Method and apparatus for configuring reference signals

Abstract

This disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for configuring reference signals. In an example embodiment, a method implemented in a network device is provided. According to the method, the size of a field for instructing an RS configuration to a terminal device served by the network device is determined based on at least one condition related to the transmission of a reference signal (RS). A first indication of the RS configuration is transmitted to the terminal device. The first indication is included in a field having a determined size.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the original Chinese patent application entitled "Method and Apparatus for Reference Signal Configuration". The original application number is 201780091689.5, the PCT application number is PCT / CN2017 / 088076, the original application date is June 13, 2017, and the PCT international application entered the national phase on December 5, 2019. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for configuring reference signals (RS). Background Technology

[0003] With the development of communication technology, various types of services or services have been proposed, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), which typically requires high data rates; massive machine-type communications (mMTC), which typically requires long battery life; and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). Meanwhile, multi-antenna schemes, such as beam management and reference signal transmission, have been studied for new radio access.

[0004] Typically, network devices (e.g., eNBs or gNBs) transmit downlink reference signals (RS), such as demodulation reference signals (DMRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), and sounding reference signals (SRS). Terminal devices in the system (e.g., user equipment) can receive downlink RSs on allocated resources. Terminal devices can also transmit uplink RSs to network devices on corresponding allocated resources. To indicate the resources allocated for the RSs, network devices can transmit RS configurations to terminal devices prior to the transmission of the RSs.

[0005] For example, two configuration modes for DMRS have been designed and agreed upon in the 3GPP specification work, each supporting up to 8 or 12 orthogonal DMRS ports. This can result in relatively high overhead for network devices instructing DMRS configuration to end devices. In this case, it is necessary to consider solutions to reduce the overhead of DMRS configuration. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In general, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide methods and apparatus for RS configuration.

[0007] In a first aspect, a method implemented in a network device is provided. According to the method, the size of a field for instructing an RS configuration to a terminal device served by the network device is determined based on at least one condition related to reference signal (RS) transmission. A first indication of the RS configuration is transmitted to the terminal device. The first indication is included in a field having a determined size.

[0008] In a second aspect, a method implemented in a terminal device is provided. According to this method, the size of a field for instructing a terminal device, which is served by a network device, is determined based on at least one condition related to the transmission of a reference signal (RS). A first indication of the RS configuration is received from the network device. The first indication is included in a field having a determined size.

[0009] In a third aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network device to perform actions. The actions include: determining the size of a field for instructing an end device served by the network device to perform RS configuration based on at least one condition related to reference signal (RS) transmission; and transmitting a first indication of RS configuration to the end device, the first indication being included in a field having a determined size.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause a network device to perform an action. The action includes: determining the size of a field for instructing RS configuration by the network device serving the terminal device based on at least one condition related to reference signal (RS) transmission; and receiving a first indication of RS configuration from the network device, the first indication being included in a field having a determined size.

[0011] Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the more detailed description of some embodiments thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a communication environment that can be implemented according to embodiments of this disclosure;

[0014] Figure 2 The process for RS transmission according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0015] Figure 3 A flowchart of an example method according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 Examples of possible DMRS configurations according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0017] Figures 5A-5B Examples of possible DMRS configurations according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0018] Figures 6A-6B Examples of possible DMRS configurations according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0019] Figure 7 Examples of possible DMRS configurations according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0020] Figure 8 A flowchart of an example method according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 10 This is a block diagram of a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0023] Figure 11 This is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] In all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways besides the methods described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0027] As used herein, the terms "network device" or "base station" (BS) refer to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage area in which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, NodeB (or NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), and low-power nodes (such as femtonodes, piconodes, etc.). For the purposes of discussion, some embodiments will be described below with reference to gNB as an example of a network device.

[0028] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device with wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktop computers, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, image capture devices (such as digital cameras), gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, or Internet devices that enable wireless or wired Internet access and browsing. For the purposes of discussion, some embodiments will be described below with reference to UEs as examples of terminal devices.

[0029] As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms. The term “comprising” and its variations should be interpreted as open-ended terms meaning “including, but not limited to.” The term “based on” should be interpreted as “at least partially based on.” The terms “an embodiment” and “embodiment” should be interpreted as “at least one embodiment.” The term “another embodiment” should be understood as “at least one other embodiment.” The terms “first,” “second,” etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other definitions (explicit and implicit) may be included below.

[0030] In some examples, values, processes, or devices are referred to as “best,” “lowest,” “highest,” “smallest,” “maximum,” etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a choice can be made among many functional alternatives used, and that such a choice is not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or otherwise preferred than other choices.

[0031] The communications discussed in this disclosure can conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to New Radio Access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, LTE-A Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, communications can be performed according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols.

[0032] Figure 1An example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. Network 100 includes network device 110 and three terminal devices 120-1 and 120-3 (collectively referred to as terminal device 120 or individually referred to as terminal device 120) served by network device 110. The coverage area of ​​network device 110 is also referred to as cell 102. It should be understood that the number of base stations and terminal devices is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. Network 100 may include any suitable number of base stations and terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more adjacent cells may exist adjacent to cell 102, wherein one or more corresponding network devices provide services to multiple terminal devices located therein.

[0033] Network device 110 can communicate with terminal device 120. Communication within network 100 can conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, LTE-A Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, communication can be performed according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols.

[0034] In addition to normal data communication, network device 110 can also transmit RS to one or more terminal devices 120 in the downlink via broadcast, multicast, and / or unicast. Similarly, one or more terminal devices 120 can transmit RS to network device 110 in the uplink. As used herein, "downlink" refers to the link from the network device to the terminal device, and "uplink" refers to the link from the terminal device to the network device. For the purposes of discussion and not to imply any limitation, some embodiments will be described in the following description with reference to downlink RS transmission.

[0035] For example, in the case of downlink RS transmission, the RS can be used by terminal device 120 for beam scanning, channel estimation, demodulation, and other operations for communication. Generally, RS is a signal sequence (also referred to as an "RS sequence") known to both network device 110 and terminal device 120. For example, the RS sequence can be generated and transmitted by network device 110 based on a certain rule, and terminal device 120 can derive the RS sequence based on the same rule. Examples of RS may include, but are not limited to, downlink or uplink demodulation reference signals (DMRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), sounding reference signals (SRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), etc. For the purposes of discussion and not to imply any limitation, some embodiments are described below using DMRS as an example of RS.

[0036] In downlink and uplink RS transmissions, network device 110 can allocate corresponding resources (also referred to as "RS resources") for transmission and / or specify which RS sequence to transmit. In some cases, both network device 110 and terminal device 120 are equipped with multiple antenna ports (or antenna elements) and can use the antenna ports (antenna elements) to transmit the specified RS sequence. A set of RS resources associated with the multiple RS ports is also specified. An RS port can refer to a specific mapping of some or all of the RS sequence to one or more resource elements (REs) of a resource region allocated to RS transmission in the time domain, frequency domain, and / or code domain. Such resource allocation information can be included in downlink control information (DCI) and indicated to terminal device 120 via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0037] As mentioned above, two configuration modes for DMRS have been designed and agreed upon in the 3GPP specification work, each of which can support up to 8 or 12 orthogonal DMRS ports. However, in the current solution for DMRS configuration in LTE, only a fixed number of bits in the DCI are supported to indicate the DMRS configuration (such as the antenna port to be used for RS transmission, scrambling identifier, number of RS transport layers, and RS configuration mode), without taking into account different conditions.

[0038] The number of possible DMRS configurations for a single codeword (CW) can be significantly different from the number of possible DMRS configurations for two CWs. For example, in the case of a single CW, possible DMRS configurations may need to cover 1 to 4 RS transport layers. Possible DMRS configurations may also need to meet multi-user scheduling and / or consistent retransmission requirements, and cover different combinations of antenna ports, scrambling flags, and the number of RS transport layers. Therefore, the number of possible DMRS configurations for a single CW can be relatively large. On the other hand, in the case of two CWs, the number of RS transport layers will be no less than 5, and therefore the number of possible DMRS configurations will be significantly less than the number of possible DMRS configurations for a single CW.

[0039] However, for downlink-related DCI in LTE, regardless of whether there are one or two CWs, a fixed 16 bits are reserved to indicate the two sets of modulation and coding schemes / new data indicators / redundancy versions (MCS / NDI / RV), and a fixed 3 or 4 bits are reserved to indicate the antenna port, scrambling identifier, and layer number. For uplink-related DCI in LTE, regardless of whether there are one or two CWs, a fixed 12 bits are reserved to indicate MCS / NDI / RV and precoding information. That is, in the current solution for DMRS configuration in LTE, the fixed number of bits in the DCI may have to cover the maximum number of possible DMRS configurations for both one and two CWs, which may result in wasted bits in the DCI payload.

[0040] To address the above-mentioned problems and one or more other potential issues, a solution for DMRS configuration is provided according to an example embodiment of this disclosure. This solution reduces the payload size of the downlink control information used to indicate DMRS configuration.

[0041] The following will be referenced Figure 2-11 The principles and implementation of this disclosure are described in detail, wherein Figure 2 Two processes 210 and 220 for RS transmission according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Describe processes 210 and 220. Processes 210 and 220 may involve network device 110 and one or more terminal devices 120 served by network device 110.

[0042] like Figure 2As shown, process 210 involves downlink RS transmission. In one embodiment, network device 110 may indicate (211) an RS configuration to terminal device 120. Network device 120 may transmit (212) RS based on this RS configuration. Terminal device 120 may receive the RS configuration from network device 110 and detect RS based on the received RS configuration. In one embodiment, the RS configuration may include at least one of the following: RS mode, RS port index, number of symbols for RS, number of CW and / or transport blocks, number of transport layers, number of RS ports, number of PDCCHs, number of Physical Downlink Shared Channels (PDSCHs), maximum number of CW and / or transport blocks, maximum number of transport layers, maximum number of RS ports, maximum number of PDCCHs, maximum number of PDSCHs, etc. In another embodiment, the RS configuration may depend on a report from terminal device 120. For example, the report may indicate the terminal device 120's capabilities regarding at least one of the following: number of RS ports, number of transport layers, number of CW and / or transport blocks, number of PDCCHs, number of PDSCHs, etc.

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, process 220 involves uplink RS transmission. In another embodiment, network device 110 may indicate (221) an RS configuration to terminal device 120. Terminal device 120 may receive the RS configuration from network device 110 and may transmit (222) RS based on the received RS configuration. Network device 110 may detect RS based on the RS configuration. In one embodiment, the RS configuration may include at least one of the following: RS mode, RS port index, number of symbols for RS, number of CW and / or transport blocks, number of transport layers, number of RS ports, number of PDCCHs, number of PDSCHs, maximum number of CW and / or transport blocks, maximum number of transport layers, maximum number of RS ports, maximum number of PDCCHs, maximum number of PDSCHs, etc. In another embodiment, the RS configuration may depend on a report from terminal device 120. For example, the report may indicate the capabilities of terminal device 120 regarding at least one of the following: number of RS ports, number of transport layers, number of CW and / or transport blocks, number of PDCCHs, number of PDSCHs, etc.

[0044] In one embodiment, a set of RS configurations for RS transmission can be determined. Network device 110 can configure one or more RS configurations selected from this set for terminal device 120. In one embodiment, terminal device 120 can detect or transmit RS based on the configured one or more RS configurations.

[0045] In one embodiment, a set of RS ports for RS transmission can be determined. For example, this set of RS ports can be (A1, A2, A3, A4...A...). R-1 A R ) represents, where R is an integer and R≥1, and A i (i∈(1, 2, ..., R)) represents the index of the RS port. In one embodiment, one or more ports selected from this group of RS ports can be configured for terminal device 120. In one embodiment, for example, K1 RS ports selected from this group of RS ports can be configured for terminal device 120-1 (where K1 is an integer and 1≤K1≤R). In another embodiment, K2 RS ports selected from this group of RS ports can be configured for terminal device 120-2 (where K2 is an integer and 1≤K2≤R). In one embodiment, the number of RS ports configured for one terminal device may be different from the number of RS ports configured for another terminal device. That is, K1 may be different from K2. In one embodiment, the port index configured for one terminal device may be different from the port index configured for another terminal device. That is, the port index for the K1 ports of terminal device 120-1 may be different from the port index for the K2 ports of terminal device 120-2. In another embodiment, the K1 ports for terminal device 120-1 and the K2 ports for terminal device 120-2 may at least partially overlap or be separated from each other. In another embodiment, the port indices of the RS ports selected from the group of RS ports may be consecutive or non-consecutive.

[0046] Figure 3 A flowchart of an example method 300 for RS configuration according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 300 can be performed in... Figure 1 The network device shown is implemented at location 110. For discussion purposes, references will be made to... Figure 1 Method 300 is described from the perspective of network device 110.

[0047] In action 310, network device 110 determines the size of a field for instructing the terminal device 120, which is served by network device 110, to an RS configuration based on at least one condition related to RS transmission. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine one or more possible RS configurations for RS transmission based on at least one condition, and then determine the field size based on the number of one or more possible RS configurations. Then, in action 320, network device 110 transmits the indication of the RS configuration to terminal device 120. In some embodiments, the indication may include an index value of the RS configuration. In some embodiments, network device 110 may include the indication of the RS configuration in a field in DCI, and then transmit DCI to terminal device 120 via PDCCH.

[0048] In some embodiments, before determining the size of a field, network device 110 may acquire at least one condition and indicate that at least one condition to terminal device 120. For example, in one embodiment, network device 110 may indicate the at least one condition to terminal device 120 via higher-layer signaling, such as signaling at the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, etc. In this way, terminal device 120 may determine the size of a field based on the at least one condition in the same manner as network device 110.

[0049] In some embodiments, at least one condition associated with RS transmission may include at least one of the following: RS configuration mode, number of CW and / or transport blocks, number of transport layers, number of symbols used for RS, number of PDCCHs, number of PDSCHs, maximum number of CW and / or transport blocks, maximum number of transport layers, maximum number of PDCCHs, maximum number of PDSCHs, etc. In one embodiment, the number of CW and / or transport blocks may depend on the number of transport layers to be used for RS transmission. For example, if the number of transport layers is no more than 4, only one CW and / or transport block may be supported. If the number of transport layers is greater than 4, two CW and / or transport blocks may be supported.

[0050] In one embodiment, network device 110 may determine M possible RS configurations for RS transmission based on a first condition, where M is an integer and M≥1. For example, the first condition may indicate that only one CW is enabled for RS transmission. Therefore, the number of bits in the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration may be determined as P, where P = ceil(log2(M)) or log2(M). In another embodiment, network device 110 may determine N possible RS configurations for RS transmission based on a second condition, where N is an integer and N≥1. For example, the second condition may indicate that two CWs are enabled for RS transmission. Therefore, the number of bits in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration may be determined as Q, where Q = ceil(log2(N)) or log2(N). In some embodiments, the value of M may be different from the value of N, for example, M > N. Therefore, the value of P may be different from the value of Q, for example, P > Q.

[0051] In one embodiment, with only one CW, the possible DMRS configurations can cover 1 to 4 RS transport layers. For example, there can be a1 possible DMRS configurations associated with 1 RS transport layer (also called "Layer 1 configuration"), a2 possible DMRS configurations associated with 2 RS transport layers (also called "Layer 2 configuration"), a3 possible DMRS configurations associated with 3 RS transport layers (also called "Layer 3 configuration"), and a4 possible DMRS configurations associated with 4 RS transport layers (also called "Layer 4 configuration"), where a1, a2, a3, and a4 can be non-negative integers and independent of each other. That is, the values ​​of a1, a2, a3, and a4 can be different from each other or the same. In this case, the number of possible DMRS configurations for one CW can be (a1 + a2 + a3 + a4). Figure 4 Examples of possible DMRS configurations for different numbers of CWs are shown. Figure 4 Table 410 is shown as including (a1+a2+a3+a4) possible DMRS configurations for a CW. Each of the (a1+a2+a3+a4) possible DMRS configurations is indexed by a corresponding index value. Therefore, the number of bits in the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as ceil(log2(a1+a2+a3+a4)). In one embodiment, where the DMRS is configured with at most two transport layers, a three- or four-layer DMRS configuration may not exist for a CW. That is, at least one of the values ​​of a3 and a4 can be zero.

[0052] In another embodiment, in the case of two CWs, the possible DMRS configurations can cover 5 to 8 RS transport layers. For example, there can be b1 possible DMRS configurations associated with 5 RS transport layers (also called "layer 5 configuration"), b2 possible DMRS configurations associated with 6 RS transport layers (also called "layer 6 configuration"), b3 possible DMRS configurations associated with 7 RS transport layers (also called "layer 7 configuration"), and b4 possible DMRS configurations associated with 8 RS transport layers (also called "layer 8 configuration"), where b1, b2, b3, and b4 can be non-negative integers and independent of each other. That is, the values ​​of b1, b2, b3, and b4 can be different from each other or the same. In this case, the number of possible DMRS configurations for the two CWs can be (b1 + b2 + b3 + b4). Figure 4As shown, Table 420 is presented as including (b1+b2+b3+b4) possible DMRS configurations for two CWs. Each of the (b1+b2+b3+b4) possible DMRS configurations is indexed by a corresponding index value. Therefore, the number of bits in the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as ceil(log2(b1+b2+b3+b4)). In one embodiment, where the DMRS is configured with up to 6 transport layers, a 7-layer or 8-layer DMRS configuration may not exist for the two CWs. That is, at least one of the values ​​of b3 and b4 can be zero.

[0053] In some embodiments, the size of the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined based on the maximum number of possible DMRS configurations for 1 CW and 2 CW. For example, the field size could be: maximum(ceil(log2(a1+a2+a3+a4)),ceil(log2(b1+b2+b3+b4))).

[0054] In some embodiments, the size of the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined based on different configuration modes and / or different CW numbers.

[0055] As mentioned above, two configuration modes for DMRS have been designed and agreed upon in the 3GPP specification work (RAN1#89), each of which can support up to 8 or 12 orthogonal DMRS ports. One configuration mode is called the Interleaved Frequency Division Multiplexing (IFDM) based configuration mode (i.e., the frontload DMRS configuration 1 agreed upon in RAN1#89), where DMRS ports can be multiplexed based on different comb and / or cyclic shift and / or TD-OCC, and this configuration mode will also be referred to as "DMRS Configuration 1" in the following description. The other configuration mode is called the Frequency Division Orthogonal Cover Code (FD-OCC) based configuration mode, which has adjacent REs in the frequency domain (i.e., the frontload DMRS configuration 2 agreed upon in RAN1#89), where DMRS ports can be multiplexed based on FDM and / or FD-OCC and / or TDM and / or TD-OCC, and this configuration mode will also be referred to as "DMRS Configuration 2" in the following description.

[0056] In some embodiments, with DMRS configuration 1, up to 8 DMRS ports can be supported. That is, for DMRS configuration 1, up to 8 transport layers are supported. The number of bits in the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as I, where I is an integer and I ≥ 1. In one embodiment, the number of indices included in the DCI field used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as U, where U is an integer and U ≥ 1. In other embodiments, with DMRS configuration 2, up to 12 DMRS ports can be supported. That is, for DMRS configuration 2, up to 12 transport layers are supported. The number of bits in the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as J, where J is an integer and J ≥ 1. In one embodiment, the number of indices included in the DCI field used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as V, where V is an integer and V ≥ 1. In one embodiment, the value of I can be different from the value of J. In another embodiment, the value of U can be different from the value of V.

[0057] In one embodiment, with DMRS configuration 1 and only one CW, the number of possible DMRS configurations can be 16, and therefore the number of bits in the field indicating the DMRS configuration in the DCI can be determined to be 4. In another embodiment, with DMRS configuration 1 and two CWs, the number of possible DMRS configurations can be 4, and therefore the number of bits in the field indicating the DMRS configuration in the DCI can be determined to be 2. Figure 5A An example of such an embodiment is shown. Figure 5A Table 510 is shown as including 16 possible DMRS configurations for one CW, and Table 520 is shown as including 4 possible DMRS configurations associated with two CWs.

[0058] In one embodiment, with DMRS configuration 2 and only one CW, the number of possible DMRS configurations can be 25, and therefore the number of bits in the field indicating the DMRS configuration in the DCI can be determined to be 5. In another embodiment, with DMRS configuration 2 and two CWs, the number of possible DMRS configurations can be 5, and therefore the number of bits in the field indicating the DMRS configuration in the DCI can be determined to be 3. Figure 5B An example of such an embodiment is shown. Figure 5B Table 530 is shown as including 25 possible DMRS configurations for one CW, and Table 540 is shown as including 5 possible DMRS configurations for two CWs.

[0059] In some embodiments, the size of the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration may be determined based on the different configuration modes and / or different number of symbols to be used for RS transmission.

[0060] In one embodiment, with DMRS configuration 1 and one symbol, up to four transport layers are supported. In one embodiment, the number of bits in the field indicating DMRS configuration in the DCI can be determined as I1, where I1 is an integer and I1 ≥ 1. In another embodiment, the number of indices included in the DCI field indicating DMRS configuration can be determined as U1, where U1 is an integer and U1 ≥ 1. In another embodiment, with DMRS configuration 1 and two symbols, up to eight transport layers are supported. In one embodiment, the number of bits in the field indicating DMRS configuration in the DCI can be determined as I2, where I2 is an integer and I2 ≥ 1. In one embodiment, the number of indices included in the DCI field indicating DMRS configuration can be determined as U2, where U2 is an integer and U2 ≥ 1. In one embodiment, the value of I1 can be different from the value of I2. In another embodiment, the value of U1 can be different from the value of U2.

[0061] In one embodiment, with DMRS configuration 2 and one symbol, up to 6, 4, or 2 transport layers can be supported. In one embodiment, the number of bits in the field indicating the DMRS configuration in the DCI can be determined as J1, where J1 is an integer and J1 ≥ 1. In another embodiment, the number of indices included in the DCI field indicating the DMRS configuration can be determined as V1, where V1 is an integer and V1 ≥ 1. In another embodiment, with DMRS configuration 2 and two symbols, up to 12 transport layers are supported. In one embodiment, the number of bits in the field indicating the DMRS configuration in the DCI can be determined as J2, where J2 is an integer and J2 ≥ 1. In another embodiment, the number of indices included in the DCI field indicating the DMRS configuration can be determined as V2, where V2 is an integer and V2 ≥ 1. In one embodiment, the value of J1 can be different from the value of J2. In another embodiment, the value of V1 can be different from the value of V2.

[0062] In some embodiments, the different sizes of the fields in the DCI used to indicate DMRS configuration can be determined based on at least one of the following: different numbers of CWs and / or transport blocks, different numbers of transport layers, different numbers of symbols for RS, different numbers of PDCCHs, different numbers of PDSCHs, different maximum numbers of CWs and / or transport blocks, different maximum numbers of transport layers, different maximum numbers of PDCCHs, different maximum numbers of PDSCHs, etc. For example, the tables of possible DMRS configurations may be different in different cases, for example, including different configurations and / or index numbers, and therefore the size of the fields in the DCI used to indicate DMRS configuration may be different.

[0063] In one embodiment, it is assumed that the size of the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined based on a number X, where X can indicate one of the following: the number of CWs and / or transport blocks, the number of transport layers, the number of symbols for RS, the number of PDCCHs, the number of PDSCHs, the maximum number of CWs and / or transport blocks, the maximum number of transport layers, the maximum number of PDCCHs, the maximum number of PDSCHs, etc. In one embodiment, the number of bits in the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as I3, where I3 is an integer and I3≥1. In one embodiment, the number of indices included in the DCI field used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as U3, where U3 is an integer and U3≥1.

[0064] In another embodiment, it is assumed that the size of the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined based on a number Y, where Y can indicate one of the following: the number of CWs and / or transport blocks, the number of transport layers, the number of symbols for RS, the number of PDCCHs, the number of PDSCHs, the maximum number of CWs and / or transport blocks, the maximum number of transport layers, the maximum number of PDCCHs, the maximum number of PDSCHs, etc. For example, the value of Y can be different from the value of X. In one embodiment, the number of bits in the field in the DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as I4, where I4 is an integer and I4≥1. In one embodiment, the number of indices included in the DCI field used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as U4, where U4 is an integer and U4≥1. In one embodiment, the value of I3 can be different from the value of I4. In another embodiment, the value of U3 can be different from the value of U4.

[0065] In some embodiments, if only one CW is enabled for DMRS transport, the size of the field indicating the DMRS configuration can be determined as ceil(log2(a1+a2+a3+a4)), where a1 represents the number of possible Layer 1 configurations, a2 represents the number of possible Layer 2 configurations, a3 represents the number of possible Layer 3 configurations, and a4 represents the number of possible Layer 4 configurations. a1, a2, a3, and a4 can be non-negative integers and can be independent of each other.

[0066] In some embodiments, if both one and two CWs are enabled for DMRS transmission, the number of possible DMRS configurations can be max((a 11 +a 21 +a 31 +a 41 ),(b1+b2+b3+b4)), where a 11 Indicates the number of possible 1-layer configurations, a 21 Indicates the number of possible 2-layer configurations, a 31 Indicates the number of possible 3-layer configurations, a 41 b1 represents the number of possible 4-layer configurations, b2 represents the number of possible 5-layer configurations, b3 represents the number of possible 6-layer configurations, b4 represents the number of possible 7-layer configurations, and b4 represents the number of possible 4-layer configurations. b1, b2, b3, b4, a 11 a 21 a 31 and a 41 These can be non-negative integers and are independent of each other. In this case, the size of the field used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined as ceil(log2(max((a 11 +a 21 +a 31 +a 41 ),(b1+b2+b3+b4)))). Figure 6A An example of such an embodiment is shown. Figure 6A Table 610 is shown as including 25 possible DMRS configurations for one CW and 5 possible DMRS configurations for two CWs. Each of the 25 possible DMRS configurations for one CW and the 5 possible DMRS configurations for two CWs is associated with a corresponding index value. Some index values ​​associated with two CWs overlap with some index values ​​associated with one CW. Figure 6A In the example shown, the size of the field used to indicate DMRS configuration can be determined to be 5.

[0067] For example, such as Figure 6A As shown, (a 11 +a 21 +a31 +a 41 The value of (b1+b2+b3+b4) can be greater than the value of (b1+b2+b3+b4). In one embodiment, to further reduce the overhead of indicating RS configuration, some unused index values ​​associated with two CWs can be used to index some possible DMRS configurations for a CW. Figure 6B An example of such an embodiment is shown. For example... Figure 6B As shown in Table 620, the unused index values ​​“6”-“14” associated with two CWs are used to index the possible DMRS configurations for a CW, which were originally indexed by index values ​​“16”-“24”.

[0068] In some embodiments, when the number of fields in the DCI used to indicate the size of the DMRS configuration is X, the number of possible DMRS configurations for a CW can be determined as (a 13 +a 23 +a 33 +a 13 ), where a 13 Indicates the number of possible 1-level configurations, a 23 Indicates the number of possible 2-layer configurations, a 33 Indicates the number of possible 3-layer configurations, a 43 This indicates the number of possible 4-layer configurations. 13 a 23 a 33 and a 43 These can be non-negative integers and can be independent of each other. In some embodiments, when the number of fields in the DCI used to indicate the size of the DMRS configuration is Y, the number of indexes used to indicate possible DMRS configurations for a CW can be determined as (a 14 +a 24 +a 34 +a 44 ), where a 14 Indicates the number of possible 1-level configurations, a 24 Indicates the number of possible 2-layer configurations, a 34 Indicates the number of possible 3-layer configurations, a 44 This indicates the number of possible 4-layer configurations. 14 a 24 a 34 and a 44 These can be non-negative integers and can be independent of each other. In one embodiment, the value of X can be different from the value of Y. In this case, at least one of the possible number of 1-layer, 2-layer, 3-layer, and 4-layer configurations associated with X can be different from the number of possible configurations associated with Y. For example, a 13The value can be different from a 14 The value. Alternatively or additionally, a 23 The value can be different from a 24 The value. Alternatively or additionally, a 33 The value can be different from a 34 The value. Alternatively or additionally, a 43 The value can be different from a 44 The value of .

[0069] In some embodiments, when the number of fields in the DCI used to indicate the size of the DMRS configuration is X, the number of possible DMRS configurations for the two CWs can be determined as (b 13 +b 23 +b 33 +b 43 ), where b 13 Indicates the number of possible 5-layer configurations, b 23 Indicates the number of possible 6-layer configurations, b 33 Indicates the number of possible 7-layer configurations, b 43 This indicates the number of possible 8-layer configurations. (b) 13 b 23 b 33 and b 43 These can be non-negative integers and can be independent of each other. In some embodiments, when the number of fields in the DCI used to indicate the size of the DMRS configuration is Y, the number of possible DMRS configurations for the two CWs can be determined as (b 14 +b 24 +b 34 +b 44 ), where b 14 Indicates the number of possible 5-layer configurations, b 24 Indicates the number of possible 6-layer configurations, b 34 Indicates the number of possible 7-layer configurations, b 44 This indicates the number of possible 8-layer configurations. 14 b 24 b 34 and b 44 These can be non-negative integers and can be independent of each other. In one embodiment, the value of X can be different from the value of Y. In this case, at least one of the possible 5-layer, 6-layer, 7-layer, and 8-layer configurations associated with X can be different from the possible configurations associated with Y. For example, b 13 The value can be different from b. 14 The value of b. Alternative or additional location. 23 The value can be different from b. 24 The value of b. Alternative or additional location.33 The value can be different from b. 34 The value of b. Alternative or additional location. 43 The value can be different from b. 44 The value of .

[0070] In one embodiment, additional fields in the DCI can be used to indicate whether an index value is associated with one CW or two CWs. For example, if only one CW is enabled, a set of MCS / NDI / RVs in the DCI may be unused. In one embodiment, unused fields of the New Data Indicator (NDI) for two CWs can be reused to indicate whether an index value is associated with one CW or two CWs. For example, for an index value between "6" and "14", if the NDI equals 0, it can indicate that the index value is associated with one CW; if the NDI equals 1, it can indicate that the index value is associated with two CWs. Figure 6B In the example shown, the size of the field used to indicate DMRS configuration can be determined to be 4, which is less than Figure 6A 5 shown.

[0071] In some embodiments, the size of the field used to indicate DMRS configuration can also be determined based on different conditions associated with RS retransmission.

[0072] Assume that possible RS configurations for two CWs are associated with 5, 6, 7, or 8 transport layers. For example, with a 5-layer RS ​​configuration, 2 transport layers can be used to transmit one CW, and 3 transport layers can be used to transmit the other CW. With a 6-layer RS ​​configuration, 3 transport layers can be used to transmit one CW, and 3 transport layers can be used to transmit the other CW. With a 7-layer RS ​​configuration, 3 transport layers can be used to transmit one CW, and 4 transport layers can be used to transmit the other CW. With an 8-layer RS ​​configuration, 4 transport layers can be used to transmit one CW, and 4 transport layers can be used to transmit the other CW. If the transmission of one of the two CWs fails, the failed CW needs to be retransmitted. To meet the consistent retransmission requirement, at least two transport layers can be used for retransmission.

[0073] In some embodiments, two CWs can be enabled for retransmission. That is, one CW can be used for the transmission of new data, while the other CW can be used for the retransmission of a failed CW. In this case, the subsequent DCI can still contain two sets of MCS / NDI / RV. As mentioned above, the size of the field in the subsequent DCI used to indicate the DMRS configuration can be determined based on the number of possible DMRS configurations for the two CWs.

[0074] In some other embodiments, only one CW can be enabled for retransmission. That is, only one CW can be used for retransmission of a failed CW. In this case, the subsequent DCI may still contain two sets of MCS / NDI / RV, where one of the two sets of MCS / NDI / RV can be enabled, and the other set of MCS / NDI / RV can be disabled. As described above, at least two transport layers will be used for retransmission of failed CWs. Therefore, a Layer 1 RS configuration will not be used for retransmission of failed CWs. In one embodiment, the number of possible Layer 1 RS configurations can be subtracted from the total number of possible RS configurations for a CW. In this way, the payload size of the subsequent DCI can be further reduced. Figure 7 Example table 710 shows such an embodiment. In table 710, from such... Figure 4 The Level 1 RS configuration is omitted in Table 410 shown.

[0075] Figure 8 A flowchart of an example method 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 800 can be implemented as follows: Figure 1 The terminal device shown is implemented at location 120. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 800 is described from the perspective of terminal device 120.

[0076] In action 810, terminal device 120 determines the size of a field for instructing RS configuration by a network device serving terminal device 120 based on at least one condition related to RS transmission.

[0077] In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may receive an indication of the at least one condition from network device 110 before determining the size of the field. For example, in one embodiment, terminal device 120 may receive the indication of the at least one condition via higher-layer signaling, such as signaling at the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, etc.

[0078] In some embodiments, the at least one condition includes at least one of the following to be used for RS transmission: RS configuration mode, number of CW and / or transport blocks, number of transport layers, number of symbols, number of PDCCHs, number of PDSCHs, maximum number of CW and / or transport blocks, maximum number of transport layers, maximum number of RS ports, maximum number of PDCCHs, and maximum number of PDSCHs.

[0079] In some embodiments, as described above, terminal device 120 may determine the size of the field in the same manner as network device 110. For the sake of simplicity, the determination of the field size by terminal device 120 will not be described in detail.

[0080] In action 820, terminal device 120 receives an instruction for RS configuration from network device, which is included in a field of defined size.

[0081] In some embodiments, the indication may include an index value of the RS configuration. In some embodiments, the RS configuration includes information about at least one of the following: one or more RS ports, a scrambling identifier, the number of RS transport layers, and the RS configuration mode.

[0082] In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may receive DCI including the field from network device, wherein the indication of RS configuration is included in the field of DCI.

[0083] In some embodiments, RS may include a demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

[0084] Figure 9 A block diagram of an apparatus 900 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The apparatus 900 can be considered as follows: Figure 1 The example implementation of network device 110 shown is illustrated. As shown, device 900 includes a determining module 910 configured to determine the size of a field for instructing an end device served by the network device to an RS configuration based on at least one condition related to reference signal (RS) transmission. Device 900 also includes a transmission module 920 configured to transmit a first indication of the RS configuration to the end device, the first indication being included in a field having a determined size.

[0085] Figure 10 A block diagram of an apparatus 1000 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The apparatus 1000 can be considered as follows: Figure 1 The example implementation of terminal device 120 shown is illustrated. As shown, device 1000 includes a determining module 1010 configured to determine the size of a field for indicative RS configuration by a network device serving the terminal device based on at least one condition related to reference signal (RS) transmission. Device 1000 also includes a receiving module 1020 configured to receive a first indication of RS configuration from the network device, the first indication being included in a field having a determined size.

[0086] For clarity, Figure 9 and / or Figure 10 Some optional modules of device 900 and / or device 1000 are not shown. However, it should be understood that reference... Figure 1-8The various features described also apply to device 900 and / or device 1000. Furthermore, the various modules of device 900 and / or device 1000 can be hardware modules or software modules. For example, in some embodiments, device 900 and / or device 1000 can be implemented partially or completely by software and / or firmware, for example, implemented as a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium. Alternatively or additionally, device 900 and / or device 1000 can be implemented partially or completely based on hardware, for example, implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), system-on-a-chip (SOC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. The scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0087] Figure 11 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 1100 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1100 can be considered as follows: Figure 1 Another example implementation of the network device 110 or terminal device 120 shown. Therefore, device 1100 may be implemented at network device 110 or terminal device 120, or may be implemented as at least a part of network device 110 or terminal device 120.

[0088] As shown in the figure, device 1100 includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120 coupled to the processor 1110, suitable transmitters (TX) and receivers (RX) 1140 coupled to the processor 1110, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 1140. The memory 1110 stores at least a portion of a program 1130. The TX / RX 1140 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 1140 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice, the access node mentioned in this application may have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs, an S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Serving Gateway (S-GW) and an eNB, an Un interface for communication between an eNB and a Relay Node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB and a terminal device.

[0089] Assume that program 1130 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 1110, enable device 1100 to operate according to embodiments of this disclosure, as referenced herein. Figures 1 to 8The embodiments discussed herein can be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1110 of device 1100, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1110 can be configured to implement various embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the processor 1110 and the memory 1110 can form a processing apparatus 1150 suitable for implementing various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0090] Memory 1110 can be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and by way of non-limiting example, it can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Although only one memory 1110 is shown in device 1100, several physically different memory modules may exist in device 1100. Processor 1110 can be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and by way of non-limiting example, it may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1100 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0091] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0092] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. This computer program product includes execution within a device on a real or virtual target processor to perform the above-mentioned references. Figures 1 to 11 Computer-executable instructions for any of the described processes or methods, such as those included in a program module. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module may be combined or divided among program modules. The machine-executable instructions for a program module may execute within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module may reside in both local and remote storage media.

[0093] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0094] The above program code can be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which can be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium can be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0095] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all shown operations to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as a description of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0096] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method for a terminal, the method comprising: Communicating with network devices, and Send capability information related to the first parameter and the second parameter to the network device; and, The first parameter is one of the demodulation reference signal DMRS configuration 1 and DMRS configuration 2; The second parameter is the parameter used for the number of symbols in DMRS. The first parameter is different from the second parameter. The number of bits used for the index value is defined based on the first parameter and the second parameter. If the second parameter indicates one symbol, then DMRS configuration 1 supports up to four transport layers. If the second parameter indicates 2 symbols, then DMRS configuration 1 supports up to 8 transport layers. If the second parameter indicates one symbol, then the DMRS configuration 2 supports up to six transport layers, and If the second parameter indicates 2 symbols, then the DMRS configuration 2 supports up to 12 transport layers.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: Based on the configuration of the number of DMRS ports indexed by the index value, DMRS is received from the network device.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising: Based on the configuration of the number of DMRS ports indexed by the index value, DMRS is sent to the network device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: One of the tables in the configuration table for the number of DMRS ports is defined based on the first parameter and the second parameter.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The maximum number of supported DMRS ports is based on the first parameter.

6. A method for a network device, the method comprising: Communicating with the terminal, and Receive capability information related to the first and second parameters from the terminal. The first parameter is one of the demodulation reference signal DMRS configuration 1 and DMRS configuration 2. The second parameter is the parameter used for the number of symbols in DMRS. The number of bits used for the index value is defined based on the first parameter and the second parameter. If the second parameter indicates one symbol, then DMRS configuration 1 supports up to four transport layers. If the second parameter indicates 2 symbols, then DMRS configuration 1 supports up to 8 transport layers. If the second parameter indicates one symbol, then the DMRS configuration 2 supports up to six transport layers, and If the second parameter indicates 2 symbols, then the DMRS configuration 2 supports up to 12 transport layers.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising: Based on the configuration of the number of DMRS ports indexed by the index value, DMRS is sent to the terminal.

8. The method of claim 6, comprising: The terminal receives DMRS based on the configuration of the number of DMRS ports indexed by the index value.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein: One of the tables in the configuration table for the number of DMRS ports is defined based on the first parameter and the second parameter.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The maximum number of supported DMRS ports is based on the first parameter.

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