WO2024114296A1

WO2024114296A1 - Communication method, apparatus and system

Info

Publication number: WO2024114296A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/129648
Authority: WO
Inventors: 李先驰; 金涛; 付霞; 郑晓军
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2022-11-29
Filing date: 2023-11-03
Publication date: 2024-06-06
Also published as: CN118118854A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus and system. The method comprises: acquiring information of a first area, the first area being part of a coverage area of a first access network device; determining a target area according to the first area, the target area being in the coverage area; and performing beam scanning on the target area. The method can improve the flexibility degree of the coverage of an access network device, can save the energy of the access network device, and can also save time-frequency resources and improve the capacity of a communication system.

Description

A communication method, device and system

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 29, 2022, with application number 202211511246.6, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “A communication method, device and system”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method, device and system.

Background technique

Satellite communication technology is a communication technology that uses satellite devices as access network equipment, in which the satellite communication network can be called a non-terrestrial communication network. Unlike traditional communication systems, this satellite communication technology can use satellite base stations in the air to cover the ground. Since satellites have the ability to fly around the earth, the satellite base station can cover a larger area than the ground base station. For example, a satellite base station can cover an area of more than hundreds of thousands of square kilometers on the earth. Therefore, satellite communication technology is becoming an increasingly important communication technology and an important research direction for future communications.

Summary of the invention

The present application describes a communication method, device and system.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first access network device. The method includes: obtaining information of a first area, where the first area is a partial area in the coverage area of the first access network device; determining a target area based on the first area, where the target area is in the coverage area; and performing beam scanning on the target area. Through this method, the first access network device can redetermine the target area for beam scanning based on the first area, thereby improving the flexibility of the services provided by the first access network device, and performing beam scanning on a specific area, without forcing the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the entire coverage area, thereby reducing the area of beam scanning, reducing energy consumption, and achieving energy-saving effects.

It should be understood that the coverage area can be understood as all areas that the first access network device can cover, that is, the full coverage area, or can be understood as a partial area that the first access network device can cover. The above description is applicable to the description of other aspects of the present application and will not be repeated here.

For example, the first access network device may be a satellite base station. The above description is applicable to other aspects of the present application and will not be repeated here.

In a possible implementation, the target area is any area in the second area that does not include the first area, and the second area is an area in the coverage area. It is understandable that the first area has no intersection with the target area. In other words, the target area is the area in the second area minus the first area.

In this implementation, the first area includes at least one of the following: a service area of the second access network device, a predicted unmanned area, and a configured non-service area. It can be understood that the second area is a historical target area.

Through this method, the first access network device can reduce unnecessary coverage, thereby achieving energy saving. For example, if the first area is a predicted uninhabited area, or if the first area is a service area of other access network devices (such as a second access network device), then the first access network device does not need to provide coverage for these areas again, thereby achieving energy saving. Furthermore, if the first area is a confidential area, then the method can also enable the first access network device to meet confidentiality requirements. In other words, when the target area is smaller than the second area, the method further enables the first access network device to reduce unnecessary coverage on the basis of ensuring the coverage level of communication requirements, and ultimately achieves energy saving. On the basis of energy saving, the first access network device can also reduce the consumption of time-frequency resources, thereby increasing the capacity of the communication system.

In a possible implementation, the target area is a union of the first area and the second area, and the second area is an area in the coverage area. The first area may be an area with communication needs.

Among them, in this implementation, the first area includes at least one of the following: airplane routes, ship routes, travel routes, adventure routes, scientific research routes, predicted inhabited areas, and configured service areas. It can be understood that the target area is a range that can further cover the first area on the basis of the second area. In other words, for areas with communication needs, adjustments can be made based on the range of the historical target area of the first access network device, and target areas can be added as needed to ensure communication in known areas with communication needs, thereby improving the flexibility of the communication system and reducing the energy waste caused by blind beam scanning.

In a possible implementation manner, for the above two possible implementation manners, specifically, obtaining the first area includes: receiving information of the first area.

Alternatively, in a possible implementation, the obtaining of the first area includes performing a beam scan on the coverage area, and determining the first area according to the result of the beam scan. That is, the first access network device can sense the first area by means of beam scanning, for example, the first area is a populated area, or the first area is an unpopulated area, and the information of these areas can be obtained by this implementation.

In a possible implementation, the beam scanning the target area includes: performing beam scanning on the target area within a first time period according to a first cycle; the method also includes:

The coverage area is beam scanned within a second time period according to the first cycle, and the first time period or the second time period is a partial time period within the first cycle.

This implementation can be understood as the first access network device periodically scanning the target area. In other words, the first access network device periodically scans the target area according to the first period, wherein scanning the target area or the coverage area can be implemented by periodic beam scanning, which is not limited in this application.

It should be understood that the above implementation can be configured by the management device, in particular, the first period and the first time period and the second time period can be configured by the management device, or can be determined by the first access network device itself, which is not limited in this aspect. The above description is also applicable to the description of other aspects.

In a possible implementation, the beam scanning the target area includes: performing beam scanning on the target area within a third time period;

The method further includes: performing beam scanning on the coverage area in a fourth time period.

In a possible scenario of this implementation, performing beam scanning on the coverage area in the fourth time period includes: performing beam scanning on the coverage area in the fourth time period when the first instruction is received or when the first event occurs.

It can be understood that the first access network device can change the beam scanning area when a specific event occurs or according to an instruction, and perform beam scanning according to specific needs.

The first event is one or more of the following: a user device in the target area moves out of the target area, there is a user device with communication needs in an area other than the target area in the coverage area, a disaster occurs in the coverage area, or a second access network device fails to work, and the coverage area includes a service area of the second access network device.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving the first event. That is, the first event is obtained by the first access network device from other devices, for example, the device may be a management device. The management device may be a measurement and control device, or an operation and maintenance device, or a network management device. The management device may interact with the first access network device to manage the first access network device. The management device may be a device located on the ground, or a device located near the ground, for example, a device in water areas, and the location of the management device is not limited. The above description is also applicable to descriptions of other aspects and will not be repeated here.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is performed by a management device. The method includes: obtaining information of a first area, the first area being a partial area in a coverage area of a first access network device; sending information of the first area, the first area being used to determine a target area, the target area being in the coverage area, and the target area being an area for beam scanning. The beneficial effects of this aspect can be referred to the description of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

In a possible implementation manner, the target area is an area in the second area that does not include the first area, and the second area is an area in the coverage area.

The first area includes at least one of the following: a service area of the second access network device, a predicted unmanned area, and a configured non-service area.

In a possible implementation manner, the target area is a union of the first area and the second area, and the second area is an area in the coverage area.

The first area includes at least one of the following: an airplane route, a ship route, a travel route, an adventure route, a scientific research route, a predicted inhabited area, and a configured service area.

The above two possible implementation methods and beneficial effects can be referred to the description of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

In a possible implementation, the first area is set by a user. That is, the management device can determine the information of the first area according to the user's instruction and send the information of the first area to the first access network device, so that the first access network device obtains the first area.

In a possible implementation, the first access network device is configured to perform beam scanning on the target area within a first time period according to a first cycle; the method further includes: configuring the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area within a second time period according to the first cycle, and the first time period or the second time period is a partial time period within the first cycle. In other words, the management device can configure the first access network device and enable the first access network device to scan according to the first cycle, and further configures the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the target area within the first time period of the first cycle, and to perform beam scanning on the coverage area in the second time period.

A possible implementation method is to instruct the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the target area within a third time period; the method also includes: instructing the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area within a fourth time period, and the third time period is different from the fourth time period.

Among them, one possible situation, which is to instruct the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area in a fourth time period, includes: sending a first instruction to the first access network device, the instruction being used to instruct the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area in the fourth time period; or instructing the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area in the fourth time period when a first event occurs.

For example, the first event is one or more of the following: a user device in the target area moves out of the target area, there is a user device with communication needs in an area other than the target area in the coverage area, a disaster occurs in the coverage area, or the second access network device fails to work, and the coverage area includes the service area of the second access network device.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending the first event. That is, the management device notifies the first access network device of the first event.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a management device. The method includes: obtaining information about a first area, the first area being a partial area within the coverage area of a first access network device; determining a target area based on the first area, the target area being within the coverage area; and sending information about the target area, the target area being an area for beam scanning. Through the above scheme, the management device can determine the target area based on the first area and inform the first access network device, thereby saving the computing power and energy of the first access network device. For other beneficial effects, reference can be made to the description of the first and second aspects, which will not be repeated here.

In a possible implementation manner, the first area is configured by a user.

In a possible implementation manner, the first access network device is configured to perform beam scanning on the target area within a first time period according to a first cycle;

The method also includes: configuring the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area within a second time period according to the first cycle, and the first time period or the second time period is a partial time period within the first cycle.

A possible implementation manner is to instruct the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the target area within a third time period;

The method also includes: instructing the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area in a fourth time period, and the third time period is different from the fourth time period.

In a possible design, a first access network device receives a first instruction from a management device, and the first instruction instructs to perform beam scanning on a coverage area of the first access network device. The fourth time period can be understood as a time period for performing coverage area scanning. For example, after a period of time, the first access network device receives a second instruction from the management device, and the second instruction instructs to perform beam scanning on a target area. At this time, the period of time can be understood as the fourth time period.

In another possible design, the first access network device receives a first instruction from the management device, and the first instruction is used to trigger beam scanning of the coverage area of the first access network device. The first instruction may also indicate a fourth time period, that is, the first instruction informs the first access network device to perform beam scanning of the coverage area in the fourth time period. For example, when the first access network device receives the first instruction, at the start time of the fourth time period, the first access network device changes from a state of beam scanning of the target area to a state of beam scanning of the coverage area. In this case, when the fourth time period ends, the first access network device changes to a state of beam scanning of the target area without waiting for a new instruction. For example, the first instruction may indicate the fourth time period in the following ways, such as including the start time of the fourth time and the duration of the fourth time period in the first instruction, or including the start time and end time of the fourth time period in the first instruction, or including the end time of the fourth time period in the first instruction. It can be understood that if the first instruction only includes the end time of the fourth time period, the first access network device can start beam scanning of the coverage area before the end time arrives.

In another possible situation, when the first event occurs, the first access network device performs a beam scan on the coverage area of the first access network device. It should be understood that the range of the beam scan performed in the fourth time period is the area within the coverage area of the first access network device, which can be the entire area of the coverage area of the first access network device or a partial area, which can be determined according to the instruction received by the first access network device, or the area range for beam scanning can be determined by the first access network device itself, and this application does not limit it.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending the first event.

The above implementation methods can all refer to the description of the aforementioned aspects and their possible implementation methods, which will not be repeated here.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is performed by a first access network device. The method includes: receiving information of a target area, where the target area is an area for beam scanning; and performing beam scanning on the target area.

In a possible implementation, the beam scanning the target area includes: performing beam scanning on the target area within a first time period according to a first cycle;

The method also includes: performing beam scanning on the coverage area within a second time period according to the first cycle, and the first time period or the second time period is a partial time period within the first cycle.

The method also includes: performing beam scanning on the coverage area in a fourth time period.

In a possible implementation, performing beam scanning on the coverage area in the fourth time period includes: performing beam scanning on the coverage area in the fourth time period when the first instruction is received or when the first event occurs.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving the first event.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is performed by a first access network device and a management device. The method includes: the management device sends information of a first area to the first access network device, where the first area is a partial area in the coverage area of the first access network device; the first access network device determines a target area based on the first area, where the target area is in the coverage area; and the first access network device performs beam scanning on the target area.

The beneficial effects of this aspect can refer to the description of the first aspect and the second aspect. In addition, any possible implementation of this aspect can also refer to the description of the first aspect and the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is performed by a first access network device and a management device. The method includes: the management device obtains information about a first area, where the first area is a partial area in the coverage area of the first access network device; the management device determines a target area based on the first area, where the target area is in the coverage area; the management device sends information about the target area to the first access network device; and the first access network device performs beam scanning on the target area.

The beneficial effects of this aspect can refer to the description of the first and second aspects. In addition, any possible implementation of this aspect can also refer to the description of the third and fourth aspects, which will not be repeated here.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. In an optional implementation, the device may include a module corresponding to the methods/operations/steps/actions described in the first to fourth aspects. The module may be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In an optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device, or a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module). And transceiver unit (sometimes also called transceiver module). The transceiver unit can realize the sending function and the receiving function. When the transceiver unit realizes the sending function, it can be called a sending unit (sometimes also called a sending module), and when the transceiver unit realizes the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is called a transceiver unit, and the functional module can realize the sending function and the receiving function; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a general term for these functional modules.

In an optional implementation, the communication device includes a processor; the processor is used to read and run a program from a memory to implement a method as described in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to implement a method as described in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect, or to implement a method as described in the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect, or to implement a method as described in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, or to implement a method as described in the fifth aspect and any possible implementation of the fifth aspect, or to implement a method as described in the sixth aspect and any possible implementation of the sixth aspect.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising a first access network device and a management device, wherein the first access network device can execute the method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the method of the fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, and the management device can execute the method of the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect, or the method of the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect.

In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a method of the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a method of the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect, or a method of the fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, or a method of the fifth aspect and any possible implementation of the fifth aspect, or a method of the sixth aspect and any possible implementation of the sixth aspect.

In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which instructions are stored, which, when executed on a computer, causes a processor to execute a method according to the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a method according to the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a method according to the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect, or a method according to the fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, or a method according to the fifth aspect and any possible implementation of the fifth aspect, or a method according to the sixth aspect and any possible implementation of the sixth aspect.

In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instructions so that the method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect is executed, or the method of the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect is executed, or the method of the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect is executed, or the method of the fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the fourth aspect is executed, or the method of the fifth aspect and any possible implementation of the fifth aspect is executed, or the method of the sixth aspect and any possible implementation of the sixth aspect is executed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1( a ) is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system applicable to the present application;

FIG1( b ) is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a satellite communication system applicable to the present application;

FIG1( c ) is a schematic diagram of a satellite base station performing beam scanning applicable to the present application;

FIG2( a) is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by the present application;

FIG2( b ) is a schematic diagram of a target area of a satellite base station provided by the present application;

FIG2( c ) is a schematic diagram of a method for determining a target area provided by the present application;

FIG2( d ) is a schematic diagram of another method for determining a target area provided by the present application;

FIG2( e) is a schematic diagram of a method for performing beam scanning by a satellite base station provided by the present application;

FIG2( f) is a schematic diagram of another method for performing beam scanning by a satellite base station provided by the present application;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided by the present application;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiment of the present application clearer, the embodiment of the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) network, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) network, LTE time division duplex (TDD) network, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication network or new radio (NR) network, non-terrestrial network (NTN) or applied to future communication network or other similar communication network. Among them, in the present application, the network can also be referred to as a system. The network architecture and business scenarios described in the present application are for the purpose of more clearly explaining the technical solution of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided in the present application. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided in the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

FIG1(a) is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in FIG1(a), the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) and a core network (CN). The RAN includes at least one RAN node and at least one user device. The RAN may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and/or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in FIG1(a)). The user device is connected to the RAN node wirelessly. The RAN node is connected to the core network wirelessly or by wire. The core network device in the core network and the RAN node in the RAN may be different physical devices, or may be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions.

RAN can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). RAN can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

RAN nodes, sometimes also called access network equipment, RAN entities or access nodes, etc., constitute part of the communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes in a communication system can be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. RAN nodes and user equipment are sometimes referred to as communication devices.

In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, a satellite base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, a RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device. For example, an access network device in a vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU).

In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist user equipment in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU).

In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application takes CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

User equipment (UE) can also be called terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, user device, target terminal. The terminal can be a passive IoT terminal or a tag. The terminal can be a passive device, which can be a passive tag. The passive tag can collect energy through backscattering technology to send and receive messages. Passive tags include but are not limited to radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth, Zigbee and other non-powered terminal tags. The terminal can also be a semi-passive device or an active device. The active device may be a device with wireless transceiver function, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP), a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, ... Initiation protocol, SIP) phones, wireless local loop (wireless local loop, WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (personal digital assistants, PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, terminals in 5G mobile communication systems or terminals in future evolution networks, etc.

Among them, wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for the intelligent design and development of wearable devices for daily wear using wearable technology, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also realize powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include full-featured, large-sized, and independent of smartphones to achieve complete or partial functions, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

The above-mentioned functional network element can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The above-mentioned functional network element can be divided into one or more services, and further, there may be services that exist independently of the network function. In this application, an instance of the above-mentioned functional network element, or an instance of a service included in the above-mentioned functional network element, or an instance of a service that exists independently of the network function can be referred to as a service instance. For ease of description, the RAN node in this application is described as an access network device.

FIG1(b) shows an example diagram of the architecture of a satellite communication system. The space segment may include one or more satellite base stations, and the satellite base stations may refer to the description of the RAN node in FIG1(a) and will not be described in detail. Satellite base stations may communicate with each other via intersatellite links. The satellite communication system also includes terminal devices, and these one or more terminal devices are devices in the application segment. That is, the device in the application segment is a device that uses a satellite communication system to achieve communication. The terminal device may communicate with a satellite base station, and the terminal device may refer to the description of the user device in FIG1(a). Similarly, the satellite base station may send a beam to the terminal device like a traditional base station device, and the terminal device may establish a link with satellite communication via a beam. In addition, the satellite communication system also includes devices or equipment in the ground segment, for example, it may include at least one of a measurement and control device, an operation and maintenance device, or a network management device, and the above devices or equipment may be collectively referred to as a management device. The link between the measurement and control device and the satellite base station is a measurement and control link, and the link between the operation and maintenance device and/or the gateway device and the satellite base station may be a feeder link, which is not limited in this application. The measurement and control device may be a device used by a third party to manage a satellite base station. The operation and maintenance equipment and/or network management equipment can be a third-party device for managing satellite base stations, or a device of an operator for managing satellite base stations. The management equipment can interact with the satellite base station to manage the satellite base station. The management equipment can be a device located on the ground, or other devices located near the ground, such as a device in a water area, and the location of the management equipment is not limited. For example, the management equipment can be a certain distance from the ground, but the distance is much smaller than the distance between the satellite base station and the ground.

When the access network device provides communication services to the user equipment, it can use multiple beams emitted by the access network device to achieve coverage of communication signals. The coverage area of the satellite base station in the NTN communication system is very wide. For example, but not limited to, a satellite base station can cover an area of more than hundreds of thousands of square kilometers on the earth. In order to provide services to the coverage area, the satellite base station can perform beam scanning in all coverage areas of the satellite base station. Since the area covered by each beam is limited, the number of beams that the satellite base station needs to scan will be relatively large. As shown in the example diagram given in Figure 1(c), area 2 corresponds to one beam, and any area such as area a can also correspond to one beam, so that an area of more than 100,000 square kilometers corresponds to a lot of beams. However, not all areas on the earth need communication, so the satellite base station does not need to perform beam scanning for some areas that do not have communication needs, otherwise it will result in a waste of energy for the satellite base station.

Therefore, the present application introduces a communication method for solving the above problems.

Figure 2(a) is a communication method provided by the present application. The method may include the following steps:

Step 201: A first access network device obtains information of a first area.

The first access network device may be the RAN node in FIG. 1( a ), such as a satellite base station.

The first area is a partial area in the coverage area of the first access network device. Exemplarily, the coverage area can be understood as all areas that the first access network device can cover, that is, the full coverage area, or it can be understood as a partial area that the first access network device can cover, which is not limited in this application.

The first area may be used to determine a target area to be scanned by the first access network device subsequently.

Step 202: The first access network device determines a target area according to the information of the first area.

The target area is within the coverage area, that is, the target area may be a partial area or the entire area within the coverage area of the first access network device.

In combination with step 201 and step 202, the method shown in the figure may include the following different implementations. The target area may be the same as the first area, or may be different from the first area. Specifically, the following situations may be included:

In a possible implementation, the first area is the same as the target area. For example, if the first access network device obtains the first area from the management device, then the first area is the final target area. In other words, the first access network device uses the area notified by the management device as Final target area.

The first area may include at least one of the following: an airplane route, a ship route, a travel route, an exploration route, a scientific research route, a predicted inhabited area, a configured service area, etc., without limitation. As shown in FIG2(b), taking the first area as an exploration route as an example, the target area is the exploration route, and the first access network device provides communication services for the area in the exploration route, which is the area covered from area 1 to area k in the figure, and a and k in the figure are both positive integers greater than 1, so that beam scanning can be performed on the area covered by the exploration route to ensure the communication of the exploration users.

In a possible implementation, the first area is different from the target area. Then the possible implementation can also be divided into the following different situations:

In the first case, as shown in FIG2(c), the target area is an area in the second area that does not include the first area, wherein the second area is an area in the coverage area. The large ellipse in FIG2(c) can represent the full coverage area, and the four small ellipses therein can represent the second area. It can be understood that the second area is a historical target area, or in other words, this step is to redetermine a new target area for the previously covered second area based on the first area, and the newly determined target area includes part of the second area but does not include the first area. The description of the second area is applicable to the description of other situations of the present application and will not be repeated here. The first area may include at least one of the following: a service area of a second access network device, a predicted unmanned area, and a configured non-service area. Among them, the second access network device may be a near-ground access network device, such as a near-ground base station; or, the second access network device is other satellite base stations; or, the second access network device is other devices that can provide access network communications, without limitation.

For example, when the first area is the service area of the second access network device, the target area is an area that does not include the service area of the second access network device. That is to say, the area where the access network device already provides communication services may not be in the area of the beam scanning of the first access network device, so that the energy consumed by the beam scanning of the first access network device can be reduced, and the purpose of energy saving can be achieved. Or when the first area includes a predicted unmanned area, then for this part of the unmanned area, the probability of the existence of user equipment with communication needs is very low, then the first access network device does not need to perform beam scanning on the unmanned area, and the energy consumed by scanning the beam of the unmanned area can also be saved, and the effect of energy saving can also be achieved. Similarly, if the first area is a configured non-service area, for example, the non-service area is an area with high privacy requirements, then the first access network device may no longer scan the non-service area, thereby achieving the effect of energy saving. It should be understood that the non-service area can be a designated area that does not require the first access network device to perform beam scanning.

For example, the first area has no intersection with the second area, and the target area is equal to the second area. It can also be understood that the first access network device can check and ensure that its target area does not include any location in the first area according to this step. For example, the first area can be Province A, and the second area can be any area other than Province A, then the target area is Province A.

For example, as shown in Figure 2(c), the first area has an intersection with the second area. The first area can be a subset of the second area, or a true subset of the second area whose intersection with the second area is the second area, or a true subset of the second area, and this application does not limit this. The first area in Figure 2(c) is a part of the second area, that is, the first area is a true subset of the second area. The target area is equal to the area in the second area minus the intersection of the second area and the first area. It can also be understood that the first access network device may no longer provide services to any user in the first area. For example, the first area is Province A, and the second area is Province A plus Province B, then the target area is Province B.

In the second case, as shown in Figure 2(d), the target area is the union of the first area and the second area. The second area can refer to the description in the first case and will not be repeated here. Figure 2(d) is similar to Figure 2(c) regarding the scope of the second area. The first area may be an area with communication needs. The first area may include at least one of the following: airplane routes, ship routes, travel routes, adventure routes, scientific research routes, predicted inhabited areas, and configured service areas. It can be understood that the target area is a range that can further cover the first area on the basis of the second area. In other words, for areas with communication needs, adjustments can be made based on the scope of the historical target area of the first access network device, and target areas can be added as needed to ensure communication in known areas with communication needs, thereby improving the flexibility of the communication system and reducing the energy waste caused by blind beam scanning.

This application does not limit whether the first area and the second area have an intersection. For example, the first area and the second area may not have an intersection, such as the first area is Province A and the second area is Province B, then the target area is Province A and Province B. The first area and the second area may have an intersection, such as the first area is Province A plus Province C, and the second area is Province B plus Province C, then the target area is Province A, Province B, and Province C.

Regardless of the above situation, the first access network device can adjust the target area according to the first area, and then execute step 203.

Regarding how the first access network device obtains the first area, the present application may include the following possible implementations:

In one possible implementation, the first access network device can obtain information about the first area by prediction. For example, the first access network device can predict the first area through historical scanning information. Exemplarily, the first access network device can dynamically scan the coverage area within a historical time period, and sense which areas are inhabited areas and which areas are uninhabited areas, thereby predicting the first area at the current or future time. That is to say, if the target area is the second case mentioned above, then the first area can be an inhabited area; if the target area is the first case mentioned above, then it can also be an uninhabited area. Among them, the prediction method can also be called a learning method, a self-learning method, a perception method, etc., which is not limited in this application.

In this application, an inhabited area can be understood as an area where user equipment exists in a certain period of time at present or in history, and can also be understood as an area where user equipment may exist at any time in the future. An uninhabited area and an inhabited area have opposite definitions and will not be repeated here.

In a possible implementation, the first access network device may receive information about the first area from the management device. Specifically, for example, the first access network device receives an instruction from the management device, the instruction including information about the first area, so that the first access network device acquires the first area. Specifically, the management device may refer to the description of the management device in FIG. 1(b).

The first access network device may also obtain the first area in other ways without limitation.

Step 203: The first access network device performs beam scanning on the target area.

Optionally, the first access network device may periodically perform beam scanning on the target area. The period value may be agreed upon by the protocol, may be preset, or may be configured by the management device, without limitation. Alternatively, the first access network device may non-periodically perform beam scanning on the target area, for example, the time for the first access network device to perform beam scanning may be agreed upon, or the time for the first access network device to perform beam scanning may be configured by the management device.

It should be understood that the target area is the location range covered by the beam that the first access network device should scan. The beam scanning in this step can also be called scanning beam, and beam scanning can also be understood as broadcast beam, which is intended to express that the beam is dynamically emitted by the first access network device and emitted in different directions.

For example, the beam scanning can be implemented in a time division manner. Specifically, the target area can be divided into one or more sub-areas, and the first access network device sends beams to different sub-areas in the target area in turn in a time division multiplexing manner. The number of beams is equal to the number of sub-areas. Each beam can correspond to a synchronization signal block (SSB). Each synchronization signal block can correspond to a synchronization signal block index.

In a possible implementation, the first area in step 201 can also be understood as the first group of beams, the first group of synchronization signal blocks, or the first group of synchronization signal block indexes, which is not limited in the present application. That is, the information of the area acquired by the first access network device is the information of the beams or the information of the signal blocks. For example, if the first area is a group of synchronization signal block indexes, then the first access network device can determine a group of beams based on the group of synchronization signal block indexes, then the group of beams is the first group of beams, and the area covered by the first group of beams is the first area. Regardless of the form, any information that can infer the scope of the first area can represent the first area. When the first access network device acquires the first area, it can be implemented as acquiring the first group of synchronization signal blocks for the first access network device, or the first access network device acquires the first group of synchronization signal block indexes.

Alternatively, in another possible implementation, the first access network device can obtain ephemeris information, and determine the direction of the beam based on the ephemeris information and the information of the target area in step 202, wherein the information of the target area is the coordinate information of the target area, and the ephemeris information can be the coordinate information of the first access network device. The first access network device then obtains the direction of the beam based on the ephemeris information and the information of the target area, and performs beam scanning.

The user equipment may report a measurement report in the scanned beam, wherein the measurement report may include a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement value, and the access network device selects an optimal beam for the user equipment based on the RSRP measurement value, and provides communication services to the user equipment through the optimal beam.

In addition, it can be understood that when the first access network device is a satellite base station, the communication system where the first access network device is located may include more than one satellite base station, then the first access network device in this embodiment may be one or more, further, among the multiple satellite base stations, in addition to the satellite base station executing this embodiment, there may also be one or more satellite base stations used to perform a comprehensive scan of the area that each can cover, then the satellite base station performing the comprehensive scan can also execute the emergency communication method to ensure communication in a specific scenario.

Through the method provided in the present application, the first access network device can adaptively adjust the scope of the target area according to demand, which can not only flexibly provide communication services to user equipment, but also reduce the probability of scanning the full coverage area, thereby further achieving energy saving.

In order to improve the robustness of the method of the present application and better reflect the wide coverage of satellite communication services in emergency situations, the first access network device can be set to perform beam scanning on a larger coverage area in addition to beam scanning on the target area, so as to In order to achieve this goal, the following method 1 or method 2 can be used to implement beam scanning.

Method 1: The first access network device performs beam scanning on the target area within the first time period according to the first cycle. And, the first access network device performs beam scanning on the coverage area of the first access network within the second time period according to the first cycle, and the first time period or the second time period is a partial time period within the first cycle. For example, the first cycle is the duration of the first access network device around the earth twice, wherein the first time period and the second time period may be a part of the duration, for example, the first time period is the duration of the first circle, and the second time period may be the duration of the second circle. In other words, this step may be performed periodically, and this application is not limited. Within a cycle, the first access network device performs beam scanning on the target area and the coverage area in time division. Among them, the coverage area can also be described as a third area, and the third area can be the full coverage area or partial coverage area of the first access network device, and the range of the third area is greater than or equal to the range of the target area.

Taking Figure 2(e) as an example, beam scanning is performed on the target area in the previous step in the first time period, and beam scanning is performed on the full coverage area of the first access network device in the second time period, and the actions of subsequent time periods are performed according to this rule.

Through the above method, the first access network device can sense which areas are unmanned areas and which areas are manned areas during the process of performing beam scanning on the coverage area of the first access network device in the second time period, so as to provide information for the subsequent update of the first area. Alternatively, the first access network device can also sense whether there is a user device that needs to use the communication system outside the target area. For example, when the first access network device performs beam scanning on the coverage area, it can sense whether there is a user device that needs to use the communication service outside the target area, and can provide emergency communication for the user device that needs to use the communication system outside the target area when an emergency such as an earthquake disaster occurs. For example, the duration of the first cycle is four hours, wherein the first time period is the first two hours of every four hours, and the second time period is the last two hours of every four hours. For another example, the duration of the first cycle is four hours, wherein the first time period is the first hour of every four hours, and the second time period is the second hour of every four hours. The state of the last two hours of the four hours is not limited, for example, it can be an idle state, or beam scanning of other areas can also be performed. For example, the target area includes a travel route. In the second time period, the first access network device can implement beam scanning in the full coverage area. During the beam scanning in the full coverage area, it can sense whether a user in the travel route has deviated from the route and is lost, and thus provide communication services for the lost user. Then, through this method, not only can energy saving be achieved by periodically performing beam scanning on the target area, but also backup for emergency communications can be provided by periodically performing beam scanning on the coverage area, thereby improving user experience.

It is understandable that the above period may be configured by the management device for the first access network device, may be determined by the first access network device itself, or may be an initialization setting of the first access network device, and this application does not limit this.

Method 2: The first access network device performs beam scanning on the target area in the third time period, and performs beam scanning on the coverage area of the first access network device in the fourth time period. The fourth time period is different from the third time period. Take Figure 2(f) as an example for description. For example, in the third time period, the first access network device can perform beam scanning on the target area according to the second period. In the fourth time period, the first access network device can perform beam scanning on the full coverage area according to the third period. The second period and the third period can be the same or different, and the present application does not limit it. It can be understood that the second period and the third period are the periods for beam scanning. When the periods of beam scanning are different, the frequencies of beam scanning are different. The values of the above-mentioned periods, the third time period and the fourth time period can be agreed upon by the protocol, pre-configured at the factory, dynamically changed, self-learned, configured by the management device, etc., and the present application does not limit it. The third time period can be understood as the time period for beam scanning the target area, and the fourth time period can be understood as the time period for beam scanning the coverage area of the first access network device. This method can be understood as, after scanning the target area for a period of time, switching to beam scanning the coverage area of the first access network device. Similarly, subsequently, switching back to beam scanning the target area can be performed.

As shown in FIG. 2( f ), the first access network device changes the scanning area in the fourth time period in at least one of the following situations:

In one possible scenario, the first access network device receives a first instruction from a management device, and the first instruction instructs to perform beam scanning on the coverage area of the first access network device. The fourth time period can be understood as a time period for performing coverage area scanning. For example, after a period of time, the first access network device receives a second instruction from the management device, and the second instruction instructs to perform beam scanning on the target area. At this time, the period of time can be understood as the fourth time period.

In another possible situation, the first access network device receives a first instruction from the management device, and the first instruction is used to trigger beam scanning of the coverage area of the first access network device. The first instruction may also indicate a fourth time period, that is, the first instruction informs the first access network device to perform beam scanning of the coverage area in the fourth time period. For example, when the first access network device receives the first instruction, at the start time of the fourth time period, the first access network device changes from a state of beam scanning of the target area to a state of beam scanning of the coverage area. In this case, when the fourth time period ends, the first access network device changes to a state of beam scanning of the target area without waiting for a new instruction. For example, the first instruction may indicate the fourth time period in the following ways, such as including the start time of the fourth time and the duration of the fourth time period in the first instruction, or including the start time and end time of the fourth time period in the first instruction, or including the end time of the fourth time period in the first instruction. It can be understood that if the first instruction only includes the end time of the fourth time period, the first access network device can start beam scanning of the coverage area before the end time arrives.

It can be understood that the occurrence of the first event includes: the first access network device receives notification information of the first event from the management device, or the first access network device determines that the first event has occurred, and then the first access network device performs beam scanning on the coverage area of the first access network device. The first event is one or more of the following: the user equipment in the target area moves out of the target area, there are user equipment with communication needs in areas other than the target area in the coverage area, a disaster occurs in the coverage area, or the second access network device cannot work, and the coverage area includes the service area of the second access network device. At this time, the time period for performing beam scanning on the coverage area of the first access network device can be understood as the fourth time period.

Exemplarily, the first event is an earthquake, and any time period before the earthquake is the third time period. The area where the earthquake occurs is not in the target area, but there are users in the area where the earthquake occurs who have a demand for communication. Then, after the earthquake occurs, the first access network device can receive the situation of the first event from the management device, and then the first access network device performs a beam scan on the area where the earthquake occurs in the fourth time period. It can be understood that the first access network device can perform a beam scan on the area where the earthquake occurs and the target area in step 201, or only on the area where the first event occurs, and this application is not limited. Therefore, through this implementation method, services can be provided for areas outside the scope of the originally determined target area according to different needs, which improves the flexibility of communication and also improves the user experience.

FIG3 is another communication method provided by the present application, which can be performed by a first access network device and a management device. The first access network device can be the RAN node in FIG1(a), and the method can include the following steps:

Step 301: A management device obtains a first area.

In a possible implementation, the management device may obtain the first area from the first access network device. For example, the first access network device may determine the information of the first area by predicting according to historical information, and send the information of the first area to the management device.

In one possible implementation, the management device may determine the first area by itself. For example, the management device may determine the first area based on information received from the user equipment of the first access network device, or determine the first area based on information received from the user equipment of the core network device. Specifically, for example, the first access network device obtains information about the user equipment through the results of historical beam scanning, and then the management device receives information about the user equipment from the first access network device, and determines the first area based on the information about the user equipment, and the first area includes the contract location of the user equipment, or includes the historical location of the user equipment, or includes the current location of the user equipment. For another example, the core network device may send location information to the management device, and the location information is the area information of the location of one or more user equipment, where the location information may be the location information of the contracted user equipment, and then the management device determines the first area based on the location information of the user equipment. This application is not limited.

In a possible implementation, the management device may obtain information of the first area input from a user operation interface of the management device. For example, the information of the first area may be input or configured by an operation and maintenance personnel, without limitation.

The first area can refer to the description of the first area in Figure 2(a), which will not be repeated here.

Step 302: The management device determines a target area according to the first area.

The actions of the management device in step 302 may refer to the description of the method for determining the target area of the first access network device in step 202 in FIG. 2( a ) and will not be described in detail.

Step 303: The management device sends the information of the target area to the first access network device.

Specifically, the management device may send the information of the target area via a link between the management device and the first access network device. For example, the link may be a measurement and control link, a feeder link, or other types of links, which are not limited in the present application.

The target area can refer to the description of the target area in FIG. 2( a ), which will not be described in detail.

Step 304: The first access network device performs beam scanning on the target area.

For this step, reference may be made to the description of step 203 in FIG. 2( a ).

It can be understood that the main difference between the method shown in this embodiment and the method shown in FIG2(a) is that the subject of determining the target area is the management device. That is, in the method shown in this embodiment, the management device can inform the first access network device of the determined target area, and the first access network device can directly perform beam scanning on the target area, saving the power consumed by the first access network device to determine the target area, which can not only save the computing power of the first access network, but also further achieve energy saving of the first access network device.

It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above method, the access network device, the module of the access network device, the management device, etc. include hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easy for those skilled in the art to realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the present disclosure, the present disclosure can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. It is executed by computer software driving hardware, which depends on the specific application scenarios and design constraints of the technical solution.

Figures 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided by the present disclosure. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the access network device, the module of the access network device (such as DU, RU, etc.) and the management device in the above method, so as to achieve the beneficial effects of the above method.

Based on the method embodiments of FIG. 2( a ) and FIG. 3 above, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

The communication device includes a processing module 401, a receiving module 402 and a sending module 403. The processing module 401 is used to implement the processing of data by the communication device. The receiving module 402 is used to receive the content of the communication device and other units or network elements, and the sending module 403 is used to receive the content of the communication device and other units or network elements. It should be understood that the processing module 401 in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component (or, referred to as a processing circuit), and the receiving module 402 can be implemented by a receiver or a receiver-related circuit component. The sending module 403 can be implemented by a transmitter or a transmitter-related circuit component.

Exemplarily, the communication device may be a communication device, or may be a chip used in the communication device, or other combined devices, components, etc. having the functions of the above communication device.

When the communication device is used to implement the function of the first access network device, the processing module 401 or the receiving module 402 is used to obtain a first area (for example, step 201 in Figure 2(a)). The first area is a partial area within the coverage area of the first access network device; the processing module 401 is used to determine a target area based on the first area, and the target area is within the coverage area (for example, step 202 in Figure 2(a)); and beam scan the target area (for example, step 203 in Figure 2(a) and step 304 in Figure 3).

In addition, the above modules can also be used to support other processes of the technology described in this article. The beneficial effects can be referred to the previous description, which will not be repeated here.

When the communication device is used to implement the function of the management device, the processing module 401 or the receiving module 402 is used to obtain a first area (for example, step 301 in Figure 3), which is a partial area in the coverage area of the first access network device; the processing module 401 is used to determine a target area based on the first area (for example, step 302 in Figure 3), and the target area is in the coverage area; the sending module 403 is used to send information of the target area (for example, step 303 in Figure 3), and the target area is the area for beam scanning.

Based on the method embodiments of FIG. 2 (a) and FIG. 3 , FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application, the communication device comprising: a processor 501, a communication interface 502, and a memory 503. The processor 501, the communication interface 502, and the memory 503 may be interconnected via a bus 504; the bus 504 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus 504 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, FIG. 5 is represented by only one line, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The processor 501 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and a NP. The processor may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL) or any combination thereof. The memory 503 may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache.

The processor 501 is used to implement data processing operations of the communication device, and the communication interface 502 is used to implement receiving operations and sending operations of the communication device.

Exemplarily, the communication device may be any one of the first access network devices in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 .

When the communication device is used to implement the function of the first access network device, the processor 501 or the communication interface 502 is used to obtain a first area (for example, step 201 in Figure 2(a)). The first area is a partial area within the coverage area of the first access network device; the processor 501 is used to determine a target area based on the first area, and the target area is within the coverage area (for example, step 202 in Figure 2(a)); and beam scan the target area (for example, step 203 in Figure 2(a) and step 304 in Figure 3).

Exemplarily, the communication device may be any management device in FIG. 2( a ) or FIG. 3 .

When the communication device is used to implement the function of the management device, the processor 501 or the communication interface 502 is used to obtain a first area (for example, step 301 in Figure 3), which is a partial area in the coverage area of the first access network device; the processor 501 is used to determine a target area based on the first area (for example, step 302 in Figure 3), and the target area is in the coverage area; the communication interface 502 is used to send information of the target area (for example, step 303 in Figure 3), and the target area is the area for beam scanning.

An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned apparatus for implementing the method of a management device and an apparatus for implementing the method of a first access network device, wherein the management device executes the method executed by the management device in any one of the embodiments shown in Figure 2(a) or Figure 3, and the first access network device executes the method executed by the first access network device in any one of the embodiments shown in Figure 2(a) or Figure 3.

An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the process related to the management device in any of the embodiments shown in Figure 2(a) or Figure 3 provided in the above method embodiment, or the computer can implement the process related to the first access network device in any of the embodiments shown in Figure 2(a) or Figure 3 provided in the above method embodiment.

An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which is used to store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the process related to the management device in any of the embodiments shown in Figure 2(a) or Figure 3 provided in the above method embodiment, or the computer can implement the process related to the first access network device in any of the embodiments shown in Figure 2(a) or Figure 3 provided in the above method embodiment.

The present application also provides a chip, including a processor. The processor is used to read and run a computer program stored in a memory to execute the corresponding operations and/or processes of the management device or the first access network device in the method provided by the present application. Optionally, the chip also includes a memory, the memory is connected to the processor through a circuit or wire, and the processor is used to read and execute the computer program in the memory. Further optionally, the chip also includes a communication interface, and the processor is connected to the communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive processed data and/or information, and the processor obtains the data and/or information from the communication interface and processes the data and/or information. The communication interface can be an input/output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or a related circuit on the chip. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

The above-mentioned chip can also be replaced by a chip system, which will not be described here.

The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.

In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And/or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and/or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following (items)" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items (items) or plural items (items). For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

The system architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems. In the embodiments of the present application, the method provided is applied to an NR system or a 5G network as an example for explanation.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual conditions to achieve the purpose of the solution of this 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.

If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk, and other media that can store program codes.

In addition, the terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as defined by the appended claims, and are deemed to have covered any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises:

Acquire information of a first area, where the first area is a partial area in a coverage area of a first access network device;

Determine a target area according to the first area, wherein the target area is within the coverage area;

The target area is scanned by beam.
The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that the target area is an area in the second area that does not include the first area, and the second area is an area in the coverage area.
The method according to claim 2 is characterized in that the first area includes at least one of the following: a service area of the second access network device, a predicted unmanned area, and a configured non-service area.
The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that the target area is a union of the first area and a second area, and the second area is an area in the coverage area.
The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the first area includes at least one of the following:

Airplane routes, ship routes, travel routes, adventure routes, scientific research routes, predicted inhabited areas, and configured service areas.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that obtaining the first area comprises:

The information of the first area is received.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the beam scanning of the target area comprises:

Performing beam scanning on the target area within a first time period according to a first cycle;

The method further comprises:

The beam scanning is performed on the coverage area within a second time period according to the first cycle, and the first time period or the second time period is a partial time period within the first cycle.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the beam scanning of the target area comprises:

Performing beam scanning on the target area within a third time period;

The method further comprises:

The coverage area is beam scanned in a fourth time period.
The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the beam scanning of the coverage area in the fourth time period comprises:

When the first instruction is received or when the first event occurs, beam scanning is performed on the coverage area in a fourth time period.
The method according to claim 9 is characterized in that the first event is one or more of the following: a user device in the target area moves out of the target area, there are user devices with communication needs in areas other than the target area in the coverage area, a disaster occurs in the coverage area, or a second access network device fails to work, and the coverage area includes a service area of the second access network device.
A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises:

Acquire a first area, where the first area is a partial area in a coverage area of a first access network device;

Information of the first area is sent, where the first area is used to determine a target area, where the target area is in the coverage area, and where the target area is an area for beam scanning.
A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises:

Acquire information of a first area, where the first area is a partial area in a coverage area of a first access network device;

Determine a target area according to the first area, wherein the target area is within the coverage area;

The information of the target area is sent, where the target area is an area for beam scanning.
The method according to claim 12 is characterized in that the target area is an area in the second area that does not include the first area, and the second area is an area in the coverage area.
The method according to claim 13 is characterized in that the first area includes at least one of the following: a service area of the second access network device, a predicted unmanned area, and a configured non-service area.
The method according to claim 12 is characterized in that the target area is a union of the first area and the second area, and the second area is an area in the coverage area.
The method according to claim 15, characterized in that the first area includes at least one of the following:

Airplane routes, ship routes, travel routes, adventure routes, scientific research routes, predicted inhabited areas, and configured service areas.
The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that the first area is configured by a user.
The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that the target area is an area for beam scanning, comprising:

Configuring the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the target area within a first time period according to a first period;

The method further comprises:

The first access network device is configured to perform beam scanning on the coverage area within a second time period according to the first cycle, and the first time period or the second time period is a partial time period within the first cycle.
The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that the target area is an area for beam scanning, comprising:

instructing the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the target area within a third time period;

The method further comprises:

Instruct the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area in a fourth time period, the third time period and the fourth time period are different.
The method according to claim 19, wherein the instructing the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area in a fourth time period comprises:

Sending a first instruction to the first access network device, where the first instruction is used to instruct the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area;

Or instruct the first access network device to perform beam scanning on the coverage area in the fourth time period when the first event occurs.
The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the first event is one or more of the following: The user equipment moves out of the target area, there are user equipments with communication needs in the coverage area other than the target area, a disaster occurs in the coverage area, or the second access network equipment cannot work, and the coverage area includes the service area of the second access network equipment.
The method according to claim 20 or 21 is characterized in that the method further comprises: sending the first event.
A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises:

Receive information of a target area, where the target area is an area for beam scanning, where the target area is an area in the second area that does not include the first area, or where the target area is a union of the first area and the second area, where the second area is an area in the coverage area;

The target area is beam scanned.
A communication device, characterized by comprising a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or comprising a unit for executing the method according to claim 23.
A communication device, characterized in that it includes a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory are coupled, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method as described in claim 23.
A communication device, characterized by comprising a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 12 to 22, or comprising a unit for executing the method according to claim 11.
A communication device, characterized in that it includes a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory are coupled, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 22, or the method as described in claim 11.
A communication system, comprising the communication device according to claim 24 or 25, and the communication device according to claim 26 or 27.
A computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, a processor is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.
A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.