A service transmission method and apparatus

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a service transmission method and device, wherein the method comprises the following steps: determining a service amount of a first time unit; determining a first number of radio frequency channels to be turned on in the first time unit according to the service amount and a first mapping relationship; the first mapping relationship comprises a mapping relationship between the service amount and the number of radio frequency channels; and transmitting services through the first number of radio frequency channels in the first time unit, wherein the services comprise at least one of a data channel and a reference signal. Through the above method, the number of radio frequency channels to be turned on is determined according to the service amount, so that the number of radio frequency channels to be turned on can be reduced, and then the power consumption can be reduced.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The original application has the application number 202010096886.X and the original application date is February 17, 2020. The entire contents of the original application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a service transmission method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Currently, Multi-input Multi-output (MIMO) technology has become a key technology for improving the system capacity of mobile communication systems such as new radio (NR) systems and long term evolution (LTE) systems. As MIMO specifications continue to improve, the number of antennas configured in base stations is increasing, and the number of radio frequency channels in the base station also increases linearly with the number of antennas.

[0004] A radio frequency (RF) channel in a base station includes modules such as a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a digital-to-analog converter, an RF chip, and peripheral circuitry. As the number of RF channels increases, the power consumption of the base station also increases. For example, when the number of antennas in a base station increases from 2 to 64, the power consumption of the components included in the RF channels will increase from 150 watts to 600 watts.

[0005] Therefore, how to reduce the power consumption of base stations is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide a service transmission method and apparatus to solve the problem of how to reduce the power consumption of base stations.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a service transmission method, comprising: determining the service volume of a first time unit; determining, based on the service volume and a first mapping relationship, to open a first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit; the first mapping relationship including a mapping relationship between the service volume and the number of radio frequency channels; and transmitting services through the first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit, wherein the services include at least one of a data channel and a reference signal.

[0008] By using the above method, the number of RF channels to be activated can be determined based on the traffic volume, thereby reducing the number of RF channels to be activated and thus reducing power consumption.

[0009] In one possible design, before transmitting services through the first number of radio frequency channels, the method further includes: determining a second mapping relationship between the first number of radio frequency channels and a second number of antenna ports; wherein the second number does not change with the change of the first number.

[0010] In one possible design, the second number of antenna ports is all the antenna ports included in the network device.

[0011] This method allows for the transmission of signals without shutting down any antenna ports. By remapping the RF channels and antenna ports, it ensures that the antenna ports used by the network devices to transmit signals match the antenna ports designated by the terminal devices, thus improving system performance even when some channels are disabled. Furthermore, after remapping the RF channels and antenna ports, the network devices do not need to be restarted, preventing any service interruptions.

[0012] In one possible design, the second mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between any one of the second number of antenna ports and at least one of the first number of radio frequency channels; wherein, when the first number is greater than or equal to the second number, different antenna ports in the second number of antenna ports map to different radio frequency channels; or, when the first number is less than the second number, at least two different antenna ports in the second number of antenna ports map to the same radio frequency channel.

[0013] In one possible design, when the first quantity is less than the second quantity, it further includes: when the first quantity is greater than 1, and the second quantity of antenna ports includes at least two antenna ports for transmitting diversity data channels, each of the at least two antenna ports is mapped to a different radio frequency channel.

[0014] In one possible design, transmitting services through the first number of radio frequency channels includes: transmitting services corresponding to each antenna port through at least one radio frequency channel mapped to each of the second number of antenna ports, according to the second mapping relationship.

[0015] In one possible design, the first quantity is the number of radio channels included in the second radio channel group or the number of radio channels included in the first radio channel group; determining the activation of the first number of radio channels within the first time unit based on the traffic volume and the first mapping relationship includes: if the traffic volume is less than a first threshold, then activating the first radio channel group or the second radio channel group within the first time unit; if the traffic volume is greater than or equal to the first threshold, then activating the first radio channel group within the first time unit; wherein, the radio channels included in the second radio channel group are radio channels shared by the first radio channel group and the second radio channel group, and the number of radio channels included in the first radio channel group is greater than the number of radio channels included in the second radio channel group.

[0016] In one possible design, transmitting services through the first number of radio frequency channels includes: if the service volume is less than the first threshold, transmitting the reference signal through the first antenna port group corresponding to the first radio frequency channel group within the first time unit; and transmitting the data channel through the second antenna port group corresponding to the second radio frequency channel group when transmitting the data channel within the first time unit.

[0017] In one possible design, if the traffic volume is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the reference signal and the data channel are transmitted through the first antenna port group corresponding to the first radio frequency channel group within the first time unit.

[0018] In one possible design, any antenna port in the second antenna port group belongs to the first antenna port group, and the first antenna port group contains at least one antenna port that does not belong to the second antenna port group, wherein one antenna port group contains at least one antenna port.

[0019] In one possible design, the traffic includes a first traffic volume in a first cell and a second traffic volume in a second cell; the first cell and the second cell belong to the same network device.

[0020] In one possible design, the first quantity is the number of radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group or the number of radio frequency channels included in the third radio frequency channel group; determining the activation of the first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit based on the traffic volume and the first mapping relationship includes: if at least one of the first traffic volume and the second traffic volume is greater than or equal to a second threshold, then the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; if both the first traffic volume and the second traffic volume are less than the second threshold, then the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; wherein, the radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group belong to radio frequency channels shared by the third radio frequency channel group and the fourth radio frequency channel group, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the third radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group.

[0021] In the method above, the number of RF channels to be activated is determined based on the traffic volume of different cells. This allows the number of RF channels to be activated to be reduced when the traffic volume of a cell decreases, thereby achieving the goal of energy saving and power reduction.

[0022] In one possible design, transmitting services through the first number of radio frequency channels includes: when the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, transmitting the services of the first cell and / or the services of the second cell through the third radio frequency channel group; or when the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, transmitting the services of the first cell and / or the services of the second cell through the fourth radio frequency channel group.

[0023] In one possible design, the first quantity is the number of radio channels included in the fifth radio channel group, the sixth radio channel group, or the seventh radio channel group; determining the activation of the first number of radio channels within the first time unit based on the traffic volume and the first mapping relationship includes: activating the fifth radio channel group if the traffic volume is greater than or equal to a second threshold; activating the sixth radio channel group if the traffic volume is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold; and activating the seventh radio channel group if the traffic volume is less than or equal to the first threshold. Wherein, all radio channels included in the sixth radio channel group belong to the fifth radio channel group, and the number of radio channels included in the fifth radio channel group is greater than the number of radio channels included in the sixth radio channel group; all radio channels included in the seventh radio channel group belong to the fifth radio channel group, and the number of radio channels included in the sixth radio channel group is greater than the number of radio channels included in the seventh radio channel group.

[0024] In one possible design, transmitting the service through the first number of radio frequency channels includes: transmitting the service through the fifth radio frequency channel group when the fifth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; or transmitting the service through the sixth radio frequency channel group when the sixth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; or transmitting the service through the seventh radio frequency channel group when the seventh radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit.

[0025] In one possible design, when the service is a downlink service, the RF channel includes at least one of a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a digital-to-analog converter, and an RF signal processing unit; or, when the service is an uplink service, the RF channel includes at least one of a small-signal amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, and an RF signal processing unit.

[0026] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that can execute any of the methods described above.

[0027] In one possible design, the device includes one or more processors and a communication interface. The one or more processors are configured to support the device in performing the corresponding functions of the network device in the above method. For example, generating resource configuration information. The communication interface is used to support the device in communicating with other devices, implementing receiving and / or sending functions. For example, sending resource configuration information.

[0028] Optionally, the device may further include one or more memories coupled to the processor, which store program instructions and / or data necessary for the network device. The one or more memories may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately. This application is not limiting.

[0029] The device can be a base station, gNB, or TRP, etc., and the communication interface can be a transceiver or a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the transceiver can also be an input / output circuit or an interface.

[0030] The device can also be a communication chip. The communication interface can be the input / output circuit or interface of the communication chip.

[0031] In another possible design, the aforementioned device includes a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The processor controls the transceiver to transmit and receive signals, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor runs the computer program in the memory, causing the device to perform the method performed by the network device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes corresponding functional units, each used to implement the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the functions described above.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, as described in the method provided in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0034] Thirdly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program including instructions for performing the methods of the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0035] Fourthly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0036] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device, the communication device including a processor and a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs or instructions; the processor being used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a chip including a processor coupled to a memory for executing a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, wherein when the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect is performed. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication system applicable to embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a service transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the mapping relationship between a radio frequency channel and an antenna port, provided for an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the mapping relationship between a radio frequency channel and an antenna port, provided for an embodiment of this application; Figure 6A schematic diagram illustrating the mapping relationship between a radio frequency channel and an antenna port, provided for an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This application provides a schematic diagram of service transmission for a radio frequency channel group. Figure 8 This application provides a schematic diagram of service transmission for a radio frequency channel group. Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems that support MIMO, such as: New Radio (NR) system, Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, etc., and are not limited thereto.

[0041] In this application embodiment, the terminal device can be a device with wireless transceiver function or a chip that can be set in any device. It can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical care, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, etc.

[0042] Network equipment can be a next-generation node B (gNB) in an NR system, an evolved node B (eNB) in an LTE system, a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, or a base station (nodeB, NB) in a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, etc.

[0043] For ease of explanation, this application will use base stations and terminals as examples to describe in detail the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system includes terminal equipment and network equipment. Figure 1This is just an example. In real-world applications, multiple terminal devices may establish connections with network devices. Depending on the transmission direction, the transmission link from the terminal device to the network device is called the uplink (UL), and the transmission link from the network device to the terminal device is called the downlink (DL). Similarly, data transmission in the uplink can be abbreviated as uplink data transmission or uplink transfer, and data transmission in the downlink can be abbreviated as downlink data transmission or downlink transfer.

[0045] In this wireless communication system, terminal equipment and network equipment support one or more of the same radio access technology (RAT), such as NR, LTE, etc.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device may be a network device as described in this application. Figure 2 As shown, the communication device may include an application subsystem, memory, mass storage, baseband subsystem, radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), radio frequency front end (RFFE) device, and antenna (ANT), which may be coupled through various interconnect buses or other electrical connection methods.

[0047] Figure 2 In this code, ANT_1 represents the first antenna, and so on, with ANT_N representing the Nth antenna, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. Tx represents the transmit path, Rx represents the receive path, and different numbers represent different paths. FBRx represents the feedback receive path, PRx represents the main receive path, and DRx represents the diversity receive path. HB represents high frequency, and LB represents low frequency; these refer to the relative high and low frequencies. BB represents baseband. It should be understood that... Figure 2 The labels and components in this application are for illustrative purposes only and represent only one possible implementation. Other implementations are also included in this application.

[0048] The application subsystem can serve as the main control system or main computing system of the communication device, running the main operating system and applications, managing the hardware and software resources of the entire communication device, and providing a user interface. The application subsystem may include one or more processing cores. Furthermore, it may also include driver software related to other subsystems (such as the baseband subsystem). The baseband subsystem may also include one or more processing cores, as well as hardware accelerators (HACs) and caches, etc.

[0049] Figure 2 In this system, the RFFE device, RFIC 1 (and optional RFIC 2) together form the RF subsystem. The RF subsystem includes RF channels, which can be further divided into radio frequency receive paths and radio frequency transmit paths.

[0050] The RF receiving channel receives RF signals via an antenna, processes these signals (such as amplification, filtering, and down-conversion) to obtain baseband signals, and then transmits them to the baseband subsystem. The RF transmitting channel receives baseband signals from the baseband subsystem, processes these baseband signals (such as up-conversion, amplification, and filtering) to obtain RF signals, and finally radiates these RF signals into space via an antenna.

[0051] Specifically, the radio frequency (RF) transmission channel may include electronic components such as low noise amplifiers (LNAs), power amplifiers (PAs), mixers, local oscillators (LOs), filters, and digital-to-analog converters (DACs), which can be integrated into one or more chips as needed. Antennas can sometimes be considered part of the RF subsystem.

[0052] The radio frequency (RF) receiving channel may include electronic components such as small-signal amplifiers (SNAs), low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), power amplifiers (PAs), mixers, local oscillators (LOs), filters, and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). These electronic components can be integrated into one or more chips as needed. Antennas can sometimes be considered part of the RF subsystem.

[0053] In this embodiment, the radio frequency (RF) transmitting channel and the RF receiving channel may further include an RF signal processing unit. The RF signal processing unit can be a general-purpose processor or a processor designed for a specific field. For example, it can be a central processing unit (CPU) or a digital signal processor (DSP). The processor can also be a microcontroller (MCU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), an audio signal processor (ASP), or a processor specifically designed for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. AI processors include, but are not limited to, neural network processing units (NPUs), tensor processing units (TPUs), and processors referred to as AI engines.

[0054] It should be noted that the communication device in the embodiments of this application may include multiple radio frequency receiving channels and radio frequency transmitting channels.

[0055] In this application embodiment, memory can be divided into volatile memory and non-volatile memory (NVM). Volatile memory refers to memory whose stored data is lost when the power supply is interrupted. Currently, volatile memory is mainly random access memory (RAM), including static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Non-volatile memory refers to memory whose stored data is not lost even when the power supply is interrupted. Common non-volatile memories include read-only memory (ROM), optical discs, hard disks, and various memories based on flash memory technology. Generally speaking, volatile memory can be used for main memory, while non-volatile memory, such as hard disks or flash memory, can be used for large-capacity memories.

[0056] In this embodiment, the baseband subsystem and the radio frequency (RF) subsystem together constitute the communication subsystem, providing wireless communication functionality for the communication device. Typically, the baseband subsystem manages the hardware and software resources of the communication subsystem and can configure the operating parameters of the RF subsystem. One or more processing cores of the baseband subsystem can be integrated into one or more chips, which can be called a baseband processing chip or a baseband chip. Similarly, an RFIC can be called an RF processing chip or an RF chip. Furthermore, with technological advancements, the functional division between the RF and baseband subsystems in the communication subsystem can be adjusted. For example, some functions of the RF subsystem can be integrated into the baseband subsystem, or vice versa. In practical applications, based on the needs of the application scenario, the communication device can employ combinations of different numbers and types of processing cores.

[0057] In this embodiment, the radio frequency (RF) subsystem may include a separate antenna, a separate RF front-end (RFFE) device, and a separate RF chip. The RF chip is sometimes also referred to as a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver. The antenna, RF front-end device, and RF processing chip can all be manufactured and sold separately. Of course, the RF subsystem can also employ different devices or different integration methods based on power consumption and performance requirements. For example, some devices belonging to the RF front-end can be integrated into the RF chip, or even the antenna and RF front-end device can be integrated into the RF chip, which can also be called an RF antenna module or antenna module.

[0058] In this embodiment, the baseband subsystem can be a standalone chip, referred to as a modem chip. The hardware components of the baseband subsystem can be manufactured and sold on a modem chip basis. Modem chips are sometimes also referred to as baseband chips or baseband processors. Alternatively, the baseband subsystem can be further integrated into a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) chip, manufactured and sold on a SoC chip basis. The software components of the baseband subsystem can be built into the chip's hardware components before the chip leaves the factory, or they can be imported into the chip's hardware components from other non-volatile memory after the chip leaves the factory, or they can be downloaded and updated online via a network.

[0059] Based on the preceding description, such as Figure 3 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a service transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 The process shown can be executed by a network device; see [link / reference]. Figure 3 The method includes: Step 301: Determine the traffic volume of the first time unit.

[0060] The first time unit can be a period of time, such as an hour or a minute. For example, a time unit can be one hour, 10 hours, 30 minutes, etc. The first time unit can also be a transmission time interval (TTI), a slot, a subframe, a symbol, or a radio frame, etc. The embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0061] Furthermore, the specific method for determining the traffic volume of the first time unit is not limited in the embodiments of this application. For example, the traffic volume of the first time unit can be predicted based on the traffic volume in historical data, or the traffic volume of the first time unit can be inferred through neural network algorithms, etc., which will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0062] The first time unit can be configured by the network device, defined in the communication standard, or determined by other methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0063] Step 302: Determine the number of radio frequency channels to be activated within the first time unit based on the traffic volume and the first mapping relationship.

[0064] The first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between traffic volume and the number of radio frequency channels. The specific implementation of the first mapping relationship is not limited in this application embodiment and will be described in later embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0065] It should be noted that in this embodiment of the application, the less traffic there is, the fewer radio frequency channels need to be activated.

[0066] Step 303: Within the first time unit, transmit services through the first number of radio frequency channels, the services including at least one of data channels and reference signals.

[0067] Figure 3 The process shown can be applied to various MIMO scenarios, which will be described below.

[0068] Example 1: In Example 1, factors affecting communication transmission performance can be categorized into at least two types. The first type consists of air interface transmission parameters specified by standardized protocols, such as antenna port configuration information. This type of information needs to be communicated by the network device to the terminal device, and MIMO transmission is implemented based on the antenna port configuration and the transmission mode configured. This type of information requires consistency between the network device and the terminal device. The second type is the implementation behavior of the network device or terminal device, which does not require standardization. The network device or terminal device can change its implementation method according to its own capabilities, but this type of implementation cannot affect the first type of configuration parameters. For example, the configuration of the number of radio frequency channels. The number of radio frequency channels configured by the network device can be more than the number of antenna ports configured in the air interface transmission parameters. For example, if the network device is configured with 8 radio frequency channels, while the air interface is configured with 4 antenna ports, then the two radio frequency channels can be mapped to one antenna port. This allows the power of multiple radio frequency channels to be used to transmit the signal corresponding to the same antenna port, improving the signal-to-noise ratio and thus improving transmission performance.

[0069] However, when the traffic volume of communication services decreases, it would be a waste of power to keep all radio frequency channels open to transmit signals. Existing radio frequency channel shutdown technologies generally require that the signal transmission of the corresponding antenna port be shut down at the same time as the radio frequency channel is shut down, to ensure the consistency of the antenna ports of the shutdown reference signal and data channel. However, in some scenarios, the number of antenna ports cannot be reconfigured in time, resulting in a mismatch between the antenna ports actually transmitting signals of the network device and the antenna ports determined by the terminal device, leading to performance degradation. Therefore, this application provides the following method for transmitting services, which can save power by shutting down some radio frequency channels without shutting down any antenna ports transmitting signals, and ensure that the antenna ports actually transmitting signals of the network device match the antenna ports determined by the terminal device through the remapping between radio frequency channels and antenna ports, thereby improving the system performance under partial channel shutdown. The following is combined with Figure 3 The process is described in detail below.

[0070] In step 302, the first mapping relationship may have multiple implementations. In this embodiment, the number of radio frequency channels that need to be activated varies depending on the range of service volume. Within different ranges, the smaller the range, the fewer radio frequency channels need to be activated.

[0071] For example, assuming that the network device includes N radio frequency channels, where N is an even number greater than 0, the first mapping relationship can be shown in Table 1.

[0072] Table 1

[0073] In Table 1, the first traffic volume threshold is less than the second traffic volume threshold. The first and second traffic volume thresholds can be configured by the network device, defined in the communication standard, or determined by other means, which will not be elaborated here.

[0074] Of course, Table 1 is just an example. There may be other cases for the first mapping relationship. The specifics can be deduced by analogy, and will not be explained one by one.

[0075] For another example, suppose the network device has 8 radio frequency channels and 4 antenna ports; the traffic volume can be divided into four levels, which are the first traffic volume threshold, the second traffic volume threshold, the third traffic volume threshold and the fourth traffic volume threshold in ascending order. The corresponding number of radio frequency channels that can be opened can be 1 radio frequency channel, 2 radio frequency channels, 4 radio frequency channels and 8 radio frequency channels respectively.

[0076] In Embodiment 1, after determining the first number of radio frequency channels, a second mapping relationship between the first number of radio frequency channels and the second number of antenna ports can also be determined; wherein, the second number does not change with the change of the first number. For example, the second number can be the number of antenna ports configured in the network device, and can be a fixed value.

[0077] After determining the second mapping relationship, the service corresponding to each antenna port can be transmitted through at least one radio frequency channel mapped to each antenna port in the second number of antenna ports, according to the second mapping relationship.

[0078] In this embodiment of the application, the second mapping relationship includes the mapping relationship between any one of the second number of antenna ports and at least one of the first number of radio frequency channels. In the second mapping relationship, each antenna port of the second number of antenna ports maps to at least one radio frequency channel, and each radio frequency channel of the first number of radio frequency channels maps to at least one antenna port.

[0079] Generally, different radio frequency channels correspond to different transmission channels. To ensure better diversity gain or multiplexing gain when using MIMO transmission, it is necessary to ensure that the correlation between the channel coefficients corresponding to different antenna ports is as small as possible. The strength of the correlation between different channel coefficients characterizes the similarity between the channel coefficients; the stronger the correlation, the more similar the coefficients, and vice versa. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, the second mapping relationship can be determined based on the first quantity and the second quantity, which will be discussed below in different cases.

[0080] In the first case, the first quantity is greater than or equal to the second quantity.

[0081] In this case, different antenna ports in the second number of antenna ports are mapped to different radio frequency channels.

[0082] Specifically, when two antenna ports are mapped to different numbers of RF channels, they can be considered to be mapped to different RF channels; when two antenna ports are mapped to different RF channels, they can also be considered to be mapped to different RF channels.

[0083] For example, suppose a network device needs to enable four radio frequency channels: RF1, RF2, RF3, and RF4, and the network device is configured with four antenna ports: R1, R2, R3, and R4. In this case, the second mapping relationship can be: R1 maps to RF1, R2 maps to RF2, R3 maps to RF3, and R4 maps to RF4. The specific second mapping relationship can be as follows: Figure 4 And as shown in Table 2.

[0084] Table 2

[0085] Referring to Table 2, after determining the second mapping relationship shown in Table 2, the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R1 can be transmitted through RF1; the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R2 can be transmitted through RF2; the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R3 can be transmitted through RF3; and the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R4 can be transmitted through RF4. Other cases will not be elaborated further.

[0086] In the second scenario, the first quantity is less than the second quantity.

[0087] In this case, at least two of the different antenna ports in the second number of antenna ports map to the same radio frequency channel.

[0088] Furthermore, when the first number is greater than 1, and the second number of antenna ports includes at least two antenna ports for transmitting diversity data channels, each of the at least two antenna ports is mapped to a different radio frequency channel.

[0089] The at least two antenna ports used for transmitting diversity data channels may refer to the at least two antenna ports transmitting the same data stream.

[0090] For example, suppose a network device includes four radio frequency (RF) channels: RF1, RF2, RF3, and RF4, and is configured with four antenna ports: R1, R2, R3, and R4. The mapping relationship between the RF channels and the antenna ports can be shown in Table 1. Assume that R1 and R3 transmit the same data stream, R2 and R4 transmit the same data stream, and R1 and R2 transmit different data streams. In this scenario, R1 and R3 are antenna ports used for transmitting diversity data channels, and R2 and R4 are antenna ports used for transmitting diversity data channels.

[0091] Referring to the example above, when only two of the four RF channels are enabled, R1 and R3 need to be mapped to different RF channels, and R2 and R4 need to be mapped to different RF channels. Assuming the enabled RF channels are RF1 and RF2, the second mapping relationship can be: R1 maps to RF1, R2 maps to RF1, R3 maps to RF2, and R4 maps to RF2. The specific second mapping relationship can be as follows: Figure 5 And as shown in Table 3.

[0092] Table 3

[0093] Based on Table 3, after determining the second mapping relationship shown in Table 3, the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R1 and the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R2 can be transmitted through RF1; the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R3 and the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R4 can be transmitted through RF2.

[0094] Of course, in the example above, R1 and R2 can also be mapped to RF2, and R3 and R4 can also be mapped to RF1.

[0095] Optionally, in the first and second cases, the different RF channels mapped to different antenna ports can also include those based on the same set of RF channels but with different combination coefficients; for example, port R numbered i (i=1,2,3,4) i With channel RF numbered j (j=1,2,…,8) j The mapping relationship between them is , (j=1,2,….,8) where This represents the mapping coefficient between the j-th channel and the i-th port, typically a complex number. This mapping relationship indicates the relationship between the antenna ports R. i Part of the data is mapped by coefficients After processing, it is sent to channel RF. j send.

[0096] Furthermore, in the second case, when the first quantity equals 1, all antenna ports of the second quantity are mapped to this single RF channel. In this case, the same RF channel is used to transmit the reference signals and data channels corresponding to all different antenna ports.

[0097] Based on the example above, when it is determined that only RF1 out of the four RF channels is enabled, R1, R2, R3, and R4 are all mapped to RF1, R3 is mapped to RF2, and R4 is mapped to RF2. The specific second mapping relationship can be as follows: Figure 6 And as shown in Table 4.

[0098] Table 4

[0099] Based on Table 4, after determining the second mapping relationship shown in Table 4, the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R1, the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R2, the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R3, and the reference signal and data channel corresponding to R4 can be transmitted through RF1.

[0100] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, in order to ensure that the transmission performance remains unchanged before and after the RF channel is turned off, it is necessary to keep the power of the reference signal used for measuring coverage unchanged per unit resource. Therefore, the total power of the unit resource used to transmit the service corresponding to one antenna port remains unchanged, and the total power is provided by the power of the multiple RF channels corresponding to that antenna port.

[0101] For example, in an 8-RF channel, 4-antenna-port (8T4P) MIMO system as shown in Table 5(a), where T represents a channel and P represents an antenna port, the network device is configured with 8 RF channels and 4 antenna ports. When all 8 RF channels are enabled, each RF channel provides P0 power per unit resource on its mapped antenna port. Correspondingly, the total power of the reference signal per unit resource for each antenna port is 2P0, with one antenna port powered by two RF channels. When half of the RF channels are disabled, it becomes a 4-RF channel, 4-antenna-port (4T4P) system. In this case, each antenna port is mapped to one RF channel, so only one RF channel provides power per antenna port. To ensure that the total power of the reference signal per unit resource for each antenna port remains constant, each RF channel provides 2P0 power per unit resource for the reference signal transmitted to its mapped antenna port, as shown in Table 5(a).

[0102] Furthermore, when 3 / 4 of the RF channels are turned off, resulting in a 2 RF channel 4 antenna port (2T4P) configuration, one RF channel needs to provide power to the services transmitted by the corresponding two antenna ports. To ensure that the total power of the reference signal per unit resource for each antenna port remains constant, and the power provided by each RF channel to the reference signal transmitted by its mapped antenna port is 2P0. Further, when 7 / 8 of the RF channels are turned off, resulting in a 1 RF channel 4 antenna port (1T4P) configuration, one RF channel needs to provide power to the reference signals transmitted by the corresponding four antenna ports, and the power provided by each RF channel to the reference signal transmitted by its mapped antenna port is 2P0, as detailed in Table 5(b).

[0103] Table 5(a)

[0104] Table 5(b)

[0105] The above embodiments allow for determining the number of RF channels to be activated based on traffic volume, thereby reducing the power consumption of network equipment. Furthermore, even with only some RF channels activated, MIMO transmission modes, including diversity and spatial multiplexing, can still be supported, and cell coverage performance remains unchanged, thus preserving service transmission performance.

[0106] Furthermore, even after some radio frequency channels are shut down, the network device's antenna ports still transmit corresponding services based on the mapped radio frequency channels. Therefore, the network device does not need to notify the terminal device which antenna port radio frequency channels have been shut down, thus eliminating the need to reconfigure any antenna port parameters or transmission modes. Moreover, since the antenna ports can still transmit services after the network device shuts down some radio frequency channels, the network device does not need to be restarted.

[0107] Example 2: Existing RF channel shutdown technologies generally require that the corresponding antenna ports be shut down simultaneously with the RF channel shutdown, while ensuring consistency between the antenna ports of the shutdown reference signal and data channel. This type of RF channel shutdown typically requires reconfiguration or remapping of the antenna ports to take effect, resulting in long activation times and making it unsuitable for busy communication periods. "Busy communication period" is generally defined as the average resource utilization rate of the communication coefficient exceeding a certain threshold over a period of time, such as the physical resource block utilization rate exceeding 50%.

[0108] However, even during peak communication times, there are fluctuations in the amount of traffic per unit of time resource. For example, different subframes or transmission time intervals may experience light traffic on certain units of time resource, making the high-order MIMO transmission capabilities redundant. Therefore, energy saving can be achieved by shutting down some radio frequency channels.

[0109] In such scenarios, if the RF channel corresponding to the reference signal changes but the antenna port remains unchanged, the channel quality measurement of the terminal device will degrade, leading to a decrease in subsequent transmission efficiency. Therefore, this application provides a method for shutting down the RF channel when the reference signal and data channel are asymmetrical. This method avoids affecting the terminal device's measurement of the reference signal and achieves energy saving by shutting down the RF channel corresponding to the data channel. It should be noted that during lightly loaded services, other compensation transmission methods (such as adaptive coding modulation) can also be used to ensure accurate transmission of lightly loaded services per unit time resource, thereby achieving both accurate transmission per unit time resource and energy saving under channel shutdown. The following describes a method for... Figure 3 The process is described in detail below.

[0110] In step 301, the first time unit can be a unit such as a transmit time interval (TTI), a slot, a subframe, a symbol, or a radio frame.

[0111] In Embodiment 2, the radio frequency channels included in the network device can be divided into at least two radio frequency channel groups. The following description uses the division into two radio frequency channel groups as an example; other cases can be deduced by analogy.

[0112] When a network device comprises radio frequency (RF) channels divided into a first RF channel group and a second RF channel group, the second RF channel group can be a subset of the first RF channel group. Specifically, the RF channels included in the second RF channel group are shared by both the first and second RF channel groups, and the number of RF channels included in the first RF channel group is greater than the number of RF channels included in the second RF channel group.

[0113] Optionally, the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel group are all the radio frequency channels included in the network device.

[0114] For example, a network device includes 8 radio frequency channels. The first radio frequency channel group can be all 8 radio frequency channels included in the network device, and the second radio frequency channel group can be any 4 radio frequency channels among the 8 radio frequency channels.

[0115] In this embodiment of the application, in order to ensure the normal transmission of services, the number of open radio frequency channels for different service volume mappings, i.e., the first mapping relationship, can be as shown in Table 6.

[0116] Table 6

[0117] Referring to Table 6, if the traffic volume of the first time unit is less than the first threshold, then the first radio frequency channel group or the second radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; if the traffic volume of the first time unit is greater than or equal to the first threshold, then the second radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit.

[0118] The specific value of the first threshold can be determined according to the actual situation, and this application embodiment does not limit it.

[0119] Furthermore, based on the preceding description, within the first time unit, the reference signal or data channel can be transmitted in the following manner: If the traffic volume of the first time unit is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the first radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, and reference signals and data channels are transmitted through the first antenna port group corresponding to the first radio frequency channel group. If the traffic volume of the first time unit is less than the first threshold, then when a reference signal needs to be transmitted within the first time unit, the first radio frequency channel group is activated and the reference signal is transmitted through the first antenna port group corresponding to the first radio frequency channel group; when a data channel needs to be transmitted within the first time unit, the second radio frequency channel group is activated and the data channel is transmitted through the second antenna port group corresponding to the second radio frequency channel group.

[0120] The first antenna port group and the second antenna port group each contain at least one antenna port. The second antenna port group is a subset of the first antenna port group, meaning that any antenna port in the second antenna port group belongs to the first antenna port group, and the first antenna port group contains at least one antenna port that does not belong to the second antenna port group.

[0121] For example, such as Figure 7 As shown, the first time unit is a subframe consisting of 14 Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, which are numbered 0 to 13 in chronological order. Reference signals need to be transmitted in symbols 0, 4, 7, and 11.

[0122] Assuming the traffic volume in the first time unit is less than a first threshold, then referring to Table 6, it can be determined whether the first or second radio frequency channel group needs to be activated. Assume the first radio frequency channel group includes four radio frequency channels: RF1, RF2, RF3, and RF4; and the second radio frequency channel group includes two radio frequency channels: RF1 and RF2. Therefore, in symbols 0, 4, 7, and 11 of the first time unit, the first radio frequency channel group can be activated, and the reference signal can be transmitted through the first radio frequency channel group. In the symbols other than symbols 0, 4, 7, and 11 of the first time unit, only the second radio frequency channel group can be activated, and the data channel can be transmitted through the second radio frequency channel group. Furthermore, if some frequency domain resources in the OFDM symbols (symbols 0, 4, 7, and 11) containing the reference signal are also used for transmitting the data channel, then the radio frequency channel used for transmitting the data channel on that portion of the frequency domain resources is the same as the radio frequency channel used by other OFDM symbols transmitting data channels.

[0123] It should be noted that in Embodiment 2, the difference between the number of RF channels (or antenna ports) for transmitting the data channel and the number of RF channels (or antenna ports) for transmitting the reference signal may cause a mismatch in channel estimation, leading to a decrease in network transmission performance. For example, a terminal device configured with 4 antenna ports and transmission mode TM4 still performs channel measurement and precoding matrix index feedback based on 4 antenna ports, and uses a precoding length of 4 when receiving the data channel; however, in reality, the network device uses 2 antenna ports when transmitting the data channel, therefore the precoding length on the transmitting side is 2. Generally, the network device transmits the reference signal based on the antenna port group corresponding to the first RF channel group, transmits the data channel based on the antenna port group corresponding to the second RF channel group, and determines the precoding length for transmitting the data channel based on the number of antenna ports corresponding to the second RF channel group.

[0124] As can be seen from the above process, the number of radio frequency channels to be opened is determined according to the traffic volume of the first time unit. The number of radio frequency channels for transmitting reference signals is different from the number of radio frequency channels for transmitting data channels. Regardless of the traffic volume, the number of radio frequency channels for transmitting reference signals remains unchanged. This ensures that when some radio frequency channels are turned off, the traffic volume in the current first time unit is met without affecting the transmission of reference signals or the measurement of reference signal volume by the terminal equipment, thus ensuring the high traffic volume requirements of subsequent transmissions.

[0125] Example 3: With the diversification of wireless communication network services and the demand for high capacity, high-capacity transmission based on aggregation across multiple cells (which can be multiple cells corresponding to the same frequency or multiple cells corresponding to different frequencies) has become a key technology. To achieve simple or low-cost deployment on the network side, shared radio frequency channels can be implemented based on multiple cells. However, due to differences in service volume requirements between cells, the actual transmission requirements for the number of radio frequency channels or antenna ports vary between cells. This makes the shared radio frequency channels redundant for some cells. Therefore, energy saving can be achieved by shutting down the radio frequency channels of some cells during transmission. The following section discusses this further. Figure 3 The process is described in detail below.

[0126] In Embodiment 3, the network device can simultaneously set up multiple cells through carrier aggregation or other methods. The following description uses the example of including the first cell and the second cell, and other cases can be deduced by analogy.

[0127] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the first cell and the second cell. For example, the first cell can be an LTE cell and the second cell can be an NB-IoT cell.

[0128] When the first cell and the second cell belong to the same network device, in step 301, the traffic volume of the first time unit determined may include the first traffic volume of the first cell and the second traffic volume of the second cell.

[0129] In Embodiment 3, the radio frequency channels included in the network device can be divided into at least two radio frequency channel groups. The following description uses the division into two radio frequency channel groups as an example; other cases can be deduced by analogy.

[0130] When the radio frequency channels included in a network device can be divided into a third radio frequency channel group and a fourth radio frequency channel group, the fourth radio frequency channel group can be a subset of the third radio frequency channel group. Specifically, the radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group are shared by the third and fourth radio frequency channel groups, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the third radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group.

[0131] Optionally, the radio frequency channels in the third radio frequency channel group are all the radio frequency channels included in the network device.

[0132] For example, a network device includes four radio frequency channels. The third radio frequency channel group can be all four radio frequency channels included in the network device, and the fourth radio frequency channel group can be any two of the four radio frequency channels.

[0133] Based on the preceding description, in Embodiment 2, the first mapping relationship can be as shown in Table 7.

[0134] Table 7

[0135] In Table 7, the specific value of the second threshold can be determined according to the actual situation, and this application embodiment does not limit it.

[0136] Table 7 is just an example; there may be other first mapping relationships, which will not be illustrated here.

[0137] Referring to Table 7, if at least one of the first traffic volume and the second traffic volume is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; if both the first traffic volume and the second traffic volume are less than the second threshold, then the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit.

[0138] Furthermore, when the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, at least one of the services of the first cell and the services of the second cell can be transmitted through the third radio frequency channel group within the first time unit. When the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, at least one of the services of the first cell and the services of the second cell can be transmitted through the fourth radio frequency channel group within the first time unit.

[0139] For example, combining Figure 8 As shown, the network device includes four radio frequency (RF) channels: RF1, RF2, RF3, and RF4. The third RF channel group can include all four RF channels of the network device, and the fourth RF channel group can include RF1 and RF2.

[0140] Within the first time unit, when at least one of the first traffic volume of the first cell and the second traffic volume of the second cell is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the third radio frequency channel group can be activated, i.e., RF1, RF2, RF3, and RF4 can be activated. Accordingly, within the first time unit, at least one of the services of the first cell and the services of the second cell can be transmitted through RF1, RF2, RF3, and RF4.

[0141] Within the first time unit, when the first traffic volume of the first cell and the second traffic volume of the second cell are both less than the second threshold, the fourth radio frequency channel group can be activated, i.e., RF1 and RF2 can be activated. Accordingly, within the first time unit, at least one of the services of the first cell and the services of the second cell can be transmitted through RF1 and RF2.

[0142] Examples 1 to 3 can be applied to downlink transmission. When applied to downlink transmission, the service transmitted in Examples 1 to 3 is a downlink service, and the radio frequency channel is a radio frequency transmission channel. The radio frequency channel may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following modules: a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a digital-to-analog converter, and a radio frequency signal processing unit.

[0143] Example 4: As the MIMO capability of communication systems gradually increases, the number of radio frequency (RF) receiving channels also increases, leading to a gradual increase in the power consumption of network devices. The hardware units corresponding to these RF receiving channels mainly consist of low-noise amplifiers and RF chips. Therefore, this application provides a method to save power consumption in RF receiving channels, which is described below in conjunction with… Figure 3 The process is described in detail below.

[0144] In Embodiment 4, the radio frequency channels included in the network device can be divided into at least two radio frequency channel groups. The following description uses the division into three radio frequency channel groups as an example, and other cases can be deduced by analogy.

[0145] When the radio frequency channels of a network device are divided into a fifth radio frequency channel group, a sixth radio frequency channel group, and a seventh radio frequency channel group, the sixth radio frequency channel group can be a subset of the fifth radio frequency channel group, and the seventh radio frequency channel group can be a subset of the sixth radio frequency channel group.

[0146] Specifically, the radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group are radio frequency channels shared by the fifth and sixth radio frequency channel groups, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the fifth radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group; the radio frequency channels included in the seventh radio frequency channel group are radio frequency channels shared by the sixth and seventh radio frequency channel groups, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the seventh radio frequency channel group.

[0147] Optionally, the radio channels in the fifth radio channel group are all the radio channels included in the network device.

[0148] For example, a network device includes 8 radio frequency channels. The fifth radio frequency channel group can be all 8 radio frequency channels included in the network device. The sixth radio frequency channel group can be any 4 radio frequency channels among the 8 radio frequency channels. The seventh radio frequency channel group can be any 2 radio frequency channels among the radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group.

[0149] Based on the preceding description, in Example 4, the first mapping relationship can be: If the traffic volume is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the fifth radio frequency channel group is activated; If the traffic volume is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, then the sixth radio frequency channel group is activated; If the traffic volume is less than or equal to the first threshold, then the seventh radio frequency channel group is activated.

[0150] The above are just examples; other first mapping relationships may exist, but they will not be illustrated here.

[0151] Furthermore, when the fifth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the service can be transmitted through the fifth radio frequency channel group; When the sixth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the service can be transmitted through the sixth radio frequency channel group; When the seventh radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the service can be transmitted through the seventh radio frequency channel group.

[0152] Using the above method, network devices can adaptively adjust the number of open radio frequency channels according to the traffic volume of the first time unit, thereby reducing the power consumption of network devices and achieving energy saving.

[0153] Example 4 can be applied to downlink transmission. When applied to uplink transmission, the service transmitted in Example 4 is an uplink service, and the radio frequency channel is a radio frequency receiving channel. The radio frequency channel may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following modules: a small-signal amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, and a radio frequency signal processing unit.

[0154] It should be noted that Embodiments 1 to 4 can be independent embodiments or can be combined according to internal logic. For example, Embodiments 1 and 2 can be combined into one embodiment. All these solutions fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0155] The various embodiments described herein can be independent solutions or combinations thereof based on their inherent logic, and all such solutions fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0156] It is understood that the methods and operations implemented by the network device in the above-described method embodiments can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used in the network device.

[0157] To achieve the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the network device may include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0158] The module division in this embodiment is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division; in actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0159] Similar to the above concept, such as Figure 9 As shown, this application embodiment also provides an apparatus 900 for implementing the functions of the network device in the above method. For example, the apparatus can be a software module or a chip system. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. The apparatus 900 may include: a processing unit 901 and a communication unit 902.

[0160] In this embodiment of the application, the communication unit may also be called a transceiver unit, which may include a sending unit and / or a receiving unit, respectively used to perform the steps of sending and receiving by the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0161] The following, combined with Figures 9 to 10 This application provides a detailed description of the communication device provided in its embodiments. It should be understood that the descriptions of the device embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments; therefore, any content not described in detail here will be referred to the method embodiments above, and for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0162] Processing unit 901 is configured to determine the traffic volume of a first time unit; and determine, based on the traffic volume and a first mapping relationship, to activate a first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit; the first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between traffic volume and the number of radio frequency channels. The communication unit 902 is configured to transmit services through the first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit, the services including at least one of a data channel and a reference signal.

[0163] In one possible design, prior to transmitting the service through the first number of radio frequency channels, the processing unit 901 is further configured to: A second mapping relationship is determined between the first number of radio frequency channels and the second number of antenna ports; wherein the second number does not change with the change of the first number.

[0164] In one possible design, the second mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between any of the second number of antenna ports and at least one of the first number of radio frequency channels; Wherein, when the first quantity is greater than or equal to the second quantity, different antenna ports in the second quantity of antenna ports are mapped to different radio frequency channels; Alternatively, when the first quantity is less than the second quantity, at least two of the different antenna ports in the second quantity have the same radio frequency channel mapped.

[0165] In one possible design, when the first quantity is less than the second quantity, it further includes: When the first number is greater than 1, and the second number of antenna ports includes at least two antenna ports for transmitting diversity data channels, each of the at least two antenna ports is mapped to a different radio frequency channel.

[0166] In one possible design, the communication unit 902 is specifically used for: According to the second mapping relationship, the service corresponding to each antenna port is transmitted through at least one radio frequency channel mapped to each of the second number of antenna ports.

[0167] In one possible design, the first quantity is the number of radio frequency channels included in the second radio frequency channel group or the number of radio frequency channels included in the first radio frequency channel group; The processing unit 901 is specifically used for: If the traffic volume is less than the first threshold, then the first radio frequency channel group or the second radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; If the traffic volume is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the first radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit. The radio frequency channels included in the second radio frequency channel group are radio frequency channels shared by the first radio frequency channel group and the second radio frequency channel group, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the first radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the second radio frequency channel group.

[0168] In one possible design, the communication unit 902 is specifically used for: If the traffic volume is less than the first threshold, the reference signal is transmitted through the first antenna port group corresponding to the first radio frequency channel group within the first time unit; when transmitting the data channel within the first time unit, the data channel is transmitted through the second antenna port group corresponding to the second radio frequency channel group.

[0169] In one possible design, the communication unit 902 is specifically used to: if the traffic volume is greater than or equal to the first threshold, transmit the reference signal and the data channel through the first antenna port group corresponding to the first radio frequency channel group within the first time unit.

[0170] In one possible design, any antenna port in the second antenna port group belongs to the first antenna port group, and the first antenna port group contains at least one antenna port that does not belong to the second antenna port group, wherein one antenna port group contains at least one antenna port.

[0171] In one possible design, the traffic includes a first traffic volume in a first cell and a second traffic volume in a second cell; the first cell and the second cell belong to the same network device.

[0172] In one possible design, the first quantity is the number of radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group or the number of radio frequency channels included in the third radio frequency channel group; The processing unit 901 is specifically used for: If at least one of the first traffic volume and the second traffic volume is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit. If both the first traffic volume and the second traffic volume are less than the second threshold, then the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; The radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group are radio frequency channels shared by the third radio frequency channel group and the fourth radio frequency channel group, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the third radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group.

[0173] In one possible design, the communication unit 902 is specifically used for: When the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the services of the first cell and / or the services of the second cell are transmitted through the third radio frequency channel group; Alternatively, when the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the services of the first cell and / or the services of the second cell are transmitted through the fourth radio frequency channel group.

[0174] In one possible design, the first quantity is the number of radio frequency channels included in the fifth radio frequency channel group, or the number of radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group, or the number of radio frequency channels included in the seventh radio frequency channel group. The processing unit 901 is specifically used for: If the traffic volume is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the fifth radio frequency channel group is activated; If the traffic volume is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, then the sixth radio frequency channel group is activated; If the traffic volume is less than or equal to the first threshold, then the seventh radio frequency channel group is activated; The radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group all belong to the fifth radio frequency channel group, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the fifth radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group. The radio frequency channels included in the seventh radio frequency channel group all belong to the fifth radio frequency channel group, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the seventh radio frequency channel group.

[0175] In one possible design, the communication unit 902 is specifically used for: When the fifth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the service is transmitted through the fifth radio frequency channel group; Alternatively, when the sixth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the service is transmitted through the sixth radio frequency channel group; Alternatively, when the seventh radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the service is transmitted through the seventh radio frequency channel group.

[0176] In one possible design, when the service is a downlink service, the radio frequency channel includes at least one of a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a digital-to-analog converter, and a radio frequency signal processing unit; Alternatively, when the service is an uplink service, the radio frequency channel includes at least one of a small signal amplifier, a low noise amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, and a radio frequency signal processing unit.

[0177] like Figure 10 The image shown is of the apparatus 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 10 The device shown can be Figure 9 The illustrated device represents one hardware circuit implementation. This communication device can be applied to the flowchart shown above to perform the functions of the network device in the method embodiments described. For ease of explanation, Figure 10 Only the main components of the communication device are shown.

[0178] Figure 10 The illustrated apparatus 1000 includes at least one processor 1020 for implementing any of the methods implemented in the network device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0179] The device 1000 may further include at least one memory 1030 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1030 is coupled to the processor 1020. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1020 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1030. The processor 1020 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1030. At least one of the at least one memories may be included in the processor.

[0180] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor described above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0181] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0182] The device 1000 may further include a communication interface 1010 for communicating with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling the devices in the device 1000 to communicate with other devices. In this embodiment, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interface. In this embodiment, when the communication interface is a transceiver, the transceiver may include an independent receiver, an independent transmitter, or a transceiver with integrated transceiver functions, or an interface circuit.

[0183] The device 1000 may further include a communication line 1040. The communication interface 1010, processor 1020, and memory 1030 can be interconnected via the communication line 1040. The communication line 1040 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The communication line 1040 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 10 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0184] Processor 1020 is configured to determine the traffic volume of a first time unit; and determine, based on the traffic volume and a first mapping relationship, to activate a first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit; the first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between traffic volume and the number of radio frequency channels. The communication interface 1010 is used to transmit services through the first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit, the services including at least one of a data channel and a reference signal.

[0185] In one possible design, prior to transmitting the service through the first number of radio frequency channels, the processor 1020 is further configured to: A second mapping relationship is determined between the first number of radio frequency channels and the second number of antenna ports; wherein the second number does not change with the change of the first number.

[0186] In one possible design, the second mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between any of the second number of antenna ports and at least one of the first number of radio frequency channels; Wherein, when the first quantity is greater than or equal to the second quantity, different antenna ports in the second quantity of antenna ports are mapped to different radio frequency channels; Alternatively, when the first quantity is less than the second quantity, at least two of the different antenna ports in the second quantity have the same radio frequency channel mapped.

[0187] In one possible design, when the first quantity is less than the second quantity, it further includes: When the first number is greater than 1, and the second number of antenna ports includes at least two antenna ports for transmitting diversity data channels, each of the at least two antenna ports is mapped to a different radio frequency channel.

[0188] In one possible design, the communication interface 1010 is specifically used for: According to the second mapping relationship, the service corresponding to each antenna port is transmitted through at least one radio frequency channel mapped to each of the second number of antenna ports.

[0189] In one possible design, the first quantity is the number of radio frequency channels included in the second radio frequency channel group or the number of radio frequency channels included in the first radio frequency channel group; The processor 1020 is specifically used for: If the traffic volume is less than the first threshold, then the first radio frequency channel group or the second radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; If the traffic volume is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the first radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit. The radio frequency channels included in the second radio frequency channel group are radio frequency channels shared by the first radio frequency channel group and the second radio frequency channel group, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the first radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the second radio frequency channel group.

[0190] In one possible design, the communication interface 1010 is specifically used for: If the traffic volume is less than the first threshold, the reference signal is transmitted through the first antenna port group corresponding to the first radio frequency channel group within the first time unit; when transmitting the data channel within the first time unit, the data channel is transmitted through the second antenna port group corresponding to the second radio frequency channel group.

[0191] In one possible design, the communication interface 1010 is specifically used to: if the traffic volume is greater than or equal to the first threshold, transmit the reference signal and the data channel through the first antenna port group corresponding to the first radio frequency channel group within the first time unit.

[0192] In one possible design, any antenna port in the second antenna port group belongs to the first antenna port group, and the first antenna port group contains at least one antenna port that does not belong to the second antenna port group, wherein one antenna port group contains at least one antenna port.

[0193] In one possible design, the traffic includes a first traffic volume in a first cell and a second traffic volume in a second cell; the first cell and the second cell belong to the same network device.

[0194] In one possible design, the first quantity is the number of radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group or the number of radio frequency channels included in the third radio frequency channel group; The processor 1020 is specifically used for: If at least one of the first traffic volume and the second traffic volume is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit. If both the first traffic volume and the second traffic volume are less than the second threshold, then the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; The radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group are radio frequency channels shared by the third radio frequency channel group and the fourth radio frequency channel group, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the third radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the fourth radio frequency channel group.

[0195] In one possible design, the communication interface 1010 is specifically used for: When the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the services of the first cell and / or the services of the second cell are transmitted through the third radio frequency channel group; Alternatively, when the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the services of the first cell and / or the services of the second cell are transmitted through the fourth radio frequency channel group.

[0196] In one possible design, the first quantity is the number of radio frequency channels included in the fifth radio frequency channel group, or the number of radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group, or the number of radio frequency channels included in the seventh radio frequency channel group. The processor 1020 is specifically used for: If the traffic volume is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the fifth radio frequency channel group is activated; If the traffic volume is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, then the sixth radio frequency channel group is activated; If the traffic volume is less than or equal to the first threshold, then the seventh radio frequency channel group is activated; The radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group all belong to the fifth radio frequency channel group, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the fifth radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group. The radio frequency channels included in the seventh radio frequency channel group all belong to the fifth radio frequency channel group, and the number of radio frequency channels included in the sixth radio frequency channel group is greater than the number of radio frequency channels included in the seventh radio frequency channel group.

[0197] In one possible design, the communication interface 1010 is specifically used for: When the fifth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the service is transmitted through the fifth radio frequency channel group; Alternatively, when the sixth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the service is transmitted through the sixth radio frequency channel group; Alternatively, when the seventh radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the service is transmitted through the seventh radio frequency channel group.

[0198] In one possible design, when the service is a downlink service, the radio frequency channel includes at least one of a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a digital-to-analog converter, and a radio frequency signal processing unit; Alternatively, when the service is an uplink service, the radio frequency channel includes at least one of a small signal amplifier, a low noise amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, and a radio frequency signal processing unit.

[0199] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0200] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0201] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0202] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An information transmission method, characterized in that, include: Within a first time unit, a first number of radio frequency channels are activated, the first number being related to the amount of information in the first time unit; The information transmitted in the first number of radio frequency channels is mapped to the second number of antenna ports for transmission, wherein the change of the second number is independent of the change of the first number.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first quantity is greater than or equal to the second quantity, and different antenna ports in the second quantity are mapped to different radio frequency channels.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first number is less than the second number, and at least two different antenna ports in the second number are mapped to the same radio frequency channel.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that... The first quantity is greater than 1, and the second quantity of antenna ports includes at least two antenna ports for diversity transmission technology, wherein different antenna ports in the at least two antenna ports are mapped to different radio frequency channels.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The activation of a first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit includes: If the amount of information is less than the first threshold, then the second radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; If the amount of information is greater than or equal to the first threshold, then the first radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; The second radio frequency channel group is a proper subset of the first radio frequency channel group.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second radio frequency channel group is a proper subset of the first radio frequency channel group, including: The second radio frequency channel group is 1 / 2, 3 / 4 or 7 / 8 of the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel group.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The information content of the first time unit is the predicted information content.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The predicted information content is predicted based on the information content of historical time, or the predicted information content is predicted based on a neural network algorithm.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first quantity is 1, 2, 4 or 8, and the second quantity is 2; The first quantity is 2, 4 or 8, and the second quantity is 4.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The information includes the first information of the first cell and the second information of the second cell; the first cell and the second cell belong to the same network device.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The activation of a first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit includes: If at least one of the first information quantity or the second information quantity is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit; If either the first information quantity or the second information quantity is less than the second threshold, then the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit. The fourth radio frequency channel group is a true subset of the third radio frequency channel group.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The step of mapping the information transmitted in the first number of radio frequency channels to the second number of antenna ports for transmission includes: When the third radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the information of the first cell and / or the information of the second cell is mapped to the second number of antenna ports for transmission; or... When the fourth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the information of the first cell and / or the information of the second cell is mapped to the second number of antenna ports for transmission.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The activation of a first number of radio frequency channels within the first time unit includes: If the amount of information is greater than or equal to the third threshold, then the fifth radio frequency channel group is activated; If the amount of information is greater than the fourth threshold and less than the third threshold, then the sixth radio frequency channel group is activated; or, If the amount of information is less than or equal to the fourth threshold, then the seventh radio frequency channel group is activated; The sixth and seventh radio frequency channel groups are proper subsets of the fifth radio frequency channel group, and the sixth radio frequency channel group includes a greater number of radio frequency channels than the seventh radio frequency channel group.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The step of mapping the information transmitted in the first number of radio frequency channels to the second number of antenna ports for transmission includes: When the fifth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the information transmitted in the fifth radio frequency channel group is mapped to the second number of antenna ports for transmission. When the sixth radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the information transmitted in the sixth radio frequency channel group is mapped to the second number of antenna ports for transmission; or... When the seventh radio frequency channel group is activated within the first time unit, the information transmitted in the seventh radio frequency channel group is mapped to the second number of antenna ports for transmission.

15. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The change of the second quantity is independent of the change of the first quantity, including: the second quantity does not change with the change of the first quantity.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The radio frequency channel includes at least one of a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a digital-to-analog converter, and a radio frequency signal processing unit.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory, the processor being configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

20. A computer program product containing instructions, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

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