A method, apparatus, and device for transmitting and receiving reference signals

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and device for reference signal transmission and reception, which are used to provide a mechanism for reference signal transmission or reception. A first network device determines at least one frequency-domain reference point according to a first frequency band. The first network device generates a reference signal according to the at least one frequency-domain reference point and transmits the reference signal on the first frequency band. Since the frequency-domain reference point is determined according to the frequency band, both the first network device transmitting the reference signal and the second network device receiving the reference signal can determine the frequency-domain reference point according to the frequency band. Then, the two network devices can determine the same reference signal at the same frequency-domain position, so that the reference signal transmitted by the first network device can be correctly detected by the second network device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and device for transmitting and receiving reference signals. Background Art

[0002] In a wireless communication system, such as a new radio (NR) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, or an evolved LTE (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A) system, if the system uses a time division duplex (TDD) duplex mode, cross-link interference (CLI) may occur between base stations. The so-called cross-link interference between base stations mainly refers to the fact that a downlink (DL) signal transmitted by one base station interferes with an uplink (UL) signal of another base station. The uplink signal is, for example, a signal transmitted by a user equipment (UE) to the base station. For example, when the first base station transmits a downlink signal and the second base station is receiving an uplink signal, the downlink signal transmitted by the first base station generally has a relatively high power and may be received by the second base station, thus interfering with the second base station's reception of the uplink signal.

[0003] CLI between base stations usually occurs when the transmission directions of two TDD cells operating on the same frequency are different. Therefore, if the TDD cells maintain the same transmission direction, CLI usually does not occur. However, there are also exceptional cases. For example, for two base stations that are far apart geographically, even if their transmission directions are the same, that is, these two base stations simultaneously receive uplink signals and simultaneously transmit downlink signals, due to the significant time delay that occurs when the downlink signal transmitted by one base station reaches the other base station, and it is possible that the other base station has switched to the uplink reception direction, in this case, CLI will also occur between these two base stations. To solve this problem, it is possible to consider performing measurements between base stations to identify interfering base stations, but there is currently no standardized mechanism for measuring between base stations. Moreover, even if it is currently possible to perform measurements between base stations using the method of measuring between a base station and a terminal device, in the prior art, the common reference point for determining the reference signal in the frequency domain is independently configured for each base station, and different base stations may configure different common reference points. Therefore, two base stations will determine different reference signals at the same frequency domain position, resulting in the reference signal transmitted by one base station not being detectable by the other base station, and subsequent tasks such as signal detection or channel measurement cannot be completed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An embodiment of the present application provides a method, apparatus, and device for transmitting and receiving reference signals, providing a mechanism for transmitting or receiving reference signals.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for transmitting a reference signal is provided. The method includes: determining at least one frequency-domain reference point according to a first frequency band; generating a reference signal according to the at least one frequency-domain reference point; and transmitting the reference signal on the first frequency band.

[0006] This method can be executed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a network device or a communication device capable of supporting the functions required for the network device to implement this method. Of course, it can also be other communication devices, such as a chip system.

[0007] In a second aspect, a method for receiving a reference signal is provided. The method includes: determining a second frequency band for receiving the reference signal; receiving part or all of the reference signal on the second frequency band, where the reference signal is generated according to at least one frequency-domain reference point, and the at least one frequency-domain reference point is determined according to the second frequency band.

[0008] This method can be executed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a network device or a communication device capable of supporting the functions required for the network device to implement this method. Of course, it can also be other communication devices, such as a chip system.

[0009] Among them, the first frequency band can be the operating frequency band of the first communication device, or a pre-configured or protocol-predefined frequency band for transmitting reference signals. The second frequency band can be the operating frequency band of the second communication device, or a pre-configured or protocol-predefined frequency band for receiving reference signals. Among them, the operating frequency band can also be called the carrier frequency band. The first frequency band and the second frequency band can be the same frequency band, or the first frequency band and the second frequency band may not completely overlap, but there is an intersection.

[0010] In the embodiment of the present application, since the frequency-domain reference point is determined according to the frequency band, both the first communication device that transmits the reference signal and the second communication device that receives the reference signal can determine the frequency-domain reference point according to the frequency band. The frequency-domain reference points determined by the two are the same. Then, the first communication device and the second communication device can determine the same reference signal at the same frequency-domain position, so that the reference signal transmitted by the first communication device can be correctly detected by the second communication device. It can be seen that through the new reference signal transmission or reception mechanism provided by the embodiment of the present application, the reference signal transmitted by the first communication device can be detected by the second communication device, realizing the correct transmission of the reference signal between the two communication devices.

[0011] In a possible design, determining at least one frequency-domain reference point according to a first frequency band includes: determining the at least one frequency-domain reference point according to a frequency range where the first frequency band is located, where the frequency range is an interval obtained by dividing frequencies according to a predefined rule, and the at least one frequency-domain reference point is predefined or configured for the frequency range. Correspondingly, the at least one frequency-domain reference point is determined according to a frequency range where the second frequency band is located, where the frequency range is an interval obtained by dividing frequencies according to a predefined rule, and the at least one frequency-domain reference point is predefined or configured for the frequency range.

[0012] Frequencies can be divided in advance according to a predefined rule to obtain at least one frequency range, and one or more frequency-domain reference points can be predefined for each of the at least one frequency range. Then, after determining the frequency range to which the first frequency band belongs, it can be determined that the at least one frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the first frequency band is the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency range to which the first frequency band belongs. The same applies to the second frequency band. In this way, the frequency-domain reference points can be directly predefined, which is relatively simple to implement for the device. Moreover, since the frequency ranges are divided by a predefined method and the frequency-domain reference points are predefined, the determined frequency-domain reference points will be the same for the device sending the reference signal and the device receiving the reference signal. Therefore, the two devices will generate the same reference signal at the same frequency-domain position.

[0013] In a possible design, the reference signal is determined according to one frequency-domain reference point, and the frequency of the one frequency-domain reference point is the lowest frequency of the frequency range or a frequency less than the lowest frequency of the frequency range.

[0014] For example, if the first frequency band belongs to a frequency range and one frequency-domain reference point is predefined for the frequency range, then the reference signal can be determined according to the one frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency range. In the embodiments of the present application, the frequency of the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency range can be the lowest frequency of the frequency range, or can also be less than the lowest frequency of the frequency range. This method is simple and intuitive, and can ensure that the network devices can correctly determine the reference signal for the communication system deployed within the frequency band as much as possible.

[0015] In a possible design, the first frequency band is located in N frequency intervals, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the at least one frequency-domain reference point is one frequency-domain reference point, and the one frequency-domain reference point is the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency interval where the lowest frequency of the first frequency band is located among the N frequency intervals. Correspondingly, the second frequency band is located in N frequency intervals, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the at least one frequency-domain reference point is one frequency-domain reference point, and the one frequency-domain reference point is the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency interval where the lowest frequency of the second frequency band is located among the N frequency intervals.

[0016] If the first frequency band is located in at least two frequency intervals, then one of the frequency intervals can be selected to determine the frequency-domain reference point. In order to ensure that the network device can correctly determine the reference signal for the communication system deployed within this frequency band as much as possible, the frequency interval where the lowest frequency of the first frequency band is located among the N frequency intervals can be selected. Then, the reference signal can be determined according to the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to this frequency interval. The same applies to the second frequency band. For example, the frequency of the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to this frequency interval is the lowest frequency of this frequency interval, or a frequency less than the lowest frequency of this frequency interval.

[0017] In a possible design, the first frequency band is located in N frequency intervals, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the at least one frequency-domain reference point is N frequency-domain reference points, and the N frequency-domain reference points include the frequency-domain reference points corresponding to each of the N frequency intervals. Correspondingly, the second frequency band is located in N frequency intervals, where N is greater than or equal to 2, the at least one frequency-domain reference point is N frequency-domain reference points, and the N frequency-domain reference points include the frequency-domain reference points corresponding to each of the N frequency intervals.

[0018] If the first frequency band is located in at least two frequency intervals, then the corresponding parts of the reference signal can also be determined according to each of the frequency intervals respectively. That is, the finally obtained reference signal is determined according to the frequency-domain reference points corresponding to the N frequency intervals. If the first frequency band is located in at least two frequency intervals, whether the reference signal is determined according to the N frequency intervals or one of the N frequency intervals can be specified by the protocol, or can also be determined through negotiation between network devices, and there is no specific limit. The same applies to the second frequency band, and the determination methods adopted for the first frequency band and the second frequency band should be consistent.

[0019] In a possible design, determining at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the first frequency band includes: determining the at least one frequency-domain reference point configured for the first frequency band. Correspondingly, the at least one frequency-domain reference point is configured for the second frequency band.

[0020] In this embodiment, the first network device may also directly determine at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the first frequency band. For example, instead of dividing the frequency range, frequency-domain reference points may be predefined for the operating frequency bands of at least one network device. For example, one or more frequency-domain reference points may be predefined for the operating frequency band of each network device among at least one network device. Alternatively, it may not be predefined, but one or more frequency-domain reference points may be configured for the operating frequency band of each network device among at least one network device by means of signaling. When predefining or configuring frequency-domain reference points for the frequency band, it may be considered to configure the same frequency-domain reference points for the operating frequency bands of the network devices participating in the measurement. Then, whether for the first frequency band or the second frequency band, the frequency-domain reference points can be directly determined. In this way, the network devices participating in the measurement can generate the same reference signals at the same frequency-domain position, thus enabling the transmission and reception of reference signals. This method does not require dividing the frequency range or determining the frequency-domain reference points according to the predefined frequency range, which is relatively flexible.

[0021] In a possible design, the reference signal is sent from the first network device to the second network device.

[0022] For example, the reference signal can be used for measurement between two network devices, or it may have other uses.

[0023] In a third aspect, a first type of communication device is provided. This communication device is, for example, the first network device. This communication device has the functions of the first network device in the above method design. These functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions.

[0024] In a possible design, the specific structure of this communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module and the transceiver module may execute the corresponding functions in the method provided in the above first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0025] In a fourth aspect, a first type of communication device is provided. This communication device is, for example, the second network device. This communication device has the functions of the second network device in the above method design. These functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions.

[0026] In a possible design, the specific structure of this communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module and the transceiver module may execute the corresponding functions in the method provided in the above second aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0027] In a fifth aspect, a third communication device is provided. The communication device is, for example, a first network device. The communication device has the functions of the first network device in the above method design. These functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions.

[0028] In a possible design, the specific structure of the communication device may include a processor and a transceiver. The processor and the transceiver can execute the corresponding functions in the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. Among them, the transceiver is implemented as a communication interface, for example, which can be understood as a radio frequency transceiver component in a network device.

[0029] In a sixth aspect, a fourth communication device is provided. The communication device is, for example, a second network device. The communication device has the functions of the second network device in the above method design. These functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions.

[0030] In a possible design, the specific structure of the communication device may include a processor and a transceiver. The processor and the transceiver can execute the corresponding functions in the method provided in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. Among them, the transceiver is implemented as a communication interface, for example, which can be understood as a radio frequency transceiver component in a network device.

[0031] In a seventh aspect, a fifth communication device is provided. The communication device can be the first network device in the above method design or a chip disposed in the first network device. The communication device includes: a memory for storing computer-executable program code; and a processor coupled to the memory. The program code stored in the memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the fifth communication device to execute the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0032] Among them, the fifth communication device may further include a communication interface. If the fifth communication device is the first network device, the communication interface can be the transceiver in the first network device, for example, a radio frequency transceiver component in the first network device, or if the fifth communication device is a chip disposed in the first network device, the communication interface can be the input / output interface of the chip, such as input / output pins, etc.

[0033] In an eighth aspect, a sixth communication device is provided. The communication device may be the second network device in the above method design, or a chip disposed in the second network device. The communication device includes: a memory for storing computer-executable program code; and a processor coupled to the memory. The program code stored in the memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the fifth communication device to execute the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0034] Wherein, the sixth communication device may further include a communication interface. If the sixth communication device is the first network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver in the second network device, such as a radio frequency transceiver component in the second network device, or, if the sixth communication device is a chip disposed in the second network device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface of the chip, such as input / output pins, etc.

[0035] In a ninth aspect, a first communication system is provided. The communication system may include the first communication device described in the third aspect and the second communication device described in the fourth aspect.

[0036] In a tenth aspect, a second communication system is provided. The communication system may include the third communication device described in the fifth aspect and the fourth communication device described in the sixth aspect.

[0037] In an eleventh aspect, a third communication system is provided. The communication system may include the fifth communication device described in the seventh aspect and the sixth communication device described in the eighth aspect.

[0038] In a twelfth aspect, a computer storage medium is provided. Instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0039] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer storage medium is provided. Instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0040] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided. Instructions are stored in the computer program product, and when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0041] In a fifteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect above.

[0042] Through the new reference signal transmission or reception mechanism provided by the embodiments of the present application, the reference signal transmitted by the first communication device can be detected by the second communication device, realizing the correct transmission of the reference signal between the two communication devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of CL1 between two base stations;

[0044] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of CL1 between base stations that are far apart;

[0045] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of generating CSI-RS;

[0046] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a network architecture applied in the embodiments of the present application;

[0047] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method for transmitting and receiving a reference signal provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0048] Figure 6A A schematic diagram of a way of setting a frequency domain reference point assumed in the embodiments of the present application;

[0049] Figure 6B A schematic diagram of a way of setting a frequency domain reference point provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0050] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of generating a reference signal in the case of cross-frequency intervals provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0051] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a first network device transmitting a reference signal and a second network device detecting the reference signal provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0052] Figure 9 Another schematic diagram of a first network device transmitting a reference signal and a second network device detecting the reference signal provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0053] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of a communication device capable of implementing the functions of the first network device provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0054] Figure 11A schematic diagram of a communication device capable of implementing the functions of a second network device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figures 12A to 12B Two schematic diagrams of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0056] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0057] The following explains some terms in the embodiments of the present application to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

[0058] 1) A terminal device, including a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. For example, it may include a handheld device with wireless connection capabilities, or a processing device connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device can communicate with the core network via a radio access network (RAN) and exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. The terminal device may include a user equipment (UE), a wireless terminal device, a mobile terminal device, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, an access point (AP), a remote terminal device, an access terminal device, a user terminal device, a user agent, or a user device, etc. For example, it may include a mobile phone (or a "cellular" phone), a computer with a mobile terminal device, a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-integrated, or vehicle-mounted mobile device, a smart wearable device, etc. For example, a personal communication service (PCS) phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. It also includes restricted devices, such as devices with lower power consumption, or devices with limited storage capacity, or devices with limited computing power, etc. For example, it includes information sensing devices such as barcodes, radio frequency identification (RFID), sensors, global positioning system (GPS), laser scanners, etc.

[0059] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. A wearable device, also known as a wearable intelligent device, is a general term for devices developed by applying wearable technologies to the intelligent design of daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is directly worn on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. A wearable device is not just a hardware device, but also realizes powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable intelligent devices include those with complete functions and large sizes that can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smart watches or smart glasses, etc., and those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to cooperate with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets for physical sign monitoring, smart helmets, and smart jewelry.

[0060] 2) A network device, for example, including a base station (e.g., an access point), may refer to a device in an access network that communicates with a wireless terminal device through one or more cells over the air interface. The network device can be used to mutually convert the received air frames and Internet Protocol (IP) packets, acting as a router between the terminal device and the rest of the access network, where the rest of the access network may include an IP network. The network device can also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the network device may include an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutional Node B) in an LTE system or an LTE-A system, or may also include a next generation node B (gNB) in a fifth generation (5G) NR system, or may also include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) in a Cloud RAN system. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0061] 3) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application may be used interchangeably. "Multiple" means two or more. In view of this, "multiple" in the embodiments of the present application may also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" can be understood as one or more, for example, understood as one, two or more. For example, including at least one means including one, two or more, and it does not limit which ones are included. For example, including at least one of A, B, and C, then what is included can be A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B, and C. Similarly, the understanding of descriptions such as "at least one kind" is similar. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects and indicates that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and back associated objects.

[0062] Unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0063] Some concepts related to the embodiments of the present application are introduced above. Next, the technical features related to the embodiments of the present application are introduced.

[0064] In a wireless communication system, such as an NR system, an LTE system, or an LTE-A system, if the system uses the TDD duplex mode, CLI may occur between base stations. For example, when the first base station sends a downlink signal, the second base station is receiving an uplink signal. The downlink signal sent by the first base station generally has a relatively high power and may be received by the second base station, which will interfere with the second base station's reception of the uplink signal. For example, referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 the first cell and the second cell (which can be considered as the first base station in the first cell and the second base station in the second cell) in work on the same frequency band. In the first cell, the first base station is sending a downlink signal to the terminal device 1, and at the same time, in the second cell, the second base station is receiving an uplink (UL) signal sent by the terminal device 2. The downlink signal sent by the first base station generally has a relatively high power and may also be received by the second base station, which will interfere with the second base station's reception of the uplink signal sent by the terminal device 2. Therefore, the downlink signal of the first cell interferes with the reception of the uplink signal of the second cell.

[0065] CLI between base stations usually occurs when the transmission directions of two TDD cells operating at the same frequency are different. Therefore, if the TDD cells maintain the same transmission direction, CLI usually does not occur. However, there are also exceptions. For example, for two base stations that are far apart geographically, even if their transmission directions are the same, that is, both base stations receive uplink signals and send downlink signals simultaneously, due to their relatively long geographical distance, there is a significant time delay when the downlink signal sent by one base station reaches the other base station. It is possible that the other base station has switched to the uplink receiving direction, and in this case, CLI will also occur between the two base stations. For example, refer to Figure 2 , the transmission directions of Base Station 1 and Base Station 2 were originally the same, but due to the long distance, there is a time delay when the downlink signal sent by Base Station 1 reaches Base Station 2. At this time, Base Station 2 has already started the uplink signal receiving process. At this time, the downlink signal sent by Base Station 1 will still interfere with the reception of the uplink signal of Base Station 2. The cause of this ultra-long-distance interference from a distant base station is usually due to the tropospheric bending phenomenon. Whether it causes interference between base stations, the interference distance, and the time delay are all affected by the geographical location and weather, so there is a great deal of uncertainty. In addition, downlink signals sent by base stations at a distant hillside or at a distant lake or sea surface may also cause ultra-long-distance interference.

[0066] To counter ultra-long-distance interference, measurements between base stations can be considered to identify interfering base stations. However, in the NR system, there is currently no standardized reference signal for channel condition measurement between NR base stations (such as gNBs) (for example, between gNB and gNB), nor is there a standardized measurement process.

[0067] Regarding the channel condition between the gNB and the terminal device, in the downlink direction, the terminal device can measure the downlink channel condition between the gNB and the terminal device through the channel-state information reference signal (CSI-RS). First, briefly introduce the existing frequency-domain generation logic of CSI-RS. Please refer to Figure 3 , the cell indicates a reference point in the frequency domain in the broadcast system message, which can be called the frequency-domain reference point. For example, it is the frequency-domain reference point indicated in Figure 3 . This frequency-domain reference point is public and is valid for all terminal devices served by this cell. CSI-RS can be generated according to a predefined formula and mapped in a certain order (such as from low frequency to high frequency) according to the position of the frequency-domain reference point. Both the terminal device and the base station can determine the CSI-RS carried on each subcarrier. The base station sends CSI-RS at the corresponding position, and the terminal device determines the CSI-RS it receives based on the bandwidth and position of its own received / measured CSI-RS. As Figure 3Among them, the base station sends CSI-RS within the frequency band of the base station. The terminal device 1 determines that the CSI-RS received within the frequency band where the terminal device 1 receives / measures CSI-RS is "6 to 17", and the terminal device 2 determines that the CSI-RS received within the frequency band where the terminal device 2 receives / measures CSI-RS is "10 - 29". Among them, Figure 3 The digital numbers therein can be regarded as the numbers of subcarriers, or the numbers of carriers, or the numbers of elements included in the CSI-RS sequence, etc.

[0068] In addition, the generation of CSI-RS may specifically be related to other factors such as the cell identity identifier (ID) or the time domain position, etc. However, this article only focuses on the influence of the frequency domain reference point, so the content related to other factors will not be introduced in detail. For a specific cell with a fixed cell ID, on a specific orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, what kind of CSI-RS the terminal device will receive is strongly related to the position of the frequency domain reference point.

[0069] Then, first of all, although the prior art can support the measurement between the base station and the terminal device, however, the prior art does not support the measurement between base stations.

[0070] Secondly, assuming that the measurement between base stations can be performed, for example, using a measurement method similar to that of CSI-RS between the base station and the terminal device to perform channel measurement or signal detection between base stations, the measurement method of CSI-RS between the base station and the terminal device in the prior art is also difficult to be applied to the measurement between base stations. Because, the common reference point in the frequency domain in the prior art is independently configured by each base station for the communication between the base station and the terminal devices served by this base station. That is, different base stations may configure different common reference points. Due to the difference in the common reference points, therefore, two base stations will determine different reference signals at the same frequency domain position, resulting in the reference signal sent by one base station not being detectable by the other base station. For example, subsequent work such as signal detection or channel measurement cannot be completed.

[0071] In view of this, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application is provided. In the embodiments of the present application, the first communication device and the second communication device can determine the same reference signal at the same frequency domain position, so that the reference signal sent by the first communication device can be correctly detected by the second communication device. It can be seen that through the new reference signal sending or receiving mechanism provided by the embodiments of the present application, the reference signal sent by the first communication device can be detected by the second communication device, realizing the transmission of the reference signal between the two communication devices.

[0072] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a 5G NR system, or can also be applied to other communication systems, such as an LTE system. As long as there is an entity in the communication system that needs to send a signal and another entity that needs to receive or measure the signal, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0073] The problems existing currently are introduced above, and the communication systems to which the embodiments of the present application may be applied are also introduced. Next, an application scenario of the embodiments of the present application, or a network architecture to which the embodiments of the present application are applied, will be introduced. Please refer to Figure 4 。

[0074] Figure 4 It includes network device 1 and network device 2. Network device 1 serves terminal device 1, and network device 2 serves terminal device 2. Network device 1 and network device 2 may be two network devices that are far apart geographically, and measurements need to be performed between network device 1 and network device 2. In addition, there may be other network devices and other terminal devices, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to measurements between adjacent network devices. Therefore, network device 1 and network device 2 may also be two network devices that are adjacent geographically.

[0075] Figure 4 The network devices in are, for example, access network (AN) devices, such as base stations.

[0076] Next, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application will be introduced with reference to the drawings.

[0077] The embodiments of the present application provide a method for sending and receiving reference signals. Please refer to Figure 5 ,which is a flowchart of this method. In the following introduction process, this method is applied to the network architecture shown in Figure 4 as an example. In addition, this method can be executed by two communication devices. These two communication devices are, for example, a first communication device and a second communication device. Among them, the first communication device may be a network device or a communication device that can support the network device to implement the functions required for this method. Of course, it may also be other communication devices, such as a chip system. The same applies to the second communication device. The second communication device may be a network device or a communication device that can support the network device to implement the functions required for this method. Of course, it may also be other communication devices, such as a chip system. And there are no restrictions on the implementation manners of the first communication device and the second communication device. For example, both the first communication device and the second communication device are network devices, or the first communication device is a network device and the second communication device is a communication device that can support the network device to implement the functions required for this method, and so on. Among them, the network device is, for example, a base station.

[0078] For the sake of easy introduction, in the following text, it is assumed that this method is executed by a network device and a network device, that is, it is assumed that the first communication device is the first network device and the second communication device is the second network device. For example, the first network device is Figure 4 Network Device 1 in the network architecture shown, and the second network device is Figure 4 Network Device 2 in the network architecture shown, or the first network device is Figure 4 Network Device 2 in the network architecture shown, and the second network device is Figure 4 Network Device 1 in the network architecture shown.

[0079] S51. The first network device determines at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the first frequency band.

[0080] The first frequency band is, for example, the operating frequency band of the first network device, or the operating frequency band can also be referred to as the carrier frequency band, or it is a pre-configured or protocol-predefined frequency band for transmitting reference signals, and no specific limitation is made. If the first network device determines to transmit a reference signal in the first frequency band, then the first network device can first determine at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the first frequency band.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network device determines at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the first frequency band. Specifically, it may include that the first network device determines at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the frequency range where the first frequency band is located. Among them, the frequency can be divided in advance according to predefined rules to obtain at least one frequency range, and one or more frequency-domain reference points can be predefined for each frequency range in the at least one frequency range. Then, after determining the frequency range to which the first frequency band belongs, it can also be determined that at least one frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the first frequency band is the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency range to which the first frequency band belongs.

[0082] As an implementation manner of determining the frequency range, a method of dividing the frequency range can be provided by the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), that is, the frequency range can include the frequency bands defined in the 3GPP standard and deployable in the 5G communication system. The frequency band modes defined for the NR system in the 3GPP standard are shown in Table 1:

[0083] Table 1

[0084]

[0085]

[0086] N / A in Table 1 indicates not set. In Table 1, the NR operation bandwidth in the first column represents the serial number, or can be understood as the identifier of the frequency band. For example, for frequency band n1, it corresponds to the uplink bandwidth from 1920 MHz to 1980 MHz and the downlink bandwidth from 2110 MHz to 2170 MHz. The duplex mode that can be adopted by the communication system deployed on frequency band n1 is the FDD mode. Or, for example, taking frequency band n38 as an example, the duplex mode of frequency band n38 is the TDD mode, and the corresponding uplink frequency range is from 2570 MHz to 2620 MHz, and the corresponding downlink frequency range is from 2570 MHz to 2620 MHz. Among them, for the TDD mode, usually the frequency ranges of the uplink and downlink frequency bands are the same, and the duplex of transmission and reception is achieved through time division. For the FDD mode, usually the frequency ranges of the uplink and downlink frequency bands are different, and the duplex of transmission and reception is achieved through frequency division.

[0087] Then, one row in Table 1 represents a frequency interval. For example, n1 represents a frequency interval, n2 represents another frequency interval, and so on. It can be understood that according to the predefined rules, multiple frequency intervals are divided on the frequency.

[0088] In the embodiment of the present application, for each frequency interval in Table 1, a frequency domain reference point can be predefined. In this article, it is mainly taken as an example that a frequency domain reference point is predefined for each frequency interval, and the number of frequency domain reference points predefined for a frequency interval is not actually limited to one. For example, the frequency domain reference points predefined for frequency bands n38, n41, n50, and n51 in Table 1 can refer to Table 2:

[0089] Table 2

[0090]

[0091] The last column reference point in Table 2, that is, the frequency domain reference point, is the frequency domain reference point set for the corresponding frequency interval. For example, for frequency band n38, according to Table 2, the frequency of the frequency domain reference point set for frequency band n38 is 2570 MHz. Table 2 only selects a part of the frequency intervals as an illustration. In actual applications, one or more frequency domain reference points can be predefined for each frequency interval in Table 1. Or, optionally, frequency domain reference points can also be set only for the frequency intervals with the duplex mode being the TDD mode, and frequency domain reference points may not be set for the frequency intervals with the duplex modes being the FDD mode, SUL mode, and SDL mode. This is because usually only the communication system in the TDD mode will generate co-frequency CLI, while for the communication system in the FDD mode, since the downlink transmission and the uplink transmission are carried out in different frequency bands, generally no co-frequency CLI will be generated. Setting frequency domain reference points only for the frequency intervals with the duplex mode being the TDD mode can reduce the number of the set frequency domain reference points.

[0092] In the first implementation manner of obtaining the frequency interval, taking one row in Table 1 as an example of a frequency interval. As the second implementation manner of obtaining the frequency interval, one row in Table 1 can be further divided to obtain at least one frequency interval in the embodiments of the present application. That is, one frequency band in Table 1 can be further divided to obtain one or more frequency intervals. When setting the frequency-domain reference points, one or more frequency-domain reference points can still be set for one frequency interval. The scope included in the frequency interval is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0093] As the third implementation manner of obtaining the frequency interval, Table 1 can be not borrowed, that is, the frequency bands divided in the 3GPP standard are not borrowed, but the frequency interval is divided in other ways. For example, a frequency interval can be divided every 100 MHz. In this case, it can be considered that one frequency interval corresponds to two frequency-domain reference points, that is, the lowest frequency and the highest frequency of the frequency interval are the frequencies of the two frequency-domain reference points corresponding to the frequency interval. Or, it can also be considered that one frequency interval corresponds to one frequency-domain reference point. For example, it can be stipulated that the lowest frequency corresponding to each frequency interval is the frequency of the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency interval, or it can be stipulated that the highest frequency corresponding to each frequency interval is the frequency of the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency interval. For example, an example is shown in Table 3:

[0094] Table 3

[0095] Frequency range Frequency domain reference point 2500 MHz ≤ f < 2600 MHz 2500 MHz 2600 MHz ≤ f < 2700 MHz 2600 MHz 2700 MHz ≤ f < 2800 MHz 2700 MHz

[0096] One row in Table 3 represents one frequency interval, and the frequency-domain reference point is the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the corresponding frequency interval. As shown in Table 3, if a network device operates in the range of 2500 MHz–2600 MHz, that is, the operating bandwidth of the network device is within the frequency interval of 2500 MHz–2600 MHz, then the network device can determine that the frequency-domain reference point is 2500 MHz; or, if a network device operates in the range of 2600 MHz–2700 MHz, that is, the operating bandwidth of the network device is within the frequency interval of 2600 MHz–2700 MHz, then the network device can determine that the frequency-domain reference point is 2600 MHz.

[0097] Optionally, if the solution provided in the embodiments of this application is applied to the NR system, when dividing the frequency range, according to different frequency positions, the frequency range (or frequency interval) of a divided frequency range can also be different, so as to adapt to the deployment bandwidth of the NR system. The working frequency band of an NR system is usually not uniform at all frequency points. The higher the frequency, the larger the deployable frequency band. For example, in the frequency range below 6 GHz, the working frequency band range of a cell usually does not exceed 100 MHz, but above 6 GHz, the working frequency band range of a cell can reach 400 MHz. Defining different frequency intervals at different frequency positions can prevent the granularity of the frequency domain reference point from being too large or too small, and can minimize the possibility that the working bandwidth of a network device spans two or more frequency ranges, reducing the complexity of transmitting / detecting reference signals. Moreover, for network devices operating at low frequencies, if the frequency range is divided according to a relatively large frequency interval, although the actual working bandwidth of such network devices is not large, due to the large frequency range, a long reference signal needs to be stored for transmission or detection, increasing the implementation complexity of the network device. However, the solution provided in the embodiments of this application can avoid this as much as possible.

[0098] For example, the frequency can be first divided into at least two parts, and each of these parts can be further divided to obtain at least one frequency range. For different parts of the at least two parts, the frequency range of a frequency range can be different. For example, the frequency is divided into three parts, respectively called the first part, the second part, and the third part. The frequency range of a frequency range in the first part is called the first frequency interval, the frequency range of a frequency range in the second part is called the second frequency interval, and the frequency range of a frequency range in the third part is called the third frequency interval. Then the first frequency interval, the second frequency interval, and the third frequency interval are all different. For example, a principle can be referred to when setting the frequency interval: the lower the frequency, the smaller the set frequency interval can be, and the higher the frequency, the larger the set frequency interval can be.

[0099] For example, the frequency is divided into three parts. The first part includes frequencies below 3 GHz (excluding 3 GHz), the second part includes frequencies from 3 GHz to 6 GHz (including 3 GHz, excluding 6 GHz), and the third part includes frequencies of 6 GHz and above (including 6 GHz). The first part can be regarded as the low-frequency part. For example, the range of the set frequency interval can be [5 MHz, 100 MHz], and for example, it is set to 100 MHz, that is, a frequency interval can be set every 100 MHz and a corresponding frequency-domain reference point can be set; the second part can be regarded as the medium-high frequency part. For example, the range of the set frequency interval can be [100 MHz, 400 MHz], and for example, it is set to 200 MHz, that is, a frequency interval can be set every 200 MHz and a frequency-domain reference point can be set; the third part can be regarded as the high-frequency part. For example, the set frequency interval can be 1 GHz, that is, a frequency interval can be set every 1 GHz and a frequency-domain reference point can be set. For this, reference can be made to Table 4:

[0100] Table 4

[0101]

[0102] In Table 4, the frequency range represents the different parts obtained by dividing the frequency. For example, f < 3 GHz represents the first part, 3 GHz ≤ f < 6 GHz represents the second part, and 6 GHz ≤ f represents the third part. In Table 4, represents rounding down X.

[0103] In Table 4, it is equivalent to setting the lowest frequency in each frequency interval as the frequency-domain reference point of that frequency interval, that is, Table 4 can be equivalent to Table 5:

[0104] Table 5

[0105]

[0106] The first column in Table 5 represents the three parts of the frequency, the second column represents the frequency intervals respectively obtained by further dividing the three parts of the frequency, and the third column represents the frequency-domain reference points corresponding to the frequency intervals.

[0107] The foregoing introduced how to obtain the frequency intervals. The following will introduce how to set the frequency-domain reference points for the frequency intervals.

[0108] Optionally, if a frequency-domain reference point has been set for a frequency interval, then the frequency of the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to that frequency interval can be the lowest frequency of that frequency interval (as shown in the example of Table 5), or the frequency of the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency interval can also be less than the lowest frequency of that frequency interval. This rule can apply to each frequency interval, or it can also apply to some frequency intervals, and there is no specific limitation.

[0109] For example, the operating bandwidth of a network device belongs to frequency range 1. The frequency domain reference point corresponding to frequency range 1 is, for example, frequency domain reference point 1, and the frequency of frequency domain reference point 1 is greater than the lowest frequency of frequency range 1. Then, for example, if the operating bandwidth of the network device also includes frequencies lower than that of frequency reference point 1, then between the lowest frequency of the operating bandwidth of the network device and frequency reference point 1, it is impossible to define a reference signal within this part of the bandwidth. Therefore, the network device cannot send a reference signal within this part of the bandwidth, or if the network device acts as a receiving end, the network device also cannot receive a reference signal within this part of the bandwidth, reducing the detection performance. For this, reference can be made to Figure 6A , in Figure 6A it can be seen that the operating bandwidth of the network device is as shown in the second line. The operating bandwidth of the network device includes frequencies lower than the frequency of the frequency domain reference point corresponding to the frequency range where this operating bandwidth is located. Then Figure 6A the part indicated by the question mark in

[0110] To solve this problem, in the embodiments of the present application, it is possible to make the frequency of the frequency domain reference point corresponding to the frequency domain interval be the lowest frequency of this frequency interval, or it can also be less than the lowest frequency of this frequency interval. This method is simple and intuitive, and can ensure that for a communication system deployed within this frequency band, the network device can correctly determine the reference signal. For example, reference can be made to Figure 6B , in Figure 6B it can be seen that the operating bandwidth of the network device does not include frequencies lower than the frequency of the frequency domain reference point corresponding to the frequency range where this operating bandwidth is located. Therefore, within the entire operating bandwidth range of the network device, the position can be determined according to the frequency domain reference point, enabling the transmission or detection of the reference signal and improving the detection performance.

[0111] In the solution introduced above, at least one frequency range is pre-divided, and a frequency-domain reference point is predefined for each of the frequency ranges. Thus, the first network device can determine at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the frequency range where the first frequency band is located. This can be regarded as an implementation manner for determining the frequency-domain reference point. In another implementation manner, the first network device can also directly determine at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the first frequency band. For example, instead of dividing the frequency range, a frequency-domain reference point can be predefined for the operating frequency bands of at least one network device. For example, one or more frequency-domain reference points can be predefined for the operating frequency band of each network device among at least one network device. Or it can also not be predefined, but one or more frequency-domain reference points can be configured for the operating frequency band of each network device among at least one network device in a signaling configuration manner. When predefining or configuring the frequency-domain reference point for the frequency band, it can be considered to configure the same frequency-domain reference point for the operating frequency bands of the network devices participating in the measurement (including the network device sending the reference signal and the network device receiving the reference signal). In this way, the network devices participating in the measurement can have the same understanding of the reference signal. If this method is adopted, the first network device can directly determine at least one frequency-domain reference point predefined or configured for the first frequency band according to the first frequency band in which the first network device operates. This method does not require dividing the frequency range or determining the frequency-domain reference point according to the predefined frequency range, and is relatively flexible.

[0112] Whether determining the frequency-domain reference point through the frequency range or directly determining the frequency-domain reference point according to the frequency band without relying on the frequency range, the first network device and the second network device can determine the same reference signal at the same frequency-domain position. Thus, the reference signal sent by the first network device can be correctly detected by the second network device through blind detection. It can be seen that through the new reference signal sending or receiving mechanism provided by the embodiments of the present application, the reference signal sent by the first network device can be detected by the second network device, realizing the transmission of the reference signal between the two network devices. For example, when measurement or channel estimation is to be performed between the first network device and the second network device, it can also be realized because the reference signal can be correctly transmitted.

[0113] Among them, Figure 6A and Figure 6B the digital numbers in can be regarded as the subcarrier numbers, or the carrier numbers, or the numbers of the elements included in the reference signal sequence, etc.

[0114] S52. The first network device generates a reference signal according to at least one frequency-domain reference point.

[0115] In the embodiment of the present application, the operating bandwidth of the first network device may be within a frequency range or may span two or more frequency ranges. If the operating bandwidth of the first network device is within a frequency range, the first network device can directly determine the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to this frequency range and generate a reference signal based on the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to this frequency range. For example Figure 6B is an example of the reference signal generated by the network device, Figure 6B in which the generated reference signal is from 1 to 12.

[0116] However, if the operating bandwidth of the first network device spans two or more frequency ranges, the network device needs to determine how to generate the reference signal. For example, the first network device determines that the first frequency band is located in N frequency ranges, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Taking one frequency-domain reference point corresponding to each frequency range as an example, the N frequency ranges will correspond to N frequency-domain reference points. Then, as an implementation manner of selecting the frequency-domain reference point, the first network device can determine the frequency range where the lowest frequency of the first frequency band in the N frequency ranges is located, for example, called the first frequency range. Then the number of at least one frequency reference point determined by the first network device is 1, that is, only one frequency-domain reference point is determined, and this frequency-domain reference point is the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the first frequency range. The first network device determines the reference signal to be sent based on this frequency-domain reference point. In this way, the number of determined frequency-domain reference points can be reduced, and the complexity of generating the reference signal can be reduced to a certain extent. Of course, here it is taken as an example that one frequency range corresponds to one frequency-domain reference point. If one frequency domain interval corresponds to multiple frequency-domain reference points, the number of at least one frequency-domain reference point determined by the first network device may be greater than 1. Or, if one frequency domain interval corresponds to multiple frequency-domain reference points, the first network device can also select one frequency-domain reference point from the multiple frequency-domain reference points corresponding to the first frequency range as the determined frequency-domain reference point.

[0117] Or, as another implementation manner of selecting the frequency-domain reference point, the first network device determines that the first frequency band is located in N frequency ranges, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Taking one frequency-domain reference point corresponding to each frequency range as an example, the N frequency ranges will correspond to N frequency-domain reference points. Then the first network device can respectively determine the frequency-domain reference points corresponding to the N frequency ranges. In this implementation manner, the number of at least one frequency-domain reference point determined by the first network device is N, that is, a total of N frequency-domain reference points are determined, and these N frequency-domain reference points include the frequency-domain reference points corresponding to each of the N frequency ranges. Of course, here it is taken as an example that one frequency range corresponds to one frequency-domain reference point. If one frequency domain interval corresponds to multiple frequency-domain reference points, the number of at least one frequency-domain reference point determined by the first network device will be greater than N.

[0118] Please refer toFigure 7 , taking the frequency range shown in Table 3 as an example. For example, the first network device operates in the range of 2680 MHz to 2730 MHz, spanning the second frequency range shown in the second row and the third frequency range shown in the third row of Table 3. The first network device can determine two frequency-domain reference points, namely the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the second frequency range in Table 3 (denoted as frequency-domain reference point 1 in Figure 7 ) and the frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the third frequency range (denoted as frequency-domain reference point 2 in Figure 7 ). Then the first network device can generate a reference signal based on these 2 frequency-domain reference points. For the parts belonging to different frequency ranges, the corresponding frequency-domain reference points are used to determine the reference signal. As shown in Figure 7 , in the reference signal generated by the first network device, the part from 10 to 14 is generated based on frequency-domain reference point 1, and the part from 0 to 6 is generated based on frequency-domain reference point 2. Among them, Figure 7 The digital numbers can be regarded as the subcarrier numbers, or the carrier numbers, or the numbers of elements included in the reference signal sequence, etc.

[0119] If the operating bandwidth of the first network device spans two or more frequency ranges, then which implementation method as above the first network device uses to select the frequency-domain reference point can be predefined by the protocol, or preconfigured by a higher-layer control node, etc., and the specific details are not limited.

[0120] In the embodiments of the present application, the frequency-domain reference points of each frequency range are predefined, and there is no need for signaling interaction between network devices, nor the configuration of a higher-layer control node, reducing the signaling overhead. The network device can determine the frequency-domain reference point according to the frequency range where the operating bandwidth of the network device is located. Thus, the network device sending the reference signal and the network device receiving the reference signal can generate the same reference signal at the same frequency-domain position. It can also be understood that the "understanding" of the reference signal by the network device sending the reference signal and the network device receiving the reference signal is consistent. Therefore, the two network devices can further send or receive reference signals for measurement between network devices, and the network device receiving the reference signal can correctly detect the reference signal, realizing the measurement between network devices. And generally, in the case of cross-carriers, due to the inability to exchange information between network devices, it is impossible to perform signaling interaction or unified control. However, through the method of predefined frequency-domain reference points provided by the embodiments of the present application, there is no need for signaling interaction between network devices. Therefore, network devices of different carriers can also measure each other, expanding the application scope of the embodiments of the present application and also realizing the measurement between network devices of different carriers.

[0121] In the foregoing, the frequency-domain reference points are determined according to frequency ranges, that is, the frequencies are first divided into at least one frequency range, and frequency-domain reference points are predefined for each frequency range. Alternatively, the frequency-domain reference points are determined according to the first frequency band, that is, one or more frequency-domain reference points are predefined or configured for the operating frequency band of the network device. These are only two implementation manners for setting the frequency-domain reference points. As a third implementation manner for setting the frequency-domain reference points, the frequency-domain reference points may not have to be predefined, but may be configurable, or determined in a form combining the predefined manner and the configuration manner. For example, multiple frequency-domain reference points may be predefined for a frequency range, and a network device operating in this frequency range may be configured by signaling to use one of the multiple frequency-domain reference points; or alternatively, the frequency of any frequency-domain reference point may be configured for a network device operating in a certain frequency range to maximize the configuration flexibility.

[0122] Among them, predefined can be understood as that the device can directly determine the predefined content without signaling notification; configuration can be understood as that the device can determine the configured content only after signaling notification. Obviously, the predefined manner helps to reduce the signaling interaction process, while the configuration manner is more flexible.

[0123] For example, the frequency-domain reference points used by multiple network devices that need to perform mutual measurement can be configured by a control node at a higher layer than the network devices performing mutual measurement. The control node at a higher layer is, for example, a next generation core (NGC) node.

[0124] For another example, if there is a subordinate relationship between network devices, the frequency-domain reference points used by the network devices that need to perform mutual measurement can also be configured by the master network device among these network devices and notified to other network devices after configuration, so that the understanding of these network devices for the frequency-domain reference points is consistent.

[0125] For yet another example, when deploying network devices, an engineer configures each network device manually. When configuring, the same frequency-domain reference points can be configured for the network devices that need to perform mutual measurement.

[0126] The several manners above are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the configuration manner of the frequency-domain reference points. In this implementation manner, there is no need to predefine the frequency-domain reference points, making the selection of the frequency-domain reference points more flexible.

[0127] S53. The second network device determines a second frequency band for receiving a reference signal.

[0128] Among them, S51 to S52 are regarded as a whole, and the occurrence order of S51 to S52 and S53 is not restricted. For example, S51 to S52 can occur before S53, or S51 to S52 can occur after S53, or S51 to S52 and S53 may also occur simultaneously.

[0129] Among them, the second frequency band can be the operating frequency band of the second network device, or the operating frequency band can also be referred to as the carrier frequency band, or it can be a pre-configured or protocol-predefined frequency band for receiving reference signals, without specific restrictions. The first frequency band and the second frequency band can be the same frequency band, having the same frequency range, or they can also be different frequency bands. For example, the first frequency band and the second frequency band can overlap, but not completely overlap, that is, partially overlap.

[0130] S54. The first network device sends a reference signal on the first frequency band, and the second network device receives all or part of the reference signal on the second frequency band.

[0131] The first network device can send on the first frequency band after generating the reference signal. Among them, multiple network devices may be able to receive the reference signal, and the ways these network devices receive the reference signal may be the same. Therefore, in this article, the second network device receiving the reference signal is taken as an example.

[0132] For example, the second network device can determine the reference signal to be detected within the second frequency band according to the frequency domain reference point and detect the reference signal. For example, the second network device can adopt a cross-correlation detection method. Specifically, the second network device can generate a reference signal locally and perform a cross-correlation operation on the generated local reference signal and the received signal. If the correlation peak exceeds a certain threshold value, the second network device can determine that it has received the reference signal from the first network device.

[0133] For the second network device to generate a reference signal, it is necessary to determine at least one frequency-domain reference point. Then, the second network device can determine at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the second frequency band. Since the frequency-domain reference points in the embodiments of the present application are all predefined or configured, the second network device determines at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the second frequency band. The determination method can refer to the method by which the first network device determines at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the first frequency band as introduced in S51 above. Moreover, the at least one frequency-domain reference point determined by the second network device is the same as the at least one frequency-domain reference point determined by the first network device, which can ensure that the first network device and the second network device have the same understanding of the reference signal. In addition, the second network device can generate a reference signal according to the determined at least one frequency-domain reference point. Regarding the method by which the second network device generates a reference signal according to at least one frequency-domain reference point, reference can also be made to the method by which the first network device generates a reference signal according to at least one frequency-domain reference point as introduced in S52, which will not be elaborated here.

[0134] Please refer to Figure 8 , for example, the operating frequency band (the first frequency band) of the first network device and the operating frequency band (the second frequency band) of the second network device are the same frequency band. According to the frequency-domain reference points, the reference signal sent by the first network device on the first frequency band can be 2 to 13, and the second network device detects on the second frequency band, and the detected reference signal is also 2 to 13. For example, the second network device can generate the reference signal 2 to 13 in advance. After detecting a signal on the second frequency band, the second network device can perform a cross-correlation operation on the generated reference signal 2 to 13 and the detected signal. If the correlation peak is greater than or equal to a certain threshold value, the second network device determines that it has received the reference signal 2 to 13 from the first network device. Among them, Figure 8 the numerical numbers in Figure 8 can be regarded as the numbers of subcarriers, or the numbers of carriers, or the numbers of elements included in the reference signal sequence, etc. Figure 9 .

[0135] Figure 9Among them, for example, the operating frequency band (the first frequency band) of the first network device and the operating frequency band (the second frequency band) of the second network device are not the same frequency band, and there is an intersection between the two. According to the frequency domain reference point, the reference signals sent by the first network device on the first frequency band can be 2 to 13, and the second network device detects on the second frequency band, and the detected reference signals are 5 to 13. For example, the second network device can generate the reference signals 5 to 13 in advance. After detecting a signal on the second frequency band, the second network device can perform a cross-correlation operation on the detected signal using the generated reference signals 5 to 13. If the correlation peak is greater than or equal to a certain threshold value, the second network device determines that it has received the reference signals 5 to 13 from the first network device. Among them, Figure 9 the digital numbers therein can be regarded as the numbers of subcarriers, or regarded as the numbers of carriers, or regarded as the numbers of elements included in the reference signal sequence, etc.

[0136] It should be noted that the order of the steps S51 to S54 in this article is not limited. For example, S51 and S52 are regarded as a whole, for example, called the first part of the steps, and S53 and S54 are regarded as a whole, for example, called the second part of the steps. Then the execution time of the first part of the steps can be earlier than the execution time of the second part of the steps, or the execution time of the second part of the steps can be earlier than the execution time of the first part of the steps, or the first part of the steps and the second part of the steps can also be executed synchronously. For example, if the distance between the first network device and the second network device is far, the second network device is not sure whether the reference signal from the first network device will be transmitted, nor when it will be transmitted. Then the second can detect whether there is a reference signal at all receiving times. At this time, the second part of the steps may be executed earlier than the first part of the steps. Of course, although the second network device starts detecting early, it can only detect the reference signal of the first network device after the reference signal of the first network device arrives at the second network device. That is to say, the second network device receives successfully, and this step should occur after the first part of the steps. Another example is that the first network device and the second network device are adjacent network devices, the transmission delay between the two is very small and can be ignored, and the first network device and the second network device have configured and determined the transmission time / arrival time of the reference signal. Then the first part of the steps and the second part of the steps can be considered to be executed synchronously.

[0137] In summary, by adopting the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, the reference signals received and sent between network devices can be aligned, thereby enabling processes such as measurement between network devices.

[0138] The device provided by the embodiment of the present application will be introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0139] Figure 10The schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1000 is shown. The communication device 1000 can implement the functions of the first network device involved above. The communication device 1000 can be the first network device described above, or can be a chip disposed in the first network device described above. The communication device 1000 may include a processor 1001 and a transceiver 1002. Among them, the processor 1001 can be used to execute Figure 5 S51 and S52 in the illustrated embodiments, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein. The transceiver 1002 can be used to execute Figure 5 54 in the illustrated embodiments, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein.

[0140] For example, the processor 1001 is used to determine at least one frequency-domain reference point according to a first frequency band;

[0141] The processor 1001 is further used to generate a reference signal according to the at least one frequency-domain reference point;

[0142] The transceiver 1002 is used to transmit the reference signal on the first frequency band.

[0143] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be cited in the function descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0144] Figure 5 The schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1100 is shown. The communication device 1100 can implement the functions of the second network device involved above. The communication device 1100 can be the second network device described above, or can be a chip disposed in the second network device described above. The communication device 1100 may include a processor 1101 and a transceiver 1102. Among them, the processor 1101 can be used to execute Figure 5 S53 in the illustrated embodiments, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein, such as the process of determining at least one frequency-domain reference point according to a second frequency band, and the process of generating a reference signal according to the at least one frequency-domain reference point, etc. The transceiver 1102 can be used to execute Figure 5 S54 in the illustrated embodiments, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein.

[0145] For example, the processor 1101 is used to determine a second frequency band for receiving a reference signal;

[0146] The transceiver 1102 is used to receive part or all of the reference signal on the second frequency band, where the reference signal is generated according to at least one frequency-domain reference point, and the at least one frequency-domain reference point is determined according to the second frequency band.

[0147] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be cited in the function descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and will not be elaborated here.

[0148] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can conceive that the communication device 1000 or the communication device 1100 can also be implemented by the structure of the communication device 1200 as Figure 12A shown. The communication device 1200 can implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device involved above. The communication device 1200 may include a processor 1201.

[0149] Among them, when the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the first network device involved above, the processor 1201 can be used to execute Figure 5 S51 and S52 in the embodiments shown, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described in this article; or, when the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the second network device involved above, the processor 1201 can be used to execute Figure 5 S53 in the embodiments shown, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described in this article.

[0150] Among them, the communication device 1200 can be implemented by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processing circuit (DSP), a micro controller unit (MCU), and can also be a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chips. Then, the communication device 1200 can be disposed in the first network device or the second network device of the embodiments of the present application, so that the first network device or the second network device implements the method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0151] In an alternative implementation, the communication device 1200 may include a transceiver component for communicating with other devices. Among them, when the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the first network device or the second network device involved above, the transceiver component can be used to execute Figure 5S54 in the embodiments shown, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein. For example, a transceiver component is a communication interface. If the communication device 1200 is a first network device or a second network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver in the first network device or the second network device, such as transceiver 1001 or transceiver 1102. The transceiver is, for example, a radio frequency transceiver component in the first network device or the second network device. Or, if the communication device 1200 is a chip disposed in the first network device or the second network device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface of the chip, such as input / output pins, etc.

[0152] In an alternative implementation, the communication device 1200 may further include a memory 1202, reference may be made to Figure 12B , where the memory 1202 is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor 1201 is used to decode and execute these computer programs or instructions. It should be understood that these computer programs or instructions may include the functional programs of the foregoing first network device or second network device. When the functional program of the first network device is decoded and executed by the processor 1201, the first network device can implement the functions of the first network device in the method provided by the embodiments Figure 5 shown in the embodiments of the present application. When the functional program of the second network device is decoded and executed by the processor 1201, the second network device can implement the functions of the second network device in the method provided by the embodiments Figure 5 shown in the embodiments of the present application.

[0153] In another alternative implementation, the functional programs of these first network devices or second network devices are stored in a memory external to the communication device 1200. When the functional program of the first network device is decoded and executed by the processor 1201, part or all of the content of the functional program of the foregoing first network device is temporarily stored in the memory 1202. When the functional program of the second network device is decoded and executed by the processor 1201, part or all of the content of the functional program of the foregoing second network device is temporarily stored in the memory 1202.

[0154] In another alternative implementation, the functional programs of these first network devices or second network devices are disposed in the memory 1202 stored inside the communication device 1200. When the memory 1202 inside the communication device 1200 stores the functional program of the first network device, the communication device 1200 can be disposed in the first network device of the embodiments of the present application. When the memory 1202 inside the communication device 1200 stores the functional program of the second network device, the communication device 1200 can be disposed in the second network device of the embodiments of the present application.

[0155] In yet another alternative implementation, some content of the functional programs of these first network devices is stored in a memory external to the communication device 1200, and other content of the functional programs of these first network devices is stored in the memory 1202 inside the communication device 1200. Or, some content of the functional programs of these second network devices is stored in a memory external to the communication device 1200, and other content of the functional programs of these second network devices is stored in the memory 1202 inside the communication device 1200.

[0156] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device 1000, the communication device 1100, and the communication device 1200 are presented in the form of dividing each function into corresponding function modules, or alternatively, can be presented in the form of integrating and dividing each function module. The "module" here may refer to an ASIC, a processor and a memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0157] In addition, Figure 10 The communication device 1000 provided by the illustrated embodiment can also be implemented in other forms. For example, the communication device includes a processing module and a transceiver module. For example, the processing module can be implemented by the processor 1001, and the transceiver module can be implemented by the transceiver 1002. Among them, the processing module can be used to execute Figure 5 S51 and S52 in the illustrated embodiment, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein. The transceiver module can be used to execute Figure 5 S54 in the illustrated embodiment, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein.

[0158] For example, the processing module is used to determine at least one frequency-domain reference point according to the first frequency band;

[0159] The processing module is further used to generate a reference signal according to the at least one frequency-domain reference point;

[0160] The transceiver module is used to transmit the reference signal on the first frequency band.

[0161] Among them, all relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be cited in the function description of the corresponding function module, and will not be elaborated here.

[0162] Similarly, Figure 11 The communication device 1100 provided by the illustrated embodiment can also be implemented in other forms. For example, the communication device includes a processing module and a transceiver module. For example, the processing module can be implemented by the processor 1101, and the transceiver module can be implemented by the transceiver 1102. Among them, the processing module can be used to execute Figure 5S53 in the illustrated embodiment, and / or other processes for supporting the techniques described herein. The transceiver module can be used to execute Figure 5 S54 in the illustrated embodiment, and / or other processes for supporting the techniques described herein.

[0163] For example, a processing module for determining a second frequency band for receiving a reference signal;

[0164] A transceiver module for receiving part or all of the reference signal on the second frequency band, wherein the reference signal is generated according to at least one frequency-domain reference point, and the at least one frequency-domain reference point is determined according to the second frequency band.

[0165] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be cited in the function description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0166] Since the communication devices 1000, 1100, and 1200 provided in the embodiments of the present application can be used to execute Figure 5 the methods provided in the illustrated embodiments, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be elaborated herein.

[0167] The embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, and the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing devices to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing devices generate means for implementing the functions specified in Figure 1 one process or multiple processes and / or blocks Figure 1 one block or multiple blocks.

[0168] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or a data center that includes one or more integrated available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0169] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application is also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a reference signal, characterized in that, Comprising: A frequency-domain reference point for determining at least one configuration of a reference signal according to a first frequency band; Transmitting a reference signal on the first frequency band, where the reference signal is transmitted from a first network device to a second network device, and the reference signal is used for measurements between the first network device and the second network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining a frequency-domain reference point for one configuration of the reference signal according to the first frequency band includes: Determining the at least one configuration of the frequency-domain reference point of the reference signal according to the frequency range where the first frequency band is located.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is a configured frequency-domain reference point, and the frequency of the configured frequency-domain reference point is the lowest frequency of the frequency range, or a frequency less than the lowest frequency of the frequency range.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The frequency range is N frequency ranges, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is a configured frequency-domain reference point, and the configured frequency-domain reference point is the configured frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency range where the lowest frequency of the first frequency band is located among the N frequency ranges.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The frequency range is N frequency ranges, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is N frequency-domain reference points, and the N frequency-domain reference points are respectively the frequency-domain reference points corresponding to each of the N frequency ranges.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is configured for the first frequency band.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is used to determine the position of the first subcarrier occupied by the reference signal.

8. A method for receiving a reference signal, characterized in that, Comprising: Determining a second frequency band for receiving a reference signal; Receiving part or all of the reference signal on the second frequency band, where the reference signal is generated according to at least one configured frequency-domain reference point, and the reference signal is used for measurements between a first network device and a second network device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is determined according to the frequency range where the second frequency band is located.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is a configured frequency-domain reference point, and the frequency of the configured frequency-domain reference point is the lowest frequency of the frequency range, or a frequency less than the lowest frequency of the frequency range.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The frequency range is N frequency ranges, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is a configured frequency-domain reference point, and the configured frequency-domain reference point is the configured frequency-domain reference point corresponding to the frequency range where the lowest frequency of the second frequency band is located among the N frequency ranges.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The frequency range is N frequency ranges, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is N frequency-domain reference points, and the N frequency-domain reference points are respectively the frequency-domain reference points corresponding to each of the N frequency ranges.

13. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is configured for the second frequency band.

14. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The at least one configured frequency-domain reference point is used to determine the position of the first subcarrier occupied by the reference signal.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processing module and a transceiver module, where the processing module is coupled to the transceiver module and is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, where the computer program includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when run, is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or to perform the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

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