to S507, S607 and S705 above, and the same parts will not be described again here.

[0268] In one possible implementation, S1205 may include: the first communication device determining that the reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam period, performing sensing measurement on the reference signal on the sensing beam, and obtaining the sensing result.

[0269] It should be noted that if it is determined that the reference signal is not located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam period, then there is no need to perform sensing measurement and sensing result calculation on the reference signal.

[0270] S1206. The first communication device sends the sensing results.

[0271] It is understood that S1206 in the embodiments of this application is the same as S508, S608 and S706 mentioned above, so it will not be described again.

[0272] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the first communication device can obtain the sensing beam period based on the fourth parameter. Thus, the first communication device can determine whether the subsequently received reference signal is located on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam period. If the reference signal is located on the sensing beam, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the sensing beam to obtain the corresponding sensing result. In this way, sensing service can be provided without affecting the original communication beam service, and the resource waste caused by sensing and measuring reference signals that are not located on the sensing beam can be avoided.

[0273] It should be noted that in the process of selecting the sensing beam set T from the communication beam set S, the selection method is a fusion of one or more sensing beam set selection methods shown in Figures 8, 9, and 11. In this way, by selecting and limiting the sensing beam set, beam scanning can be performed only on the necessary wave positions, beam directions, and periods, thereby achieving the beneficial effect of energy saving in sensing services.

[0274] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the foregoing method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, as some steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to this application.

[0275] To facilitate better implementation of the above-described solutions in the embodiments of this application, related apparatus for implementing the above-described solutions is also provided below.

[0276] Please refer to Figure 13. This application embodiment provides a schematic diagram of a communication device. This communication device 1300 can realize the functions of the second communication device or the first communication device in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In this application embodiment, the communication device 1300 can be the first communication device (or the second communication device), or it can be an integrated circuit or component inside the first communication device (or the second communication device), such as a chip. The communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1301 and a transceiver unit 1302.

[0277] It should be noted that the transceiver unit 1302 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, which are used to perform transmitting and receiving respectively.

[0278] In one possible implementation, when the device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the aforementioned embodiments, the transceiver unit 1302 is used to receive first information, which indicates a communication beam set; the transceiver unit 1302 is also used to receive second information, which indicates a sensing beam set, the sensing beam set being a subset of the communication beam set, the communication beam set including M beams, and the sensing beam set including N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N; the transceiver unit 1302 is also used to receive third information, which indicates relevant parameters of the sensing beams, the sensing beams being beams in the sensing beam set, and the relevant parameters of the sensing beams being used for sensing measurements.

[0279] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam are the index of the sensing TCI state, and the processing unit 1301 is used to determine the sensing beam based on the index of the sensing TCI state.

[0280] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the aforementioned embodiments, the second information includes N sensing TCI states, which are used to indicate a set of sensing beams; the processing unit 1301 is specifically used to determine the sensing beams based on the index of the sensing TCI states and the N sensing TCI states.

[0281] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam are the index of the communication TCI state; the processing unit 1301 is used to determine the sensing beam based on the index of the communication TCI state.

[0282] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the aforementioned embodiments, the first information includes M communication TCI states, which are used to indicate the communication beam set; the second information includes N sensing TCI states, which are used to indicate the sensing beam set; the processing unit 1301 is specifically used to determine the sensing beam based on the index of the communication TCI states, the M communication TCI states, and the N sensing TCI states.

[0283] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the transceiver unit 1302 is also used to send fourth information, which is used to indicate the maximum number of bearers sensing the TCI state.

[0284] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a first parameter, which is used to indicate whether the reference signal is located on the sensing beam; the processing unit 1301 is used to perform sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the first parameter.

[0285] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a second parameter, which is used to indicate the sensing beam index interval, and the processing unit 1301 is used to perform sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval.

[0286] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the aforementioned embodiment, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam further include a third parameter, which is used to indicate the initial sensing beam offset. The processing unit 1301 is specifically used to perform sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval and the initial sensing beam offset.

[0287] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a fourth parameter, which is used to indicate the period of the sensing beam, and the processing unit 1301 is used to perform sensing measurements on the sensing beam based on the period of the sensing beam.

[0288] In one possible implementation, when the device 1300 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in the aforementioned embodiments, the transceiver unit 1302 is used to send first information, which indicates a communication beam set; the transceiver unit 1302 is also used to send second information, which indicates a sensing beam set, the sensing beam set being a subset of the communication beam set, the communication beam set including M beams, and the sensing beam set including N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N; the transceiver unit 1302 is also used to send third information, which indicates relevant parameters of the sensing beams, the sensing beams being beams in the sensing beam set, and the relevant parameters of the sensing beams being used for sensing measurements.

[0289] It should be noted that the information execution process of the unit of the above-mentioned communication device 1300 can be specifically described in the method embodiment shown above in this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0290] Please refer to Figure 14, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application. The communication device 1400 includes a logic circuit 1401 and an input / output interface 1402. The communication device 1400 can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0291] In Figure 13, the transceiver unit 1302 can be a communication interface, which can be the input / output interface 1402 in Figure 14. The input / output interface 1402 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0292] Optionally, the input / output interface 1402 is used to receive first information, which indicates a communication beam set; the input / output interface 1402 is also used to receive second information, which indicates a sensing beam set, the sensing beam set being a subset of the communication beam set, the communication beam set including M beams, and the sensing beam set including N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N; the input / output interface 1402 is also used to receive third information, which indicates relevant parameters of the sensing beam, the sensing beam being a beam in the sensing beam set, and the relevant parameters of the sensing beam being used for sensing measurement.

[0293] Optionally, the input / output interface 1402 is used to send first information, which indicates a communication beam set; the input / output interface 1402 is also used to send second information, which indicates a sensing beam set, the sensing beam set being a subset of the communication beam set, the communication beam set including M beams, and the sensing beam set including N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N; the input / output interface 1402 is also used to send third information, which indicates relevant parameters of the sensing beam, the sensing beam being a beam in the sensing beam set, and the relevant parameters of the sensing beam being used for sensing measurement.

[0294] The logic circuit 1401 and the input / output interface 1402 can also perform other steps performed by the first or second communication device in any embodiment and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated here.

[0295] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 1301 shown in FIG13 can be the logic circuit 1401 in FIG14.

[0296] Optionally, the logic circuit 1401 can be a processing device, the functions of which can be partially or entirely implemented in software.

[0297] Optionally, the processing apparatus may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform the corresponding processing and / or steps in any of the method embodiments.

[0298] Optionally, the processing device may consist of only a processor. A memory for storing computer programs is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via circuitry / wires to read and execute the computer programs stored in the memory. The memory and processor may be integrated together or physically independent of each other.

[0299] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors.

[0300] Please refer to Figure 15, which shows the communication device 1500 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 1500 can be the communication device as a terminal device in the above embodiments. The communication device shown in Figure 15 is implemented through a terminal device (or a component in the terminal device).

[0301] The present invention provides a possible logical structure diagram of the communication device 1500, which may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor 1501 and a communication port 1502.

[0302] In Figure 13, the transceiver unit 1302 can be a communication interface, which can be the communication port 1502 in Figure 15. The communication port 1502 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication port 1502 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0303] Further optionally, the device may also include at least one of a memory 1503 and a bus 1504. In the embodiments of this application, the at least one processor 1501 is used to control the operation of the communication device 1500.

[0304] Furthermore, the processor 1501 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0305] It should be noted that the communication device 1500 shown in Figure 15 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments and to achieve the corresponding technical effects of the terminal device. The specific implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 15 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0306] Please refer to Figure 16, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1600 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. The communication device 1600 can specifically be a communication device as a network device in the above embodiments. The communication device shown in Figure 16 is implemented through a network device (or a component in a network device). The structure of the communication device can refer to the structure shown in Figure 16.

[0307] The communication device 1600 includes at least one processor 1611 and at least one network interface 1614. Optionally, the communication device further includes at least one memory 1612, at least one transceiver 1613, and one or more antennas 1615. The processor 1611, memory 1612, transceiver 1613, and network interface 1614 are connected, for example, via a bus. In this embodiment, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, etc., and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The antenna 1615 is connected to the transceiver 1613. The network interface 1614 enables the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 1614 may include a network interface between the communication device and core network equipment, such as an S1 interface; the network interface may also include a network interface between the communication device and other communication devices (e.g., other network devices or core network equipment), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0308] In Figure 13, the transceiver unit 1302 can be a communication interface, which can be the network interface 1614 in Figure 16. The network interface 1614 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 1614 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0309] Processor 1611 is primarily used for processing communication protocols and communication data, controlling the entire communication device, executing software programs, and processing data from the software programs, for example, to support the actions described in the embodiments of the communication device. The communication device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily used for processing communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily used for controlling the entire terminal device, executing software programs, and processing data from the software programs. Processor 1611 in Figure 16 can integrate the functions of both a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that a terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. Various components of the terminal device can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, which is then executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing function.

[0310] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The memory 1612 can exist independently or be connected to the processor 1611. Optionally, the memory 1612 can be integrated with the processor 1611, for example, integrated within a single chip. The memory 1612 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 1611. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 1611.

[0311] Figure 16 shows only one memory and one processor. In actual terminal devices, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory can be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or it can be a separate storage element; this application does not limit this.

[0312] Transceiver 1613 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals between a communication device and a terminal. Transceiver 1613 can be connected to antenna 1615. Transceiver 1613 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 1615 can receive RF signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 1613 is used to receive the RF signals from the antennas, convert the RF signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and provide the digital baseband signals or IF signals to processor 1611 so that processor 1611 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or IF signals, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 1613 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals from processor 1611, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals into RF signals, and transmit the RF signals through one or more antennas 1615. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of downmixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the radio frequency signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The order of these downmixing and IF conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of upmixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital IF signal to obtain a radio frequency signal. The order of these upmixing and IF conversion processes is also adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital IF signal can be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0313] The transceiver 1613 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit that performs the receiving function can be regarded as the receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit that performs the transmitting function can be regarded as the transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can also be called a receiver, input port, receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0314] It should be noted that the communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments and achieve the corresponding technical effects of the network device. The specific implementation of the communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0315] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor performs the method described in the possible implementations of the first or second communication device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0316] This application also provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, executes the method described above for the possible implementation of the first or second communication device.

[0317] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the functions involved in the possible implementations of the communication device described above. Optionally, the chip system further includes an interface circuit that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing the program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices, wherein the communication device may specifically be the first communication device or the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0318] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device in any of the above embodiments.

[0319] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0320] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0321] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive first information, which is used to indicate a communication beam set; Receive second information, the second information being used to indicate a sensing beam set, the sensing beam set being a subset of the communication beam set, the communication beam set including M beams, the sensing beam set including N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N; Receive third information, the third information being used to indicate relevant parameters of the sensing beam, the sensing beam being a beam in the set of sensing beams, the relevant parameters of the sensing beam being used for sensing measurement.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the sensing beam are an index indicating the TCI state of the sensing transmission configuration, and the method further includes: The sensing beam is determined based on the index of the sensing TCI state.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second information includes N sensing TCI states, which are used to indicate the sensing beam set; Determining the sensing beam based on the index of the sensing TCI state includes: The sensing beam is determined based on the index of the sensing TCI state and the N sensing TCI states.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the sensing beam are indices of the communication TCI status; the method further includes: The sensing beam is determined based on the index of the communication TCI state.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first information includes M communication TCI states, which are used to indicate the communication beam set; the second information includes N sensing TCI states, which are used to indicate the sensing beam set. Determining the sensing beam based on the index of the communication TCI state includes: The sensing beam is determined based on the index of the communication TCI state, the M communication TCI states, and the N sensing TCI states.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fourth message, which indicates the maximum number of bearers that are aware of the TCI status.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a first parameter, which indicates whether a reference signal is located on the sensing beam. The method further includes: Sensing measurements are performed on the sensing beam based on the first parameter.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a second parameter, which is used to indicate the sensing beam index interval. The method further includes: Sensing measurements are performed on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the sensing beam also include a third parameter, which is used to indicate the initial sensing beam offset. The sensing measurement based on the sensing beam index interval includes: Sensing measurements are performed on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam index interval and the initial sensing beam offset.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the sensing beam include a fourth parameter, which is used to indicate the period of the sensing beam. The method further includes: Sensing measurements are performed on the sensing beam based on the sensing beam period.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a first message, which is used to indicate the communication beam set; Send a second message, which is used to indicate the sensing beam set, the sensing beam set being a subset of the communication beam set, the communication beam set including M beams, and the sensing beam set including N beams, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N; Send a third message, which is used to indicate the relevant parameters of the sensing beam, the sensing beam being a beam in the set of sensing beams, and the relevant parameters of the sensing beam being used for sensing measurements.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for performing the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or includes a module for performing the communication method as described in claim 11.

13. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the communication method as described in claim 11.

14. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or implement the communication method as described in claim 11.

15. A chip, characterized in that, It includes one or more interface circuits and one or more processors; the interface circuits are configured to receive signals from the memory of an electronic device and send the signals to the processors, the signals including computer instructions stored in the memory; when the processor executes the computer instructions, it causes the electronic device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or to implement the communication method as described in claim 11.

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