Information transmission method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides an information transmission method and apparatus. The method comprises: when a terminal is handed over from a first access network device to a second access network device, the terminal sends channel feature information to the second access network device, the channel feature information being used for indicating a channel feature of a cell corresponding to the first access network device, and the channel feature information being obtained on the basis of a plurality of pieces of CSI; and the second access network device forwards the channel feature information to the first access network device. The terminal is handed over to the second access network device, and therefore, the signal quality of a cell served by the second access network device is better than the signal quality of a cell served by the first access network device. Thus, the terminal reports the channel feature information to the first access network device by means of the second access network device, and compared with the terminal directly reporting the channel feature information to the first access network device, the uplink throughput is higher, and the packet loss rate is lower, thereby facilitating improvement of the completeness of the reported channel feature information.

Description

Information transmission methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510192570.3, filed on February 20, 2025, entitled "Information Transmission Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and particularly to information transmission methods and apparatus in the field of communications. Background Technology

[0003] A channel map can be understood as a database used to store channel feature information. In one possible design, the stored channel feature information can be related to location information. For example, the coverage area of ​​a physical cell can be divided into two-dimensional grid points, and the channel feature information corresponding to each grid point can be stored in the form of a matrix, vector, or scalar. Each grid point can represent a specific geographical area; this grid point can be called a raster.

[0004] The channel characteristic information corresponding to each grid in the channel map can be obtained, for example, based on channel measurements. Taking downlink channel measurement as an example, the terminal can obtain channel characteristic information by measuring the downlink reference signal and send this channel characteristic information to the access network device so that the access network device can construct the channel map based on it.

[0005] However, in certain scenarios (such as when the terminal is at the edge of a cell), the terminal may have poor signal quality in the cell and may not be able to report complete channel feature information, which may result in the access network equipment being unable to construct a complete channel map. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides an information transmission method and apparatus to improve the completeness of channel characteristic information acquired by access network equipment.

[0007] Firstly, this application provides an information transmission method that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal, or components configured in the terminal (such as processors, chips, chip systems, etc.), or logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal functions. This application does not limit the application in this regard. The following example demonstrates terminal execution.

[0008] For example, the method includes: when a terminal switches from a first access network device to a second access network device, sending channel feature information to the second access network device, the channel feature information being used to indicate the channel features of the cell corresponding to the first access network device, the channel feature information being obtained based on multiple channel state information (CSI).

[0009] In the above scheme, after the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, it sends channel feature information to the second access network device so that the second access network device can forward the channel feature information to the first access network device. It is easy to understand that since the terminal switches to the second access network device, the signal quality of the cell served by the second access network device is better than that of the cell served by the first access network device. Therefore, the terminal reports the channel feature information to the first access network device through the second access network device. Compared with the terminal reporting the channel feature information directly to the first access network device, the uplink throughput is higher and the packet loss rate is lower, which helps to improve the completeness of the reported channel feature information.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending first information to a second access network device, the first information being used to indicate the payload size of the aforementioned channel characteristic information; and receiving second information from the second access network device, the second information indicating the resources used to carry the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0011] The terminal indicates the payload size of the channel feature information to be sent to the second access network device, so that the second access network device can allocate uplink resources to the terminal based on the payload size of the channel feature information to carry the channel feature information. This helps to reduce the possibility of the second access network device configuring too few or too many resources, thus ensuring the completeness of the channel feature information reporting and reducing resource waste.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the third information is sent to the second access network device, which is used to indicate the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0013] The terminal indicates the cell corresponding to the first access network device to the second access network device, so that the second access network device can determine which cell / access network device to forward the above channel characteristic information to.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above method further includes: receiving fourth information from the second access network device, the fourth information being used to request the acquisition of channel feature information, or the fourth information being used to request the terminal to indicate the payload size of the aforementioned channel feature information.

[0015] In other words, the second access network device requests the terminal to obtain channel characteristic information or requests the terminal to indicate the payload size of the channel characteristic information, thereby triggering the terminal to indicate the payload size of the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the second access network device.

[0016] Optionally, the fourth information indicates the first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the fourth information indicates the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fifth information from the first access network device, the fifth information being used to instruct the terminal to send the aforementioned channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0018] The first access network device instructs the terminal to send the aforementioned channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. This allows the terminal to more accurately determine when to send the aforementioned channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device, thereby helping to avoid unnecessary resource occupation of the access network device adjacent to the first access network device. In addition, the instruction from the first access network device can also better determine whether it is necessary to send the aforementioned channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device based on the network environment.

[0019] Optionally, the aforementioned channel characteristic information includes one or more of the following: covariance matrix, time delay spectrum, or angle spectrum.

[0020] It is understood that the channel feature information includes a large amount of parameter information. Therefore, it is more likely that the uplink throughput of the first access network device will be insufficient, resulting in incomplete reporting of channel feature information. In this case, the method provided in this application can make the reported channel feature information more complete.

[0021] Secondly, this application provides an information transmission method, which can be executed by a second access network device, or by a component (such as a processor, chip, chip system, etc.) configured in the second access network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second access network device. This application does not limit the method in this regard. The following example uses the execution of the method by the second access network device.

[0022] For example, the method includes: receiving channel feature information from a terminal, the channel feature information being used to indicate the channel features of a cell corresponding to a first access network device, the channel feature information being obtained based on multiple CSIs, the terminal being switched from the first access network device to the second access network device; and sending the channel feature information to the first access network device.

[0023] In the above scheme, after the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, the second access network device forwards the received channel feature information to the first access network device. It is easy to understand that since the terminal switches to the second access network device, the signal quality of the cell served by the second access network device is better than that of the cell served by the first access network device. Therefore, the terminal reports the channel feature information to the first access network device through the second access network device. Compared with the terminal reporting the channel feature information directly to the first access network device, the uplink throughput is higher and the packet loss rate is lower, which helps to improve the completeness of the reported channel feature information.

[0024] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above method further includes: receiving first information from the terminal, the first information being used to indicate the payload size of the channel feature information; and sending second information to the terminal, the second information indicating the resources used to carry the channel feature information.

[0025] The terminal indicates the payload size of the channel feature information to be sent to the second access network device, so that the second access network device can allocate uplink resources to the terminal based on the payload size of the channel feature information to carry the channel feature information. This helps to reduce the possibility of the second access network device configuring too few or too many resources, thus ensuring the completeness of the channel feature information reporting and reducing resource waste.

[0026] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above method further includes: receiving third information from the terminal, the third information being used to indicate the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0027] The terminal indicates the cell corresponding to the first access network device to the second access network device, so that the second access network device can determine which cell / access network device to forward the above channel characteristic information to.

[0028] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above method further includes: receiving sixth information from the first access network device, the sixth information being used to request the second access network device to obtain channel feature information; sending fourth information to the terminal, the fourth information being used to request the terminal to indicate the payload size of the channel feature information, or the fourth information being used to request to obtain the channel feature information.

[0029] In the above scheme, the first access network device triggers the second access network device to obtain channel feature information from the terminal. For example, the first access network device sends a sixth message to the second access network device to request the second access network device to obtain channel feature information, thereby triggering the second access network device to obtain channel feature information from the terminal.

[0030] Optionally, the sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0031] The identification of the aforementioned terminal facilitates the second access network device in determining which terminal to obtain channel feature information from. The cell corresponding to the aforementioned first resource / the aforementioned first access network device helps the second access network device clearly identify which resource's channel feature information it is obtaining from the terminal.

[0032] Optionally, the fourth information indicates the first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the fourth information indicates the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0033] Optionally, the aforementioned channel characteristic information includes one or more of the following: covariance matrix, time delay spectrum, or angle spectrum.

[0034] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, sending channel characteristic information to the first access network device includes: the second control unit (CU) sending channel characteristic information to the first CU, the first access network device including the first CU, and the second access network device including the second CU.

[0035] Thirdly, this application provides an information transmission method, which can be executed by a first access network device, or by a component (such as a processor, chip, chip system, etc.) configured in the first access network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first access network device. This application does not limit the method in this regard. The following example uses the execution of the method by the first access network device.

[0036] For example, the method includes: when a terminal switches from a first access network device to a second access network device, receiving channel feature information from the second access network device, the channel feature information being used to indicate the channel features of the cell corresponding to the first access network device, the channel feature information being obtained based on multiple CSIs; and constructing a channel map based on the channel feature information.

[0037] In the above scheme, the first access network device obtains channel feature information from the second access network device, rather than directly from the terminal. Since the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, the signal quality of the cell served by the second access network device may be better than that of the cell served by the first access network device. Therefore, the terminal reports channel feature information to the first access network device through the second access network device. Compared with the terminal reporting channel feature information directly to the first access network device, the uplink throughput is higher and the packet loss rate is lower, which helps to improve the completeness of the reported channel feature information.

[0038] In conjunction with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the above method further includes: sending a sixth message to the second access network device, the sixth message being used to request the second access network device to obtain channel characteristic information.

[0039] Optionally, the sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0040] The identification of the aforementioned terminal facilitates the second access network device in determining which terminal to obtain channel feature information from. The cell corresponding to the aforementioned first resource / the aforementioned first access network device helps the second access network device clearly identify which resource's channel feature information it is obtaining from the terminal.

[0041] In conjunction with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the above method further includes: sending fifth information to the terminal, the fifth information being used to instruct the terminal to send channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0042] The first access network device instructs the terminal to send the aforementioned channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. This allows the terminal to more accurately determine when to send the aforementioned channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device, thereby helping to avoid unnecessary resource occupation of the access network device adjacent to the first access network device. In addition, the instruction from the first access network device can also better determine whether it is necessary to send the aforementioned channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device based on the network environment.

[0043] Optionally, the aforementioned channel characteristic information includes one or more of the following: covariance matrix, time delay spectrum, or angle spectrum.

[0044] Optionally, when the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, receiving channel feature information from the second access network device includes: when the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, the first CU receives channel feature information from the second CU, the first access network device includes the first CU, and the second access network device includes the second CU; the first access network device further includes a first service unit (SU), and the above-mentioned construction of the channel map based on the channel feature information includes: the first SU constructing the channel map based on the channel feature information.

[0045] Fourthly, this application provides a communication apparatus capable of implementing the methods described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof. The apparatus includes corresponding modules for performing the described methods. These modules can be implemented in software and / or hardware.

[0046] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor that can execute a computer program in a memory to implement the methods described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation of the first to third aspects.

[0047] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory can be used to store instructions (or computer programs, or code) and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the foregoing aspects.

[0048] Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface. The communication interface is used for communication between the communication device and other communication devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin, or other type of communication interface.

[0049] Sixthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (or instructions or code) that, when executed, performs the method described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0050] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising instructions (or computer program, or code) that, when executed, implement the methods described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0051] Eighthly, this application provides a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory for implementing the methods described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementations of the first to third aspects. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0052] Ninthly, this application provides a communication system including a terminal, a first access network device, and a second access network device, wherein the terminal is used to implement the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, the first access network device is used to implement the method described in the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect, and the second access network device is used to implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0053] It should be understood that the fourth to ninth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first to third aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects obtained by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0054] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a channel map;

[0055] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between access network equipment and core network equipment;

[0056] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between a terminal, access network equipment and core network equipment;

[0057] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applied in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system applied in the embodiments of this application;

[0059] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 7 is a detailed flowchart illustrating the information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 8 is another detailed flowchart of the information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 9 is another detailed flowchart of the information transmission method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0063] Figure 10 is a further detailed flowchart of the information transmission method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0064] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 12 is another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a wireless access network system shown in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 14 is another schematic diagram of a wireless access network system shown in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0068] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points are explained first:

[0069] First, in this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items that have essentially the same function and effect. For example, "first information" and "second information" are used only to distinguish different information and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that the terms "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0070] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0071] In the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following," "one or more of the following," or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of singular or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0072] Second, in the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to the second device" can be understood as the destination of the information being the second device, which may include sending directly via the air interface or sending indirectly via the air interface from other units or modules. "Receive information from the second device" can be understood as the source of the information being the second device, which may include receiving directly from the second device via the air interface or receiving indirectly from the second device via the air interface from 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.

[0073] In other words, sending and receiving can be done between devices, such as between a second device and a first device; or it can be done within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within a device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0074] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, before being sent from the source to the destination. Similarly, the destination, upon receiving information from the source, can also perform corresponding processing, such as decoding and demodulation, to interpret the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0075] Third, in the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly instructing the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly instruct the information to be instructed by instructing other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only instruct 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 of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction.

[0076] It is understandable that, for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be indicated, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be indicated.

[0077] Fourth, the tables in the embodiments of this application (such as Table 1) are merely examples. The values ​​of the information in each table are just examples and can be configured to other values; this application does not limit them. The tables do not limit the scope of protection of this application. For example, appropriate modifications and adjustments can be made based on the tables described above, such as splitting, merging, etc. Furthermore, the parameter names shown in the headings of each table can also use other names that the communication device can understand, and the values ​​or representations of the parameters can also be other values ​​or representations that the communication device can understand. Moreover, in the implementation of the above tables, other data structures can also be used, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear lists, pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs, structures, classes, heaps, hash tables, or hash tables, etc.

[0078] Fifth, in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the fact that the device (e.g., access network device or terminal) will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They are not time limits, nor do they require the device (e.g., access network device or terminal) to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0079] Sixth, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, 5th generation (5G) system or new radio (NR) system, future communication systems, etc.

[0080] The terminal in this application embodiment may also be referred to as: user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal equipment, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device, etc.

[0081] A terminal can be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to a user, such as a handheld device or an in-vehicle device with wireless connectivity. Currently, examples of terminals include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks, or future public land mobile communication networks. This application does not limit the scope to terminals in networS (PLMN), etc.

[0082] As an example and not a limitation, the terminal can be a terminal in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. The IoT is an important component of future information technology development. Its main technical characteristic is connecting objects to networks through communication technologies, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. Exemplarily, the terminal in this application embodiment can be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that can be worn directly on the body or integrated into a user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they can also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large size, and the ability to achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those focused on a specific application function and requiring the use of other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0083] By way of example and not limitation, the terminal can also be a terminal in machine-type communication (MTC). Furthermore, the terminal can also be an on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the methods provided in this application through the built-in on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit. Therefore, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks, such as vehicle-to-everything (V2X), long-term evolution-vehicle (LTE-V) technology, and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology.

[0084] The network equipment involved in this application may include access network equipment and core network equipment.

[0085] Access network equipment, also known as radio access network (RAN) equipment, is a device that communicates with terminals and has wireless transceiver capabilities. Access network equipment provides wireless communication services, allowing terminals to access the wireless network. Access network equipment can be a node in the radio access network, often referred to as a RAN node.

[0086] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a home evolved NodeB (or home Node B, HNB), a Wi-Fi access point (AP), a mobile switching center, a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can also be a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, and internet-to-things (IoT) communication systems. A RAN node can also be a RAN node in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), meaning that a RAN node can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or a satellite. RAN nodes can be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, etc., or radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios, or nodes in open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) scenarios. Optionally, RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in V2X technology, RAN nodes can be roadside units (RSUs). Of course, RAN nodes can also be nodes in the core network.

[0087] 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, a RAN node can be a CU, a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can be configured separately 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).

[0088] 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 RAN (ORAN or O-RAN) system, CU can also be called open CU (O-CU), DU can also be called open DU (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called open RU (O-RU).

[0089] Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU units can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. That is, the wireless access network device in this application can be a virtualized device, for example, implemented through general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0090] The core network equipment in this application embodiment can be a core network equipment in a 4G system, such as a mobile management entity (MME) or a serving gateway (SGW), or a core network equipment in a 5G system, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, or a location management function (LMF) network element. It can also be a core network equipment with other names, or it can be a core network equipment in a future communication system. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0091] Before introducing the background technology of the information transmission method provided in this application, some technical terms involved in this application will be introduced below.

[0092] 1. Channel sounding: It can be understood as a database that stores channel feature information. The stored channel feature information can be divided by feature clustering or other methods, or it can be related to location information.

[0093] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a channel map. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the coverage area of ​​a physical cell is divided into two-dimensional grids. The channel feature information corresponding to each grid point can be stored in the form of a matrix, vector, or scalar. Each grid point can represent a specific geographical area; this grid point can be called a raster. Each raster can be identified by specific indicator information (such as an index or ID). The channel map includes channel feature information corresponding to multiple raster points.

[0094] Table 1 shows one storage format for channel maps.

[0095] Table 1

[0096] As shown in Table 1, this channel map includes cell identifiers (IDs), grid IDs, grid coordinates, and channel characteristic information corresponding to each grid. It should be understood that the storage format of the channel map in Table 1 is only an example; in practical applications, the channel map can store more or fewer parameters.

[0097] Optionally, channel characteristic information may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: channel statistical covariance matrix, angle spectrum, delay spectrum, or path loss. Channel characteristic information may also be referred to as channel characteristics, channel statistical information, CSI, or channel information, etc. This application does not specifically limit its name.

[0098] The channel statistical covariance matrix (CSCM) describes the statistical characteristics of a channel and is also known as the channel covariance matrix. It reflects the correlation between channel gains. The elements of the CSCM are typically the covariance of the channel gains, representing the correlation between different antennas or subcarriers. This matrix is ​​particularly important in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems because it helps optimize antenna array design and channel estimation.

[0099] An angular spectrum describes the angle of arrival (AOA) or angle of departure (AOD) of a signal. It reflects the direction of signal propagation in space. An angular spectrum is crucial in beamforming and spatial multiplexing techniques because it helps determine the optimal beam direction to maximize the efficiency of signal reception or transmission.

[0100] The time delay spectrum describes the time delay distribution of a signal along different paths. It reflects the time delay characteristics of each path in a multipath propagation environment. The time delay spectrum is crucial for understanding the multipath effects of a channel and designing a suitable equalizer to counteract delay spread.

[0101] Path loss refers to the power attenuation of a signal during propagation due to factors such as distance and obstacles. It is a key parameter in the channel model, directly affecting the signal coverage and communication quality.

[0102] 2. Map Management Function (MMF) Network Element: This can be understood as a network element responsible for managing and maintaining the channel map. This MMF network element can be a core network element deployed on the core network side, or its functionality can be implemented by other network elements. For example, the functionality of this MMF network element can also be implemented by other core network elements, such as a location management function (LMF) network element; this application does not limit this.

[0103] For example, the MMF network element is deployed on the core network side to implement the function of managing and maintaining the channel map. As shown in Figure 2, the core network side can be equipped with MMF network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, and LMF network elements.

[0104] Specifically, AMF network elements can communicate with access network devices through the next-generation core control plane interface (NG-C); MMF network elements can communicate with AMF network elements through network location service interfaces (NLs); and LMF network elements can communicate with AMF network elements through NLs. An AMF network element acts as a router for access network devices to communicate with MMF or LMF network elements; the LMF network element can be used to achieve terminal location estimation.

[0105] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between a terminal, access network equipment and core network equipment.

[0106] As shown in Figure 3, the core network equipment may include AMF network elements and MMF / LMF network elements. Access network equipment communicates with AMF network elements via NG-C; LMF network elements are used for terminal location estimation (determining the terminal's location); MMF network elements can be used for channel map management and maintenance; AMF network elements communicate with LMF / MMF network elements via NLs.

[0107] Access network equipment may include an RRC signaling interaction module (RRC), a MAC signaling interaction module (MAC), and a PHY signaling and data interaction module (PHY); a terminal may also include an RRC signaling interaction module (RRC), a MAC signaling interaction module (MAC), and a PHY signaling and data interaction module (PHY).

[0108] The radio resource control (RRC) signaling interaction module (RRC) included in the access network equipment can perform RRC signaling interaction with the RRC signaling interaction module (RRC) included in the terminal; the media access control (MAC) signaling interaction module (MAC) included in the access network equipment can perform MAC control element (MAC-CE) signaling interaction with the MAC signaling interaction module (MAC) included in the terminal; the physical (PHY) signaling and data interaction module (PHY) included in the access network equipment can send physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) signals and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) signals to the PHY signaling and data interaction module (PHY) included in the terminal, that is, send signals through PDCCH and PDSCH; the PHY signaling and data interaction module (PHY) included in the terminal can send physical uplink control channel (PHY) signals to the PHY signaling and data interaction module (PHY) included in the access network equipment. The signal is transmitted via PUCCH and PUSCH.

[0109] It should be understood that the module division of the access network equipment and terminal shown in Figure 3 is only an example and should not constitute any limitation on this application. The access network equipment and terminal may also include more or fewer modules.

[0110] 3. Sounding Reference Signal (SRS): This is an uplink reference signal primarily used for channel measurement and estimation in wireless communication systems. The SRS is transmitted by the terminal, and access network equipment receives and uses these signals to evaluate the characteristics of the uplink channel.

[0111] It should be understood that the SRS described above is an example of an uplink reference signal. In this application, the uplink reference signal can also be the PUCCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS) (PUCCH-DMRS), the PUSCH demodulation reference signal (PUSCH-DMRS), the uplink phase noise tracking reference signal (PTRS), etc. Furthermore, this application does not preclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future protocols to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0112] 4. Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS): This is a downlink reference signal primarily used for channel measurement and estimation in wireless communication systems. CSI-RS is transmitted by access network equipment, and terminals receive and utilize these signals to evaluate the characteristics of the downlink channel.

[0113] It should be understood that the CSI-RS described above is an example of a downlink reference signal. In this application, the downlink reference signal can also be a PDCCH demodulation reference signal (PDCCH-DMRS), a PDSCH demodulation reference signal (PDSCH-DMRS), a phase noise tracking signal, a time / frequency tracking reference signal (TRS), a cell reference signal (CRS), etc. Furthermore, this application does not preclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future protocols to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0114] 5. Channel Matrix: A complex matrix representing the channel gain from multiple transmit antennas to multiple receive antennas. In a MIMO system, the channel matrix describes the channel gain between all transmit and receive antennas.

[0115] 6. Channel vector: Usually represented by h, it can be understood as different representations of the channel matrix and can be obtained by conversion from the channel matrix.

[0116] 7. Channel covariance matrix: Also known as the channel statistical covariance matrix, covariance matrix, etc., it is obtained through R... h This represents the statistical properties of the channel vectors, particularly their autocorrelation. The covariance matrix R... h The channel vector h satisfies the following formula: R h=E{h×h H},

[0117] Among them, h H It is the conjugate transpose of h.

[0118] 8. Channel Map Construction: Channel maps can be built into a database based on channel measurements; that is, channel feature information is obtained based on channel measurements. The channel map construction process includes data collection, rasterization processing, and map data storage. The data collection process may include, for example, the terminal measuring uplink reference signals (such as SRS) and / or downlink reference signals (such as CSI-RS), calculating channel feature information, and sending the channel feature information to the access network equipment. For example, using CSI-RS as an example, if the CSI-RS transmission period is 20 milliseconds (i.e., transmitted once every 20 milliseconds), and the channel feature information reporting period is 200 milliseconds, then the terminal can receive 10 CSI-RS signals to obtain the corresponding 10 channel vectors h. i And calculate channel feature information, taking the channel covariance matrix as an example. The terminal then sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the access network equipment.

[0119] The rasterization process includes: the access network device processes the collected channel feature information based on feature clustering. For example, after obtaining the channel feature information reported by each terminal it serves, the access network device can reduce the dimensionality of the collected data using a feature selection algorithm to retain more important channel feature information. Then, based on a clustering algorithm, the retained channel feature information is grouped, which can be understood as dividing it into multiple virtual grids, each group (or virtual grid) corresponding to several channel features.

[0120] The data storage process for the map includes: the access network device can store the mapping relationship between the virtual grid and the channel feature information, and the storage format can be seen in the example in Table 1.

[0121] It should be understood that the above-described channel map construction process is merely an example and should not constitute any limitation on this application. In another possible implementation, the coverage area of ​​a physical cell can be divided into multiple grids, which can be regarded as actual physical grids. For a terminal in any grid, the terminal can measure the uplink reference signal (such as SRS) and / or downlink reference signal (such as CSI-RS), calculate channel characteristic information, and send the channel characteristic information corresponding to the grid to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the channel characteristic information corresponding to the grid and stores the mapping relationship between the grid and the channel characteristic information. The storage format can be seen in the example in Table 1.

[0122] During the process of a terminal reporting channel feature information, if the signal quality of the terminal in the source cell is poor and the uplink throughput is low (e.g., the terminal is at the cell edge and the uplink throughput is low), packet loss may occur. Alternatively, the channel feature information may not be fully transmitted (i.e., some channel feature information has not been transmitted), so the terminal may not be able to complete the reporting of all channel feature information. In other words, the completeness of the channel feature information reported by the terminal is poor, which may prevent the access network equipment from constructing a complete channel map.

[0123] In view of this, this application provides an information transmission method. After a terminal switches from a source cell to a target cell, it can report the channel characteristic information corresponding to the source access network device (the access network device of the source cell) to the target access network device (the access network device of the target cell). This facilitates the target access network device to forward the channel characteristic information to the source access network device, allowing the source access network device to obtain the channel characteristic information from the target access network device. It is easy to understand that the uplink throughput of the terminal in the target cell is higher than that in the source cell. Therefore, forwarding the channel characteristic information to the source access network device through the target access network device helps reduce packet loss and allows for the reporting of more information, thereby improving the completeness of the channel characteristic information and facilitating the source access network device to construct a complete channel map.

[0124] The aforementioned source access network equipment can be understood as the access network equipment that provides services to the terminal before the handover, and the aforementioned target access network equipment can be understood as the access network equipment that provides services to the terminal after the handover. The conditions that trigger the handover of the terminal may be that the signal quality of the source cell is worse than that of the target cell, etc., which are not limited in this application.

[0125] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, before explaining the above information transmission method in detail, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG4 and FIG5.

[0126] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 400 applied in an embodiment of this application. The communication system 400 may include a core network; at least one access network device, such as the access network device shown in Figure 4; and at least one terminal, such as terminal 410, terminal 420, terminal 430, terminal 440, terminal 450 and terminal 460 shown in Figure 4.

[0127] The core network side may include at least one core network device, such as AMF, MMF, and LMF network elements. AMF, MMF, and LMF network elements can be integrated into one device or can be separate devices.

[0128] The access network equipment can transmit data with the core network equipment on the core network side. Furthermore, the access network equipment can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and can establish wireless link communication with terminals located within that coverage area (cell). For example, terminals 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460 can be located within the coverage area of ​​the access network equipment; these six terminals can be fixed or mobile. The access network equipment can communicate with terminals 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460 respectively.

[0129] For example, the six terminals 410 to 460 can send uplink data to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receives uplink data from the six terminals. The access network device can also send downlink data to the six terminals, and correspondingly, the six terminals can receive downlink data from the access network device.

[0130] Furthermore, the terminals 440, 450, and 460 included in the communication system 400 can also form a communication system. This communication system does not include network equipment; for example, it is a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system. In this communication system, the terminals can communicate with each other, that is, terminals 440, 450, and 460 can communicate with each other, and terminals 440 and 450 can also communicate with each other.

[0131] Figure 4 exemplarily illustrates an access network device, an access network device, and six terminals. Optionally, the communication system 400 may also include multiple network devices, and / or more or fewer terminals. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0132] Each communication device in the aforementioned communication system 400 can be configured with multiple antennas. These multiple antennas may include at least one transmitting antenna for transmitting signals and at least one receiving antenna for receiving signals. Additionally, each communication device also includes a transmitter chain and a receiver chain, which, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, may include multiple components related to signal transmission and reception (e.g., processors, modulators, multiplexers, demodulators, demultiplexers, or antennas). Therefore, access network devices and terminal devices can communicate via multi-antenna technology.

[0133] Optionally, the communication system 400 may also include other network entities such as a network controller and a mobility management entity, but the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0134] It should also be understood that the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to a variety of communication systems, including NR systems. Communication system 400 is only an example. This application does not limit the specific architecture of the applicable system, nor does it limit the number and form of various devices contained in each communication system.

[0135] Furthermore, the information transmission method provided in this application is applicable to both architectures that include service units (SUs) and architectures that do not. The communication system architectures with and without SUs will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 5.

[0136] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system applied in the embodiments of this application.

[0137] As shown in Figure 5a), the communication system includes terminals, access network equipment, and core network equipment. The access network equipment (source and target access network equipment as shown in Figure 5a) includes CU, DU, RU, and SU. SU is used for channel mapping construction, and communication between SU ​​and CU / DU occurs through the Nx interface. SUs can communicate directly or via forwarding through the access network equipment; this application does not limit this. Access network equipment communicates with each other through the Xn interface. The access network equipment and core network equipment (AMF and LMF network elements as shown in Figure 5a) communicate through the next-generation (NG) interface.

[0138] As shown in Figure 5b), the communication system includes terminals, access network equipment, and core network equipment. The access network equipment (source and target access network equipment shown in Figure 5b) includes CU, DU, and RU. In this architecture, DU can be used for channel mapping. Access network equipment communicates with each other via the Xn interface. Access network equipment and core network equipment (AMF and LMF network elements shown in Figure 5b) communicate via the NG interface.

[0139] The information transmission method provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description uses the interaction between a first access network device, a second access network device, and a terminal as an example to illustrate the information transmission method provided in this application, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application. The first access network device can also be replaced by components configured in the first access network device (such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc.), or logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first access network device. The second access network device can be replaced by components configured in the second access network device (such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc.), or logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second access network device. The terminal can be replaced by components configured in the terminal (such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc.), or logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal. For example, the method described below can be applied to the communication system 400 shown in FIG. 4, the communication system shown in FIG. 5, etc.

[0140] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 600 are described in detail below.

[0141] In step 601, when the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, the terminal sends channel characteristic information to the second access network device. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the channel characteristic information from the terminal. For example, the DU / O-DU in the second access network device receives the channel characteristic information from the terminal.

[0142] The aforementioned channel characteristic information is used to indicate the channel characteristics of the cell corresponding to the first access network device. This channel characteristic information is obtained based on multiple CSIs. The first access network device can be considered as the access network device providing service before the terminal handovers to a new cell; it can also be called the source access network device. The second access network device can be considered as the access network device providing service after the terminal handovers to a new cell; it can also be called the target access network device. The target access network device can be one of one or more access network devices adjacent to the source access network device. For example, the target access network device can be the one with the best signal quality among the aforementioned one or more access network devices. This application does not limit this selection; the selection of the target access network device can be referenced in existing technologies, which will not be detailed here.

[0143] The cell corresponding to the aforementioned first access network device can be understood as the cell served by the first access network device. The aforementioned channel characteristic information is used to indicate the channel characteristics of the cell corresponding to the first access network device. It can be understood that the aforementioned channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the downlink reference signal sent by the first access network device. For example, the first access network device sends a downlink reference signal, and the terminal obtains the channel characteristic information based on the downlink reference signal. This process can be performed before the terminal switches access network devices (or switches cells).

[0144] More specifically, the aforementioned channel characteristic information can be obtained based on multiple CSIs. These multiple CSIs can be obtained based on measurements of downlink reference signals transmitted by the first access network device.

[0145] Taking CSI-RS as an example, the first access network device periodically sends CSI-RS at a period of 20 milliseconds. Correspondingly, the terminal receives CSI-RS. Each time the terminal receives CSI-RS, it can obtain the CSI based on the measurement of CSI-RS. Assuming the reporting period of channel feature information is 200 milliseconds, the terminal can receive 10 CSI-RS to obtain the corresponding 10 CSIs, and calculate the channel feature information based on these 10 CSIs. For example, the channel feature information is represented by the channel covariance matrix R. h For example, then Among them, h i This represents the channel vector.

[0146] It should be understood that the channel characteristic information described above uses the channel covariance matrix as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation. For example, channel characteristic information may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: channel covariance matrix, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, or path loss.

[0147] It should also be understood that the aforementioned channel characteristic information can also be referred to as channel characteristics, channel statistics, CSI, or channel information, etc. This application does not specifically limit its name.

[0148] The aforementioned terminal sending channel characteristic information to the second access network device may include: the terminal sending the aforementioned channel characteristic information on the uplink resources allocated by the second access network device.

[0149] In one possible implementation, the terminal sends first information to the second access network device, the first information indicating the payload size of the aforementioned channel characteristic information; correspondingly, the second access network device receives the first information from the terminal. Furthermore, the second access network device sends second information to the terminal, the second information indicating the resources used to carry the aforementioned channel characteristic information; correspondingly, the terminal receives the second information from the second access network device.

[0150] The payload size of the aforementioned channel feature information can be understood as the amount of data used to indicate the channel characteristics of the first access network device. The payload size of the aforementioned channel feature information can be represented, for example, by the number of bits or bytes corresponding to the channel feature information; this application does not limit this. By having the terminal report the payload size of the channel feature information, the second access network device can allocate resources to the terminal based on the payload size of the channel feature information to be reported by the terminal. This helps reduce the possibility of the second access network device allocating too many resources, thereby reducing resource waste; or it helps reduce the possibility of the second access network device allocating too few resources, thereby improving the completeness of the channel feature information reported by the terminal.

[0151] For example, the terminal sends a first message to the second access network device to request the reporting / sending of the aforementioned channel characteristic information. The first message indicates the payload size of the aforementioned channel characteristic information. After receiving the first message, the second access network device sends a second message to the terminal to indicate the resources used to carry the aforementioned channel characteristic information, such as time and frequency resources.

[0152] The terminal sends the first message to request the reporting of the channel characteristic information. One possible scenario is that the terminal itself triggers this. In other words, after the terminal switches to the second access network device, it determines that it will report the channel characteristic information to the first access network device through the second access network device, and then sends the first message to the second access network device to obtain uplink resources.

[0153] Optionally, the terminal may also indicate the cell corresponding to the first access network device to the second access network device, so that the second access network device can determine which access network device to forward the aforementioned channel feature information to. For example, the terminal sends third information to the second access network device, which indicates the cell corresponding to the first access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives the third information from the terminal.

[0154] The aforementioned third information and the aforementioned first information can be carried in the same signaling, or the aforementioned third information and the aforementioned channel characteristic information can be carried in the same signaling; this application does not limit this. It is understood that the terminal indicating the cell corresponding to the first access network device to the second access network device can also be replaced by the terminal indicating the identifier of the first access network device to the second access network device.

[0155] Another possible scenario is that the first access network device triggers the request. In one possible implementation, the first access network device sends a sixth message to the second access network device, requesting the second access network device to acquire channel feature information. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the sixth message from the first access network device. Furthermore, the second access network device sends a fourth message to the terminal, requesting the terminal to indicate the payload size of the channel feature information, or requesting to acquire the channel feature information, thereby triggering the terminal to send the aforementioned first message to indicate the payload size of the channel feature information.

[0156] Wherein, the aforementioned sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the first resource, and the aforementioned channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the aforementioned sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0157] The first access network device indicates the terminal's identifier to the second access network device, and the second access network device obtains channel characteristic information from the corresponding terminal based on the terminal's identifier.

[0158] The aforementioned channel characteristic information is obtained based on measurements of the first resource. This can be understood as follows: the first access network device transmits a downlink reference signal on the first resource, and the terminal receives the downlink reference signal on the first resource. Based on the measurements of the downlink reference signal on the first resource, multiple channel indexes (CSIs) are obtained, and channel characteristic information is derived from these multiple CSIs. The first resource can be indicated, for example, by a resource index.

[0159] It is understood that the aforementioned terminal may store channel feature information corresponding to multiple measurement resources allocated by the first access network device. By instructing the first resource through the first access network device, the second access network device can clearly indicate to the terminal which resource's channel feature information it wishes to obtain when requesting channel feature information from the terminal. In other words, the fourth information sent by the second access network device to the terminal can indicate the first resource.

[0160] It is also understandable that for the cell corresponding to the first access network device, the terminal may only store the channel feature information corresponding to the same resource. Therefore, the first access network device can also indicate the cell corresponding to the first access network device to the second access network device. Correspondingly, the fourth information sent by the second access network device to the terminal can indicate the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0161] In step 602, the second access network device sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the first access network device, and correspondingly, the first access network device receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0162] After receiving channel characteristic information from the terminal, the second access network device can send the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the first access network device, and correspondingly, the first access network device receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information. It is easy to understand that after the terminal switches to the second access network device, the signal quality is better than the signal quality with the first access network device. Therefore, forwarding the channel characteristic information from the terminal through the second access network device, rather than the terminal directly reporting the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the first access network device, helps reduce packet loss and improves the completeness of the channel characteristic information obtained by the first access network device.

[0163] For example, the CU in the second access network device sends the aforementioned channel feature information to the CU in the first access network device, and correspondingly, the CU in the first access network device receives the aforementioned channel feature information. The CU in the second access network device can obtain the aforementioned channel feature information from the DU in the second access network device. In the O-RAN system, the O-CU in the second access network device sends the aforementioned channel feature information to the O-CU in the first access network device, and correspondingly, the O-CU in the first access network device receives the aforementioned channel feature information. The O-CU in the second access network device can obtain the aforementioned channel feature information from the O-DU in the second access network device.

[0164] In step 603, the first access network device constructs a channel map based on the aforementioned channel feature information.

[0165] After receiving the aforementioned channel feature information, the first access network can construct a channel map based on this information. For example, after receiving the aforementioned channel feature information, the CU (or O-CU) in the first access network device sends the channel feature information to the SU in the first access network device, and the SU in the first access network device constructs a channel map based on the channel feature information. Alternatively, after receiving the aforementioned channel feature information, the CU (or O-CU) in the first access network device sends the aforementioned channel feature information to the DU (or O-DU) in the first access network device, and the DU (or O-DU) in the first access network device constructs a channel map based on the channel feature information.

[0166] It is understood that the aforementioned terminal has switched to the second access network device. The channel map constructed by the first access network device can be used for communication between other terminals and the first access network device. In other words, the aforementioned channel map can be used for communication between the terminals served by the first access network device and the first access network device.

[0167] In one possible implementation of Figure 6, prior to step 601, the method 600 shown in Figure 6 further includes: a first access network device sending fifth information to the terminal, the fifth information being used to instruct the terminal to send channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fifth information from the first access network device. The aforementioned second access network device is an example of the access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0168] In one possible implementation, the first access network device can determine whether the terminal transmits channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device based on the uplink signal quality. Here, the uplink signal quality can be understood as the signal quality of the uplink signal, which can be characterized by one or more of the following: received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0169] As a possible example, when the uplink signal quality is greater than or equal to a threshold, the first access network device determines that the terminal does not send channel feature information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device; in other words, the terminal sends channel feature information to the first access network device. When the uplink signal quality is less than the threshold, the first access network device determines that the terminal sends channel feature information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device, and instructs the terminal to send channel feature information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0170] One possible scenario is that the terminal sends channel characteristic information to the first access network device, but the first access network device finds that the uplink signal quality is less than the threshold. In this case, the first access network device can instruct the terminal to enable the function of sending channel characteristic information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device, so that the remaining channel characteristic information can be reported to the first access network device through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0171] In this application, the remaining channel feature information may include channel feature information that the terminal has not yet sent to the first access network device and channel feature information that the terminal has sent to the first access network device but failed to transmit. For channel feature information that the terminal has sent to the first access network device but failed to transmit, the terminal can determine it in the following way: the terminal can determine the failed transmission channel feature information through feedback from the first access network device. For example, if the terminal sends a data packet to the first access network device carrying channel feature information, and the first access network device successfully receives the data packet, it will send a successful reception feedback to the terminal, such as sending an acknowledgment (ACK) message. If the first access network device fails to receive the data packet, it will send a failed reception feedback to the terminal, such as sending a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message. In this case, the channel feature information in the data packet belongs to the channel feature information that the terminal has sent to the first access network device but failed to transmit.

[0172] In another possible implementation, the terminal defaults to supporting the transmission of channel feature information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. The terminal determines whether to transmit channel feature information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device based on the signal quality of the downlink reference signal. For example, if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to a threshold, the terminal directly transmits the channel feature information to the first access network device; if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal is less than the threshold, the terminal transmits the channel feature information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. It is understood that the above-described determination of whether to transmit channel feature information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device based on the signal quality of the downlink reference signal is merely an example and should not constitute any limitation on this application. The terminal may also determine whether to transmit channel feature information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device based on other parameters. One possible scenario is that the terminal obtains channel characteristic information based on the reference signal measurement of the first cell (the cell served by the first access network device) and sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the first access network device. When the terminal determines that the signal quality of the downlink reference signal is less than a threshold, it determines to send the remaining channel characteristic information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device. After switching from the first cell to the second cell (the cell served by the second access network device), the terminal reports the aforementioned remaining channel characteristic information to the first access network device through the second access network device.

[0173] It is understandable that when the terminal does not send channel feature information, the signal quality of the uplink signal / downlink signal of the first cell may be less than the corresponding threshold. In this scenario, the terminal can send complete channel feature information through the access network equipment adjacent to the first access network equipment.

[0174] The channel feature information in step 601 can be the remaining channel feature information or the complete channel feature information; this application does not limit this.

[0175] The method 600 shown in Figure 6 can be applied not only to systems containing SU (as shown in Figure 5a) but also to systems without SU (as shown in Figure 5b). The interaction of the various devices when the method 600 is applied to the system shown in Figure 5a) and the system shown in Figure 5b) will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 7 to 10.

[0176] The methods shown in Figures 7 and 9 are applicable to systems containing SUs. The difference between the methods shown in Figures 7 and 9 is that the method shown in Figure 7 is a scenario where the terminal triggers the reporting of channel feature information to the second access network device, while the method shown in Figure 9 is a scenario where the first access network device triggers the second access network device to obtain channel feature information from the terminal. The methods shown in Figures 8 and 10 are applicable to systems without SUs. The difference between the methods shown in Figures 8 and 10 is that the method shown in Figure 8 is a scenario where the terminal triggers the reporting of channel feature information to the second access network device, while the method shown in Figure 10 is a scenario where the first access network device triggers the second access network device to obtain channel feature information from the terminal.

[0177] Figure 7 is a detailed flowchart illustrating the information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method shown in Figure 7 can be applied, for example, to the architecture shown in Figure 5a). In the method shown in Figure 7, the first access network device includes a first DU, a first CU, and a first SU, and the second access network device includes a second DU, a second CU, and a second SU.

[0178] In step 701, the first SU sends fifth information to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to send channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fifth information from the first SU.

[0179] It should be noted that when the first SU sends the fifth information to the terminal, it indicates that the destination of the fifth information is the terminal, but it does not limit whether the first SU sends the fifth information directly to the terminal or sends it to the terminal through other modules. For example, the first SU can send the fifth information to the terminal through the first DU. Specifically, the first SU can send the fifth information to the first DU through the Nx interface. The first DU receives the fifth information and sends it to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the aforementioned fifth information.

[0180] In one possible implementation, the first SU can determine whether the terminal transmits channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device based on the uplink signal quality. Here, the uplink signal quality can be understood as the signal quality of the uplink signal, which can be characterized by one or more of the following: RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, or SINR.

[0181] As a possible example, when the uplink signal quality is greater than or equal to a threshold, the first SU determines that the terminal does not send channel feature information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. In other words, the terminal sends channel feature information to the first access network device. If the terminal can continue to send channel feature information to the first DU, the first DU forwards the received channel feature information to the first SU so that the first SU can construct a channel map. When the uplink signal quality is less than the threshold, the first SU determines that the terminal sends channel feature information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device and instructs the terminal to send channel feature information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0182] One possible scenario is that the terminal sends channel feature information to the first DU, but the first SU finds that the uplink signal quality is less than the threshold. In this case, the first SU can instruct the terminal to enable the function of sending channel feature information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device, so that the remaining channel feature information can be reported to the first access network device through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0183] In another possible implementation, the terminal, by default, supports sending channel characteristic information through access network devices adjacent to the first access network device. A detailed explanation of this implementation can be found in Figure 6, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0184] It is understood that step 701 above may be performed before the terminal handover, or when the terminal is located in the first cell, or before the terminal moves to the second cell.

[0185] In step 702, the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell and registers through the second cell.

[0186] The first cell mentioned above is the cell served by the first access network device, and the second cell mentioned above is the cell served by the second access network device. The second access network device is an example of an access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0187] The handover of a terminal from the first cell to the second cell can also be understood as the handover of the terminal from the first access network device to the second access network device. The handover process can be referenced from existing cell handover procedures and will not be detailed here. After handover to the second cell, the terminal disconnects from the first access network device and establishes a connection with the second access network device. The terminal can register with the core network through the second cell. For example, the terminal sends an RRC setupComplete message to the second CU, and the second CU receives the RRC setupComplete message from the terminal. Further, the second CU sends an initial UE message to the AMF network element, and the AMF receives the initial UE message from the second CU. Additionally, the second CU sends a UE registration notification to the second SU, and the second SU then sends a UE registration notification to the AMF network element.

[0188] In step 703, the terminal sends a request message to the second DU, requesting that the second DU report channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the second DU receives the request message from the terminal. This request message is an example of the first information.

[0189] The request message above carries the payload size of channel feature information. This payload size can be the payload size of the remaining channel feature information or the payload size of the complete channel feature information. For an explanation of the remaining and complete channel feature information, please refer to the relevant explanation in Figure 6, which will not be repeated here.

[0190] Optionally, the request message may also carry the identifier of the first cell. In another possible design, in step 705 below, the terminal may send channel characteristic information and the identifier of the first cell to the second DU.

[0191] In step 704, the second DU sends first indication information to the terminal, which indicates the resources used to carry channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first indication information from the second DU. This first indication information is an example of the second information described above.

[0192] For example, the second DU can allocate uplink resources to the terminal based on the payload size of the channel feature information reported by the terminal, so as to carry the channel feature information.

[0193] In step 705, the terminal sends channel characteristic information to the second DU. Correspondingly, the second DU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0194] In step 706, the second DU sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information and the identifier of the first cell to the second CU. Correspondingly, the second CU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information and the identifier of the first cell.

[0195] In step 707, the second CU sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the first CU. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0196] For example, the second CU establishes a GPRS tunneling protocol-user plane (GTP-U) tunnel, assigns a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID), encapsulates channel characteristic information in a GTP-U data packet, and sends the GTP-U data packet to the first CU through the Xn interface. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the aforementioned GTP-U data packet and obtains the channel characteristic information from the GTP-U data packet.

[0197] In step 708, the first CU sends channel feature information to the first SU. Correspondingly, the first SU receives the aforementioned channel feature information. After receiving the channel feature information, the first SU can construct a channel map based on the channel feature information.

[0198] For a detailed explanation of each step in the method shown in Figure 7, please refer to Figure 6, which will not be elaborated here. Furthermore, the method shown in Figure 7 can also be applied to O-RAN systems, simply by replacing CU with O-CU and DU with O-DU.

[0199] Figure 8 is another detailed flowchart illustrating the information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method shown in Figure 8 can be applied, for example, to the architecture shown in b) of Figure 5. In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the first access network device includes a first DU and a first CU, and the second access network device includes a second DU and a second CU.

[0200] In step 801, the first DU sends fifth information to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to send channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fifth information from the first DU.

[0201] In one possible implementation, the first DU can determine whether the terminal transmits channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device based on the uplink signal quality. Here, the uplink signal quality can be understood as the signal quality of the uplink signal, which can be characterized by one or more of the following: RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, or SINR.

[0202] As a possible example, when the uplink signal quality is greater than or equal to a threshold, the first DU determines that the terminal does not send channel feature information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device. In other words, the terminal sends channel feature information to the first access network device. If the terminal can continue to send channel feature information to the first DU, the first DU can construct a channel map. When the uplink signal quality is less than the threshold, the first DU determines that the terminal sends channel feature information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device and instructs the terminal to send channel feature information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0203] One possible scenario is that the terminal sends channel feature information to the first DU, but the first DU finds that the uplink signal quality is less than the threshold. In this case, the first DU can instruct the terminal to enable the function of sending channel feature information through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device, so that the remaining channel feature information can be reported to the first access network device through the access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0204] In another possible implementation, the terminal supports transmitting channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. A detailed explanation of this implementation can be found in Figure 6, and will not be repeated here.

[0205] In step 802, the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell and registers through the second cell.

[0206] The first cell mentioned above is the cell served by the first access network device, and the second cell mentioned above is the cell served by the second access network device. The second access network device is an example of an access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0207] A detailed explanation of step 802 can be found in step 702. The difference is that the action performed by the second SU in step 702 is performed by the second DU in step 802. In step 803, the terminal sends a request message to the second DU, requesting that channel characteristic information be reported to the second DU. Correspondingly, the second DU receives the request message from the terminal. This request message is an example of the first information.

[0208] In step 804, the second DU sends first indication information to the terminal, which indicates the resources used to carry channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first indication information from the second DU. This first indication information is an example of the second information.

[0209] In step 805, the terminal sends channel characteristic information to the second DU. Correspondingly, the second DU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0210] In step 806, the second DU sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information and the identifier of the first cell to the second CU. Correspondingly, the second CU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information and the identifier of the first cell.

[0211] In step 807, the second CU sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the first CU. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0212] For a detailed explanation of steps 803 to 807, please refer to steps 703 to 707, which will not be elaborated here.

[0213] In step 808, the first CU sends channel feature information to the first DU. Correspondingly, the first DU receives the aforementioned channel feature information. After receiving the channel feature information, the first DU can construct a channel map based on the channel feature information.

[0214] The embodiment shown in Figure 8 differs from the embodiment shown in Figure 7 in that: in Figure 7, the first access network device includes a first SU and the second access network device includes a second SU, while in Figure 8, the first access network device does not include the first SU and the second access network device does not include the second SU. Therefore, the steps performed by the first SU in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 are performed by the first DU in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, and the steps performed by the second SU in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 are performed by the second DU in the embodiment shown in Figure 8.

[0215] For a detailed explanation of each step in the method shown in Figure 8, please refer to Figure 6, which will not be elaborated here. Furthermore, the method shown in Figure 8 can also be applied to O-RAN systems, simply by replacing CU with O-CU and DU with O-DU.

[0216] Figure 9 is a detailed flowchart illustrating another information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method shown in Figure 9 can be applied, for example, to the architecture shown in Figure 5a). In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the first access network device includes a first DU, a first CU, and a first SU, and the second access network device includes a second DU, a second CU, and a second SU.

[0217] In step 901, the first SU sends fifth information to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to send channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fifth information from the first SU.

[0218] For a detailed explanation of step 901, please refer to step 701, which will not be elaborated here.

[0219] In step 902, the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell and registers through the second cell.

[0220] For a detailed explanation of step 902, please refer to step 702, which will not be elaborated here.

[0221] In step 903, the first SU notifies the first CU to request channel characteristic information from the second access network device. This second access network device is an example of an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. It can be understood that after the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the first access network device can determine that the cell providing service after the terminal switches is the second cell, or in other words, the access network device providing service after the terminal switches is the second access network device. The first access network device can store a first correspondence, which is used to indicate the cell / access network device providing service after the terminal moves. For example, the first SU in the first access network device can store the above-mentioned first correspondence, and after the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the first SU can notify the first CU to request channel characteristic information from the second access network device.

[0222] In step 904, the first CU sends a first request message to the second CU, which requests the second access network device to obtain channel characteristic information from the terminal. Correspondingly, the second CU receives the first request message from the first CU. This first request message is an example of sixth information.

[0223] The aforementioned first request message may carry the identifier of the terminal and the identifier of the first resource, wherein the aforementioned channel characteristic information is obtained based on measurements of the first resource. Alternatively, the aforementioned first request message may carry the identifier of the terminal and the identifier of the first cell.

[0224] In step 905, the second CU sends a first response message to the first CU, which is used to respond to the aforementioned first request message. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the aforementioned first response message.

[0225] The first response message mentioned above can be, for example, an acknowledgment (ACK) message to confirm that the second CU has received the first request message mentioned above.

[0226] In step 906, the second DU sends a second request message to the terminal, which requests the terminal to indicate the payload size of the channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second request message. This second request message is an example of fourth information.

[0227] The second request message may carry the identifier of the first resource and / or the identifier of the first cell.

[0228] It is understood that after the second CU sends the first response message to the first CU, it can instruct the second DU to request the payload size of the channel characteristic information from the terminal. After receiving the above instruction, the second DU sends the above second request message to the terminal.

[0229] In step 907, the terminal sends a second response message to the second DU, which indicates the payload size of the channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the second DU receives the second response message. This second response message is an example of the first information.

[0230] In step 908, the second DU sends first indication information to the terminal, which indicates the resources used to carry channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first indication information from the second DU. This first indication information is an example of the second information.

[0231] In step 909, the terminal sends channel characteristic information to the second DU. Correspondingly, the second DU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0232] In step 910, the second DU sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the second CU. Correspondingly, the second CU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0233] In step 911, the second CU sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the first CU. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0234] For a detailed explanation of step 911, please refer to step 707, which will not be elaborated here.

[0235] In step 912, the first CU sends channel feature information to the first SU. Correspondingly, the first SU receives the aforementioned channel feature information. After receiving the channel feature information, the first SU can construct a channel map based on the channel feature information.

[0236] For a detailed explanation of each step in the method shown in Figure 9, please refer to Figure 6, which will not be elaborated here. Furthermore, the method shown in Figure 9 can also be applied to O-RAN systems, simply by replacing CU with O-CU and DU with O-DU.

[0237] Figure 10 is a further detailed flowchart illustrating the information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method shown in Figure 10 can be applied, for example, to the architecture shown in b) of Figure 5. In the embodiment shown in Figure 10, the first access network device includes a first DU and a first CU, and the second access network device includes a second DU and a second CU.

[0238] In step 1001, the first DU sends fifth information to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to send channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fifth information from the first DU.

[0239] For a detailed explanation of step 1001, please refer to step 801, which will not be elaborated here.

[0240] In step 1002, the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell and registers through the second cell.

[0241] For a detailed explanation of step 1002, please refer to step 802, which will not be elaborated here.

[0242] In step 1003, the first DU notifies the first CU to request channel feature information from the second access network device.

[0243] In step 1004, the first CU sends a first request message to the second CU, which requests the second access network device to obtain channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the second CU receives the first request message from the first CU. This first request message is an example of sixth information.

[0244] The aforementioned first request message may carry the identifier of the terminal and the identifier of the first resource, wherein the aforementioned channel characteristic information is obtained based on measurements of the first resource. Alternatively, the aforementioned first request message may carry the identifier of the terminal and the identifier of the first cell.

[0245] In step 1005, the second CU sends a first response message to the first CU, which is used to respond to the aforementioned first request message. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the aforementioned first response message.

[0246] The first response message mentioned above can be, for example, an ACK message, to confirm that the second CU has received the first request message mentioned above.

[0247] In step 1006, the second DU sends a second request message to the terminal, which requests the terminal to indicate the payload size of the channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second request message. This second request message is an example of fourth information.

[0248] The second request message may carry the identifier of the first resource and / or the identifier of the first cell.

[0249] In step 1007, the terminal sends a second response message to the second DU, which indicates the payload size of the channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the second DU receives the second response message. This second response message is an example of the first information.

[0250] In step 1008, the second DU sends first indication information to the terminal, which indicates the resources used to carry channel characteristic information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first indication information from the second DU. This first indication information is an example of the second information.

[0251] In step 1009, the terminal sends channel characteristic information to the second DU. Correspondingly, the second DU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0252] In step 1010, the second DU sends the aforementioned channel feature information to the second CU, and correspondingly, the second CU receives the aforementioned channel feature information.

[0253] In step 1011, the second CU sends the aforementioned channel characteristic information to the first CU. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0254] For a detailed explanation of step 1011, please refer to step 707, which will not be elaborated here.

[0255] In step 1012, the first CU sends channel feature information to the first DU. Correspondingly, the first DU receives the aforementioned channel feature information. After receiving the channel feature information, the first DU can construct a channel map based on the channel feature information.

[0256] The embodiment shown in Figure 10 differs from the embodiment shown in Figure 9 in that: in Figure 9, the first access network device includes a first SU and the second access network device includes a second SU, while in Figure 10, the first access network device does not include the first SU and the second access network device does not include the second SU. Therefore, the steps performed by the first SU in the embodiment shown in Figure 9 are performed by the first DU in the embodiment shown in Figure 10, and the steps performed by the second SU in the embodiment shown in Figure 9 are performed by the second DU in the embodiment shown in Figure 10.

[0257] For a detailed explanation of each step in the method shown in Figure 10, please refer to Figure 6, which will not be elaborated here. Furthermore, the method shown in Figure 10 can also be applied to O-RAN systems, simply by replacing CU with O-CU and DU with O-DU.

[0258] It should be noted that the steps in the embodiments shown in Figures 6 to 10 are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on this application. For example, in practical applications, more or fewer steps may be included, and the order of the steps may also be different; this application does not limit this.

[0259] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0260] It should be understood that the apparatus shown in Figures 11 and 12 can be used to implement the functions of the first access network device, the second access network device, or the terminal in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0261] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0262] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 includes a transceiver module 1110. The communication device 1100 can be used to implement the method described in any of the method embodiments shown in Figures 6 to 10, specifically, it can be used to implement the functions of the first access network device, the second access network device, or the terminal in the above method embodiments.

[0263] The modules included in the communication device 1100 can be implemented by software and / or hardware.

[0264] For example, the communication device 1100 may include modules or units that correspond one-to-one with the methods / operations / steps / actions described in any of the embodiments shown in FIG6 to FIG10. The modules or units may be hardware circuits, software, or hardware circuits combined with software.

[0265] For example, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG6, the transceiver module 1110 is used to send channel feature information to the second access network device when the terminal is switched from the first access network device to the second access network device. The channel feature information is used to indicate the channel features of the cell corresponding to the first access network device. The channel feature information is obtained based on multiple CSIs.

[0266] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is further configured to send first information to the second access network device, the first information being used to indicate the payload size of the channel characteristic information; and to receive second information from the second access network device, the second information indicating the resources used to carry the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0267] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is also configured to send third information to the second access network device, the third information being used to indicate the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0268] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is further configured to receive fourth information from the second access network device, the fourth information being used to request the acquisition of channel feature information, or the fourth information being used to request the terminal to indicate the payload size of the channel feature information.

[0269] Optionally, the fourth information indicates the first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the fourth information indicates the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0270] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is further configured to receive fifth information from the first access network device, the fifth information being used to instruct the terminal to send the aforementioned channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0271] Optionally, the aforementioned channel characteristic information includes one or more of the following: covariance matrix, time delay spectrum, or angle spectrum.

[0272] For example, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first access network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6, the transceiver module 1110 is used to receive channel feature information from the second access network device when the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device. The channel feature information is used to indicate the channel features of the cell corresponding to the first access network device. The channel feature information is obtained based on multiple CSIs. The processing module 1120 is used to construct a channel map based on the above channel feature information.

[0273] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is further configured to send a sixth message to the second access network device, the sixth message being used to request the second access network device to obtain channel characteristic information.

[0274] Optionally, the sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0275] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is further configured to send a fifth message to the terminal, the fifth message being used to instruct the terminal to send channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

[0276] Optionally, the aforementioned channel characteristic information includes one or more of the following: covariance matrix, time delay spectrum, or angle spectrum.

[0277] For example, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the second access network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6, the transceiver module 1110 is used to receive channel feature information from the terminal, the channel feature information is used to indicate the channel features of the cell corresponding to the first access network device, the channel feature information is obtained based on multiple CSIs, the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, and sends the channel feature information to the first access network device.

[0278] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is further configured to receive first information from the terminal, the first information being used to indicate the payload size of the channel characteristic information; and to send second information to the terminal, the second information being used to indicate the resources for carrying the aforementioned channel characteristic information.

[0279] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is further configured to receive third information from the terminal, which is used to indicate the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0280] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is further configured to receive sixth information from the first access network device, the sixth information being used to request the second access network device to obtain channel feature information; and to send fourth information to the terminal, the fourth information being used to request the terminal to indicate the payload size of the channel feature information, or the fourth information being used to request to obtain the channel feature information.

[0281] Optionally, the sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0282] Optionally, the fourth information indicates the first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the fourth information indicates the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

[0283] Optionally, the aforementioned channel characteristic information includes one or more of the following: covariance matrix, time delay spectrum, or angle spectrum.

[0284] More detailed descriptions of the above modules can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0285] It should be understood that the module division in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0286] Figure 12 is another schematic block diagram of the communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0287] The communication device 1200 can be a chip system, or it can be an apparatus configured with a chip system to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0288] As shown in FIG12, the communication device 1200 may include a processor 1210, which can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory to implement the steps performed by the first access network device, the second access network device, or the terminal in any of the embodiments shown in FIG6 to FIG10.

[0289] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1200 further includes a communication interface 1220. The communication interface 1220 can be used to communicate with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling the communication device 1200 to communicate with other devices. The communication interface 1220 can be, for example, a transceiver, interface, pin, bus, circuit, or a device capable of transmitting and receiving functions. The processor 1210 can use the communication interface 1220 to input and output data and to implement the steps executed by the first access network device, the second access network device, or the terminal in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6 to 10.

[0290] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1200 further includes at least one memory 1230 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1230 is coupled to the processor 1210. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1210 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1230. The processor 1210 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1230. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0291] It should be understood that the coupling in the embodiments of this application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information interaction between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1210 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1230. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific connection medium between the processor 1210, communication interface 1220, and memory 1230. Optionally, the processor 1210, communication interface 1220, and memory 1230 are connected via a bus 1240. The bus 1240 is represented by a thick line in Figure 12. The connection methods between other components are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 12, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0292] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a wireless access network system according to an embodiment of this application. The O-RAN system may also include other components besides those shown in Figure 13.

[0293] As shown in Figure 13, the access network equipment (i.e., RAN, such as eNB, gNB, or next-generation access network equipment) can communicate with the core network (CN) through the backhaul link, or communicate with the terminal equipment through the air interface.

[0294] Specifically, the baseband unit (BBU) in the access network equipment communicates with the core network equipment via a backhaul link; the radio unit (RU) in the access network equipment communicates with at least one terminal via an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link. The BBU and RU may or may not be co-located.

[0295] The BBU includes at least one CU and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0296] In one possible architecture, the access network equipment also includes a Subsystem (SU), such as in a BBU. The SU is used for constructing the channel map, and the SU and CU / DU communicate with each other through the Nx interface.

[0297] Figure 14 is another schematic diagram of a wireless access network system according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the wireless access network system includes RAN equipment, which includes CU, DU, and RU.

[0298] The CU (Core Unit) includes platforms that perform upper-layer (L2) and L3 functions. For example, the CU carries traffic between the CU and the DU (Dedicated Utility Unit) through a midhaul interface; the CU carries traffic between the CU and core network equipment through a backhaul interface. L2, also known as Layer 2, can include the MAC layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. L3, also known as Layer 3, can include the RRC (Remote Control Code) layer and the non-access stratum (NAS) layer.

[0299] The DU performs L1 and some L2 functions, while the RU performs L1 computation and radio frequency (RF) digital functions. The fronthaul interface carries traffic between the RU and DU. L1, also known as Layer 1, can represent the physical (PHY) layer.

[0300] Optionally, when the DU is an integrated DU, the integrated DU includes the aforementioned DU and RU functions.

[0301] The CU / DU hardware includes a chassis platform, motherboard, peripherals, and cooling system. The motherboard contains processing units, memory, internal I / O interfaces, and external connection ports. Its hardware accelerator is designed with interfaces, and hardware functional components include: storage for software, hardware, and system debugging interfaces, and a single-board management controller.

[0302] DU systems are typically implemented using multi-core processors and one or more hardware accelerators. Parts of the DU protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the multi-core processor, while computationally intensive L1 and L2 functions can be offloaded to a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) / graphics processing unit (GPU)-based hardware accelerator; alternatively, all L1 functions can be offloaded to an FPGA / GPU-based hardware accelerator, while other protocol stack components are implemented in software running on the processor; or the entire protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the processor. The hardware accelerator supports interconnection with the processor. Similarly, the accelerator has a multi-channel peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface pointing to the CPU and external connections via gigabit Ethernet (GbE) connectivity.

[0303] The RU comprises three parts: the O-RAN processing unit (OPU), which receives eCPRI frames from the O-RAN fronthaul and performs fronthaul interface operations, the lowest level L1 (coding, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding), synchronization, beamforming, and resource unit mapping. The OPU can be implemented as a CPU, FPGA, or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The O-RU's digital processing unit (DPU) performs synchronization, digital down-conversion (DDC) in the UL, digital up-conversion (DUC) in the DL, crest factor reduction (CFR), and digital pre-distortion (DPD). It improves power amplifier efficiency by reducing the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) / adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) of the RF front-end; the DPU can be implemented as an FPGA or ASIC. The O-RU's RF processing unit includes a transceiver module, up / down converters, power amplifiers (PA), low-noise amplifiers (LNA), and transmit (Tx) / receive (Rx) filters. All conversions between the analog and digital domains, such as digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), RF sampling, frequency conversion using RF during up-conversion and down-conversion, and mixing with the intermediate frequency (IF) and local oscillator (LO), are performed within the transceiver module. Note that the physical and logical partitions within the RF processing unit do not require specific boundaries.

[0304] In one possible architecture, the access network equipment also includes a Subsystem (SU), which is used for constructing the channel map. The SU and the CU / DU communicate with each other via the Nx interface.

[0305] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also known as code or instructions) that, when run, can implement the steps executed by the first access network device, the second access network device, or the terminal in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6 to 10.

[0306] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, it can implement the steps executed by the first access network device, the second access network device, or the terminal in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6 to 10.

[0307] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a combination of one or more of the following: a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an artificial intelligence processor (AI processor) or a neural processing unit (NPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the field, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0308] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be a cache, random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0309] The terms "unit," "module," etc., used in this specification can be used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. In the embodiments of this application, "unit" and "module" have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0310] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application. In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, 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 shown or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0311] 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.

[0312] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0313] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs, DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drives, SSDs), etc.

[0314] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the technology, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods 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, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0315] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of information transmission, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal side, the method comprises: In a case where the terminal is handed over from a first access network device to a second access network device, sending channel characteristic information to the second access network device, the channel characteristic information being used to indicate channel characteristics of a cell corresponding to the first access network device, the channel characteristic information being obtained based on multiple channel state information (CSI).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending first information to the second access network device, the first information being used to indicate a payload size of the channel characteristic information; receiving second information from the second access network device, the second information indicating a resource used to carry the channel characteristic information.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The method further comprises: sending third information to the second access network device, the third information being used to indicate the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving fourth information from the second access network device, the fourth information being used to request acquisition of the channel characteristic information, or the fourth information being used to request the terminal to indicate the payload size of the channel characteristic information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The fourth information indicates a first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on measurement on the first resource; or the fourth information indicates the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving fifth information from the first access network device, the fifth information being used to indicate that the terminal sends the channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The channel characteristic information comprises one or more of a covariance matrix, a delay spectrum, or an angle spectrum.

8. An information transmission method characterized by comprising: Applied to a second access network device, the method comprises: receiving channel characteristic information from a terminal, the channel characteristic information being used to indicate channel characteristics of a cell corresponding to a first access network device, the channel characteristic information being obtained based on multiple channel state information (CSI), the terminal being handed over from the first access network device to the second access network device; sending the channel characteristic information to the first access network device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first information from the terminal, the first information being used to indicate a payload size of the channel characteristic information; sending second information to the terminal, the second information indicating a resource used to carry the channel characteristic information.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving third information from the terminal, the third information being used to indicate the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

11. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving sixth information from the first access network device, the sixth information being used to request the second access network device to acquire the channel characteristic information; sending fourth information to the terminal, the fourth information being used to request the terminal to indicate the payload size of the channel characteristic information, or the fourth information being used to request acquisition of the channel characteristic information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The sixth information indicates an identity of the terminal and a first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on measurement on the first resource; or the sixth information indicates the identity of the terminal and the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein, The fourth information indicates the first resource, and the channel characteristic information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the fourth information indicates the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

14. The method of any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein, The channel feature information includes one or more of the following: covariance matrix, time delay spectrum, or angle spectrum.

15. The method of any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein, Sending the channel feature information to the first access network device includes: The second control unit (CU) sends the channel characteristic information to the first CU. The first access network device includes the first CU, and the second access network device includes the second CU.

16. An information transmission method characterized by comprising: Applied to a first access network device, the method includes: When a terminal switches from a first access network device to a second access network device, it receives channel feature information from the second access network device. The channel feature information is used to indicate the channel features of the cell corresponding to the first access network device. The channel feature information is obtained based on multiple channel state information (CSI). Based on the channel feature information, a channel map is constructed.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The method further includes: A sixth message is sent to the second access network device, the sixth message being used to request the second access network device to obtain the channel feature information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the first resource, and the channel feature information is obtained based on the measurement of the first resource; or, the sixth information indicates the identifier of the terminal and the cell corresponding to the first access network device.

19. The method of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein, The method further includes: A fifth message is sent to the terminal, the fifth message being used to instruct the terminal to send the channel characteristic information through an access network device adjacent to the first access network device.

20. The method of any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein, The channel feature information includes one or more of the following: covariance matrix, time delay spectrum, or angle spectrum.

21. The method of any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein, When the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, receiving channel characteristic information from the second access network device includes: When the terminal switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, the first control unit (CU) receives channel characteristic information from the second CU. The first access network device includes the first CU, and the second access network device includes the second CU. The first access network device further includes a first service unit (SU), and the step of constructing a channel map based on the channel feature information includes: The first SU constructs a channel map based on the channel feature information.

22. A communications device, characterized by include: A module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 15, or the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 21.

23. A communications device, characterized by include: A processor, when invoked from a computer program in memory, causes the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 15, or the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program product for storing a computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 15, or the method of any one of claims 16 to 21.

25. A computer program product comprising instructions therein, the computer program product comprising instructions therein, characterized in that, The instructions, when run on a computer, cause the computer to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 15, or the method of any one of claims 16 to 21.

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