WO2019214732A1 - Communication method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed in embodiments of the present application are a communication method and apparatus, for use in obtaining configuration information of a CSI-RS and implementing measurement thereof. The method comprises: a first network device sends a request message for requesting configuration information of a first CSI-RS to a second network device, the request message comprising information of one or more SSBs; a second network device receives the request message and sends configuration information of a second CSI-RS associated with a corresponding SSB in one or more SSBs to the first network device; the first network device receives the configuration information of the second CSI-RS from the second network device. The method provided by the embodiments of the present application is used for obtaining the configuration information of the CSI-RS.

Description

Communication method and device

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201810451486.9, filed on Jun.

Technical field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus.

Background technique

In the 5th Generation (5G) system, in order to implement mobility management of the terminal (eg, the terminal switches from the current serving cell to the neighboring cell), the base station (ie, the serving base station) currently communicating with the terminal sends a measurement to the terminal. The configuration information is that the terminal performs radio resource management (RRM) measurement on the neighboring area according to the measurement configuration information. When the measurement report is triggered, the terminal sends a measurement report to the serving base station, so that the serving base station performs mobility management on the terminal according to the measurement report. For example, the cell handover decision is performed on the terminal according to the received measurement report. The performing RRM measurement on the neighboring cell may include measuring a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) sent by the neighboring cell and/or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) sent to the neighboring cell. )Measurement.

In the process of implementing neighboring RRM measurement, the base station sends configuration information for supporting the terminal to perform SRB-based RRM measurement on the neighboring cell and/or configuration information of CSI-RS-based RRM measurement, and the terminal according to the received configuration. Information is used to measure RRM in neighboring areas. However, the configuration information of the CSI-RS may be dynamically changed. How to accurately obtain the configuration information of the CSI-RS sent by the neighboring area becomes an urgent problem to be solved in the RRM measurement of the neighboring area CSI-RS.

Summary of the invention

The embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, device, and system, to obtain CSI-RS configuration information, and implement CSI-RS measurement.

To achieve the above objective, the embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

In a first aspect of the present application, a communication method is provided, where a first network device sends a request message including information of at least one SSB to a second network device, requesting configuration information of a first CSI-RS, and receiving, by the second network device, a first message of configuration information of the second CSI-RS, the second CSI-RS being associated with a corresponding SSB in the at least one SSB. Based on the method, the first network device may send information of the at least one SSB to the second network device to request the second network device to configure the CSI-RS, and receive configuration information of the CSI-RS from the second network device. In this way, the configuration information required for measuring the CSI-RS is acquired through the interaction between the first network device and the second network device, thereby implementing measurement of the CSI-RS.

In a possible design, in combination with the first aspect, each of the at least one SSB has an associated CSI-RS, and the first network device receives, from the second network device, whether the SSB indicating the second network device has an association. The indication information of the CSI-RS, so that the first network device according to the indication information and the received measurement information, wherein the measurement information includes measurement information of some or all of the SSBs in the SSB of the second network device, and the associated CSI- The SSB information of the RS is included in the request message and sent to the second network device. In this way, the first network device can specify the CSI-RS to be configured for the second network device, and interact with the second network device to obtain the configuration information of the CSI-RS, so as to prevent the first network device from requesting the second network device from not contacting the SSB. The configuration of the associated CSI-RS improves the accuracy of the CSI-RS configuration.

In another possible design, in combination with the first aspect, the at least one SSB is at most N SSBs having the best signal quality in the SSB of the second network device, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The second network device determines the CSI-RS to be configured according to the information of the at most N SSBs and the association relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS, and sends the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first network device to implement the measurement of the CSI-RS.

In another possible design, in combination with the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, the first network device sends configuration information of the received second CSI-RS, where the configuration of the second CSI-RS is used. The second CSI-RS is measured at the first terminal, so that the first terminal measures the second CSI-RS according to the configuration information of the second CSI-RS.

Yet another possible design incorporates any of the possible aspects of the first aspect or the first aspect. The first message includes an expiration date of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS; during the validity period, when the first network device determines that the second terminal needs to measure the second CSI-RS, the first network device sends and saves in the first network. Configuration information of the second CSI-RS in the device, where the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is used by the second terminal to measure the second CSI-RS; when the validity period arrives, the first network device deletes the second CSI- RS configuration information. In this way, during the validity period of the configuration information of the CSI-RS, when other terminals need to measure the CSI-RS, the configuration information of the CSI-RS stored in the first network device is directly sent to other terminals, and is not required. The CSI-RS configuration information is requested again from the second network device, which reduces signaling overhead. At the same time, when the validity period of the configuration information of the CSI-RS arrives, the configuration information of the saved CSI-RS is deleted, and the resource overhead and storage pressure of the first network device are reduced.

In another possible design, in combination with the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, when the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is not required, the first network device sends the request to the second network device for request. Release a second message of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, where the second message includes information of the second CSI-RS or information of the SSB associated with the second CSI-RS; at the same time, the first network device deletes the information of the second CSI-RS Configuration information. In this way, when the configuration information of the CSI-RS is not needed, the message for requesting release of the configuration information of the CSI-RS may be sent to the second network device, so that the second network device stops the sending and releasing of the CSI-RS according to the message. The CSI-RS configuration information reduces the waste of air interface resources caused by sending CSI-RS and saves CSI-RS resources.

In another possible design, in combination with the first aspect or any of the possible designs of the first aspect, the second network device is configured with a timer for defining the effective duration of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, when the timer expires The first network device receives, from the second network device, a third message for notifying the first network device to delete the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, and deleting the configuration information of the second CSI-RS according to the third message, and sending A notification message for deleting the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is notified. In this way, a timer corresponding to the CSI-RS may be set in the second network device to limit the effective duration of the configuration information of the CSI-RS. If the timer expires, the CSI-RS is stopped, and the configuration of the CSI-RS is released. Information to reduce the waste of air interface resources caused by sending CSI-RS and save CSI-RS resources.

In another possible design, in combination with the first aspect or any of the possible designs of the first aspect, the first network device reports the number X of all terminals that measure the second CSI-RS to the second network device, where X is An integer greater than or equal to 1; once the first network device determines that the terminal that measures the second CSI-RS does not need the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, the first network device sends a message to the second network device to indicate that The terminal does not need the fourth message of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, so that when the number of the fourth message received by the second network device is X, the second CSI-RS is stopped, and the second CSI is released. - The configuration information of the RS to reduce the waste of air interface resources caused by sending CSI-RS and save CSI-RS resources.

A second aspect of the present application provides a communication method, where a second network device receives, from a first network device, a request message including information of at least one SSB, and sends, according to the request message, the first network device to include the at least one SSB. The first message of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS associated with the corresponding SSB. Based on the method, the second network device receives the information of the at least one SSB from the first network device, configures the CSI-RS associated with the SSB, and sends the configuration information of the second CSI-RS to the first network device. As such, the first network device acquires configuration information required to measure the CSI-RS through the interaction between the first network device and the second network device. Achieve measurement of CSI-RS.

In a possible design, in combination with the second aspect, before the second network device receives the request message from the first network device, the second network device sends, to the first network device, whether the SSB of the second network device has an association. The indication information of the CSI-RS, so that the first network device sends the SSB information of the CSI-RS in the SSB of the second network device to the second network device in the request message according to the indication information and the measurement information of the SSB.

In another possible design, in combination with the second aspect, the at least one SSB is at most N SSBs having the best signal quality in the SSB of the second network device, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the second network device is based on at most N The information of the SSB and the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS, determining that the first SSB of the at most N SSBs is associated with the second CSI-RS; and configuring the configuration information of the second CSI-RS in the first message A network device sends. As such, the second network device determines to configure the CSI-RS associated with the SSB according to the received information of the SSB and the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS.

In another possible design, in combination with the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect, the first message includes an expiration date of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS to define configuration information of the second CSI-RS. The effective duration of the second CSI-RS stored in the first network device is directly sent to the first network device when the other terminal needs to measure the CSI-RS. The other terminal does not need to request the configuration information of the CSI-RS again to the second network device, which reduces the signaling overhead. At the same time, when the validity period of the configuration information of the CSI-RS arrives, the configuration information of the saved CSI-RS is deleted, and the resource overhead and storage pressure of the first network device are reduced.

In another possible design, in combination with the second aspect or any of the possible designs of the second aspect, when the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is not required, the second network device receives the second from the first network device. a message, the second message is used to request release of configuration information of the second CSI-RS, where the second message includes information of the second CSI-RS or information of the SSB associated with the second CSI-RS, and releases the second CSI according to the second message. -RS configuration information. In this way, when the configuration information of the CSI-RS is not needed, the message of the configuration information of the CSI-RS may be released, so that the second network device stops the sending of the CSI-RS and releases the configuration information of the CSI-RS according to the message, and reduces the sending. The air interface resources brought by CSI-RS are wasted, saving CSI-RS resources.

In another possible design, in combination with the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect, the second network device is configured with a timer, and the timer is used to define the effective duration of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS; The timer expires, the second network device releases the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, and sends a third message to the first network device, where the third message is used to notify the first network device to delete the configuration information of the second CSI-RS. In this manner, a timer corresponding to the CSI-RS may be set to limit the effective duration of the configuration information of the CSI-RS. If the timer expires, the CSI-RS is stopped, and the configuration information of the CSI-RS is released to reduce the CSI. - The waste of the air interface caused by the RS is wasted, saving CSI-RS resources.

In another possible design, in combination with the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect, the second network device knows the number X of all terminals that measure the second CSI-RS, and X is greater than or equal to 1. An integer; when the number of the fourth message received by the second network device indicating that the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is no longer needed by the terminal is X, the second CSI-RS is stopped, and the second message is released. The CSI-RS configuration information is used to reduce the waste of air interface resources caused by sending CSI-RS and save CSI-RS resources.

A third aspect of the present application provides a communication method, where a first network device determines that configuration information of a CSI-RS needs to be acquired, and sends a message to the second network device for requesting the second network device to send the CSI-RS, and Sending configuration information of the CSI-RS or information indicating the configuration information of the CSI-RS, and the terminal adopts the configuration of the received CSI-RS or the configuration of the CSI-RS corresponding to the information indicating the configuration information of the CSI-RS. Information is measured. According to the method, when the first access network device determines that configuration information of a certain CSI-RS needs to be acquired, the second access network device sends a message for requesting the second network device to send the CSI-RS by the air interface, requesting Transmitting, by the second access network device, the CSI-RS, the configuration information of the CSI-RS or the information for indicating the configuration information of the CSI-RS, so as to notify the terminal to use the CSI-RS sent by the first network device. The configuration information or the configuration information corresponding to the indicated CSI-RS is subjected to CSI-RS measurement. In this way, after the second access network device receives the request of the first access network device, it starts to send the CSI-RS on the air interface, thereby reducing waste of air interface resources.

In a possible design, in combination with the third aspect, when the first network device sends the information for indicating the configuration information of the CSI-RS, before the first network device determines that the configuration information of the CSI-RS needs to be acquired, the first The network device receives, from the second network device, the configuration information of the SSB, the configuration information of the CSI-RS, and the association relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS, and sends the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS; and receives some SSBs in the corresponding SSB or Measurement information of all SSBs; according to the measurement information of the SSB and the association relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS, it is determined that the configuration information of the CSI-RS needs to be acquired.

In another possible design, in combination with the third aspect, before the first network device determines that the configuration information of the CSI-RS needs to be acquired, the first network device receives the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS from the second network device. And the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS, sending the configuration information of the SSB; receiving the measurement information of the partial SSB or all the SSBs in the corresponding SSB; so that the first network device according to the measurement information of the SSB and the relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS Determine the configuration information of the CSI-RS.

In another possible design, in combination with another possible design, the method further includes: receiving, by the first network device, configuration information of the updated CSI-RS from the second network device, and transmitting the updated CSI-RS The configuration information is such that the configuration information used by the terminal to measure the CSI-RS is consistent with the configuration information of the CSI-RS corresponding to the CSI-RS sent by the air interface of the second network device.

In another possible design, in combination with the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect, when determining that the terminal does not need the configuration information of the CSI-RS, sending configuration information for notifying the terminal to delete the CSI-RS The notification message is sent to the terminal to delete the configuration information of the CSI-RS, thereby reducing the storage pressure of the terminal.

In another possible design, in combination with the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect, the second network device is configured with a timer, and the timer is used to limit the effective duration of the configuration information of the CSI-RS; After the timeout, the first network device receives, from the second network device, a third message for notifying the first network device to delete the configuration information of the CSI-RS, deleting the configuration information of the CSI-RS according to the third message, and sending the notification for deleting the CSI-RS. A notification message of the configuration information of the CSI-RS, so that the terminal deletes the configuration information of the CSI-RS. In this manner, a timer corresponding to the CSI-RS may be set to limit the effective duration of the configuration information of the CSI-RS. If the timer expires, the CSI-RS is stopped, and the configuration information of the CSI-RS is released to reduce the CSI. - The waste of the air interface caused by the RS is wasted, saving CSI-RS resources.

A fourth aspect of the present application provides a communication method, where a second network device receives, from a first network device, a message for requesting a second network device to send a CSI-RS, and sends a CSI-RS according to the received message air interface. Based on the method, after the second access network device receives the request of the first access network device, the CSI-RS is sent on the air interface to reduce the waste of the air interface resources.

In a possible design, in combination with the fourth aspect, the second network device sends the SSB to the first network device before the second network device receives the message for requesting the second network device to send the CSI-RS from the first network device. Configuration information, CSI-RS configuration information, and the relationship between SSB and CSI-RS.

In another possible design, in combination with another possible design, the method further includes: the second network device sending, to the first network device, configuration information of the updated CSI-RS, so that the first network device sends the update The configuration information of the CSI-RS is further configured to ensure that the configuration information used by the terminal to measure the CSI-RS is consistent with the configuration information of the CSI-RS corresponding to the CSI-RS sent by the air interface of the second network device.

In another possible design, in combination with the fourth aspect or any of the possible designs of the fourth aspect, the second network device is configured with a timer, and the timer is used to limit the effective duration of the configuration information of the CSI-RS; After the timeout, the second network device sends a message for notifying the first network device to delete the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first network device, so that the first network device deletes the configuration information of the CSI-RS according to the message, and sends the notification information. The terminal deletes the notification message of the configuration information of the CSI-RS, so that the terminal deletes the configuration information of the CSI-RS. In this manner, a timer corresponding to the CSI-RS may be set to limit the effective duration of the configuration information of the CSI-RS. If the timer expires, the CSI-RS is stopped, and the configuration information of the CSI-RS is released to reduce the CSI. - The waste of the air interface caused by the RS is wasted, saving CSI-RS resources.

A fifth aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which receives configuration information of a CSI-RS, and performs measurement on the CSI-RS according to configuration information of the CSI-RS. In this way, the measurement of the CSI-RS can be achieved.

In a possible design, in combination with the fifth aspect, a timer is set in the terminal, and the duration of the timer is the effective time of the configuration information of the CSI-RS. When the timer expires, the configuration information of the CSI-RS is deleted. In this way, the validity period of the configuration information of the CSI-RS can be controlled by a timer, and when the timeout deletes the configuration information of the CSI-RS received by the terminal, the storage pressure of the terminal is reduced.

In another possible design, in combination with any of the possible designs of the fifth aspect or the fifth aspect, the method further includes: receiving a notification message for notifying the terminal to delete the configuration information of the CSI-RS, according to the notification message, Delete the configuration information of the CSI-RS. In this way, the configuration information of the CSI-RS can be deleted by the other network element control terminal, and the storage pressure of the terminal is reduced.

In a sixth aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which can implement the functions performed by the communication device in the foregoing aspects or in various possible designs, and the functions may be implemented by hardware or by hardware. Perform the appropriate software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, the communication device may include: a sending unit, a receiving unit.

In a possible design, the receiving unit is configured to send, by the second network device, an information request message including at least one SSB, requesting configuration information of the first CSI-RS, and a sending unit, configured to receive, by the second network device, the first The first message of the configuration information of the two CSI-RSs, the second CSI-RS being associated with the corresponding SSB in the at least one SSB.

In another possible design, the sending unit is configured to: when the communication device determines that the configuration information of the CSI-RS needs to be acquired, send a message for requesting the second network device to send the CSI-RS, and send the CSI to the second network device. - Configuration information of the RS or information indicating the configuration information of the CSI-RS.

The specific implementation manner of the communication device may refer to the behavior function of the first network device in the communication method provided by the first aspect or any one of the foregoing possible aspects, or may refer to the third aspect or the foregoing third aspect. The behavior of the first network device in the communication method provided by any of the possible designs is not repeated here. Thus, the provided communication device can achieve the same benefits as the first aspect or the third aspect or any of the possible aspects of the first aspect or the third aspect described above.

In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store a computer execution instruction, and when the communication device is running, the processor executes the computer execution instruction stored in the memory to enable the The communication device performs the communication method provided by any of the possible aspects of the first aspect or the first aspect, or the communication method provided by the third aspect or any of the possible designations of the above third aspect.

In an eighth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided having stored therein instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the first aspect or the first aspect described above A communication method provided by a possible design, or a communication method provided by the third aspect or any of the possible designs of the above third aspect.

In a ninth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform a communication method as provided by any of the possible aspects of the first aspect or the first aspect, or A communication method provided by any of the three aspects or any of the above-mentioned third aspects.

In a tenth aspect, a chip system is provided, the chip system comprising a processor and a communication interface for supporting a communication device to implement the functions involved in the foregoing aspects, such as supporting a processor to transmit to the second network device through the communication interface, including at least An SSB information request message requesting configuration information of the first CSI-RS; and receiving, from the second network device, a first message including configuration information of the second CSI-RS, the second CSI-RS and the at least one SSB The corresponding SSB association. Or, when the communication device determines that the configuration information of the CSI-RS needs to be acquired, sends a message for requesting the second network device to send a CSI-RS to the second network device, and sends configuration information of the CSI-RS or is used to indicate the CSI. - Information about the configuration information of the RS. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for holding program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system can be composed of chips, and can also include chips and other discrete devices.

The technical effects brought by any one of the sixth aspect to the tenth aspect can be referred to the first aspect or the third aspect or any one of the foregoing first or third aspects. The technical effects will not be described again.

In an eleventh aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which can implement the functions performed by the communication device in the above aspects or in various possible designs, and the functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware. Software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, the communication device may include: a receiving unit, a sending unit;

In a possible design, the receiving unit is configured to receive, from the first network device, a request message that includes information of the at least one SSB, and the sending unit is configured to send, according to the request message, the first network device to include the at least one SSB. The first message of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS associated with the corresponding SSB.

In another possible design, the receiving unit is configured to receive, from the first network device, a message for requesting the communication device to send a CSI-RS, and a sending unit, configured to send the CSI-RS by the air interface.

The specific implementation manner of the communication device may refer to the behavior function of the second network device in the communication method provided by the second aspect or any one of the foregoing possible aspects of the second aspect, or may refer to the fourth aspect or the fourth aspect. The behavior of the second network device in the communication method provided by any of the possible designs is not repeated here. Thus, the provided communication device can achieve the same beneficial effects as the second aspect or the fourth aspect or any of the possible designs.

According to a twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store a computer execution instruction, and when the communication device is in operation, the processor executes the computer execution instruction stored in the memory, so that The communication device performs the communication method provided by any of the possible aspects of the second aspect or the second aspect, or the communication method provided by the fourth aspect or any of the possible designs of the above fourth aspect.

A thirteenth aspect, a computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the second aspect or the second aspect described above A communication method provided by a possible design, or a communication method provided by the fourth aspect or any of the possible designs of the above fourth aspect.

In a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the communication method provided by any of the possible aspects of the second aspect or the second aspect above, Or the communication method provided by the fourth aspect or any of the possible designs of the above fourth aspect.

In a fifteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, the chip system comprising a processor and a communication interface for supporting a communication device to implement the functions involved in the above aspects, such as supporting the processor to receive from the first network device through the communication interface, including a request message for information of at least one SSB; and transmitting, according to the request message, a first message including configuration information of a second CSI-RS associated with a corresponding one of the at least one SSB to the first network device. Or receiving, from the first network device, a message for requesting the communication device to send an CSI-RS by the air interface, and sending the CSI-RS by the air interface. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for holding program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system can be composed of chips, and can also include chips and other discrete devices.

The technical effects brought by any one of the eleventh to fifteenth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought by the second aspect or the fourth aspect or any of the possible designs of the foregoing aspects. No longer.

In a sixteenth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which can implement the functions performed by the communication device in the above aspects or in various possible designs, and the functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware. Software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, the communication device may include: a receiving unit and a measuring unit;

The receiving unit is configured to receive configuration information that includes or indicates configuration information of the CSI-RS, and the measurement unit is configured to measure the CSI-RS according to the configuration information of the CSI-RS.

For a specific implementation manner of the communication device, reference may be made to the behavior function of the terminal in the communication method provided by the fifth aspect or any of the foregoing aspects, and details are not repeatedly described herein. Thus, the provided communication device can achieve the same benefits as any of the possible aspects of the fifth aspect or the above aspects.

In a seventeenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store a computer execution instruction, and when the communication device is in operation, the processor executes the computer execution instruction stored in the memory, so that The communication device performs the communication method as described in the fifth aspect or any of the above aspects.

In a eighteenth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, the computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the above fifth aspects or any of the above aspects The communication method described in the design.

According to a nineteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the communication method of any of the above fifth aspects or any of the above aspects.

In a twentieth aspect, a chip system is provided, the chip system comprising a processor and a communication interface for supporting a communication device to implement the functions involved in the above aspects, such as supporting a processor to receive or indicate a CSI-RS through a communication interface. The configuration information of the configuration information; the CSI-RS is measured according to the configuration information of the CSI-RS. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for holding program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system can be composed of chips, and can also include chips and other discrete devices.

The technical effects brought by any one of the sixteenth to the twentieth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by the above fifth aspect or any possible design of the above aspect, and details are not described herein.

A twenty-first aspect, a communication system, comprising the first network device of any one of the sixth aspect to the tenth aspect, according to any one of the tenth to fifteenth aspects The second network device. Further, the communication system may further include a terminal, which may be the terminal according to any one of the sixteenth aspect to the twentieth aspect.

DRAWINGS

1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

1a is a simplified schematic diagram of still another system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 1b is a simplified schematic diagram of still another system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of still another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of still another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of still another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of still another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of still another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of still another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of still another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

detailed description

First, in order to facilitate the understanding of the present application, some terms related to the present application are introduced:

SSB: It can be a synchronization signal and/or a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) transmitted through a beam.

CSI-RS: A signal that can be transmitted through a beam for cell downlink channel measurement. What is the definition of the beam? The SSB and CSI-RS are beams.

Beam: It can be understood as a spatial resource, which can refer to a transmit or receive precoding vector with energy transmission directivity. In addition, the sending or receiving precoding vector can be identified by the index information, and the index information can be corresponding to the resource identifier (identity, ID) of the configuration terminal. For example, the index information can correspond to the configured CSI-RS identifier or resource. It may also be an identifier or resource of a correspondingly configured Sounding Reference Signal (SRS). Optionally, the index information may also be index information that is displayed or implicitly carried by a signal or channel carried by the beam. The energy transmission directivity may refer to precoding processing of a signal to be transmitted by the precoding vector, and the signal subjected to the precoding has a certain spatial directivity, and is received after precoding by the precoding vector. The signal has better received power, such as meeting the received demodulation signal to noise ratio, etc.; the energy transmission directivity may also mean that the same signal transmitted from different spatial locations is received by the precoding vector to have different received power.

Optionally, the same communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) may have different precoding vectors, and different devices may have different precoding vectors, that is, corresponding to different beams. For a configuration or capability of a communication device, one communication device can use one or more of a plurality of different precoding vectors at the same time, ie, one beam or multiple beams can be formed at the same time.

The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 1. The communication system can be a 5G mobile communication system, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or a next-generation mobile system. Communication system is not limited. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system may include a first network device, a second network device, and a plurality of terminals. The first network device can establish a connection with the second network device, and the terminal can be used to connect to the first network device or the second network device through the wireless air interface, and then access the data network, where the terminal can be a user equipment (User Equipment) , UE), such as: mobile phone, computer, can also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a smart phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, etc. in the wireless system The device that communicates on. It should be noted that FIG. 1 is only an exemplary framework diagram. The number of nodes included in FIG. 1 is not limited, and may include other nodes, such as a core network device and an application server, in addition to the function nodes shown in FIG. Wait, no limit.

In an example, as shown in FIG. 1a, the first network device is a separately deployed first access network device, and the second network device is an independently deployed second access network device, and each access network device can be accessed. Access Network (AN) / Radio Access Network (RAN) devices (eg, base station (NodeB, NB), evolved base station (Evolution NodeB, eNB), next generation base station (Generation NodeB, gNB), Transmit Received Point (TRP), Transmission Point (TP), etc., where the terminal is located in the serving cell, and the serving cell of the terminal belongs to the first access network device, and the cell adjacent to the serving cell of the terminal (referred to as: The neighboring cell belongs to the second access network device. The first access network device and the second access network device are mainly used to implement functions such as radio physical control function, resource scheduling, radio resource management, radio access control, and mobility management, and the terminal can be connected to the first interface through a wireless air interface. The network access device or the second access network device accesses the data network. In the embodiments of the present application, the serving cell of the terminal may refer to a cell that currently provides services for the terminal.

In another example, the embodiment of the present application may also be applied to a system in which the access network side is a Centralized Unit (CU)-Distributed Unit (DU). As shown in FIG. 1b, the gNB of the serving cell may be a CU and a DU separate architecture. For example, the gNB may include a first CU and multiple first DUs, and the gNB of the neighboring cell may also be a CU and a DU separate architecture, such as: The gNB may include a second CU and a plurality of second DUs. In the system, the access network side may be connected to the core network (for example, may be a long term evolution (LTE) core network, or may be a 5G core network, etc.) (not shown in FIG. 1b). CU and DU can be understood as the division of gNB from the perspective of logical functions. The CU and DU can be physically separated or deployed together. Multiple DUs can share one CU. A DU can also be connected to multiple CUs (not shown in Figure 1b). The CU and the DU can be connected through an interface, for example, an F1 interface. The CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layer of the wireless network. For example, one possible division manner is: the CU is used to perform a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol stack, a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) protocol stack, and a packet data convergence layer protocol (Packet). The functions of the Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and the DU is used to perform functions such as Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC) layer, Physical layer, and the like. It can be understood that the division of the CU and DU processing functions according to this protocol layer is merely an example, and may be divided in other manners. For example, a CU or a DU can be divided into functions having more protocol layers. For example, a CU or a DU can also be divided into partial processing functions with a protocol layer. In one design, some functions of the RLC layer and functions of the protocol layer above the RLC layer are set in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer below the RLC layer are set in the DU. In another design, the functions of the CU or DU can also be divided according to the type of service or other system requirements. For example, according to the delay division, the function that needs to meet the delay requirement in the processing time is set in the DU, and the function that does not need to meet the delay requirement is set in the CU. The network architecture shown in Figure 1b can be applied to a 5G communication system, which can also share one or more components or resources with an LTE system. In another design, the CU may also have one or more functions of the core network. One or more CUs can be set centrally and also separated. For example, the CU can be set to facilitate centralized management on the network side. The DU can have multiple RF functions or remotely set the RF function.

The functions of the CU can be implemented by one entity or by different entities. For example, the function of the CU can be further divided, for example, the control panel (CP) and the user panel (UP) are separated, that is, the control plane (CU-CP) of the CU and the CU user plane (CU). -UP). For example, the CU-CP and the CU-UP may be implemented by different functional entities, which may be coupled with the DU to perform the functions of the base station.

Corresponding to the architecture shown in FIG. 1b, the first network device may be the first CU, and the second network device may be the second CU; or the first network device may be the second CU in FIG. 1b, and the second network device may It is the second DU in Figure 1b.

In the system shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 1b, in order to implement mobility management of the terminal, the first network device may acquire configuration information of the SSB and/or CSI-RS of the neighboring cell from the second network device, so that the terminal according to the SSB and The configuration information of the CSI-RS is used for RRM measurement. When the measurement information of the SSB and/or the CSI-RS is triggered, the terminal sends measurement information to the access network device to which the serving cell belongs, so that the access network device performs the terminal information according to the measurement information. Mobility management, for example, performing a cell handover decision on the terminal according to the received measurement information, or the terminal sends measurement information to the first DU, the first DU sends measurement information to the first CU, and the first CU moves the terminal according to the measurement information. Sexual management. The first network device may obtain the configuration information of the CSI-RS from the second network device by using the method provided by the embodiment of the present application. For example, reference may be made to the solution shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 7.

It should be noted that, in various embodiments of the present application, the configuration information of the SSB may be used to measure the SSB, and the configuration information of the SSB may include the subcarrier spacing of the SSB, the synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel block measurement timing configuration (SS/ PBCH block Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC), indication information of whether the serving cell SSB and the neighboring area SSB are synchronized. The configuration information of the CSI-RS may be used to perform RRM measurement on the CSI-RS, and the configuration information of the CSI-RS may include an identifier or an index of the CSI-RS, an identifier or index of the SSB associated with the CSI-RS, a subcarrier spacing, Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), measurement bandwidth, density, CSI-RS identification or index, slot configuration, frequency domain configuration, and the like.

The first network device, the second network device, and the terminal in FIG. 1 may include, for example, the components shown in FIG. 2, in order to implement the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication apparatus 200 includes at least one processor 201, a communication line 202, and at least one communication interface 204, and may further include a memory 203. . The processor 201, the memory 203, and the communication interface 204 can be connected by a communication line 202.

The processor 201 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application. For example: one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs).

Communication line 202 can include a path for communicating information between the components described above.

The communication interface 204 is configured to communicate with other devices or communication networks, and may use any device such as a transceiver, such as an Ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), or a Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). Wait.

The memory 203 can be a Read-Only Memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type that can store information and instructions. The dynamic storage device can also be an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, and a disc storage device. (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or can be used to include or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be Any other media accessed, but not limited to this. In a possible design, the memory 203 may exist independently of the processor 201, that is, the memory 203 may be a memory external to the processor 201. At this time, the memory 203 may be connected to the processor 201 through the communication line 202 for storage execution. The instruction or application code is controlled by the processor 201 to implement the communication method provided by the following embodiments of the present application. In another possible design, the memory 203 may also be integrated with the processor 201, that is, the memory 203 may be an internal memory of the processor 201, for example, the memory 203 is a cache, and may be used for temporarily storing some data and instructions. Information, etc.

As an implementation, the processor 201 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. As another possible implementation, the communication device 200 can include multiple processors, such as the processor 201 and the processor 207 in FIG. As yet another implementation, the communication device 200 can also include an output device 205 and an input device 206.

When the communication device 200 is the terminal shown in FIG. 1, the communication device 200 may further include a temperature sensor, a battery control module, etc., and the temperature sensor and the battery controller may be connected to the processor 201 via the communication line 202, and the temperature sensor may be used for real-time. The temperature of the communication device 200 is detected and the detected temperature is transmitted to the processor 201; the battery controller can be used to detect the power of the communication device 200 in real time and transmit the detected power to the processor 201.

It should be noted that the foregoing communication device 200 may be a general-purpose device or a dedicated device. For example, the communication device 200 can be a desktop, a portable computer, a web server, a PDA, a mobile handset, a tablet, a wireless terminal, an embedded device, or a device having a similar structure as in FIG. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the communication device 200.

The following is a description of the communication system shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 1b. The first network device is the first access network device in FIG. 1a, and the second network device is the second access network device in FIG. 1a. The communication method provided by the example is described.

Wherein, when the first network device is the first CU in FIG. 1b and the second network device is the second CU in FIG. 1b, the manner of sending and receiving messages between the first CU and the second CU may refer to the first access network device. The manner of receiving and receiving a message with the second access network device may include: after receiving the request message requesting the configuration information of the CSI-RS, the second CU sends a message requesting the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the second DU, Determining, by the second DU, the configuration information of the CSI-RS according to the request, the second CU receiving the configuration information of the CSI-RS from the second DU, and sending the configuration information to the first CU, where the first CU receives the configuration information of the CSI-RS from the second CU. The first CU sends the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first DU, and the first DU sends the configuration information of the received CSI-RS to the terminal. In addition, the measurement information of the first CU receiving the SSB may be: the first CU receives the measurement information of the SSB from the terminal by using the first DU, for example, the terminal may send the measurement information of the SSB to the first DU, and the first DU will receive the The measurement information of the SSB is sent to the first CU. It should be noted that, in various embodiments of the present application, the measurement information of the SSB may be included in the measurement report.

When the first network device is the second CU in FIG. 1b and the second network device is the second DU in FIG. 1b, the manner of sending and receiving messages between the second CU and the second DU may refer to the first access network device and the first The method for transmitting and receiving messages between the two access network devices may include: after receiving the configuration information of the CSI-RS, the second CU sends the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the terminal by using the first CU and the first DU. For example, the second CU sends the configuration information of the received CSI-RS to the first CU, and the first CU sends the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first DU, and the configuration information of the CSI-RS that the first DU will receive. Send to the terminal.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the method may include steps 301 to 303.

Step 301: The first access network device sends a request message to the second access network device.

The request message may be used to request configuration information of the first CSI-RS, where the request message may include information of at least one SSB, and the information of the SSB may include an SDB identifier (Indentity, ID) or an SSB index, optionally The signal quality of the SSB may also include the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the SSB and/or the reference signal received quality (RSRQ).

In a possible manner, the at least one SSB is an M (M is an integer greater than or equal to 1) SSBs having an associated CSI-RS in the SSB of the second access network device, that is, each SSB in the at least one SSB. There are CSI-RSs associated with them; further, the M SSBs may also be the M SSBs with the best signal quality in the SSB of the second access network device. Optionally, the first access network device may be configured according to the measurement information of the terminal, and the CSI that is sent by the second access network device to indicate whether the SSB (one or more SSBs) of the second access network device has an associated CSI. The indication information of the RS determines the at least one SSB from the SSB sent by the second access network device, and includes the determined information of the at least one SSB in the request message to be sent to the second access network device. Specifically, the process of determining, by the first access network device, the at least one SSB may refer to the manner shown in FIG. 4. Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, in the system shown in FIG. 1, the SSB of the second access network device may refer to the SSB sent by the second network device, and in the system shown in FIG. 1a, the second access The SSB of the network device may refer to the SSB sent by the second access network device. In the system shown in FIG. 1b, the SSB of the second access network device may refer to the SSB sent by the second CU through the second DU.

Or, at least one SSB is at most N SSBs with the best signal quality in the SSB of the second access network device, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the maximum value of N is the SSB of the second access network device. number. The information of at most N SSBs may be arranged in order from good to bad according to the signal quality of the SSB or may be included in the request message in order from poor to good; or the information of at most N SSBs included in the request message may be randomly arranged. At this time, the signal quality of each of the at most N SSBs may be included in the request message so that the second access network device learns the signal quality of each SSB. The first access network device may receive the measurement information reported by the terminal, determine at most N SSBs according to the measurement information, and send the information of the at most N SSBs to the second access network device in the request message, specifically, the first The process for the access network device to determine at least one SSB can be referred to the manner shown in FIG.

Wherein, in various embodiments of the present application, the signal quality of the SSB can be characterized by RSRP and/or RSRQ. The association between the SSB and the CSI-RS may refer to SSB and CSI-RS Quasi-Coallocation (QCL), for example, it may refer to a QCL relationship between an antenna port of the SSB and an antenna port of the CSI-RS.

It can be understood that the first access network device herein can be understood as a separately deployed base station, which can also be understood as a CU, and can also be understood as a DU.

It can be understood that the second access network device herein can be understood as a separately deployed base station, which can also be understood as a CU, and can also be understood as a DU.

Step 302: The second access network device receives the request message, and sends a first message to the first access network device according to the request message.

The first message may include configuration information of the second CSI-RS, and the second CSI-RS may refer to one or more CSI-RSs. Optionally, the second CSI-RS may be the first CSI-RS, or the second CSI-RS may be included in the first CSI-RS, that is, the second CSI-RS may be part of the first CSI-RS or All. It should be noted that, after the second access network device sends the configuration information of the second CSI-RS to the first access network device, the second access network device sends the second CSI-RS to the air interface.

When the SSB of the second access network device has the M SSSs of the associated CSI-RS, the second access network device may directly associate the M CSIs associated with the M SSBs after receiving the request message. The configuration information of the RS is sent to the first access network device in the first message, and the M CSI-RSs are sent by the second access network device or the second DU air interface. Specifically, the implementation process can be referred to FIG. 4.

When at least one SSB is at most N SSBs with the best signal quality in the SSB of the second access network device, after receiving the request message, the second access network device may be based on information of at most N SSBs and SSB and CSI- The association relationship of the RSs, the Y SSBs having the associated CSI-RSs are selected from the at least one SSB, Y is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the configuration information of the Y CSI-RSs associated with the Y SSBs is included in The first message is sent to the first access network device, and the Y CSI-RSs are sent by the second access network device or the second DU air interface. The Y SSBs may also be the Y SSBs with the best signal quality in the second access network device. Optionally, the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS may be determined by the second access network device. Specifically, the implementation process can be referred to FIG. 5.

Step 303: The first access network device receives the first message.

Further, after the step 303, the first access network device may send the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, so that the first terminal sends the second CSI to the second access network device according to the configuration information of the second CSI-RS. -RS for RRM measurements.

The first terminal may be any one or more terminals that are served by the first access network device, and the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is used by the first terminal to measure the second CSI-RS. Optionally, the first access network device may send the configuration information of the second CSI-RS in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message. When the first access network device is the first CU, the first CU sends the configuration information of the SSB to the first terminal by using the first DU; when the first access network device is the second CU, the second CU passes the first CU. The first DU sends the configuration information of the SSB to the first terminal.

Based on the method shown in FIG. 3, the first access network device may send at least one SSB information to the second access network device, requesting the second access network device to configure the CSI-RS associated with the at least one SSB, and the second connection After receiving the information of the at least one SSB, the network access device configures the CSI-RS according to the received information, and sends the CSI-RS configuration information to the first access network device, where the first access network device receives the CSI-RS. The configuration information is sent to the terminal, so that the terminal performs CSI-RS measurement according to the configuration information of the CSI-RS. In this way, the configuration information required for measuring the CSI-RS is obtained through the interaction between the first access network device and the second access network device, so that the terminal can implement the measurement of the CSI-RS.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of still another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, the method may include steps 401 to 407. Step 401: The second access network device sends the indication information to the first access network device.

The indication information may be used to indicate whether the SSB of the second access network device has an associated CSI-RS. The indication information may be included in the configuration information of the SSB, and the Xn setup response message or the New Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update notification (node configuration update acknowledge) The message or the X2 setup response message is sent to the first network device; or the configuration information of the SSB and the foregoing indication information may be sent to the first network device in different messages, and the embodiment does not limit. For the configuration information of the SSB, refer to the description of the previous embodiment, and details are not described herein again.

In an example, the indication information may be a binary value (0 or 1) corresponding to the SSB, and each binary is used to indicate whether the SSB corresponding to the binary value has a CSI-RS associated with it, for example, when a binary value When it is "1", it indicates that the SSB has an associated CSI-RS, and when the binary value is "0", it indicates that the SSB does not have an associated CSI-RS. For example, assume that the second access network device sends P SSBs on the air interface, and the second access network device sends a message to the first access network device (eg, Xn setup response or NG-RAN node configuration update acknowledge or X2setup response). Include configuration information of P SSBs, where if the Q SSBs have associated CSI-RSs, the configuration information of each SSB of the Q SSBs includes corresponding bits to indicate that they have associated CSI-RSs, The binary information "0" is also included in the configuration information of each SSB in the corresponding (PQ) SSBs. It can be understood that the SSB with the associated CSI-RS may only be indicated by a binary value, then the SSB without indication indicates that there is no SSB associated with it, or may only be for the CSI-RS without the associated CSI-RS. The SSB is indicated by a binary value, which is not limited by the embodiment of the present application.

In another example, the indication information may be a Boolean value (true or false) corresponding to the SSB, and when the Boolean value is “true”, indicating that the SSB has an associated CSI-RS, when the Boolean value is “false”, Indicates that the SSB does not have an associated CSI-RS. For example, suppose the second access network device sends P SSBs on the air interface, and the second access network device sends the configuration of the P SSBs to the message sent by the first access network device (eg, Xn setup response or X2 setup response). Information, wherein if the Q SSBs have associated CSI-RSs, the configuration information corresponding to each of the S SSBs includes a Boolean value "true", corresponding to the configuration information of each SSB in the (PQ) SSBs. Both include the Boolean value "false". It can be understood that the SSB with the associated CSI-RS may only be indicated by a Boolean value, then the SSB without indication indicates that there is no SSB associated with it, or may only be for the CSI-RS without the associated CSI-RS. The SSB is indicated by a Boolean value, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Step 402: The first access network device receives configuration information of the SSB, and sends configuration information of the SSB.

As described above, the foregoing indication information may be included in the configuration information of the SSB. The configuration information of the SSB of the second access network device may be configuration information of one or more SSBs. Alternatively, optionally, when the first access network device receives the configuration information of the SSB, the foregoing indication information may also be received.

Optionally, the first access network device may send the configuration information of the SSB in an RRC message. The configuration information of the SSB is used by the first terminal to measure the SSB. When the first access network device is the first CU, the first CU sends the configuration information of the SSB to the first terminal by using the first DU; when the first access network device is the second CU, the second CU passes the first CU. The first DU sends the configuration information of the SSB to the first terminal.

Step 403: The first terminal receives the configuration information of the SSB, performs RRM measurement on the SSB, and sends the measurement information of the SSB.

The measurement information of the SSB sent by the first terminal may be measurement information corresponding to all or part of the SSBs in the configured SSB. In a possible manner, the measurement information of the SSB may include information of the SSB (eg, an SSB identifier or an index), and the information of the SSB may be sent to the first connection according to the signal quality of the SSB from good to bad or from poor to good. The network access device; or the measurement information of the SSB may include information of the SSB (eg, SSB identifier or index) and signal quality of the SSB (eg, RSRP and/or RSRQ).

Optionally, the first terminal may send the measurement information of the first cell in addition to the measurement information of the SeNB, where the measurement information of the first cell includes the identifier of the first cell and the signal quality of the first cell (eg, RSRP and/or RSRQ), the identifier of the first cell includes a physical cell identity (PCI) and/or a cell global identity (CGI), and the first cell belongs to the second access network device.

For example, if the number of SSBs sent by the second access network device is 10, the first access network device can send up to 10 SSB measurement information to the second access network device. Taking the information of sending 8 SSBs as an example, the information of the 8 SSBs may be sent to the first access network device according to the order of the signal quality of the 8 SSBs (or from poor to good), or 8 The information of the SSB and the signal quality of the 8 SSBs are sent to the first access network device.

Step 404: The first access network device determines the M SSBs with the associated CSI-RS according to the indication information received in step 401 and the measurement information of the SSB received in step 403.

Further, the M SSBs may also be SSBs with the best signal quality and associated CSI-RSs in the SSB of the second access network device. Optionally, the first SSBs with the highest RSRP and/or RSRP values in the SSB may be determined as the SSBs with the best signal quality, or the SSBs with the RSRP/RSRP values in the SSB above a certain threshold may be determined as The SSB with the best signal quality can also determine all SSBs in the SSB as the SSB with the best signal quality. In the several SSBs with the best signal quality, the M SSBs with the associated CSI-RS among the several SSBs with the best signal quality are determined according to the indication information.

For example, the SSBs sent by the air interface of the second access network device have SSB1, SSB2, and SSB3, where SSB1 is associated with CSI-RS1, SSB2 does not have an associated CSI-RS, and SSB3 is associated with CSI-RS3. In the method, the second access network device sends indication information “1”, “0”, “1” corresponding to the three SSBs to the first access network device, to indicate that the SSB1 and the SSB3 have associated CSI-RSs. SSB2 does not have an associated CSI-RS. In addition, the measurement information of the SSB reported by the terminal received by the first access network device, where the signal quality of the SSB2 is the highest, the SSB1 is the second, and the signal quality of the SSB3 is the lowest, the first access network device may determine the SSB2 according to the measurement information. The signal quality of SSB1 is good. According to the indication information "1", "0", "1", the CSI-RS with which SSB2 has no association relationship is determined, and the SSB1 has the CSI-RS associated with it, the first access network. The device determines not to request the second access network device to provide the CSI-RS configuration associated with the SSB2, requesting the second access network device to provide the CSI-RS configuration associated with the SSB1, and the first access network device to the second access network device The sent request message includes the identifier or index of the SSB1; or the first access network device determines that the signal quality of the SSB2, SSB1, and SSB3 is good, and determines that the SSB2 is not according to the indication information “1”, “0”, “1”. After the CSI-RS associated with it and the SSB1 and SSB3 have the CSI-RS associated with it, the first access network device determines not to request the second access network device to provide the CSI-RS configuration associated with the SSB2, requesting the The two access network devices provide associations with SSB1 and SSB3. In the CSI-RS configuration, the request message sent by the first access network device to the second access network device includes the identifier or index of the SSB1, the identifier or index of the SSB3.

It should be noted that, if the first access network device finds that all SSBs in the measurement information have no CSI-RS associated with the SSI according to the received indication information and the measurement information reported by the terminal, the first access network device The request message may not be sent to the second access network device.

Step 405: The first access network device sends a request message to the second access network device.

The request message may include information about the M SSBs determined in step 404, and the request message may be used to request configuration information of the first CSI-RS.

Step 406: The second access network device receives the request message, and sends the first message to the first access network device according to the request message.

The first message may include configuration information of the second CSI-RS, and the configuration information of the second CSI-RS may be configuration information of M CSI-RSs corresponding to the M SSBs. For example, after receiving the request message, the second access network device may find M CSI-RSs corresponding to the M SSBs according to the information of the M SSBs, and include configuration information of the M CSI-RSs in the first message. The middle is sent to the first access network device.

For example, in SSB1 to SSB3 sent by the second access network device, SSB1 is associated with CSI-RS1, SSB3 is associated with CSI-RS3, and the second access network device sends corresponding SSB1 to SSB3 to the first access network device. After the information "1", "0", and "1" is indicated, if the second access network device receives the information of the SSB1 and the information of the SSB3 in the request message sent by the first access network device, the second access network The device determines the CSI-RS1 associated with the SSB1 and the CSI-RS3 associated with the SSB3, and sends the configuration information of the CSI-RS1 and the configuration information of the CSI-RS3 to the first access network device.

It should be noted that, after the second access network device sends the first message to the first access network device, the second access network device sends the configured M CSI-RSs on the air interface.

Step 407: The first access network device receives the first message, and sends configuration information of the second CSI-RS.

The configuration information of the second CSI-RS is used by the first terminal to measure the second CSI-RS.

Further, after receiving the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, the first terminal may perform measurement on the second CSI-RS according to the configuration information of the second CSI-RS.

The first access network device may receive, according to the method shown in FIG. 4, the indication information that is sent by the second access network device to indicate whether the SSS has an associated CSI-RS, and configuration information of the SSB, and send configuration information of the SSB, so that The terminal measures the SSB according to the configuration information of the SSB and reports the measurement information of the SSB to the first access network device. The first access network device determines the M SSBs with the associated CSI-RS according to the indication information and the measurement information of the SSB. And transmitting the determined information of the M SSBs to the second access network device, so that the second access network device configures the CSI-RS corresponding to the determined SSB. In this way, the first access network device specifies the CSI-RS to be configured for the second access network device, and interacts with the second access network device to obtain the configuration information of the CSI-RS, so as to implement the CSI-RS measurement.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of still another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, step 501 to step 508 may be included.

Step 501: The second access network device sends the configuration information of the SSB to the first access network device.

The process of the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the SSB of the second access network device are as described above, and details are not described herein. It should be noted that, after the second access network device sends the configuration information of the SSB to the first access network device, the second access network device may send the SSB by using an air interface.

Step 502: The first access network device receives the configuration information of the SSB sent by the second access network device, and sends the configuration information of the SSB.

The first access network device may send the configuration information of the SSB to the RRC message, where the configuration information of the SSB is used by the first terminal to measure the SSB. Optionally, when the first access network device is the first CU, the first CU sends the configuration information of the SSB to the first terminal by using the first DU; when the first access network device is the second CU, the second CU The configuration information of the SSB is sent to the first terminal by using the first CU and the first DU.

Step 503: The first terminal receives the configuration information of the SSB, performs RRM measurement on the SSB, and sends the measurement information of the SSB.

The related description of the measurement information and the execution process of the step 503 can be referred to the step 403, and details are not described herein.

Step 504: The first access network device determines, according to the measurement information of the SSB received in step 503, at most N SSBs with the best signal quality.

Where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the maximum value of N corresponds to the number of information of the SSB included in the measurement information. For example, if the measurement information includes 8 SSB information, N can take any integer in [1, 8]. Specifically, the value of the N may be specified by the protocol, or determined by the first access network device, which is not limited by the embodiment of the present application.

Specifically, after receiving the measurement information, the first access network device may determine at most N SSBs with the highest signal quality in the SSB as at most N SSBs with the best signal quality, or the signal quality value in the SSB is higher than a certain gate. Up to N SSBs of the limit are determined to be at most N SSBs with the best signal quality, and all SSBs in the SSB can be determined as the SSB with the best signal quality, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

For example, the measurement information includes information of three SSBs of SSB1, SSB2, and SSB3, and the information of the three SSBs is arranged in the measurement information according to the SSB2, SSB1, and SSB3 in the order of the signal quality of the SSB, when the first access is performed. After receiving the measurement information, the first access network device may select two SSBs with the best signal quality from the three SSBs: SSB2 and SSB1, or select one SSB with the best signal quality: SSB2. You can choose the three SSBs with the best signal quality: SSB2, SSB1, and SSB3.

Step 505: The first access network device sends a request message to the second access network device.

The request message may be used to request configuration information of the first CSI-RS, where the request message may include information of at most N SSBs determined in step 504 (eg, identifiers or indexes of at most N SSBs), and at most N SSBs. The identifier or index may be arranged in the request message according to the order of the signal quality of the SSB from good to bad (or from poor to good); or the request message includes the identifier or index of at most N SSBs determined in step 504, and at most N The signal quality of each SSB in the SSB (such as RSRP and / or RSRQ).

For example, the first access network device receives the measurement information of the SSB1 to the SSB3, and the RSRP of the SSB2>the RSRP of the SSB1>the RSRP of the SSB3. If the value of N is 2, then the first access network device can follow the signal. The order of quality from good to bad includes the information of SSB2 and the information of SSB1 in the request message.

Step 506: The second access network device receives the request message, and selects Y SSBs with associated CSI-RS from at most N SSBs according to the information of at most N SSBs and the association relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS, and determines the configuration. Y CSI-RS.

Where Y is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the maximum value of Y is N. Y SSBs are associated with Y CSI-RSs, respectively. Further, the Y SSBs may be the Y SSBs with the best signal quality among at most N SSBs.

The association between the SSB and the CSI-RS may be stored in the form of a list in the second access network device, where the association may include multiple records, each record including an identifier (or index) of the SSB and associated with the corresponding SSB. The identifier (or index) of the CSI-RS is used to indicate that the SSB is associated with the CSI-RS. For example, as shown in Table 1 below, SSB1 is associated with CSI-RS1, and SSB3 is associated with CSI-RS3.

Table 1

SSB logo (or index) Identification (or index) of the CSI-RS associated with the SSB SSB1 CSI-RS1 SSB3 CSI-RS3

For example, it is assumed that the request message sent by the first access network device to the second access network device includes information of SSB2, SSB1, and SSB3, and the information of the SSB in the request message is arranged in order from good to bad according to the signal quality of the SSB. After receiving the request message, the second access network device may first determine two SSBs with the best signal quality: SSB2 and SSB1. Then, the second access network device may learn that the SSB2 does not cooperate with the SDB2 through the foregoing association relationship. The CSI-RS with association relationship, SSB1 is associated with CSI-RS1, and the SSB with the best signal quality and the associated CSI-RS is determined as SSB1, and then the CSI-RS1 associated with the SSB1 is determined.

It should be noted that if at most N SSBs, there is no CSI-RS associated with the SSB, the second access network device cannot select the relationship according to the received request message and the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS. The CSS of the associated CSI-RS, at this time, the second access network device does not configure the CSI-RS associated with the SSB and does not send the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first access network device, that is, step 507 is not performed. .

Step 507: The second access network device sends a first message to the first access network device.

The configuration information of the second CSI-RS is included in the first message, for example, the configuration information of the Y CSI-RSs determined in step 506 may be included. It should be noted that after the second access network device sends the first message to the first access network device, the second access network device may send Y CSI-RSs on the air interface.

Step 508: The first access network device receives the first message, and sends configuration information of the second CSI-RS.

The configuration information of the second CSI-RS is used by the first terminal to measure the second CSI-RS. Further, after receiving the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, the first terminal may perform measurement on the second CSI-RS according to the configuration information of the second CSI-RS.

The first access network device can receive the configuration information of the SSB sent by the second access network device, and send the configuration information of the SSB, so that the terminal measures the SSB according to the configuration information of the SSB, and the first The access network device reports the measurement information of the SSB; the first access network device determines, according to the measurement information of the SSB, the SSB of at most N CSI-RSs with the best signal quality, and sends the NSBs to the second access network device. Information, so that the second access network device determines the CSI-RS to be configured according to the information of at most N SSBs and the association relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS. In this way, the second access network device determines the CSI-RS to be configured according to the information of the SSB sent by the first access network device and the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS, and sends the CSI to the first access network device. The configuration information of the RS implements the measurement of the CSI-RS.

Optionally, on the basis of the method shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the first message sent by the second access network device to the first access network device may include configuration information of the second CSI-RS. The validity period, the validity period of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS may be included in the first message together with the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, and the validity period of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS may also be included in the second CSI-RS The configuration of the present application is not limited in the configuration information. It can be understood that the specific value of the validity period is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

In a possible manner, the validity period of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS may be determined by the second access network device according to the configuration of the CSI-RS, and the validity period may be used to limit the effective duration of configuring the CSI-RS. The first access network device stores the configuration information of the second CSI-RS that is received by the second access network device from the second access network device in the first access network device, where the method further includes:

During the validity period, the second access network device sends the CSI-RS on the air interface according to the configuration information of the second CSI-RS. At this time, when the first access network device determines that the second terminal needs to measure the second CSI-RS, The first access network device may send the stored configuration information of the second CSI-RS to the second terminal. For example, the first access network device may save the received configuration information of the second CSI-RS locally. When the other terminal needs to measure the second CSI-RS, the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is locally obtained and sent;

When the expiration date is reached, the second access network device may stop the sending of the second CSI-RS or delete the configuration information of the second CSI-RS. At this time, the first access network device may delete the configuration information of the second CSI-RS. . Further, the first access network device may further send a notification message, where the notification message is used to notify the first terminal and the second terminal to delete the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, so that the first terminal and the second terminal receive the notification. After the message, the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is deleted, and the RRM measurement of the second CSI-RS is stopped.

Specifically, in a scenario, after receiving the first message, the first access network device starts a timer, and the duration of the timer may be equal to or less than the validity period. If the timer works, it indicates that the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is within the validity period, and when the timer expires, the validity period is reached.

Based on the foregoing method, an expiration date may be set for the configuration information of the CSI-RS. When the other terminal needs to measure the CSI-RS, the first access network device may receive the CSI-RS configuration information. The configuration information of the CSI-RS is directly sent to other terminals, and the configuration information of the CSI-RS is not required to be requested again to the second access network device, which reduces the signaling overhead. At the same time, when the validity period of the configuration information of the CSI-RS arrives, the configuration information of the saved CSI-RS is deleted, and the resource overhead and storage pressure of the first access network device are reduced.

Optionally, based on the method shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the method may further include:

When the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is not required, the first access network device sends a second message to the second access network device, where the second message may be used to request to release the configuration of the second CSI-RS. Information, the second message may include information of the second CSI-RS (such as an identifier or index of the second CSI-RS), or the second message may include an identifier or an index of the SSB associated with the second CSI-RS, The information of the second CSI-RS may be used to identify the CSI-RS. After receiving the second message, the second access network device stops the sending of the second CSI-RS and releases the configuration information of the second CSI-RS according to the second message.

Further, the first access network device may further delete the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, and send a notification message to all terminals (eg, the first terminal) that measure the second CSI-RS, to notify all the measurement of the second CSI- The terminal of the RS deletes the configuration information of the second CSI-RS and stops the measurement of the second CSI-RS. Alternatively, after receiving the handover message or the RRC release message, the terminal deletes the configuration information of the second CSI-RS and stops the measurement of the second CSI-RS.

Optionally, when the first access network device finds that each of the terminals that measure the second CSI-RS meets any of the following two conditions, the first access network device determines the second CSI. - The configuration information of the RS is not required. The two conditions are: 1) the terminal moves out of the coverage of the first access network device (for example, the first access network device sends a handover message to the terminal that measures the second CSI-RS), and 2) the terminal enters the idle state ( For example, the first access network device sends an RRC release message to the terminal that measures the second CSI-RS.

Based on the foregoing method, the first access network device may send a message for requesting release of the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the second access network device when the configuration information of the CSI-RS is not required, so that the second access network The device stops the transmission of the CSI-RS and releases the configuration information of the CSI-RS according to the message, reduces the waste of the air interface resources caused by the CSI-RS, and saves the CSI-RS resources.

It can be understood that the sending process of the foregoing second message may also be combined with the previous validity period, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, on the basis of the method shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the second access network device may be configured with a timer, where the timer corresponds to the second CSI-RS, and the timer may be The duration of the configuration of the second CSI-RS may be limited by the protocol, or may be determined by the second access network device according to the configuration of the CSI-RS, and is not limited.

Receiving, by the second access network device, a request message for requesting configuration information of the second CSI-RS sent by the first access network device, or sending, by the second access network device, the second CSI to the first access network device After the first message of the configuration information of the RS, the second access network device may start the timer, and if the configuration information of the second CSI-RS changes during the running of the timer, the timer stops; or After the second access network device receives the request message for requesting the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, the second access network device restarts the timer.

When the timer expires or stops, the second access network device stops transmitting the second CSI-RS, and releases the configuration information of the second CSI-RS; and sends a third message to the first access network device, the third message And configured to notify the first access network device to delete the configuration information of the second CSI-RS; after receiving the third message, the first access network device deletes the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, and sends a notification message to notify all the measurements. The terminal of the second CSI-RS (eg, the first terminal, the second terminal, etc.) deletes the configuration information of the second CSI-RS and stops the measurement of the second CSI-RS.

Based on the foregoing method, the second access network device may set a timer corresponding to the CSI-RS to limit the effective duration of the configuration information of the CSI-RS. If the timer expires, the CSI-RS is stopped and released. The CSI-RS configuration information is used to reduce the waste of air interface resources caused by sending CSI-RS and save CSI-RS resources.

It can be understood that the sending process of the foregoing third message may also be combined with the previous validity period and/or the sending process of the second message, which is not limited in this embodiment.

Optionally, based on the method shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the method further includes:

The first access network device reports the number X of all terminals that measure the second CSI-RS to the second access network device, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 1; once the first access network device determines a certain measurement When the terminal of the second CSI-RS does not need the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, the first access network device sends a fourth message to the second access network device, where the fourth message can be used to indicate that the terminal is no longer The configuration information of the second CSI-RS is required. Optionally, the fourth message may include information about the terminal, where the information of the terminal is used to identify the terminal, and may be an identifier of the terminal (such as a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier, C- RNTI) or S-TMSI or Internet Protocol (IP) address, etc.;

The second access network device learns the number X of all terminals that measure the second CSI-RS. When the number of the fourth messages received by the second access network device is X, it indicates that all the second CSI-RSs are measured. The configuration information of the second CSI-RS is no longer needed by the terminal. In this case, the second access network device may stop sending the second CSI-RS and release the configuration information of the second CSI-RS.

Optionally, when the first access network device finds that any terminal that measures the second CSI-RS meets any of the following two conditions, the first access network device determines to measure the second CSI-RS. The certain terminal does not need configuration information of the second CSI-RS. The two conditions are: 1) the terminal moves out of the coverage of the first access network device (for example, the first access network device sends a handover message to the terminal that measures the second CSI-RS), and 2) the terminal enters the idle state ( For example, the first access network device sends an RRC release message to the terminal that measures the second CSI-RS.

Further, after the second access network device releases the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, the second access network device may further send a release confirmation message to the first access network device, where the release confirmation message is used to indicate the second CSI. - The configuration information of the RS is released; after receiving the release confirmation message, the first access network device deletes the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, and sends a notification message to notify all terminals that measure the second CSI-RS (eg: a terminal, a second terminal, or the like) deleting configuration information of the second CSI-RS and stopping measurement of the second CSI-RS; or, the first access network device sends a handover message or an RRC release message, and the terminal receives the handover message or the RRC After the message is released, the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is deleted and the measurement of the second CSI-RS is stopped.

Based on the foregoing method, the first access network device may send, to the second access network device, a message indicating that the terminal does not need configuration information of the CSI-RS, when the configuration information of the CSI-RS is no longer needed by the terminal. The second access network device stops the transmission of the CSI-RS and releases the configuration information of the CSI-RS according to the received message, so as to reduce the waste of the air interface resource caused by the CSI-RS, and save the CSI-RS resource.

It can be understood that the sending process of the foregoing fourth message may be combined with one or more processes in the previous validity period, the sending process of the second message, and the sending process of the third message, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, on the basis of the method shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the second access network device sets a timer 1, where the timer 1 is used to limit the effective duration of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS; The first access network device sets a timer 2, which is used to limit the effective duration of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS received by the first access network device (which may be referred to as an expiration date); and the second CSI is measured. The terminal of the RS sets a timer 3, which is used to limit the effective duration of the second CSI-RS measurement by the terminal. The duration of the timer 1 may be determined by the protocol or by the second access network device according to the configuration of the CSI-RS. The duration of the timer 2 may be determined according to the duration of the timer 1 and the duration of the timer 2. The duration of the timer 1 may be less than or equal to the duration of the timer 2, and the duration of the timer 3 may be less than or equal to the duration of the timer 2.

After the second access network device receives the request message for requesting the configuration information of the second CSI-RS sent by the first access network device, or the second access network device sends the second access network device to the first access network device, including the second After the first message of the configuration information of the CSI-RS, the second access network device starts the timer 1; if the timer 1 times out, the second access network device stops sending the second CSI-RS, and releases the second CSI-RS. Configuration information.

After the first access network device receives the first message sent by the second access network device, the first access network device starts the timer 2; if the timer 2 times out, the first access network device deletes the second CSI-RS. Configuration information.

After receiving the RRC message sent by the first access network device for configuring the terminal to perform the measurement of the second CSI-RS, the terminal starts the timer 3; if the timer 3 times out, the terminal deletes the configuration information of the second CSI-RS. And stop the measurement of the second CSI-RS.

The terminal, the first access network device, and the second access network device may respectively set a timer to limit the effective duration of the CSI-RS configuration. If the timer of an access network device times out, the The access network device deletes the CSI-RS configuration information to reduce the waste of air interface resources caused by sending CSI-RS, save CSI-RS resources, and save storage overhead. At the same time, the manner of releasing the configuration information of the CSI-RS does not need to be implemented through signaling interaction between devices, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

It can be understood that the method for setting a timer in the foregoing terminal, the first access network device, and the second access network device may also be the same as the previous validity period, the second message sending process, the third message sending process, and the fourth. One or more processes in the sending process of the message are combined, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited.

In the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, the second access network device may further send the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first access network device in advance, and the first access network device receives the configuration information of the CSI-RS. After the CSI-RS configuration information is sent, when the first access network device determines the configuration information of one or some CSI-RSs in the CSI-RS configured by the terminal, the first access network device sends the second access The network device sends a fifth message to request the second access network device to send the CSI-RS to the terminal, and the first access network device sends the information for indicating the configuration information of the certain CSI-RS. . Specifically, the communication method can be as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of still another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the method may include steps 601 to 607.

Step 601: The second access network device sends the configuration information of the SSB, the configuration information of the CSI-RS, and the association relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS to the first access network device.

For the related description of the configuration information of the SSB, the configuration information of the CSI-RS, and the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS, reference may be made to the above description, and the related description of the indication information may be referred to, and details are not described herein.

The association between the SSB and the CSI-RS may be included in the configuration information of the SSB, and may also be included in the configuration information of the CSI-RS, and the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS may be included in the same message. The information may be sent to the first access network device in the Xn establishment response message or in the NG-RAN node configuration update notification message or the X2 setup response message, and may also be sent to the first access network device in different messages.

It should be noted that, after the second access network device sends the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first access network device, the air interface of the second access network device only sends the SSB.

Step 602: The first access network device receives the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS, and sends the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS.

The first access network device may include the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS in the same RRC message, and may also include the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS in different messages. No restrictions.

Step 603: The terminal receives the configuration information of the SSB configuration information and the CSI-RS, and measures the SSB sent by the second access network device according to the configuration information of the SSB, and sends the measurement information of the SSB.

For a description of the measurement information of the SSB, refer to the description in step 403, and details are not described herein.

Step 604: The first access network device receives the measurement information of the SSB, and determines, according to the measurement information of the SSB and the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS, the CSI-RS that needs to be requested to be sent by the second access network device on the air interface.

The first access network device may select an SSB having an associated CSI-RS from the SSB of the second access network device according to the measurement information and the association relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS, and determine that the second access needs to be requested. The network device sends the CSI-RS associated with the selected SSB on the air interface; further, the SSB selected by the first access network device may be the SSB with the best signal quality. Specifically, the first access network device finds several SSBs with the best signal quality according to the measurement information of the SSB, and then the first access network device can learn the SSBs through the association relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS. Which SSBs have associated CSI-RSs, and the CSI-RSs associated with these SSBs are determined as CSI-RSs that need to be requested to be sent by the second access network device on the air interface.

Step 605: The first access network device sends a fifth message to the second access network device.

The information about the CSI-RS determined in step 604 (such as the identifier or index of the CSI-RS) or the information of the SSB associated with the CSI-RS (such as the identifier or index of the SSB) may be included in the fifth message. The fifth message is used to indicate that the second access network device sends the requested CSI-RS on the air interface.

Step 606: The second access network device receives the fifth message, and sends the requested CSI-RS according to the fifth message.

Step 607: The first access network device sends a sixth message.

The sixth message may include information about a CSI-RS, or information of an SSB associated with a CSI-RS, where the sixth message is used to instruct the terminal to perform CSI-RS by using configuration information corresponding to the indicated CSI-RS. measuring. The sixth message may be included in an RRC message or a layer two message or a physical layer message.

For example, if the first access network device sends configuration information of CSI-RS1 to CSI-RS3 in step 602, the first access network device determines in step 606 that the CSI-RS that the second access network device needs to send on the air interface is CSI-RS1, when performing step 607, the first access network device may include the information of the CSI-RS1 in the sixth message, or may include the information of the SSB associated with the CSI-RS1 in the sixth information. Transmitted to instruct the terminal to perform CSI-RS measurement using configuration information corresponding to CSI-RS1.

It should be noted that after performing step 606, the second access network device may further send a response message to the first access network device, where the response message includes information about the CSI-RS sent by the second access network device on the air interface. Or the information about the SSS associated with the CSI-RS, the response message is used to notify the first access network device that the requested CSI-RS has been sent, and the first access network device triggers execution after receiving the response message. Step 607.

Based on the method shown in FIG. 6, the second access network device sends the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first access network device in advance, and after receiving the configuration information of the CSI-RS, the first access network sends the CSI-RS. The configuration information is sent to the second access network device when the first access network device determines that the CSI-RS to be sent by the second access network device is requested to be sent by the second access network device, and requests the second access network device to send the air interface. The CSI-RS notifies the terminal to perform CSI-RS measurement using the configuration information corresponding to the indicated CSI-RS. In this way, after the second access network device receives the request of the first access network device, it starts to send the CSI-RS on the air interface, thereby reducing waste of air interface resources.

In a further feasible solution, the second access network device may further send the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first access network device in advance; when the first access network device determines the configuration of a certain CSI-RS of the terminal When the information is sent, the first access network device sends a seventh message to the second access network device, requests the second access network device to send the CSI-RS to the terminal, and the first access network device sends the CSI-RS. Configuration information. Specifically, the feasible solution is as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the method may include steps 701 to 707.

Step 701: The second access network device sends the configuration information of the SSB, the configuration information of the CSI-RS, and the association relationship between the SSB and the CSI-RS to the first access network device.

The step 701 can be referred to the step 601 and will not be described again.

It should be noted that, after the second access network device sends the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first access network device, the air interface of the second access network device only sends the SSB.

Step 702: The first access network device receives the configuration information of the SSB and the configuration information of the CSI-RS, and sends the configuration information of the SSB.

Optionally, the first access network device may send the configuration information of the SSB in an RRC message.

Step 703: The terminal receives the configuration information of the SSB, performs measurement on the SSB sent by the second access network device in the air interface, and sends the measurement information of the SSB.

The step 703 can be referred to the step 603 and will not be described again.

Step 704: The first access network device receives the measurement information of the SSB, and determines, according to the measurement information of the SSB and the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS, the CSI-RS that needs to be requested to be sent by the second access network device on the air interface.

The step 704 can be referred to the step 604 and will not be described again.

Step 705: The first access network device sends a seventh message to the second access network device.

The seventh message may be the same as the fifth message in step 605, and details are not described herein.

Step 706: The second access network device receives the seventh message, and sends the requested CSI-RS according to the seventh message.

Step 707: The first access network device sends configuration information of the CSI-RS.

The first access network device may request the identifier or index of the CSI-RS sent by the second access network device on the air interface according to the requirement included in the seventh message, and send the configuration information of the CSI-RS received in step 701. Configuration information of a CSI-RS corresponding to the identifier or index of the included CSI-RS. For example, if the first access network device receives the configuration information of CSI-RS1 to CSI-RS3 in step 701, the first access network device determines in step 704 that the CSI-RS that the second access network device needs to send on the air interface needs to be requested. For the CSI-RS1, the seventh message includes the identifier or index of the CSI-RS1. When step 707 is performed, the first access network device sends the configuration information of the CSI-RS1.

It should be noted that after performing step 706, the second access network device may further send a response message to the first access network device, where the response message includes information about the CSI-RS sent by the second access network device on the air interface. Or the information about the SSS associated with the CSI-RS, the response message is used to notify the first access network device that the requested CSI-RS has been sent, and the first access network device triggers execution after receiving the response message. Step 707.

Further, when the second access network device receives the seventh message and sends the requested CSI-RS, if the second access network device updates the configuration information of the CSI-RS, the second access network device may The updated configuration information of the CSI-RS is sent to the first access network device in the response message. At this time, when step 707 is performed, the first access network device may send the updated configuration of the CSI-RS. The information is used to ensure that the configuration information used by the terminal to measure the CSI-RS is consistent with the configuration information of the CSI-RS that is updated by the second access network device.

Based on the method shown in FIG. 7, the second access network device sends the configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first access network device in advance, and the first access network device determines that the second access network device needs to be requested in the air interface. Sending a CSI-RS, sending a message to the second access network device, requesting the second access network device to send the CSI-RS, and sending, by the second access network device, the requested request according to the request of the first access network device CSI-RS. If the second access network device updates the configuration information of the CSI-RS, the second access network device sends the updated configuration information of the CSI-RS to the first access network device, where the first access network device The updated configuration information of the CSI-RS is sent to the terminal to ensure that the configuration information of the CSI-RS measured by the terminal is consistent with the configuration information of the updated CSI-RS of the second access network device. In this way, after receiving the request of the first access network device, the second access network device sends the CSI-RS on the air interface to reduce the waste of the air interface resources.

The solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is mainly introduced from the perspective of interaction between the nodes. It can be understood that each node, for example, the first network device and the second network device, in order to implement the above functions, includes corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present application can be implemented in a combination of hardware or hardware and computer software in combination with the algorithmic steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or computer software to drive hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each particular application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present application.

The embodiment of the present application may divide the function modules of the first network device and the second network device according to the foregoing method example. For example, each function module may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one. Processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of the module in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and the actual implementation may have another division manner.

It can be understood that, in the foregoing various embodiments, the operations and steps implemented by the first network device may also be implemented by components (circuits or chips) usable for the first network device, and operations and steps implemented by the second network device. It can also be implemented by components (circuits or chips) that can be used for the second network device, and the operations and steps implemented by the terminal can also be implemented by components (circuits or chips) that can be used for the terminal.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a composition of a communication device, which may be a first network device, or a chip in a first network device, or a system on chip, which may be used to perform the steps involved in the above embodiments. The function of an access network device. As an achievable manner, the communication device shown in FIG. 8 includes: a sending unit 80 and a receiving unit 81;

The sending unit 80 is configured to send a request message that includes information of the at least one SSB to the second network device, and request configuration information of the first CSI-RS from the second network device.

The receiving unit 81 is configured to receive, by the second network device, a first message, where the first message includes configuration information of the second CSI-RS, where the second CSI-RS is associated with a corresponding one of the at least one SSB.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the communication device may further include: a deleting unit 82;

The deleting unit 82 is configured to delete the second when the validity period of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS arrives, or when the receiving unit 81 receives the message for notifying the configuration information of deleting the second CSI-RS from the second network device. Configuration information of CSI-RS.

It should be noted that all the related content of the steps involved in the foregoing method embodiments may be referred to the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and details are not described herein again. The communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application is configured to perform the function of the first access network device in the foregoing communication method, so that the same effect as the above communication method can be achieved.

As yet another implementation manner, the communication device shown in FIG. 8 includes: a processing module and a communication module. The processing module may implement the function of the deleting unit 82. Alternatively, the processing module may also be used to control and manage the actions of the communication device and/or perform other processing functions, and the communication module may integrate the functions of the transmitting unit 80 and the receiving unit 81. For example, the processing module is for supporting other processes by which the communication device performs the techniques described herein. The communication module is for supporting communication of the communication device with other network entities, such as communication with the functional modules or network entities shown in FIG. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage module for storing program codes and/or data of the communication device.

The processing module can be a processor or a controller. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor can also be a combination of computing functions, including, for example, one or a combination of microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module can be a transceiver circuit or a communication interface or the like. The storage module can be a memory. When the processing module is a processor, the communication module is a communication interface, and the storage module is a memory, the communication device according to the embodiment of the present application may be the communication device shown in FIG.

In still another embodiment of the present application, a communication device is provided, the communication device can include: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store a computer execution instruction, and when the communication device is running, the processor executes the memory storage The computer executes instructions to cause the communication device to perform a communication method corresponding to that performed by the first network device.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the composition of a communication device, which may be a second network device, or a chip in a second network device, or a system on chip, which may be used to perform the steps involved in the above embodiments. The function of the second access network device. As an achievable manner, the communication device shown in FIG. 9 includes: a receiving unit 90 and a transmitting unit 91.

The receiving unit 90 is configured to receive a request message from the first network device, where the request message is used to request configuration information of the first CSI-RS, where the request message includes information of the at least one SSB.

The sending unit 91 is configured to send, according to the request message received by the receiving unit, a first message including configuration information of the second CSI-RS to the first network device, where the second CSI-RS is associated with a corresponding SSB in the at least one SSB.

Further, the communication device is provided with a timer for defining the effective duration of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS, as shown in FIG. 9, the communication device may further include: a release unit 92;

The releasing unit 92 is configured to release configuration information of the second CSI-RS when the timer expires. Further, the sending unit 91 may further be configured to stop sending the second CSI-RS, and send the notification to the first network device. A message that the network device deletes the configuration information of the second CSI-RS.

It should be noted that all the related content of the steps involved in the foregoing method embodiments may be referred to the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and details are not described herein again. The communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application is configured to perform the function of the second network device in the foregoing communication method, and thus the same effect as the above communication method can be achieved.

As yet another implementation manner, the communication device shown in FIG. 9 includes: a processing module and a communication module. The processing module can implement the function of the releasing unit 92. Alternatively, the processing module can also be used to control and manage the actions of the communication device and/or perform other processing functions, and the communication module can integrate the functions of the receiving unit 90 and the transmitting unit 91. For example, the communication module is used to support communication between the communication device and other network entities, such as communication with the functional modules or network entities shown in FIG. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage module for storing program codes and/or data of the communication device.

The processing module can be a processor or a controller. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor can also be a combination of computing functions, including, for example, one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module can be a transceiver circuit or a communication interface or the like. The storage module can be a memory. When the processing module is a processor, the communication module is a communication interface, and the storage module is a memory, the communication device according to the embodiment of the present application may be the communication device shown in FIG.

In still another embodiment of the present application, a communication device is provided, the communication device can include: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store a computer execution instruction, and when the communication device is running, the processor executes the memory storage The computer executes instructions to cause the communication device to perform a communication method corresponding to that performed by the second network device.

FIG. 10 shows a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device, which may be a terminal, or a chip in a terminal, or a system on chip, which may be used to perform the functions of the terminal involved in the above embodiments. In an implementation manner, the communication device shown in FIG. 10 includes: a receiving unit 100 and a measuring unit 101.

The receiving unit 100 is configured to receive configuration information of a CSI-RS associated with a corresponding one of the at least one SSB;

The measuring unit 101 is configured to measure the CSI-RS according to the configuration information of the CSI-RS.

It should be noted that all the related content of the steps involved in the foregoing method embodiments may be referred to the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and details are not described herein again. The communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application is configured to perform the function of the terminal in the above communication method, and thus the same effect as the above communication method can be achieved.

As yet another implementation manner, the communication device shown in FIG. 10 includes: a processing module and a communication module. The processing module can implement the functions of the measuring unit 101. Optionally, the processing module can also be used to control and manage the actions of the communication device and/or complete corresponding processing functions, and the communication module can integrate the functions of the receiving unit 100. For example, the communication module is used to support communication between the communication device and other network entities, such as communication with the functional modules or network entities shown in FIG. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage module for storing program codes and/or data of the communication device.

The processing module can be a processor or a controller. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, including, for example, one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module can be a transceiver circuit or a communication interface or the like. The storage module can be a memory. When the processing module is a processor, the communication module is a communication interface, and the storage module is a memory, the communication device according to the embodiment of the present application may be the communication device shown in FIG.

In still another embodiment of the present application, a communication device is provided, the communication device can include: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store a computer execution instruction, and when the communication device is running, the processor executes the memory storage The computer executes instructions to cause the communication device to perform a communication method corresponding to the terminal.

Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of the description, only the division of the above functional modules is illustrated. In practical applications, the above functions can be allocated according to needs. It is completed by different functional modules, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be another division manner, for example, multiple units or components may be used. The combination may be integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not performed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple different places. . Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

In the above embodiments, it may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product or stored in a readable storage medium. The computer program product or readable storage medium includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions or computer instructions in a storage medium are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are generated in whole or in part. 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 transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be from a website site, computer, server or data center Transfer to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wire (eg, coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless (eg, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer readable storage medium can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, or the like that includes one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (SSD)).

The foregoing is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application should be covered by the scope of the present application. . Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims (20)

A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises: The first network device sends a request message to the second network device, where the request message is used to request configuration information of the first channel state information reference signal CSI-RS, where the request message includes information of at least one synchronization signal block SSB; Receiving, by the first network device, the first message from the second network device, where the first message includes configuration information of a second CSI-RS, and the second CSI-RS is corresponding to the at least one SSB SSB association. The method of claim 1 further comprising: The first network device receives the indication information from the second network device, where the indication information is used to indicate whether the SSB of the second network device has an associated CSI-RS; Each of the at least one SSB has an associated CSI-RS. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one SSB is at most N SSBs having the best signal quality in the SSB of the second network device, and the N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the method further comprises: The first network device sends the configuration information of the received second CSI-RS, where the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is used by the first terminal to measure the second CSI-RS. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first message includes an expiration date of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS; the method further includes: During the validity period, when the first network device determines that the second terminal needs to measure the second CSI-RS, the first network device sends the first saved in the first network device The configuration information of the second CSI-RS, where the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is used by the second terminal to measure the second CSI-RS. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises: When the validity period arrives, the first network device deletes configuration information of the second CSI-RS. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the method further comprises: When the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is not required, the first network device sends a second message to the second network device, where the second message is used to request to release the second CSI-RS Configuration information, the second message includes information of the second CSI-RS or information of an SSB associated with the second CSI-RS; The first network device deletes configuration information of the second CSI-RS. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second network device is configured with a timer, the method further comprising: When the timer expires, the first network device receives a third message from the second network device, where the third message is used to notify the first network device to delete configuration information of the second CSI-RS. ; The first network device deletes the configuration information of the second CSI-RS according to the third message, and sends a notification message, where the notification message is used to notify the deletion of the configuration information of the second CSI-RS. A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises: Receiving, by the first network device, a request message, where the request message is used to request configuration information of a first channel state information reference signal CSI-RS, where the request message includes information of at least one synchronization signal block SSB; Transmitting, by the second network device, the first message to the first network device according to the request message, where the first message includes configuration information of a second CSI-RS, the second CSI-RS and the Corresponding SSB associations in at least one SSB. The method of claim 9 wherein the method further comprises: The second network device sends the indication information to the first network device, where the indication information is used to indicate whether the SSB of the second network device has an associated CSI-RS; Each of the at least one SSB has an associated CSI-RS. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one SSB is at most N SSBs having the best signal quality in the SSB of the second network device, and the N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; Sending, by the second network device, the first message to the first network device according to the request message, including: Determining, by the second network device, the first SSB of the at most N SSBs and the second CSI-RS according to the information of the at most N SSBs and the association between the SSB and the CSI-RS; The configuration information of the second CSI-RS is sent to the first network device in the first message. A method according to any one of claims 9-11, wherein The first message includes an expiration date of configuration information of the second CSI-RS. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the method further comprises: When the configuration information of the second CSI-RS is not required, the second network device receives a second message from the first network device, where the second message is used to request to release the second CSI-RS The configuration information, the second message includes information of the second CSI-RS or information of an SSB associated with the second CSI-RS. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the second network device is configured with a timer; the method further comprises: When the timer expires, the second network device releases the configuration information of the second CSI-RS; and sends a third message to the first network device, where the third message is used to notify the A network device deletes configuration information of the second CSI-RS. A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises: Receiving configuration information of a CSI-RS, where the CSI-RS is associated with a corresponding SSB in at least one synchronization signal block SSB; And measuring the CSI-RS according to the configuration information of the CSI-RS. The method of claim 15 wherein the method further comprises: When the timer expires, the configuration information of the CSI-RS is deleted, where the duration of the timer is the effective time of the configuration information of the CSI-RS. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the method further comprises: Receiving a notification message, where the notification message is used to notify deletion of configuration information of the CSI-RS; And deleting, according to the notification message, configuration information of the CSI-RS. A communication device for performing the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or the communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 14 or as claimed in claim 15 The communication method of any of the items -17. A computer program product comprising: at least one processor, and a memory; The memory is for storing a computer program, such that when the computer program is executed by the at least one processor, the communication method according to any one of claims 1-8 or the method of any one of claims 9-14 A communication method as described or a communication method according to any one of claims 15-17. A computer storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, wherein the program is executed by a processor to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1-8 or any one of claims 9-14 The communication method of the item or the communication method according to any one of claims 15-17.

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