Signal processing method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application discloses a signal processing method and device, which can be applied to a wireless communication system, such as a new wireless NR system. The method includes: a terminal device receives a first indication information from a network device, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and the start time of the second time period is after the end time of the first time period. The terminal device processes the second signal according to the first indication information. The terminal device can obtain whether the first reference signal in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period according to the first indication information, which is convenient for subsequent processing of the second signal and convenient for the terminal device to determine whether to store the first reference signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a signal processing method and device. Background Art

[0002] In the 5G new radio interface (NR) system and the long term evolution (LTE) system, the multiple access method usually adopts the orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) method. The main feature of the OFDMA method is to divide the transmission resources into mutually orthogonal time-frequency resource elements (REs). The signals sent by the transmitter are carried on the REs and transmitted to the receiver. Since different REs are orthogonal to each other, the receiver can receive the signal sent on each RE separately. Considering the fading characteristics of the wireless channel, the signal carried on the RE will be distorted after passing through the channel. The channel distortion is usually called the channel coefficient. In order to recover the signal at the receiving end, it is necessary to estimate the channel coefficient. Usually, a reference signal-based scheme is adopted, that is, the transmitter transmits a known signal on a specific RE, and the receiver estimates the channel coefficient based on the received signal and the known signal, and interpolates the channel coefficients on other REs based on the estimated channel coefficients, which is conducive to receiving and demodulating the data signal with the estimated channel coefficients.

[0003] Currently, 5G NR supports fixed access nodes, whose channels change slowly over time, so that the channels of adjacent time slots can be considered to be approximately equal, and the subsequent time slots can use the channels estimated by the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) in the previous time slot for data demodulation. The transmitter will carry indication information indicating whether the current time slot carries DMRS in the downlink control information (DCI), so as to flexibly configure DMRS on demand and achieve the purpose of reducing DMRS overhead.

[0004] However, regardless of whether there is a DMRS in the subsequent time slot, if there is a DMRS in the current time slot, the receiving end needs to cache the DMRS of the current time slot to prevent the subsequent time slot from using the DMRS in the current time slot. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a signal processing method and apparatus, which can reduce the cache overhead of a terminal device.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a signal processing method, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a component of the terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.). The method includes: the terminal device receives first indication information from a network device, the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and the start time of the second time period is after the end time of the first time period; the terminal device receives the first reference signal from the network device; the terminal device processes the second signal according to the first indication information.

[0007] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the first indication information sent by the network device, the terminal device can learn whether the first reference signal in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period according to the first indication information, and process the second signal according to the first indication information. Since the start time of the second time period is after the end time of the first time period, the terminal device can learn in advance whether the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, and process the second signal according to the first indication information. In addition, it is also convenient for the subsequent processing of the second signal and for the terminal device to determine whether to store the first reference signal.

[0008] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the terminal device in the above steps processes the second signal according to the first indication information, including: when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, the terminal device demodulates the second signal according to the first reference signal; and / or when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, the terminal device demodulates the second signal according to the second reference signal, and the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period.

[0009] In this possible implementation, when it is determined based on the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, the terminal device may use the first reference signal to demodulate the second signal, and the terminal device may not need to receive the second reference signal sent by the network device to demodulate the second signal, that is, the network device may not send the second reference signal to the terminal device, and the terminal device may demodulate the second signal, thereby reducing the interaction between the network device and the terminal device.

[0010] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above steps also include: in a case where it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal, the terminal device stores the first reference signal or a first estimate determined according to the first reference signal; the terminal device demodulates the second signal according to the first reference signal, including: the terminal device demodulates the second signal according to the first reference signal or the first estimate.

[0011] In this possible implementation, the terminal device can determine whether to store the first reference signal based on the first indication information. The terminal device stores the first reference signal only when it is determined that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal based on the first indication information. When they are not associated, the first reference signal is not stored, thereby reducing the storage resource consumption caused by storing the first reference signal.

[0012] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first estimation value in the above steps includes any one of the following items: a frequency domain signal of the first reference signal, a channel estimation value on the symbol where the first reference signal is located, a channel estimation value on the symbol where the first reference signal is located and the symbol where the first signal is located, a channel estimation value on the last symbol carrying the first signal, and a combined value of the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located and all or part of the symbols carrying the first signal.

[0013] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first indication information in the above steps is used to indicate whether the first reference signal in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period, including: the first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal; when the number of time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal; when the number of time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

[0014] In this possible implementation, the terminal device can determine whether the first reference signal is associated with the second signal based on the number of time units indicated in the first indication information, without separately indicating the number of time units, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0015] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first indication information in the above step is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives a first signal, or the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives a first signal and a second signal.

[0016] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a signal processing method, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component of the network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.). The method includes: the network device sends first indication information to a terminal device, the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and the start time of the second time period is after the end time of the first time period; the network device sends the first reference signal to the terminal device.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can send a first indication message to the terminal device so that the terminal device can know in advance whether the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, thereby facilitating subsequent processing of the second signal and making it easier for the terminal device to determine whether to store the first reference signal.

[0018] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first indication information in the above steps is used to indicate whether the first reference signal in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period, including: the first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal in the first time period; when the number of time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal; when the number of time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

[0019] In this possible implementation, the network device can send first indication information to the terminal device so that the terminal device can determine whether the first reference signal is associated with the second signal based on the number of time units indicated in the first indication information, without separately indicating the number of time units, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0020] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first indication information in the above step is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives a first signal, or the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives a first signal and a second signal.

[0021] The third aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a signal processing method, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.). The method includes: the terminal device receives first indication information from a network device, the first indication information is used to indicate whether the second reference signal used in the second time period is associated with the first signal in the first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and the start time of the first time period is after the end time of the second time period; the terminal device receives the first reference signal and the first signal from the network device; the terminal device processes the first signal according to the first indication information.

[0022] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can learn whether the second reference signal is associated with the first signal according to the first indication information. If so, the terminal device can process the first signal according to the first indication information. On the one hand, the terminal device can use the first reference signal and the second reference signal to jointly process the first signal. On the other hand, the channel estimation accuracy can be improved.

[0023] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the terminal device in the above steps processes the first signal according to the first indication information, including: when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal, the terminal device demodulates the first signal according to the first reference signal and the second reference signal; and / or when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the first signal, the terminal device demodulates the first signal according to the first reference signal.

[0024] In this possible implementation, the terminal device may use the first reference signal and the second reference signal to demodulate the first signal, thereby improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0025] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the first indication information in the above step is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives the first signal.

[0026] A fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a signal processing method, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component of the network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.). The method includes: the network device sends first indication information to a terminal device, the first indication information is used to indicate whether the second reference signal used in the second time period is associated with the first signal in the first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and the start time of the first time period is after the end time of the second time period; the network device sends the first reference signal and the first signal to the terminal device.

[0027] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device may send first indication information to the terminal device so that the terminal device may know whether the second reference signal is associated with the first signal.

[0028] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first indication information in the above step is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives the first signal.

[0029] A fifth aspect of the present application provides a terminal device, the terminal device comprising:

[0030] a transceiver unit, configured to receive first indication information from a network device, the first indication information being used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and a start time of the second time period is after an end time of the first time period;

[0031] The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first reference signal from a network device;

[0032] The processing unit is used to process the second signal according to the first indication information.

[0033] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the processing unit in the above-mentioned device is specifically used to demodulate the second signal according to the first reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal; and / or the processing unit is specifically used to demodulate the second signal according to the second reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the first signal, and the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period.

[0034] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the processing unit in the above-mentioned device is also used to store the first reference signal or a first estimate determined based on the first reference signal when it is determined based on the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal; the processing unit is specifically used to demodulate the second signal based on the first reference signal or the first estimate.

[0035] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the first estimation value in the above-mentioned device includes any one of the following items: a frequency domain signal of the first reference signal, a channel estimation value on the symbol where the first reference signal is located, a channel estimation value on the symbol where the first reference signal is located and the symbol where the first signal is located, a channel estimation value on the last symbol carrying the first signal, and a combined value of the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located and all or part of the symbols carrying the first signal.

[0036] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the first indication information in the above-mentioned device is used to indicate whether the first reference signal used in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period, including:

[0037] The first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal;

[0038] When the number of time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal;

[0039] When the number of time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

[0040] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the first indication information in the above-mentioned device is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives a first signal, or the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives a first signal and a second signal.

[0041] A fifth aspect of the present application provides a network device, the network device comprising:

[0042] a transceiver unit, configured to send first indication information to a terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and a start time of the second time period is after an end time of the first time period;

[0043] The transceiver unit is also used to send a first reference signal to the terminal device.

[0044] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first indication information in the above-mentioned device is used to indicate whether the first reference signal used in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period, including:

[0045] The first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal in the first time period;

[0046] When the number of time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal;

[0047] When the number of time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

[0048] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the sixth aspect, the first indication information in the above-mentioned device is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives a first signal, or the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives a first signal and a second signal.

[0049] A seventh aspect of the present application provides a terminal device, the terminal device comprising:

[0050] a transceiver unit, configured to receive first indication information from a network device, the first indication information being used to indicate whether a second reference signal used in a second time period is associated with a first signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and a start time of the first time period is after an end time of the second time period;

[0051] The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first reference signal and a first signal from a network device;

[0052] The processing unit is used to process the first signal according to the first indication information.

[0053] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the seventh aspect, the processing unit in the above-mentioned device is specifically used to demodulate the first signal according to the first reference signal and the second reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal; and / or

[0054] The processing unit is specifically configured to demodulate the first signal according to the first reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the first signal.

[0055] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the seventh aspect, the first indication information in the above-mentioned device is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives the first signal.

[0056] An eighth aspect of the present application provides a network device, the network device comprising:

[0057] a transceiver unit, configured to send first indication information to a terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a second reference signal used in a second time period is associated with a first signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and a start time of the first time period is after an end time of the second time period;

[0058] The transceiver unit is also used to send the first reference signal and the first signal to the terminal device.

[0059] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the first indication information in the above-mentioned device is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives the first signal.

[0060] A ninth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, comprising a processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs or instructions, the processor being used to execute the computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect is executed, or so that the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect is executed.

[0061] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a network device, comprising a processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs or instructions, the processor being used to execute the computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect is executed, or the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect is executed.

[0062] In an eleventh aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction so that the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect is executed, or the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect is executed.

[0063] A twelfth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a network device, which includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction so that the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect is executed, or so that the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect is executed.

[0064] A thirteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0065] In a fourteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or the processor executes the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0066] A fifteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product (or computer program) storing one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, the above-mentioned third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0067] A sixteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product storing one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or the processor executes the method of the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0068] In a seventeenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a chip system is provided, the chip system comprising a processor, for supporting a terminal device to implement the functions involved in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, the above-mentioned third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect. In a possible design, the chip system may also include a memory, the memory being used to store the necessary program instructions and data of the terminal device. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0069] In an eighteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a chip system is provided, the chip system comprising a processor, for supporting a network device to implement the functions involved in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. In a possible design, the chip system may also include a memory, the memory being used to store program instructions and data necessary for the network device. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0070] A nineteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the terminal device of the fifth aspect and the network device of the sixth aspect, or the communication system includes the terminal device of the seventh aspect and the network device of the eighth aspect, or the communication system includes the terminal device of the ninth aspect and the network device of the tenth aspect, or the communication system includes the terminal device of the eleventh aspect and the network device of the twelfth aspect.

[0071] Among them, the technical effects brought about by the fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, fifteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth aspects or any possible implementation methods thereof can refer to the technical effects brought about by the first aspect or different possible implementation methods of the first aspect, or refer to the technical effects brought about by the third aspect or different possible implementation methods of the third aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0072] Among them, the technical effects brought about by the sixth, eighth, tenth, twelfth, fourteenth, sixteenth aspects, eighteenth and nineteenth or any possible implementation methods thereof can refer to the technical effects brought about by the second aspect or different possible implementation methods of the second aspect, or refer to the technical effects brought about by the fourth aspect or different possible implementation methods of the fourth aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0073] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of code division multiplexing in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the relationship between the time slot and the DMRS signal in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a relationship structure between the second time period and the first time period in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of a signal processing method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] Figure 6 This is another structural schematic diagram of the relationship between the second time period and the first time period in the embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Figure 7 This is another flowchart of the signal processing method in the embodiment of the present application;

[0080] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Fig.10 This is another schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Fig.11 Another structural diagram of the network device in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] The embodiments of the present application provide a signal processing method and apparatus, which can reduce the cache overhead of a terminal device.

[0085] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments.

[0086] The present application can be applied to the protocol framework of various wireless communication systems, and the wireless communication systems may include but are not limited to LTE systems, NR systems, future evolved communication systems, etc., and future evolved communication systems such as future networks or sixth generation communication systems, etc.

[0087] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system is given. The communication system may include a network device 101 and terminal devices 102 to 104 connected to the network device 101.

[0088] The network device 101 is used to receive uplink signals from the terminal devices 102 to 104 , or to send downlink signals to the terminal devices 102 to 104 .

[0089] The terminal devices 102 to 104 are used to send uplink signals to the network device 101 or receive downlink signals from the network device 101.

[0090] In the embodiment of the present application, only one network device 101 and three terminal devices 102 to 104 are used as examples for schematic illustration. In practical applications, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application may have more network devices 101 and terminal devices 102, and the terminal device 102 may also be one or more. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of network devices 101 and terminal devices 102.

[0091] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device 101 is a device deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The network device may include various forms of base stations: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, etc. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of network devices may be different, such as eNB or eNodeB (Evolutional NodeB) in LTE. The network device may also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The network device may also be a base station device in a 5G network or a network device in a future evolved network. The network device may also be a wearable device or a vehicle-mounted device. The network device may also be a transmission and reception point (TRP). The network device may also refer to the general term for all devices on the network end. For example, when multiple TRPs are used to transmit data to a terminal device, multiple TRPs are collectively referred to as network devices.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal devices 102 to 104 are devices with wireless transceiver functions, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a wearable terminal device, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the application scenario. Terminal equipment may also be sometimes referred to as terminal, user equipment (UE), access terminal equipment, vehicle-mounted terminal, industrial control terminal, UE unit, UE station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal equipment, mobile equipment, UE agent or UE device, etc. Terminal equipment may also be fixed or mobile.

[0093] In existing wireless communication systems, network equipment is equipped with multiple antennas to implement spatial multiplexing transmission using multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology, that is, multiple data streams are transmitted on the same time-frequency resources, each data stream is transmitted on an independent spatial layer, and each spatial layer will be mapped to a different antenna port for transmission. Taking into account that the channel coefficients from different antenna ports to terminal devices are not the same, in order for the terminal device to obtain information transmitted on multiple spatial layers, it is necessary to estimate the channel coefficients between each antenna port and the terminal device, so it is necessary to configure different DMRS for each antenna port. The DMRS corresponding to different antenna ports can be multiplexed using time division, frequency division, and code division. For example, Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the horizontal direction represents the time domain, the vertical direction represents the frequency domain, and each small square represents an RE. DMRS ports 0 and 1 are multiplexed by orthogonal codes, so the REs corresponding to these two ports are also called a code division multiplexing (CDM) group. Figure 2In the example, the total number of DMRS ports is 6 and the number of CDM groups is 3.

[0094] Currently, 5G NR supports fixed access nodes, whose channels change slowly over time, so that the channels of adjacent time slots can be considered to be approximately equal. In this case, DMRS may not be configured for some time slots. These time slots use the channels estimated by DMRS in the preceding time slots for data demodulation, which helps to reduce pilot overhead. For example, Figure 3 As shown, two DMRS symbols are configured in time slot #0, and no DMRS symbols are configured in subsequent time slots #1 to #N.

[0095] However, after the terminal device determines that there is DMRS in time slot #0, it cannot determine whether there is DMRS in the subsequent time slot #1. Even if DMRS is configured in the subsequent time slot #1, the terminal needs to cache the DMRS signal or channel estimation value of time slot #0, which undoubtedly increases the cache overhead of the terminal device.

[0096] In view of the above problems, the present application provides a signal processing method. Figure 1 A communication system is used to describe the signal processing method in the embodiment of the present application, wherein only the network device is a base station and the terminal device is a UE as an example for schematic illustration.

[0097] There are many situations in which the first time period and the second time period in the embodiment of the present application have a relationship, which are described below respectively:

[0098] The first type: the start time of the second time period is after the end time of the first time period, for example, Figure 4 shown.

[0099] See also Figure 5 , an embodiment provided in the embodiments of the present application includes:

[0100] 501. A network device sends first indication information to a terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information.

[0101] The first indication information in the embodiment of the present application can be carried in downlink control information DCI, radio resource control (RRC) or media access control (MAC) layer signaling. It is understandable that the first indication information may have other situations besides these three examples, which are not specifically limited here.

[0102] If the first indication information is carried in the first DCI, the first DCI is carried on a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0103] The first reference signal in the embodiment of the present application may be a DMRS, or may be other reference signals such as a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), which is not specifically limited here.

[0104] The first indication information in the embodiment of the present application is used to indicate whether the first reference signal used in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal.

[0105] The reference signal in the embodiment of the present application is associated with the signal, and it can be a reference signal used to process the signal. The first reference signal is associated with the first signal, or the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, and it can be that the first reference signal can be used to process the first signal or the second signal, for example, the first reference signal is used to demodulate the first signal or the second signal, or the first reference signal is used to demodulate the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the PDSCH carries the first signal or the second signal. It should be understood that the first reference signal is used to demodulate the first signal or the second signal, usually to obtain some intermediate parameters according to the first reference signal, and these intermediate parameters can be used to demodulate the first signal or the second signal. In addition to demodulating the first signal or the second signal, processing the first signal or the second signal can also be detecting the first signal or the second signal, or decoding the first signal or the second signal. In addition, demodulation can be broadly understood as an operation of processing the first signal or the second signal to obtain the information carried by the first signal or the second signal, and demodulation can be a step or a general term for multiple steps.

[0106] In the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple ways for the first indication information to indicate whether the first reference signal used in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period, which are described below respectively.

[0107] 1. The first indication information indicates whether to associate through a 1-bit field.

[0108] When the 1-bit field is "0", it indicates that the first reference signal used in the first time period is not associated with the second signal in the second time period. Specifically, the first DMRS used in the first time period is not used for demodulation of the second signal in the second time period.

[0109] When the 1-bit field is "1", it indicates that the first reference signal used in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period. Specifically, the first DMRS used in the first time period can be used for demodulation of the second signal in the second time period.

[0110] 2. The first indication information indicates whether the first time period and the second time period are associated through the total number of time units included in the first time period and the second time period.

[0111] As shown in Table 1:

[0112] Table 1

[0113]

[0114] The first indication information is specifically used to indicate the total number of time units included in the first time period and the second time period, that is, to indicate the number of time units associated with the first reference signal. When the field in the first indication information is "00", it indicates that the number of time units associated with the first reference signal is 1, and the first reference signal in the first time period is not associated with the second signal in the second time period. When the field in the first indication information is "01", it indicates that the number of time units associated with the first reference signal is 1, and the first reference signal in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period. When the field in the first indication information is "10", it indicates that the number of time units associated with the first reference signal is 2, and the first reference signal in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period. When the field in the first indication information is "11", it indicates that the number of time units associated with the first reference signal is 4, and the first reference signal in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period. Alternatively, when the number of time units is greater than 1, the first indication information is used to indicate that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal. When the number of time units is equal to 1, the first indication information is used to indicate that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or that the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

[0115] It can be understood that the several situations in Table 1 are just examples. In practical applications, the format of the first indication information can be set as needed, and the setting and meaning of the fields in the first indication information are not limited here.

[0116] The time unit in the embodiment of the present application can be a subframe, a time slot, a sub-time slot, a symbol or other time domain parameters (i.e., other time domain units). The first time period and the second time period can respectively include one or more time units, which are not specifically limited here.

[0117] 3. If the terminal device does not receive the first indication information, the terminal device defaults to not associating the first reference signal in the first time period with the second signal in the second time period.

[0118] In the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple ways for the first indication information to indicate whether the first reference signal used in the first time period is associated with the second signal in the second time period. The above three are just examples and are not specifically limited here.

[0119] The first indication information can also be used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal in the first time period.

[0120] Optionally, the first indication information may also be used to instruct the terminal device to receive a first signal in a first time period and a second signal in a second time period.

[0121] 502. The network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first reference signal.

[0122] The network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal device, and the first reference signal is used to demodulate the first signal in the first time period or the first PDSCH carrying the first signal. It is understandable that the first reference signal is not necessarily sent in the first time period, and may also be the first reference signal sent by the network device to the terminal device before step 501.

[0123] The terminal device receives a first reference signal sent by the network device.

[0124] Optionally, after receiving the first reference signal, the terminal device may use the first reference signal to determine a first estimation value. The first estimation value may include: a frequency domain signal of the first reference signal, a channel estimation value on a symbol where the first reference signal is located, a channel estimation value on a symbol where the first reference signal is located and a symbol where the first signal is located, a channel estimation value on the last symbol carrying the first signal, a combined value of the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located and all or part of the symbols carrying the first signal, etc. The specific first estimation value is not limited here.

[0125] Exemplarily, the first reference signal is carried on at least one RE. If the first reference signal is carried on N REs, the frequency domain signal of the first reference signal received by the terminal device can be expressed as (y1, y2, ..., yN), wherein the signal yn on the nth RE can generally be expressed as a complex number, including a real part and an imaginary part. The first reference signal received by the terminal device is the signal of the first reference signal sent by the network device after passing through the wireless channel. The first reference signal sent by the network device can be expressed as (s1, s2, ..., sN), then the terminal device can estimate the channel estimation value on the symbol where the first reference signal is located based on (y1, y2, ..., yN) and (s1, s2, ..., sN). Exemplarily, the channel estimation value can be obtained by yn / sn, that is, the channel estimation value is (h1, h2, ..., hN), wherein hn=yn / sn or hn=yn*snH / sn*snH. The specific calculation method is not limited here. The channel estimation value on the symbol where the first signal is located can be obtained by processing the channel estimation value (h1, h2, ..., hN) on the symbol where the first reference signal is located. A direct method is through a replication method, that is, the channel estimation value (f1, f2, ..., fN) on the symbol where the first signal is located = (h1, h2, ..., hN), or it can be obtained by other calculation methods, such as (f1, f2, ..., fN) = (h1, h2, ..., hN) * alpha, where alpha is a preset parameter. In addition, the combined value of the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located and all or part of the symbols carrying the first signal can be obtained by joint processing of (h1, h2, ..., hN) and (f1, f2, ..., fN), such as the nth value in the combined value (g1, g2, ..., gN) is gn = (hn + fn) / 2, or gn = hn * alpha + fn * beta, where alpha and beta are preset parameters.

[0126] The first estimated value may be used to demodulate a first signal or a first PDSCH in a first time period.

[0127] Optionally, if the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, the first estimated value may also be used to demodulate the second signal in the second time period or a second PDSCH carried by the second signal.

[0128] 503. The network device sends a first signal to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first signal.

[0129] After the network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device, the network device sends the first signal to the terminal device according to the first indication information. The terminal device receives the first signal according to the received first indication information.

[0130] Optionally, the first signal may be carried on the first PDSCH.

[0131] The first PDSCH and the second PDSCH in the embodiment of the present application can be PDSCHs scheduled by the same indication information sent by the network device to the terminal device, for example, the first PDSCH and the second PDSCH are both scheduled by the first DCI. The first PDSCH and the second PDSCH can also be PDSCHs scheduled by different indication information sent by the network device to the terminal device, for example: the first PDSCH is scheduled by the first DCI, and the second PDSCH is scheduled by the second DCI.

[0132] Optionally, after receiving the first signal, the terminal device may use the first reference signal or the first estimated value to demodulate the first signal or the first PDSCH.

[0133] 504. When it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, the terminal device stores the first reference signal or the first estimated value. This step is optional.

[0134] After the terminal device receives the first indication information, if the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal (for example, the corresponding field of the first indication information in Table 1 is "1", "01", "10" or "11", etc.), the terminal device stores the first reference signal or the first estimated value.

[0135] The first reference signal and the second signal may be associated in such a way that the number of time units associated with the first reference signal is greater than 1, or the first reference signal is used to demodulate the second signal, or the first reference signal is used to demodulate the second PDSCH. It is understood that there are other ways for the first reference signal and the second signal to be associated in addition to these three ways, which are not specifically limited here.

[0136] If the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, the terminal device may not store the first reference signal, which can save storage space of the terminal device.

[0137] 505. The network device sends a second signal to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second signal.

[0138] Optionally, the network device may send second indication information and a second signal to the terminal device, where the second indication information is used for the terminal device to receive the second signal.

[0139] Optionally, the second signal is carried on a second PDSCH.

[0140] 506. The terminal device processes the second signal according to the first indication information.

[0141] After receiving the first indication information and the second signal, the terminal device can process the second signal according to the first indication information.

[0142] In the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple situations in which the terminal device processes the second signal according to the first indication information, which are described below respectively:

[0143] 1. When the terminal device determines, according to the first indication information, that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, the terminal device may demodulate the second signal or the second PDSCH according to the first reference signal.

[0144] Optionally, the network device sends a second reference signal for processing the second signal to the terminal device, but the terminal device does not use the second reference signal to demodulate the second signal or the second PDSCH, but uses the first reference signal to demodulate the second signal or the second PDSCH.

[0145] 2. When the terminal device determines, based on the first indication information, that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, if the network device has sent the second reference signal to the terminal device, the terminal device may demodulate the second signal or the second PDSCH based on the second reference signal.

[0146] The above two embodiments of the present application are just examples. The terminal device processes the second signal according to the first indication information. The terminal device may also detect, decode, or process the second signal according to the first indication information to obtain the information carried by the second signal. The specific operation is not limited here.

[0147] Alternatively, if Figure 4 As shown, the network device can send the first DMRS (i.e., an example of the first reference signal) to the terminal device in the first time period, without sending the second DMRS to the terminal device in the second time period. That is, when the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, the terminal device can use the first DMRS in the first time period to process the second signal in the second time period or the second PDSCH carrying the second signal. This saves the delay and resource consumption caused by the network device allocating the second DMRS to the terminal device.

[0148] In the embodiment of the present application, step 502 may be before step 501, step 503 may be before step 502, and step 504 may be after step 505, which is not specifically limited here.

[0149] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can learn whether the first reference signal is associated with the second signal according to the first indication information, and process the second signal according to the first indication information. In addition, if associated, the terminal device can save the first reference signal and use the first reference signal to process the second signal. If not associated, the terminal device does not need to save the first reference signal, thereby reducing the cache overhead of the terminal device.

[0150] The second type: the start time of the first time period is after the end time of the second time period, for example, Figure 6 shown.

[0151] See also Figure 7 , an embodiment provided in the embodiments of the present application includes:

[0152] 701. A network device sends a second reference signal to a terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second reference signal.

[0153] The network device sends a second reference signal to the terminal device, where the second reference signal is used to demodulate a second signal in a second time period or a second PDSCH carrying the second signal.

[0154] The terminal device receives the second reference signal from the network device.

[0155] Optionally, after receiving the second reference signal, the terminal device may use the second reference signal to determine the second estimated value. The second estimated value may include: a frequency domain signal of the second reference signal, a channel estimation value on a symbol where the second reference signal is located, a channel estimation value on a symbol where the second reference signal is located and a symbol where the second signal is located, a channel estimation value on the last symbol carrying the second signal, a combined value of the channel estimation value of the symbol where the second reference signal is located and all or part of the symbols carrying the second signal, etc. The specific second estimated value is not limited here.

[0156] The second estimated value may be used to demodulate a second signal or a second PDSCH in a second time period.

[0157] 702. The network device sends a second signal to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second signal.

[0158] The network device sends a second signal to the terminal device in a second time period.

[0159] Optionally, the second signal may be carried on a second PDSCH.

[0160] Optionally, after receiving the second signal, the terminal device may use the second reference signal or the second estimated value to demodulate the second signal or the second PDSCH.

[0161] 703. The network device sends first indication information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information.

[0162] The terminal device receives first indication information from the network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a second reference signal used in a second time period is associated with a first signal in a first time period.

[0163] In an embodiment of the present application, whether the second reference signal in the second time period is associated with the first signal in the first time period may be whether the second reference signal is associated with the first reference signal, or may be whether the second reference signal and the second reference signal jointly process the first signal or the first PDSCH carrying the first signal, which is not specifically limited here.

[0164] The second indication information in the embodiment of the present application can be carried in DCI, RRC or MAC layer signaling. It is understandable that the second indication information may have other situations besides these three examples, which are not specifically limited here.

[0165] If the second indication information is carried in the second DCI, the second DCI is carried on the second PDCCH.

[0166] Additionally, the first reference signal is associated with the first signal during the first time period, and the second reference signal is associated with the second signal during the second time period.

[0167] The first reference signal in the embodiment of the present application is associated with the first signal, and the first reference signal can be used to process the first signal, for example, the first reference signal is used to demodulate the first signal or the first reference signal is used to demodulate the first PDSCH, and the first PDSCH carries the first signal. It should be understood that the first reference signal is used to demodulate the first signal, usually to obtain some intermediate parameters according to the first reference signal, and these intermediate parameters can be used to demodulate the first signal. In addition to demodulating the first signal, processing the first signal can also be detecting the first signal, or decoding the first signal and other operations. In addition, demodulation can be broadly understood as an operation of processing the first signal to obtain the information carried by the first signal, and demodulation can be a step or a general term for multiple steps.

[0168] The second reference signal in the embodiment of the present application is associated with the second signal, and the second reference signal can be used to process the second signal, for example, the second reference signal is used to demodulate the second signal or the second reference signal is used to demodulate the second PDSCH, and the second PDSCH carries the second signal. It should be understood that the second reference signal is used to demodulate the second signal, usually to obtain some intermediate parameters according to the second reference signal, and these intermediate parameters can be used to demodulate the second signal. In addition to demodulating the second signal, processing the second signal can also be detecting the second signal, or decoding the second signal and other operations. In addition, demodulation can be broadly understood as an operation of processing the second signal to obtain the information carried by the second signal, and demodulation can be a step or a general term for multiple steps.

[0169] 704. The network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first reference signal.

[0170] The network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal device, and the first reference signal is used to demodulate the first signal in the first time period or the first PDSCH carrying the first signal. It is understandable that the first reference signal is not necessarily sent in the first time period, and can also be a second reference signal sent by the network device to the terminal device before step 703.

[0171] The terminal device receives a first reference signal sent by the network device.

[0172] Optionally, after receiving the first reference signal, the terminal device may use the second reference signal and the first reference signal to determine a third estimated value. The third estimated value may include: frequency domain signals of the first reference signal and the second reference signal, channel estimation values ​​on symbols where the first reference signal and the second reference signal are located, channel estimation values ​​on symbols where the first reference signal and the second reference signal are located and symbols where the first signal and the second signal are located, channel estimation values ​​on the last symbol carrying the first signal and the second signal, a combined value of channel estimation values ​​of symbols where the first reference signal and the second reference signal are located and all or part of symbols carrying the first signal and the second signal, etc. The specific third estimated value is not limited here.

[0173] The third estimated value may be used to demodulate the first signal or the first PDSCH in the first time period.

[0174] 705. The network device sends a first signal to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first signal.

[0175] After the network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device, the network device sends the first signal to the terminal device according to the first indication information. The terminal device receives the first signal according to the received first indication information.

[0176] Optionally, the first signal may be carried on the first PDSCH.

[0177] Optionally, after receiving the first signal, the terminal device may use the second reference signal and the first reference signal or the third estimated value to demodulate the first signal or the first PDSCH.

[0178] 706. The terminal device processes the first signal according to the first indication information.

[0179] After receiving the second reference signal, the first indication information, the first reference signal and the second signal, the terminal device can process the first signal according to the first indication information.

[0180] In the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple situations in which the terminal device processes the first signal according to the first indication information, which are described below respectively:

[0181] 1. When the terminal device determines, according to the first indication information, that the second reference signal is associated with the first signal, the terminal device may demodulate the first signal or the first PDSCH according to the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0182] 2. When the terminal device determines, according to the first indication information, that the first reference signal is not associated with the first signal, the terminal device may demodulate the first signal according to the first reference signal.

[0183] The above two embodiments of the present application are just examples. The terminal device processes the first signal according to the first indication information. The terminal device may also detect, decode, or process the first signal according to the first indication information to obtain the information carried by the first signal. The specific operation is not limited here.

[0184] Alternatively, if Figure 6 As shown, the network device can send a second DMRS (i.e., an example of a second reference signal) to the terminal device in the second time period, and send a first DMRS to the terminal device in the first time period. When the second reference signal is associated with the first signal, the terminal device can use the first DMRS and the second DMRS to jointly process the first signal in the first time period or the first PDSCH carrying the first signal. That is, the terminal device can use the first DMRS and the second DMRS to jointly process to obtain a third estimated value, which can improve the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0185] In the embodiment of the present application, step 704 may also be before step 703, step 704 may also be before step 701, and step 705 may be before step 704, which is not specifically limited here.

[0186] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can obtain whether the second reference signal is associated with the first signal based on the first indication information. If so, the terminal device uses the first reference signal and the second reference signal to jointly process to obtain a third estimation value to improve channel estimation accuracy.

[0187] Corresponding to the method provided in the above method embodiment, the present application embodiment also provides a corresponding device, including a module for executing the corresponding module of the above embodiment. The module can be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0188] See also Figure 8 , an embodiment of the present application provides a schematic diagram of a terminal device 800, the terminal device 800 includes:

[0189] The transceiver unit 801 is configured to receive first indication information from a network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and a start time of the second time period is after an end time of the first time period;

[0190] The transceiver unit 801 is further configured to receive a first reference signal from a network device;

[0191] The processing unit 802 is used to process the second signal according to the first indication information.

[0192] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 802 is specifically used to demodulate the second signal according to the first reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal; and / or the processing unit 802 is specifically used to demodulate the second signal according to the second reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the first signal, and the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period.

[0193] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 802 is further used to store the first reference signal or the first estimate determined based on the first reference signal when it is determined based on the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal; the processing unit is specifically used to demodulate the second signal based on the first reference signal or the first estimate.

[0194] In one possible implementation, the first estimation value includes any one of the following items: a frequency domain signal of a first reference signal, a channel estimation value on a symbol where the first reference signal is located, a channel estimation value on a symbol where the first reference signal is located and a symbol where the first signal is located, a channel estimation value on the last symbol carrying the first signal, and a combined value of the channel estimation value of a symbol where the first reference signal is located and all or part of the symbols carrying the first signal.

[0195] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, including: the first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal; when the number of time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal; when the number of time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

[0196] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives the first signal, or the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives the first signal and the second signal.

[0197] In this embodiment, the operations performed by each unit in the terminal device are the same as those described above. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The description in the illustrated embodiment is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0198] In this embodiment, the transceiver unit 801 can learn whether the first reference signal is associated with the second signal through the received first indication information, and the processing unit 802 can also process the second signal according to the first indication information. If associated, the processing unit 802 can also save the first reference signal and use the first reference signal to process the second signal. If not associated, the processing unit 802 does not need to save the first reference signal, thereby reducing the cache overhead of the terminal device.

[0199] In another possible implementation, the terminal device 800 includes:

[0200] The transceiver unit 801 is configured to receive first indication information from a network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a second reference signal used in a second time period is associated with a first signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and a start time of the first time period is after an end time of the second time period;

[0201] The transceiver unit 801 is further configured to receive a first reference signal and a first signal from a network device;

[0202] The processing unit 802 is used to process the first signal according to the first indication information.

[0203] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 802 is specifically used to demodulate the first signal according to the first reference signal and the second reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal; and / or the processing unit 802 is specifically used to demodulate the first signal according to the first reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the first signal.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, where the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal.

[0205] In this embodiment, the operations performed by each unit in the terminal device are the same as those described above. Figure 5 or Figure 7The description in the illustrated embodiment is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0206] In this embodiment, the transceiver unit 801 can obtain whether the second reference signal is associated with the first signal based on the received first indication information. If so, the processing unit 802 uses the first reference signal and the second reference signal for joint processing to obtain a third estimation value to improve channel estimation accuracy.

[0207] See also Fig. 9 , an embodiment of the present application provides a schematic diagram of a network device 900, the network device comprising:

[0208] The transceiver unit 901 is configured to send first indication information to a terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and a start time of the second time period is after an end time of the first time period;

[0209] The transceiver unit 901 is further used to send a first reference signal to the terminal device.

[0210] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, including: the first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal in the first time period; when the number of time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal; when the number of time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

[0211] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives the first signal, or the DCI is used to indicate that the terminal device receives the first signal and the second signal.

[0212] In this embodiment, the operations performed by each unit in the terminal device are the same as those described above. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The description in the illustrated embodiment is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0213] In this embodiment, the transceiver unit 901 can send the first indication information and the first reference signal to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can learn whether the first reference signal is associated with the second signal through the first indication information. If so, the terminal device can also save the first reference signal and use the first reference signal to process the second signal. If not, the terminal device does not need to save the first reference signal, thereby reducing the cache overhead of the terminal device.

[0214] In another possible implementation, the network device 900 includes:

[0215] The transceiver unit 901 is configured to send first indication information to a terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a second reference signal used in a second time period is associated with a first signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and the start time of the first time period is after the end time of the second time period;

[0216] The transceiver unit 901 is also used to send the first reference signal and the first signal to the terminal device.

[0217] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, where the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal.

[0218] In this embodiment, the operations performed by each unit in the terminal device are the same as those described above. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The description in the illustrated embodiment is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0219] In this embodiment, the transceiver unit 901 can send first indication information to the terminal device so that the terminal device can obtain whether the second reference signal is associated with the first signal based on the first indication information. If so, the terminal device can use the first reference signal and the second reference signal to jointly process to obtain a third estimation value, thereby improving the channel estimation accuracy.

[0220] See also Fig.10 , the embodiment of the present application provides another terminal device. For the sake of convenience, only the parts related to the embodiment of the present application are shown. For specific technical details not disclosed, please refer to the method part of the embodiment of the present application. The terminal device can be any terminal device including a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a point of sales (POS), a car computer, etc., taking the terminal device as a mobile phone as an example:

[0221] Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a partial structure of a mobile phone related to a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.10The mobile phone includes: a radio frequency (RF) circuit 1010, a memory 1020, an input unit 1030, a display unit 1040, a sensor 1050, an audio circuit 1060, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) module 1070, a processor 1080, and a power supply 1090. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that Fig.10 The mobile phone structure shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the mobile phone, and may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0222] Combine the following Fig.10 A detailed introduction to the various components of the mobile phone:

[0223] The RF circuit 1010 can be used for receiving and sending signals during information transmission or calls. In particular, after receiving the downlink information of the base station, it is sent to the processor 1080 for processing; in addition, the designed uplink data is sent to the base station. Generally, the RF circuit 1010 includes but is not limited to an antenna, at least one amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a duplexer, etc. In addition, the RF circuit 1010 can also communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication. The above wireless communication can use any communication standard or protocol, including but not limited to the global system of mobile communication (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), email, short messaging service (SMS), etc.

[0224] The memory 1020 can be used to store software programs and modules. The processor 1080 executes various functional applications and data processing of the mobile phone by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory 1020. The memory 1020 can mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area can store an operating system, an application required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc.; the data storage area can store data created according to the use of the mobile phone (such as audio data, a phone book, etc.), etc. In addition, the memory 1020 can include a high-speed random access memory, and can also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices.

[0225] The input unit 1030 can be used to receive input digital or character information, and to generate key signal input related to the user settings and function control of the mobile phone. Specifically, the input unit 1030 may include a touch panel 1031 and other input devices 1032. The touch panel 1031, also known as a touch screen, can collect the user's touch operation on or near it (such as the user's operation on the touch panel 1031 or near the touch panel 1031 using any suitable object or accessory such as a finger, stylus, etc.), and drive the corresponding connection device according to a pre-set program. Optionally, the touch panel 1031 may include two parts: a touch detection device and a touch controller. Among them, the touch detection device detects the user's touch orientation, detects the signal brought by the touch operation, and transmits the signal to the touch controller; the touch controller receives the touch information from the touch detection device, converts it into contact coordinates, and then sends it to the processor 1080, and can receive and execute commands sent by the processor 1080. In addition, the touch panel 1031 can be implemented in various types such as resistive, capacitive, infrared, and surface acoustic waves. In addition to the touch panel 1031, the input unit 1030 may further include other input devices 1032. Specifically, the other input devices 1032 may include but are not limited to one or more of a physical keyboard, function keys (such as volume control keys, switch keys, etc.), a trackball, a mouse, a joystick, and the like.

[0226] The display unit 1040 can be used to display information input by the user or information provided to the user and various menus of the mobile phone. The display unit 1040 may include a display panel 1041. Optionally, the display panel 1041 may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), etc. Further, the touch panel 1031 may cover the display panel 1041. When the touch panel 1031 detects a touch operation on or near it, it is transmitted to the processor 1080 to determine the type of touch event. Subsequently, the processor 1080 provides a corresponding visual output on the display panel 1041 according to the type of touch event. Although in Fig.10 In the embodiment, the touch panel 1031 and the display panel 1041 are used as two independent components to realize the input and output functions of the mobile phone, but in some embodiments, the touch panel 1031 and the display panel 1041 can be integrated to realize the input and output functions of the mobile phone.

[0227] The mobile phone may also include at least one sensor 1050, such as a light sensor, a motion sensor, and other sensors. Specifically, the light sensor may include an ambient light sensor and a proximity sensor, wherein the ambient light sensor may adjust the brightness of the display panel 1041 according to the brightness of the ambient light, and the proximity sensor may turn off the display panel 1041 and / or the backlight when the mobile phone is moved to the ear. As a type of motion sensor, the accelerometer sensor can detect the magnitude of acceleration in all directions (generally three axes), and can detect the magnitude and direction of gravity when stationary. It can be used for applications that identify the posture of the mobile phone (such as horizontal and vertical screen switching, related games, magnetometer posture calibration), vibration recognition related functions (such as pedometer, tapping), etc.; as for other sensors that can be configured in the mobile phone, such as gyroscopes, barometers, hygrometers, thermometers, infrared sensors, etc., they will not be repeated here.

[0228] The audio circuit 1060, the speaker 1061, and the microphone 1062 can provide an audio interface between the user and the mobile phone. The audio circuit 1060 can transmit the received audio data to the speaker 1061 after converting the received audio data into an electrical signal, which is converted into a sound signal for output; on the other hand, the microphone 1062 converts the collected sound signal into an electrical signal, which is received by the audio circuit 1060 and converted into audio data, and then the audio data is output to the processor 1080 for processing, and then sent to another mobile phone through the RF circuit 1010, or the audio data is output to the memory 1020 for further processing.

[0229] WiFi is a short-range wireless transmission technology. The mobile phone can help users send and receive emails, browse web pages and access streaming media through the WiFi module 1070. It provides users with wireless broadband Internet access. Fig.10 A WiFi module 1070 is shown, but it is understandable that it is not an essential component of the mobile phone.

[0230] The processor 1080 is the control center of the mobile phone. It uses various interfaces and lines to connect various parts of the entire mobile phone. By running or executing software programs and / or modules stored in the memory 1020 and calling data stored in the memory 1020, it executes various functions of the mobile phone and processes data, thereby monitoring the mobile phone as a whole. Optionally, the processor 1080 may include one or more processing units; preferably, the processor 1080 may integrate an application processor and a modem processor, wherein the application processor mainly processes the operating system, user interface and application programs, etc., and the modem processor mainly processes wireless communications. It is understandable that the above-mentioned modem processor may not be integrated into the processor 1080.

[0231] The mobile phone also includes a power supply 1090 (such as a battery) for supplying power to various components. Preferably, the power supply can be logically connected to the processor 1080 through a power management system, so that the power management system can manage functions such as charging, discharging, and power consumption.

[0232] Although not shown, the mobile phone may also include a camera, a Bluetooth module, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0233] In the embodiment of the present application, the processor 1080 included in the terminal device can execute the aforementioned Figure 5 or Figure 7 The functions in the illustrated embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0234] See also Fig.11 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the network device involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of the present application. The structure of the network device can refer to Fig.11 The structure shown.

[0235] The network device includes at least one processor 1111, at least one memory 1112, at least one transceiver 1113, at least one network interface 1114 and one or more antennas 1115. The processor 1111, the memory 1112, the transceiver 1113 and the network interface 1114 are connected, for example, through a bus. In an embodiment of the present application, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines or buses, etc., which are not limited in this embodiment. The antenna 1115 is connected to the transceiver 1113. The network interface 1114 is used to connect the network device to other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 1114 may include a network interface between the network device and the core network device, such as an S1 interface. The network interface may include a network interface between the network device and other network devices (such as other access network devices or core network devices), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0236] The processor 1111 is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and to control the entire network device, execute the software program, and process the data of the software program, for example, to support the network device to perform the actions described in the embodiment. The network device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit. The baseband processor is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit is mainly used to control the entire terminal device, execute the software program, and process the data of the software program. Fig.11 The processor 1111 in can integrate the functions of the baseband processor and the central processing unit. Those skilled in the art can understand that the baseband processor and the central processing unit can also be independent processors, which are interconnected through technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art can understand that the terminal device can include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network formats, and the terminal device can include multiple central processing units to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device can be connected through various buses. The baseband processor can also be expressed as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The central processing unit can also be expressed as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing the communication protocol and communication data can be built into the processor, or it can be stored in the memory in the form of a software program, and the processor executes the software program to realize the baseband processing function.

[0237] The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The memory 1112 can exist independently and be connected to the processor 1111. Optionally, the memory 1112 can be integrated with the processor 1111, for example, integrated into a chip. Among them, the memory 1112 can store program codes for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 1111. The various types of computer program codes executed can also be regarded as drivers of the processor 1111.

[0238] Fig.11 Only one memory and one processor are shown. In an actual terminal device, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, etc. The memory may be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or an independent storage element, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0239] The transceiver 1113 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the network device and the terminal, and the transceiver 1113 can be connected to the antenna 1115. The transceiver 1113 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 1115 can receive radio frequency signals, and the receiver Rx of the transceiver 1113 is used to receive the radio frequency signals from the antennas, convert the radio frequency signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals, and provide the digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals to the processor 1111, so that the processor 1111 further processes the digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in the transceiver 1113 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals from the processor 1111, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals into radio frequency signals, and send the radio frequency signals through one or more antennas 1115. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processing on the RF signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal, and the order of the down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processing is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processing on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to obtain a RF signal, and the order of the up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processing is adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital intermediate frequency signal can be collectively referred to as a digital signal.

[0240] The transceiver may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, a device in a transceiver unit for implementing a receiving function may be regarded as a receiving unit, and a device in a transceiver unit for implementing a sending function may be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit, and the receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, an input port, a receiving circuit, etc., and the sending unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0241] It should be noted that Fig.11 The network device shown can be used to implement Figure 5 or Figure 7 The steps implemented by the network device in the corresponding method embodiment and the technical effects corresponding to the network device are not described in detail here.

[0242] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the possible implementation manner of the terminal device in the above embodiment, wherein the terminal device can be specifically the above Figure 5 or Figure 7 The terminal device in the corresponding method embodiment.

[0243] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the possible implementation of the network device in the aforementioned embodiment, wherein the network device may be specifically the aforementioned Figure 5 or Figure 7 The network device in the corresponding method embodiment.

[0244] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product (or computer program) storing one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the possible implementation of the above terminal device, wherein the terminal device can be specifically the above Figure 5 or Figure 7 The communication terminal device in the corresponding method embodiment.

[0245] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product storing one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the possible implementation of the above network device, wherein the network device can be specifically the above-mentioned Figure 5 or Figure 7 The network device in the corresponding method embodiment.

[0246] The present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a terminal device to implement the functions involved in the possible implementation of the terminal device. In a possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the terminal device. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices, wherein the terminal device may be specifically the aforementioned Figure 5 or Figure 7 The terminal device in the corresponding method embodiment.

[0247] The embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting the network device to implement the functions involved in the possible implementation of the above network device. In a possible design, the chip system may also include a memory, which is used to store the necessary program instructions and data of the network device. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices, wherein the network device may be specifically the above-mentioned Figure 5 or Figure 7 The terminal device in the corresponding method embodiment.

[0248] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network system architecture, which includes the terminal device and / or network device in the above embodiment, that is, Figure 5 or Figure 7 The terminal device and network device in the corresponding method embodiment.

[0249] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0250] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0251] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0252] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code.

Claims

1. A signal processing method, characterized in that: include: receiving first indication information from a network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and a start time of the second time period is after an end time of the first time period; receiving the first reference signal from the network device; The second signal is processed according to the first indication information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Processing the second signal according to the first indication information includes: In a case where it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal, demodulating the second signal according to the first reference signal; and / or In a case where it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, the second signal is demodulated according to a second reference signal, and the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: In a case where it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal, storing the first reference signal or a first estimation value determined according to the first reference signal; Demodulating the second signal according to the first reference signal includes: The second signal is demodulated according to the first reference signal or the first estimation amount.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first estimator includes any one of the following: The frequency domain signal of the first reference signal, the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located, the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located and the symbol where the first signal is located, the channel estimation value of the last symbol carrying the first signal, and the combined value of the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located and all or part of the symbols carrying the first signal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, including: The first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal; When the number of the time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal; When the number of the time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or that the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal, or the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal and the second signal.

7. A signal processing method, characterized in that: include: Sending first indication information to a terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and a start time of the second time period is after an end time of the first time period; Sending the first reference signal to the terminal device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, including: The first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal in the first time period; When the number of the time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal; When the number of the time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or that the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: include: The first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal, or the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal and the second signal.

10. A signal processing method, characterized in that: include: receiving first indication information from a network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a second reference signal used in a second time period is associated with a first signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and a start time of the first time period is after an end time of the second time period; receiving the first reference signal and the first signal from the network device; The first signal is processed according to the first indication information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that Processing the first signal according to the first indication information includes: In a case where it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal, demodulating the first signal according to the first reference signal and the second reference signal; and / or In a case where it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the first signal, the first signal is demodulated according to the first reference signal.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: include: The first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal.

13. A signal processing method, characterized in that: include: Sending first indication information to a terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether a second reference signal used in a second time period is associated with a first signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and a start time of the first time period is after an end time of the second time period; The first reference signal and the first signal are sent to the terminal device.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that include: The first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal.

15. A terminal device, characterized in that: include: a transceiver unit, configured to receive first indication information from a network device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and a start time of the second time period is after an end time of the first time period; The transceiver unit is further configured to receive the first reference signal from the network device; A processing unit is used to process the second signal according to the first indication information.

16. The terminal device according to claim 15, characterized in that: The processing unit is specifically configured to demodulate the second signal according to the first reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal; and / or The processing unit is specifically configured to demodulate the second signal according to a second reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the first signal, and the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period.

17. The terminal device according to claim 16, characterized in that: The processing unit is further configured to, when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal, store the first reference signal or a first estimation value determined according to the first reference signal; The processing unit is specifically configured to demodulate the second signal according to the first reference signal or the first estimation amount.

18. The terminal device according to claim 17, characterized in that: The first estimator includes any one of the following: The frequency domain signal of the first reference signal, the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located, the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located and the symbol where the first signal is located, the channel estimation value of the last symbol carrying the first signal, and the combined value of the channel estimation value of the symbol where the first reference signal is located and all or part of the symbols carrying the first signal.

19. The terminal device according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that: The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, including: The first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal; When the number of the time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal; When the number of the time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or that the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

20. The terminal device according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that: The first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal, or the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal and the second signal.

21. A network device, characterized in that: include: a transceiver unit, configured to send first indication information to a terminal device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, and a start time of the second time period is after an end time of the first time period; The transceiver unit is further used to send the first reference signal to the terminal device.

22. The network device according to claim 21, characterized in that: The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first reference signal used in a first time period is associated with a second signal in a second time period, including: The first indication information indicates the number of time units associated with the first reference signal in the first time period; When the number of the time units is greater than 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is associated with the second signal; When the number of the time units is equal to 1, the first indication information indicates that the first reference signal is not associated with the second signal, or that the first reference signal is only associated with the first signal.

23. The network device according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that: include: The first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal, or the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal and the second signal.

24. A terminal device, characterized in that: include: a transceiver unit, configured to receive first indication information from a network device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate whether a second reference signal used in a second time period is associated with a first signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and a start time of the first time period is after an end time of the second time period; The transceiver unit is further configured to receive the first reference signal and the first signal from the network device; A processing unit is used to process the first signal according to the first indication information.

25. The terminal device according to claim 24, characterized in that: The processing unit is specifically configured to demodulate the first signal according to the first reference signal and the second reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is associated with the first signal; and / or The processing unit is specifically configured to demodulate the first signal according to the first reference signal when it is determined according to the first indication information that the first reference signal is not associated with the first signal.

26. The terminal device according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that: include: The first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal.

27. A network device, characterized in that: include: a transceiver unit, configured to send first indication information to a terminal device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate whether a second reference signal used in a second time period is associated with a first signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is associated with the first signal in the first time period, the second reference signal is associated with the second signal in the second time period, and a start time of the first time period is after an end time of the second time period; The transceiver unit is further used to send the first reference signal and the first signal to the terminal device.

28. The network device according to claim 27, characterized in that: include: The first indication information is carried in downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the first signal.

29. A terminal device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program or an instruction, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or the instruction in the memory, so that the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 10 to 12 is executed.

30. A network device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor being used to execute the computer program or instructions in the memory, so that the method according to any one of claims 7 to 9 is executed, or the method according to claim 13 or 14 is executed.

31. A communication system, characterized in that: Including: the terminal device as described in claim 29, and / or, the network device as described in claim 30.

32. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction so that the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 10 to 12 is executed.

33. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction so that the method described in any one of claims 7 to 9 is executed, or the method described in claim 13 or 14 is executed.

34. A computer storage medium, characterized in that A program or instruction for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or a program or instruction for implementing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 12 is stored.

35. A computer storage medium, characterized in that A program or instruction for implementing the method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, or a program or instruction for implementing the method according to claim 13 or 14 is stored.

Images