Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device which can be applied to a receiving end to receive a reference signal from a sending end in a frequency hopping mode. The method comprises: a network device sending a reference signal in a first time unit in a first frequency hopping unit, the first frequency hopping unit comprising the first time unit and a first switching time, the first time unit being used for transmitting the reference signal, and the first time unit and the first switching time not overlapping in a time domain; and the terminal equipment receives the reference signal in the first time unit. According to the method, the terminal equipment receives the reference signal from the network equipment in a frequency hopping mode, waste of reference signal resources can be reduced, the reference signal from the network equipment can be received through frequency hopping for many times, and the receiving bandwidth of the received reference signal is larger.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the Chinese Patent Office on August 4, 2023, with application number 202310980659.7 and application name “A communication method and device”, all of which are incorporated by reference into this application, and claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the Chinese Patent Office on September 27, 2023, with application number 202311288117.X and application name “A communication method and device” except for all the contents in the application document with the above application number 202310980659.7, which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0003] In order to increase the bandwidth of the reference signal, the terminal device can receive the reference signal from the network device in a frequency hopping manner. The terminal device superimposes the reference signals received in multiple frequency hopping processes to achieve a "large bandwidth" effect.

[0004] The terminal device needs to switch (also called frequency switching / RF switching) when receiving the reference signal in a frequency hopping manner, and the switching takes a certain amount of time. The switching of the terminal device may cause some reference signal resources to be interrupted, making these reference signals invalid, resulting in a waste of reference signal resources. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus, which can reduce the waste of reference signal resources when a receiving end receives a reference signal from a transmitting end in a frequency hopping manner.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal device. Or the first communication device is a component for implementing the functions of the terminal device, for example, the first communication device is a unit / module, circuit or chip inside the terminal device. The method provided in the first aspect is described below by taking the first communication device as the terminal device itself as an example.

[0008] The communication method includes: the terminal device determines a first frequency hopping unit, the first frequency hopping unit includes a first time unit and a first switching time, the first time unit is used to transmit a reference signal, and the first time unit and the first switching time do not overlap in the time domain; the terminal device receives the reference signal within the first time unit.

[0009] Accordingly, in a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method that can be performed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a network device. Or the first communication device is a component for implementing the function of the network device, for example, the second communication device is a unit / module, circuit or chip inside the network device. The method provided by the second aspect is described below by taking the second communication device as the network device itself as an example.

[0010] The communication method includes: a network device sends a reference signal in a first time unit in a first frequency hopping unit, the first frequency hopping unit includes a first time unit and a first switching time, the first time unit is used to transmit the reference signal, and the first time unit and the first switching time do not overlap in the time domain. Optionally, before sending the reference signal, the network device determines the first frequency hopping unit. Optionally, before sending the reference signal, the network device generates the reference signal.

[0011] The first frequency hopping unit can be understood as a unit frequency hopping unit, and the terminal device can perform frequency hopping in the first frequency hopping unit as a unit, or it can be understood that the terminal device performs at most one frequency hopping or one frequency point switching in the first frequency hopping unit. The first switching time can be used for the terminal device to switch the frequency point. The first frequency hopping unit includes a time unit for transmitting a reference signal (i.e., a first time unit) and a time for the terminal device to switch the frequency point (i.e., a first switching time). The network device sends a reference signal in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit, or does not send a reference signal in the first switching time; the terminal device receives the reference signal in the first time unit, and switches the frequency point in the first switching time when the frequency point needs to be switched. The first time unit and the first switching time do not overlap in the time domain, so there is no reference signal in the first switching time. Therefore, the terminal device will not interrupt the reception of the reference signal when performing frequency point switching, which can reduce the waste of reference signal resources. Since the reception of the reference signal is not interrupted, the number of times the terminal device can hop in a period of time domain resources will not be reduced, which can make the reception bandwidth of the reference signal larger.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first switching time is used for the terminal device to switch from the first frequency point to the second frequency point. Or the first switching time includes the switching time of the terminal device. The switching time includes the time between the terminal device leaving the current frequency point and switching to the frequency point to be measured. Or the switching time is a period of time, during which the terminal device stops receiving the reference signal at one frequency point, switches to another frequency point, and receives other reference signals at another frequency point.

[0013] The terminal device performs frequency switching within the first switching time. Since the first switching time and the time unit used to transmit the reference signal do not overlap in the time domain, this method can avoid interrupting the reception of a reference signal due to frequency switching.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, receiving a reference signal within a first time unit includes: receiving a reference signal at a first frequency point within the first time unit; the method also includes: receiving a reference signal at a second frequency point within a second time unit, the second time unit is included in a second frequency hopping unit, and the second time unit is used to transmit the reference signal.

[0015] The second frequency hopping unit is the same as the first frequency hopping unit. After receiving the reference signal in the first frequency hopping unit, the terminal device can switch the first frequency point to the second frequency point, and receive the reference signal at the second frequency point in the second time unit in the second frequency hopping unit. The terminal device uses different frequencies to receive reference signals in different frequency hopping units. By superimposing the reference signals received in multiple frequency hopping units, the reception bandwidth of the reference signal can be made larger.

[0016] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect, the second frequency hopping unit further includes a second switching time, and the second switching unit and the second time unit do not overlap in the time domain.

[0017] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first frequency hopping unit belongs to one frequency hopping unit among N frequency hopping units in the time window, and the first frequency hopping unit belongs to one frequency hopping unit among N frequency hopping units in the time window.

[0018] A time window is a period of time, and the time window may be a time window for a terminal device to process / measure a reference signal. A time window may include multiple frequency hopping units, and accordingly, the terminal device may perform multiple frequency hopping within a time window to increase the reception bandwidth of the reference signal.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the last frequency hopping unit among the N frequency hopping units only includes a time unit for transmitting a reference signal; or, the last frequency hopping unit among the N frequency hopping units does not include a switching time.

[0020] If the switching time of a frequency hopping unit overlaps or is adjacent to the switching time of the time window, then the switching time of the frequency hopping unit may overlap with the switching time of the time window. For example, the switching time adjacent to the last frequency hopping unit in the time window includes the switching time close to the last frequency hopping unit in the time window, or the switching time adjacent to the last frequency hopping unit in the time window is located at the switching time close to the last frequency hopping unit in the time window.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the duration of the first time unit may be defined by a protocol, for example, the first time unit may be F symbols, where F is an integer greater than or equal to 1. For another example, the first time unit may be F symbols, where F is determined according to the length of the first frequency hopping unit and / or the first switching time.

[0022] For example, F satisfies: F = floor (length of the first frequency hopping unit - first switching time), floor is rounded down; or, F satisfies: F = length of the first frequency hopping unit - first switching time; or, F satisfies: F = length of the first frequency hopping unit - ceil (first switching time), ceil is rounded up. In this case, the terminal device can store the length of the first time unit according to the protocol definition. Of course, the length of the first time unit can also be configured through signaling.

[0023] Optionally, the length of the first time unit may be defined according to the switching time, or the length of the first time unit is related to the switching time, so that there is enough time to complete the switching of the frequency points within one frequency hopping unit.

[0024] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit may be predefined. Or the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit may be determined according to one or more of the following: the processing capability of the terminal device, the storage capability of the terminal device, the switching time of the terminal device, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval being the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions, the subcarrier spacing of the reference signal, or the time interval between different hops of the reference signal.

[0025] The terminal device can determine the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit according to one or more of the above items, so as to divide the time window into a plurality of appropriate frequency hopping units to maximize the receiving bandwidth of the reference signal.

[0026] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is: the repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval of the reference signal + 1, or the maximum value of the repetition interval of the reference signal, where the repetition interval is the number of time slots between two adjacent repeated transmission intervals.

[0027] In this solution, the terminal device can determine the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit according to the configuration of the reference signal without the need for additional signaling configuration, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0028] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is the period of the first frequency hopping unit, which can maximize the number of frequency hopping units in the time window to maximize the saving of reference signal resources.

[0029] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is predefined, or the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is determined by the configuration of the reference signal.

[0030] The first frequency hopping unit may be the first frequency hopping unit or the last frequency hopping unit in the time window. The positions of the various frequency hopping units in the time window may be clarified by the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window.

[0031] Optionally, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is the starting position of the time window, or the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is separated from the starting position of the time window by a first duration. The first duration may be predefined or configured through signaling.

[0032] For example, the first duration is related to a resource configuration of a reference signal. The resource configuration may include one or more of the following: the number of symbols, the pilot interval, the number of repetitions of the reference signal, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the reference signal time difference (RSTD) expected by the resource, or the reference signal time difference uncertainty (expected RSTD uncertainty) expected by the resource.

[0033] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, N is predefined, N is related to the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, N is determined according to the effective length of the time window and the length of the first frequency hopping unit, or N is determined according to the effective length of the time window, the length of the first time unit, and the length of the first frequency hopping unit. The effective length of the time window is the time window minus the switching time of the time window.

[0034] The scheme specifies the number N of frequency hopping units included in the time window. Optionally, the maximum value N of N hop,max It is related to the effective length of the time window and the length of the first frequency hopping unit. hop,max Satisfy: N hop,max =floor((effective length of the time window - length of the first time unit) / length of the first frequency hopping unit)+1, where floor is rounded down; or, N hop,max =floor(effective length of the time window / length of the first frequency hopping unit), where floor is rounded down.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0036] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the number of frequency hopping of the terminal device within the time window does not exceed N.

[0037] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the number of frequency hopping times N of the terminal device within the time window is hop Related to one or more of the following: N, the maximum or minimum number of times the reference signal resource falls in the N frequency hopping units, the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource, or the minimum of the number of repetitions of the reference signal and N, the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device and the minimum value of N, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the length of the first frequency hopping unit, N3, the length of the time window, the length of the RF conversion time of the time window, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, or the length of the first time unit. Among them, the repetition interval is the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions, and the number of times the repetition of the reference signal resource falls in a frequency hopping unit is once. N3 indicates the time length for processing the reference signal supported by the terminal device.

[0038] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, N hop Satisfies the following formula:

[0039]

[0040] Wherein, P is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource in the time window, Q is the repetition interval of the reference signal, K is the length of the first frequency hopping unit, N hopmax The maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device.

[0041] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, N hop Less than or equal to Among them, L per-hop is the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

[0042] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, N hop Less than or equal to N hops,effect , N hops,effect The number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device within a time window based on the reference signal resource configuration and the RF switching time.

[0043] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, N hop Satisfies the following formula:

[0044]

[0045] Among them, Nhops,effect L is the frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in a time window according to resource configuration and RF switching time. per-hop is the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

[0046] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, N hops,effect It is related to one or more of the following: the length of the time window, the radio frequency switching time reserved in the time window, the starting position of the first first frequency hopping unit in the time window, the length of the first frequency hopping unit, or the length of the first time unit.

[0047] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, N hops,effect Satisfies the following formula:

[0048]

[0049] Wherein, n is the nth hop in the time window, or, n indicates the nth frequency hopping unit; is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource that is not muted during the time of receiving the signal in the nth hop or the nth frequency hopping unit; It is related to the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the number of frequency hopping times in a time unit.

[0050] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, when the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping times in one time unit is 2, When the length of the first frequency hopping unit is not 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping in a time unit is not 2,

[0051] For example, when the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 7 symbols and the number of frequency hopping in a time slot is 2, for 15k, if It represents the number of integer slots after the time window is deducted from the frequency hopping conversion time, then: or, The starting position of the slot is the same as the downlink timing of the terminal device.

[0052] For another example, when the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 14 symbols and the number of frequency hopping in a slot is 1, for 15k, if It represents the number of integer slots after the time window is deducted from the frequency hopping conversion time, then:

[0053] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, N hops,effect Satisfies the following formula:

[0054]

[0055] or,

[0056]

[0057] Among them, the first value is the length of the time window, the second value is the RF conversion time reserved in the time window, the third value is the starting position of the first first frequency hopping unit in the time window, and the fourth value is the length of the first time unit.

[0058] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the terminal device needs to complete the measurement of multiple frequency points, the reference signal resource duration of each time window period in the reference signal resource valid period is different, and the terminal device is at the kth frequency point, the number of frequency hopping times N in the jth time window hop,k,j Satisfies the following formula:

[0059] N hop,k,j =min(N hops,effect,k,j ,N store,k,j ,N hop,max,k )

[0060] Among them, N hops,effect,k,j is the number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in the jth time window of the kth frequency layer according to the configuration of the reference signal and the radio frequency conversion time, N hop,max,k is the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device at the kth frequency layer; N store,k,j Related to one or more of the following: N3, L per-hop,k,j or L per-hop,k,j,n Related to; L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k The reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit in the j-th time window in L; per-hop,k,j,n is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k The reference signal resource duration in the nth frequency hopping unit in the jth time window / the first time unit in the nth hop.

[0061] Optionally, Or, N store,k,j To satisfy The largest N store,k,j ;

[0062] Among them, L per-hop,k,h is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in the jth time window per-hop,k,j,n (n=1,2,3,..); or,

[0063] L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in the jth time window per-hop,k,j,n Any value of (n=1,2,3,..); or,

[0064] L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in all time windows per-jop,k,j,n The maximum value of (n=1,2,3,..).

[0065] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the effective length L of the reference signal in the kth frequency layer time window is available_PRS,k satisfy:

[0066] or,

[0067] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, N hops,effect,k,j Satisfies the following formula:

[0068]

[0069] Wherein, n is the nth hop in the time window, or, n indicates the nth frequency hopping unit; is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource that is not muted within the time of the received signal within the first time unit in the nth hop or nth frequency hopping unit in the jth time window of the kth frequency layer; It is related to the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the number of frequency hopping times in a time slot.

[0070] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the number of frequency hopping times N of the terminal device in any time window of the kth frequency layer is hop,k,j For all N hop,k,j The minimum value of or the minimum value of all N in the kth frequency layer hop,k,j The minimum value in .

[0071] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, K satisfies: K=max(K′,Q), wherein when the switching time of the terminal device within the time window is less than a preset threshold, K′=1; otherwise, K′=2.

[0072] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device is related to the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device.

[0073] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, a maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device and a maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device satisfy:

[0074] BW PRS.max =N hop,max ×BW per-hop -(N hop,max -1)×BW overlap ;or,

[0075]

[0076] Among them, BW PRs.max N is the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device. hop,max The maximum frequency hopping number supported by the terminal device, BW overlap is the frequency hopping overlap bandwidth, BW per-hop It is the maximum bandwidth that the terminal device can receive in one frequency hopping.

[0077] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the effective length Lprs of the reference signal in the time window is determined according to the length of the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit and / or the number of frequency hopping times of the terminal device in the time window.

[0078] For example, Lprs satisfies: Lprs = N hop ×Lper_hop, or, Lprs=sum(Lper_hop), Lper_hop is the length of the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit, and sum is the sum.

[0079] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal device receives configuration information, the configuration information including one or more of the following: the length of the first frequency hopping unit, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the period of the first frequency hopping unit, or the number of first frequency hopping units.

[0080] In the method provided in the second aspect, the method also includes: the network device sends configuration information, the configuration information includes one or more of the following: the length of the first frequency hopping unit, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the period of the first frequency hopping unit, or the number of first frequency hopping units.

[0081] One or more of the above items can be configured by the network device to the terminal device, which is more flexible.

[0082] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal device. Or the first communication device is a component for implementing the functions of the terminal device, for example, the first communication device is a unit / module, circuit or chip inside the terminal device. The method provided in the first aspect is described below by taking the first communication device as the terminal device itself as an example.

[0083] The communication method includes: the terminal device sends capability information, the capability information is used to indicate the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, or the capability information is used to indicate the capability supported by the terminal device when receiving and / or sending reference signals in a frequency hopping manner. The frequency hopping capability of the terminal device includes (N3, T3), N3 indicates the time length supported by the terminal device for processing reference signals, which can characterize the storage capacity of the terminal device for frequency hopping, and T3 indicates the time required for the terminal device to process the reference signal of N3. N3 is determined based on the first bandwidth, and T3 is determined based on the second bandwidth.

[0084] Accordingly, in a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method that can be performed by a second communication device. The second communication device may be a network device. Or the second communication device is a component for implementing the functions of the network device, for example, the second communication device is a unit / module, circuit or chip inside the network device. The method provided in the fourth aspect is described below by taking the second communication device as the network device itself as an example.

[0085] The communication method includes: a network device receives capability information, and sends a reference signal to a terminal device according to the capability information. The capability information is used to indicate the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, or the capability information is used to indicate the capability supported by the terminal device when receiving and / or sending the reference signal in a frequency hopping manner. The frequency hopping capability of the terminal device includes (N3, T3), N3 indicates the time length supported by the terminal device for processing the reference signal, and T3 indicates the time required for the terminal device to process the reference signal of N3. N3 is determined based on the first bandwidth, and T3 is determined based on the second bandwidth.

[0086] Optionally, T3 indicates the time required for the terminal device to store and process the reference signal of N3.

[0087] In possible implementations of the third or fourth aspects, the first bandwidth is the bandwidth of a frequency hopping of the terminal device, or the first bandwidth is the bandwidth at which the terminal device can process a reference signal, or the first bandwidth is the maximum bandwidth that the terminal device can process.

[0088] In possible implementations of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the second bandwidth is the maximum bandwidth of the reference signal, or the second bandwidth is the bandwidth of multiple frequency hopping of the terminal device, or the second bandwidth is the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device.

[0089] In a possible implementation of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the capability information further includes a non-frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, the non-frequency hopping capability being a capability supported when the terminal device receives and / or sends a reference signal without frequency hopping, or the non-frequency hopping capability being a capability supported when the terminal device receives and / or sends a reference signal at one receiving frequency point. The non-frequency hopping capability of the terminal device includes (N, T), where N indicates the time length supported by the terminal device for processing the reference signal, and T indicates the time required for the terminal device to process the reference signal of N. N is determined based on the first bandwidth, and T is determined based on the first bandwidth.

[0090] In a possible implementation of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the capability information also includes a maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device.

[0091] In a possible implementation of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the capability information further indicates whether the terminal device supports reporting the results of one hop or multiple hops at the same time.

[0092] Optionally, the capability information includes one or more of the following:

[0093] The maximum bandwidth of the reference signal processed by the terminal equipment;

[0094] The ability of the terminal device to cache reference signals;

[0095] The terminal device supports the ability to process a reference signal of duration N within a unit time (e.g., T milliseconds);

[0096] The terminal device supports the number of reference signals processed within a unit time length (eg, a single time slot), where the number of reference signals includes the number of reference signal resources.

[0097] Optionally, the maximum bandwidth for the terminal device to process the reference signal is the second bandwidth.

[0098] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal device. Or the first communication device is a component for implementing the function of the terminal device, for example, the first communication device is a unit / module, circuit or chip inside the terminal device. The method provided in the first aspect is described below by taking the first communication device as the terminal device itself as an example.

[0099] The communication method includes: the terminal device sends capability information, the capability information is used to indicate the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, or the capability information is used to indicate the capability supported by the terminal device when receiving and / or sending a reference signal in a frequency hopping manner. The frequency hopping capability of the terminal device includes (N3, T3), N3 indicates that the terminal device can process a first reference signal with a duration of N3; T3 indicates that the terminal device can process a second reference signal with a duration of N3 within T3.

[0100] Accordingly, in a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method that can be performed by a second communication device. The second communication device may be a network device. Or the second communication device is a component for implementing the functions of the network device, for example, the second communication device is a unit / module, circuit or chip inside the network device. The method provided in the sixth aspect is described below by taking the second communication device as the network device itself as an example.

[0101] The communication method includes: a network device receives capability information, and sends a reference signal to a terminal device according to the capability information. The capability information is used to indicate the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, or the capability information is used to indicate the capability supported by the terminal device when receiving and / or sending the reference signal in a frequency hopping manner. The frequency hopping capability of the terminal device includes (N3, T3), N3 indicates that the terminal device can process a first reference signal with a duration of N3; T3 indicates that the terminal device can process a second reference signal with a duration of N3 within T3.

[0102] Exemplarily, the (maximum) bandwidth of the first reference signal is the maximum receiving bandwidth, and the (maximum) bandwidth of the second reference signal is the maximum reference signal bandwidth or the maximum processing bandwidth supported by the UE. Alternatively, the (maximum) bandwidth of the first reference signal is the maximum reference signal bandwidth, and the (maximum) bandwidth of the second reference signal is the maximum reference signal bandwidth.

[0103] In a possible implementation of the fifth or sixth aspect, the capability information also includes a non-frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, which is a capability supported when the terminal device receives and / or sends a reference signal without frequency hopping, or the non-frequency hopping capability is a capability supported when the terminal device receives and / or sends a reference signal at one receiving frequency. The non-frequency hopping capability of the terminal device includes (N, T), (N, T) indicating that the terminal device can process a third reference signal with a duration of N within a duration of T. Alternatively, N indicates that the terminal device can process a third reference signal with a duration of N; T indicates that the terminal device can process a third reference signal with a duration of N within a time of T. Exemplarily, the (maximum) bandwidth of the third reference signal is the maximum receiving bandwidth.

[0104] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method example of any aspect from the first aspect to the sixth aspect above. The beneficial effects can be found in the relevant descriptions of the first aspect to the sixth aspect and will not be repeated here. For example, the communication device may be a terminal device in the first aspect, the third aspect or the fifth aspect, or the communication device may be a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the functions required by the method provided in the first aspect, the third aspect or the fifth aspect, for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system in the terminal device. For another example, the communication device may be a network device in the second aspect, the fourth aspect or the sixth aspect, or the communication device may be a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the functions required by the method provided in the second aspect, the fourth aspect or the sixth aspect, for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system in the network device.

[0105] In one possible design, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0106] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means or modules for executing the method of any aspect from the first aspect to the sixth aspect. For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (which may also be a processing module or a processor) and / or a transceiver unit (which may also be a transceiver module or a transceiver). The transceiver unit can realize the sending function and the receiving function. When the transceiver unit realizes the sending function, it can be called a sending unit (sometimes also called a sending module). When the transceiver unit realizes the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional unit, which is called a transceiver unit, and the functional unit can realize the sending function and the receiving function; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit can be different functional units, and the transceiver unit is a general term for these functional units. These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the method examples of any aspect from the first aspect to the sixth aspect above. Please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0107] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be the communication device in the seventh aspect of the above-mentioned embodiment, or a chip or chip system arranged in the communication device in the seventh aspect. The communication device includes a processor, and optionally, also includes a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions or data, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface. When the processor reads the computer program or instructions or data, the communication device executes the method executed by the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. For example, the communication device may be a terminal device or a functional module in the terminal device, such as a baseband chip and a radio frequency chip. Alternatively, when the processor reads the computer program or instructions or data, the communication device executes the method executed by the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. For example, the communication device may be a network device or a functional module in the network device, such as a baseband chip and a radio frequency chip.

[0108] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and may also include a communication interface for implementing the method described in any of the first to sixth aspects. Optionally, the chip system also includes a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs (also referred to as codes, or instructions). The processor is used to call and run the computer program from the memory so that the device equipped with the chip system executes the method in any of the first to sixth aspects and any possible implementation of any aspect. The chip system can be composed of chips, and may also include chips and other discrete devices.

[0109] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes an input / output interface and a logic circuit. The input / output interface is used to input and / or output information. The input / output interface can be an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or a related circuit, etc. The logic circuit is used to execute the method described in any aspect of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0110] In the specific implementation process, the above-mentioned communication device can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the logic circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the input and output interface and the logic circuit.

[0111] In one implementation, when the communication device is a wireless communication device, the wireless communication device may be a terminal device such as a mobile phone, or the wireless communication device may be a network device such as a base station. The interface circuit may be a radio frequency processing chip in the wireless communication device, and the processing circuit may be a baseband processing chip in the wireless communication device.

[0112] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is used to implement the functions of the method described in the first aspect, and the network device is used to implement the functions of the method described in the second aspect; or, the terminal device is used to implement the functions of the method described in the third aspect, and the network device is used to implement the functions of the method described in the fourth aspect; the terminal device is used to implement the functions of the method described in the fifth aspect, and the network device is used to implement the functions of the method described in the sixth aspect.

[0113] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store computer programs or instructions. When the computer-readable storage medium is executed, the method described in any aspect of the first to sixth aspects above and any possible implementation method of any aspect is implemented.

[0114] In the thirteenth aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the method described in any aspect of the first to sixth aspects and any possible implementation method of any aspect to be implemented.

[0115] The beneficial effects of the seventh to thirteenth aspects and their implementation methods mentioned above can refer to the description of the beneficial effects of the first to sixth aspects and any possible implementation methods thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0116] Figure 1 An architecture diagram of a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable;

[0117] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a terminal device receiving a positioning reference signal in a frequency hopping manner provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0118] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the distribution of two types of PRS resources;

[0119] Figure 4 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0120] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the distribution of frequency hopping units within a time window provided in an embodiment of the present application (Example 1);

[0121] Figure 6A schematic diagram of the distribution of frequency hopping units within a time window provided in an embodiment of the present application (Example 2);

[0122] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the distribution of frequency hopping units within a time window provided in an embodiment of the present application (Example 3);

[0123] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the distribution of frequency hopping units within a time window provided in an embodiment of the present application (Example 4);

[0124] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a repetition interval of a reference signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0125] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a repetition interval of a reference signal within a time window provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0126] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of frequency hopping within a time window provided in an embodiment of the present application (Example 1);

[0127] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of frequency hopping within a time window provided in an embodiment of the present application (Example 2);

[0128] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of frequency hopping within a time window provided in an embodiment of the present application (Example 3);

[0129] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of frequency hopping within a time window provided in an embodiment of the present application (Example 4);

[0130] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0131] Fig.16 Another structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0132] The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the scenario where the receiving end receives the reference signal from the transmitting end in a frequency hopping manner, which can save reference signal resources and achieve a wider reference signal receiving bandwidth. The solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is further introduced below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0133] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, the measurement reporting method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to cellular systems related to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as long term evolution (LTE) communication systems, the sixth generation (5G) mobile communication systems, or can also be applied to other next generation mobile communication systems, such as the sixth generation (6G) communication systems, or other similar communication systems. 5G mobile communication systems include new radio (NR) communication systems. Other similar communication systems may include wireless fidelity (WIFI) systems, vehicle to everything (V2X), internet of things (IoT) systems, narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) systems, and the like.

[0134] See also Figure 1 , shows a network architecture of a communication system, which may include at least one network device and at least one terminal device, Figure 1 At least one terminal device is a terminal device, and at least one network device is a network device. The network device may be a radio access network (RAN) device (referred to as access network device), or the network device includes an access network device and a core network. Figure 1 The network architecture shown is only for illustration, and the number of terminal devices and / or network devices may be less or more. The communication system described in the embodiment of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the communication system to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable. It is known to those of ordinary skill in the art that with the evolution of the network architecture, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems. When the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is applied to other communication systems, the devices, components, modules, etc. in the embodiment may be replaced with corresponding devices, components, modules in other communication systems without limitation.

[0135] The network equipment involved in the embodiments of the present application is mainly access network equipment. Therefore, in the following text, unless otherwise specified, the "network equipment" refers to RAN equipment. RAN can be a 3GPP-related cellular system, for example, a 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). RAN can also be an open access network (openRAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN), or a virtualized radio access network (virtualized RAN, vRAN), etc. RAN can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems. RAN equipment can also be called a RAN node, a RAN entity, or an access node, etc.

[0136] In one possible scenario, the RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, etc. The RAN node may be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node / host node, or a wireless controller, etc. The RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device, etc. For example, the RAN node in the V2X technology may be a road side unit (RSU).

[0137] In another possible scenario, the RAN node may be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of the base station; or multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal device in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU) or a radio unit (RU), etc. The functions of the CU may be implemented by one entity, or by different entities. For example, the functions of the CU may be further divided, that is, the control plane and the user plane may be separated and implemented by different entities, namely, the control plane CU entity (i.e., CU-control plane (CP) entity) and the user plane CU entity (i.e., CU-user plane (UP) entity). The CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity may be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the functions of the RAN node. The CU and the DU may be separately set, or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU).

[0138] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are described as examples in this application. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0139] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or a device that can support the network device to realize the function, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can realize the function of the network device, and the device can be installed in the network device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0140] Terminal devices may also be referred to as terminals, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, or mobile terminals. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D) communication, V2X communication, machine-type communication (MTC), IoT, virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, or smart city. Terminals may be mobile phones, tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver functions, wearable devices, vehicles, vehicle-mounted equipment, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, hot air balloons, robots, robotic arms, or smart home devices. Terminal devices may also include relays. For example, terminal devices may be customer premise equipment (CPE), which can receive signals from network devices and forward the signals to other terminal devices. Alternatively, it can be understood that anything that can communicate data with a base station can be considered a terminal device. For example, the terminal device may also be any of the above-described terminal devices. If the terminal device is located on a vehicle (for example, placed in or installed in a vehicle), it may be considered as a vehicle-mounted terminal device, which may also be referred to as an on-board unit (OBU). The embodiments of the present application do not limit the form of the terminal device.

[0141] According to the types of services supported by the terminal devices, the terminal devices can be divided into multiple types of terminal devices. For example, low complexity or low capability (REDuced CAPability, REDCAP) terminal devices and non-low complexity or non-reduced capability terminal devices. Non-low complexity or non-reduced capability terminal devices, such as enhanced mobile broadband (enhanced mobilebroadband, eMBB) terminal devices) can also be called normal terminal devices, or traditional (legacy) terminal devices. REDCAP terminal devices can also be called (NR light, NRL) terminals, that is, lightweight terminal devices. Compared with legacy terminal devices, REDCAP terminal devices are less complex than legacy terminal devices in terms of bandwidth, power consumption, number of antennas, etc.

[0142] The first type of terminal device is a low-complexity terminal device. The second type of terminal device may be a terminal device other than a low-complexity terminal device. The difference between the first type of terminal device and the second type of terminal device includes at least one of the following:

[0143] 1. Different bandwidth capabilities. The maximum bandwidth supported by the first type of terminal equipment may be smaller than the maximum bandwidth supported by the second type of terminal equipment. For example, the second type of terminal equipment can support the use of 100MHz frequency domain resources and network equipment for communication on a single carrier at most, while the first type of terminal equipment can support the use of 20MHz or less frequency domain resources and network equipment for communication on a single carrier at most.

[0144] 2. The number of transmitting and receiving antennas is different. The antenna configuration of the first type of terminal device can be less than that of the second type of terminal device. For example, the minimum antenna configuration supported by the first type of terminal device can be less than the maximum antenna configuration supported by the second type of terminal device. For example, the first type of terminal device can support 2 receive and 1 transmit (2 receive antennas and 1 transmit antenna), or 1 receive and 1 transmit (1 receive antenna and 1 transmit antenna). The second type of terminal device can support 4 receive and 2 transmit (4 receive antennas and 2 transmit antennas).

[0145] 3. The maximum uplink transmission power is different. The maximum uplink transmission power of the first type of terminal equipment is less than the maximum uplink transmission power of the second type of terminal equipment.

[0146] 4. Different protocol versions. The first type of terminal devices can be considered as terminal devices in NR version 17 (Release-17, Rel-17) or later versions of NR Rel-17. The second type of terminal devices can be terminal devices in NR version 15 (Release-15, Rel-15) or NR version 16 (Release-16, Rel-16).

[0147] 5. Different carrier aggregation (CA) capabilities. For example, the first type of terminal equipment does not support carrier aggregation, while the second type of terminal equipment can support carrier aggregation; for another example, the second type of terminal equipment and the first type of terminal equipment both support carrier aggregation, but the maximum number of cells for carrier aggregation simultaneously supported by the first type of terminal equipment is less than the maximum number of cells for carrier aggregation simultaneously supported by the second type of terminal equipment.

[0148] 6. Different frequency division duplex (FDD) capabilities. For example, the first type of terminal equipment only supports half-duplex FDD, while the second type of terminal equipment supports full-duplex FDD.

[0149] 7. The data processing time capabilities are different. For example, the minimum delay between the first type of terminal equipment receiving downlink data and sending feedback on the downlink data is greater than the minimum delay between the second type of terminal equipment receiving downlink data and sending feedback on the downlink data.

[0150] 8. Different processing capabilities (ability / capability). For example, the baseband processing capability of the first type of terminal equipment is lower than that of the second type of terminal equipment. The baseband processing capability may include at least one of the following: the maximum number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers supported by the terminal equipment when performing data transmission, the number of HARQ processes supported by the terminal equipment, and the maximum transmission block size (TBS) supported by the terminal equipment.

[0151] 9. The uplink and / or downlink transmission peak rates are different. The transmission peak rate refers to the maximum data transmission rate that the terminal device can achieve in a unit of time (for example, per second). The uplink peak rate supported by the first type of terminal device may be lower than the uplink peak rate supported by the second type of terminal device, and / or the downlink peak rate supported by the first type of terminal device may be higher than the downlink peak rate supported by the second type of terminal device.

[0152] 10. Different buffer sizes. The buffer can be understood as the total size of the Layer 2 (L2) buffer, which is defined as the sum of the number of bytes buffered in the radio link control (RLC) send window, receive window, and reorder window for all radio bearers and the number of bytes buffered in the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) reorder window. Alternatively, the buffer can also be understood as the total number of soft channel bits that can be used by the Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process.

[0153] Of course, the above are just examples, and there may be other differences between the first type of terminal equipment and the second type of terminal equipment. In addition to the above differences, there may be other differences, for example, the first type of terminal equipment supports coverage enhancement, while the second type of terminal equipment does not support coverage enhancement; for example, the first type of terminal equipment supports small packet transmission, while the second type of terminal equipment does not support small packet transmission, which will not be explained one by one here.

[0154] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may be a first-category terminal device or a second-category terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device may be the terminal device itself, or may be a device that can support the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can realize the function of the terminal device, and the device may be installed in the terminal device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0155] The foregoing article introduces the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application. For ease of understanding, the following first introduces the relevant content and some technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0156] In the downlink positioning process, the terminal device receives and measures positioning reference signals (PRS) from multiple network devices, and sends the measurement results to the network device, which estimates the location of the terminal device based on the received measurement results. Here, "downlink" refers to the direction from the network device to the terminal device.

[0157] The positioning accuracy of the terminal device is related to the size of the bandwidth of the received PRS. The larger the bandwidth of the received PRS, the higher the positioning accuracy. The terminal device receives the PRS from the network device by frequency hopping, which can increase the bandwidth of the received PRS. Frequency hopping refers to the change of the frequency domain resources used for information transmission according to a predetermined rule within a period of time. For example, taking the number of frequency hopping as n as an example, the information can be divided into n parts, and these n parts are transmitted using different frequency domain resources within a period of time, where n is a positive integer.

[0158] For easier understanding, see Figure 2 , showing a schematic diagram of a terminal device receiving PRS in a frequency hopping manner. Figure 2 Take 5 frequency hopping moments as an example, and accordingly, the received PRSs include PRS1-PRS5. Figure 2 The PRS is sent on the bandwidth A), and the terminal device uses the corresponding RF receiving frequency to receive the PRS of different center frequencies at different frequency hopping moments. Subsequently, the terminal device superimposes the PRS of multiple consecutive frequency hopping moments to achieve the effect of "large bandwidth".

[0159] In the process of receiving PRS in a frequency hopping manner, the terminal device needs to switch the frequency. For example, after receiving PRS1, the terminal device needs to switch the frequency, and then receive PRS2 at the switched frequency. The switching of the frequency by the terminal device is also called RF switching / switching by the terminal device. It takes a certain amount of time for the terminal device to switch, which is called the switching time. The switching time is a period of time, during which the terminal device stops receiving the reference signal at one frequency, switches to another frequency, and receives other reference signals at another frequency. It can be seen that the switching time includes the time between the terminal device leaving the current frequency and switching to the frequency to be measured. The existence of the switching time may cause the PRS resources to be interrupted for a period of time, resulting in a waste of PRS resources. In addition, the interruption of PRS resources will also reduce the maximum number of frequency hopping times of the terminal device for a period of time, and the effect of the "large bandwidth" achieved is poor, resulting in lower positioning performance.

[0160] The switching time of the terminal device is related to the capabilities of the terminal device (to be introduced below), the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the signal, etc. For example, for a REDCAP terminal device, when working in frequency range (FR) 1, the switching time is {70us, 140us, 210us}; when working in FR2, the switching time is {35us, 70us, 140us}, and "us" refers to microseconds. Among them, FR1 includes FRs supported by the LTE system and the NR system. FR2 is a high frequency relative to FR1 and can be considered as a FR supported by the NR system. The lowest frequency in FR1 is greater than or equal to 450MHz, and the highest frequency in FR1 is less than or equal to 6GHz. The lowest frequency in FR2 is greater than or equal to 24.25GHz, and the highest frequency in FR2 is less than or equal to 52.6GHz.

[0161] For another example, please refer to Table 1, which outputs the switching time required for the terminal device under different SCSs.

[0162] Table 1

[0163]

[0164]

[0165] As can be seen from Table 1, the switching duration of the terminal device can be 1 symbol, 2 symbols, 3 symbols, 4 symbols, 6 symbols, 8 symbols, 12 symbols, or even 16 symbols. Depending on the distribution of PRS resources, switching time, and frequency hopping times within a period of time, the waste of PRS resources is also different. For ease of understanding, the following is combined with Figure 3 This section describes the situation where PRS resources are interrupted due to switching.

[0166] See also Figure 3 , showing two PRS resource distribution situations. Figure 3 Take the example that the time domain resources are 2 time slots (ie, time slot 0 and time slot 1), and one time slot includes 14 symbols (ie, symbol 0 to symbol 13). Figure 3 (a) in the figure takes the case where the PRS resource occupies 10 symbols (i.e., symbol 0 to symbol 9) in one time slot as an example; Figure 3 (b) in FIG. 1 takes the case where the PRS resource occupies 12 symbols (ie, symbol 0 to symbol 11) in one time slot as an example. Figure 3 Take the switching time as the duration of 4 symbols as an example.

[0167] from Figure 3 As can be seen from (a) in FIG, the terminal device receives PRS on symbols 0 to 9 in time slot 0, and switches between symbols 10 to 13 in time slot 0. The switching of the terminal device in time slot 0 does not interrupt the PRS in time slot 1, that is, the terminal device can receive the complete PRS in time slot 1. Figure 3 As can be seen from (b) in the figure, the terminal device receives PRS on symbols 0-11 in time slot 0, and switches between symbols 12-13 in time slot 0 and symbols 0-1 in time slot 1, resulting in the interruption of PRS on time slot 1, that is, the terminal device cannot receive the complete PRS on time slot 1. Since the PRS on time slot 1 is interrupted, for the terminal device, the PRS on time slot 1 is invalid / unnecessary / can not be sent, but the network device still sends PRS on time slot 1, so the PRS resources on time slot 1 are wasted. Figure 3 For (a) in the above, Figure 3 The resources in time slot 1 on (b) are not used by the terminal device, the maximum frequency hopping times of the terminal device are less, the effect of "large bandwidth" is worse, and the positioning performance is also poor.

[0168] In order to solve the above problems, a solution provided by an embodiment of the present application is proposed. In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device performs frequency hopping in units of a period of time, and the period of time is regarded as a frequency hopping (FH) unit. The time domain resources (referred to as reference signal resources) and the switching time corresponding to a frequency hopping unit for transmitting reference signals do not overlap in the time domain, and the switching time corresponding to a frequency hopping unit does not overlap with the reference signal resources in the adjacent frequency hopping unit in the time domain. The terminal device receives the reference signal on the reference signal resources in each frequency hopping unit and switches the frequency point within the switching time. Since the reference signal resources and the switching time do not overlap in the time domain, the reference signal resources in one or some frequency hopping units will not be interrupted due to the existence of the switching time. The solution provided by the embodiment of the present application can reduce the number of times the reference signal is interrupted, thereby reducing the waste of reference signal resources. It can also enable the terminal device to complete more frequency hopping within a period of time, so that the bandwidth of the received reference signal is larger.

[0169] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device sends a reference signal over the entire bandwidth, and the terminal device receives the reference signal from the network device in a frequency hopping manner. The terminal device receives the reference signal in a frequency hopping manner by receiving the reference signal in multiple frequency hopping units within a time window. The identifier (ID) of the reference signal resource corresponding to different frequency hopping units remains unchanged, and the reference signal received by one frequency hopping unit can be regarded as a repetition of the reference signal received by another frequency hopping unit. However, the content of the reference signals received on different frequency hopping units may be different, for example, the reference signal sequences sent on different frequency hopping units may be different. For example, the reference signal received at frequency hopping unit A is a first reference signal, and the reference signal received at frequency hopping unit B is a second reference signal. The second reference signal can be regarded as a repetition of the first reference signal, but the sequence of the second reference signal is different from the sequence of the first reference sequence. For the convenience of description, the embodiment of the present application does not distinguish between reference signals on different frequency hopping units, and the reference signals received at different frequency hopping units are collectively referred to as reference signals.

[0170] In addition, the repetition of a reference signal refers to the resource in which the reference signal is repeated. The repetition interval of a reference signal refers to the interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions of a reference signal. Alternatively, the repetition interval of a reference signal refers to the offset between two repeated instances of a reference signal resource (the unit of the offset may be a time slot), and the two repeated instances correspond to the reference signal resource ID corresponding to a single instance in a reference signal resource set. The duration spanned by a reference signal resource set including repeated reference signal resources should not exceed the period of the reference signal. For example, there are multiple frequency hopping units (frequency hopping unit 0 to frequency hopping unit N), where frequency hopping unit i is a resource repeated by frequency hopping unit j, then the reference signal on frequency hopping unit i is a repetition of the reference signal on frequency hopping unit j.

[0171] In the embodiments of the present application, "when", "if" and "if" all mean that the device will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, which does not limit the time, nor does it require that the device must have a judgment action when it is implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations. "If" and "if" are interchangeable. If there is no special explanation, "when" and "in the case of" are interchangeable. "Transmit" in the embodiments of the present application means sending and / or receiving.

[0172] For the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, it means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "Multiple" means two or more. In view of this, in the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" can also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" can be one or more, for example, at least one is one, two or more. For example, including at least one means including one, two or more, and there is no limit on which ones are included. For example, including at least one of A, B and C, then A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C can be included. Similarly, the understanding of descriptions such as "at least one" is also similar. "At least one of the following items (items)" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items (items) or plural items (items). For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character “ / ”, unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an “or” relationship.

[0173] Unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of the multiple objects, and the description of "first" and "second" does not necessarily limit the objects to be different. For example, the first frequency hopping unit and the second frequency hopping unit represent two frequency hopping units, and do not limit the priority or importance of the two frequency hopping units.

[0174] In the embodiment of the present application, any information that can be configured by signaling, such as configuration information, in the specific configuration process, the signaling can be, for example, but not limited to, one or more of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, downlink control information (DCI) or medium access control control element (MAC CE). The names of the various messages / information in the embodiments of the present application are only examples. For example, the name of the configuration information is only an example. With the evolution of communication technology, any of the above messages may change its name, but no matter how its name changes, as long as its meaning is the same as the meaning of the above message of the present application, it falls within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0175] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application is introduced below in combination with the above content and the accompanying drawings.

[0176] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 The flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is exemplified. Figure 4 The method is introduced from the perspective of interaction between network devices and terminal devices. Figure 4 In the communication method 400 provided, the steps performed by the network device may be implemented by the RAN device itself, or by components in the RAN device (such as a baseband chip, or other processing units or processor modules). For example, the network device may be the network device in 1, or may be Figure 1 The steps performed by the terminal device may be implemented by the terminal device itself, or by a component (such as a chip, a processing unit, or a processor module) in the terminal device. The terminal device may be Figure 1 The terminal device shown, or it can be Figure 1 The chip (system) in the terminal device in the Figure 4The reference signal in the provided communication method 400 may be a positioning reference signal or other signals. The communication method 400 may be applicable to the positioning of a terminal device, for example, a network device sends a positioning reference signal to a terminal device, and the terminal device receives the positioning reference signal from the network device in a frequency hopping manner. The embodiment of the present application may also be applicable to other possible scenarios, as long as the receiving end receives the signal from the transmitting end in a frequency hopping manner. Figure 4 As shown, the process of the communication method 400 includes the following steps.

[0177] S401. A network device sends a reference signal in a first time unit in a first frequency hopping unit.

[0178] S402: The terminal device determines a first frequency hopping unit, and receives a reference signal within a first time unit.

[0179] It can be understood that the action of the terminal device determining the first frequency hopping unit can be before S401 or after S401, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0180] The first frequency hopping unit is a unit frequency hopping unit, or the terminal device performs frequency hopping in the first frequency hopping unit as a unit. The terminal device can complete a frequency hopping in the first frequency hopping unit, and the length of the first frequency hopping unit is the unit length of the terminal device for frequency hopping. The embodiment of the present application involves multiple frequency hopping units, and the first frequency hopping unit is one of the multiple frequency hopping units. Each frequency hopping unit in the multiple frequency hopping units is similar. The embodiment of the present application takes the first frequency hopping unit as an example to introduce the frequency hopping unit involved in the embodiment of the present application.

[0181] A frequency hopping unit corresponds to the time (referred to as the time unit) and the switching time for transmitting a reference signal, and the time unit and the switching time do not overlap in the time domain. For example, the first frequency hopping unit includes a first time unit and a first switching time, wherein the first time unit is used to transmit a reference signal, and the first switching time is used for the terminal device to switch from one frequency point to another frequency point, and the first time unit and the first switching time do not overlap in the time domain. The switching time corresponding to a frequency hopping unit and the time unit for transmitting a reference signal in an adjacent frequency hopping unit do not overlap in the time domain. Alternatively, the switching time between the same two frequency hopping units does not overlap with the time unit for transmitting a reference signal in the two frequency hopping units in the time domain. For example, the first frequency hopping unit and the second frequency hopping unit are adjacent, and the second frequency hopping unit includes a second time unit and a second switching time, and the first switching time and the second time unit do not overlap in the time domain, or the second switching time does not overlap with the first time unit in the time domain.

[0182] When the terminal device receives a reference signal from the network device in a frequency hopping manner, the reference signal is received only in the time unit used to transmit the reference signal, and the frequency point switching is performed only at the switching time. For example, the terminal device receives the reference signal in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit, and the terminal device receives the reference signal in the second time unit in the second frequency hopping unit. If the terminal device needs to hop from the first frequency hopping unit to the second frequency hopping unit, and the terminal device performs the frequency point switching within the first switching time (for example, the terminal device switches from the first frequency point to the second frequency point within the first switching time), then the terminal device receives the reference signal at the first frequency point within the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit, and receives the reference signal at the second frequency point within the second time unit in the second frequency hopping unit.

[0183] Since the time unit and switching time corresponding to each frequency hopping unit for transmitting the reference signal do not overlap in the time domain, and the switching time between the same two frequency hopping units and the time unit for transmitting the reference signal in the two frequency hopping units do not overlap in the time domain, the terminal device can complete one frequency hopping in one frequency hopping unit without interrupting the reference signal resources, thereby reducing the waste of reference signal resources. In addition, since the reference signal resources are not interrupted within a period of time, the terminal device can complete more frequency hopping within the period of time, thereby making the bandwidth of the received reference signal larger. When the communication method 400 is applied to the positioning scenario, that is, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal, the communication method 400 can also improve the positioning performance.

[0184] The above-mentioned first frequency hopping unit is one of the multiple frequency hopping units within the time window. Similarly, the second frequency hopping unit is also one of the multiple frequency hopping units within the time window. The time window refers to a period of time. The time window can be a time window customized by the terminal device, or it can be a measurement window, a measurement interval (gap) window, etc. of a predefined / configured terminal device. It can be understood that the measurement gap window includes the switching time, and the time window can be a window formed by removing the switching time from the measurement gap window. The length of the time window minus the length of the RF switching time within the time window is the effective length of the time window. If the reference signal is a positioning reference signal, the time window can also be a positioning reference signal processing window (PPW). The length of the time window is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the starting position of the time window is in slots.

[0185] The time window may include N frequency hopping units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The length of the time unit used to transmit the reference signal in each of the N frequency hopping units may be the same, and the switching time corresponding to each frequency hopping unit may also be the same. Depending on the implementation form of the frequency hopping unit, the length of the first frequency hopping unit and the last frequency hopping unit in the N frequency hopping units may be different from that of the other frequency hopping units. Taking the first frequency hopping unit as an example, the implementation form of the first frequency hopping unit includes but is not limited to the following three forms. In the following introduction, the reference signal time unit refers to the time unit used to transmit the reference signal.

[0186] Implementation form 1: A frequency hopping unit within the time window is divided into a reference signal time unit and a time unit for switching.

[0187] The first frequency hopping unit includes a first time unit and a first switching time. The first time unit can be located before the first switching time or after the first switching time. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the relative position relationship between the first time unit and the first switching time. In this implementation form, the lengths of the reference signal time units in the N frequency hopping units in the time window can be the same. Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 The time window includes three frequency hopping units (i.e., the first frequency hopping unit to the third frequency hopping unit), and Figure 5 Take the time unit in the frequency hopping unit before the switching time as an example. Figure 5 , the length of the first time unit, the length of the second time unit and the length of the third time unit are the same.

[0188] Considering that the time window itself includes the switching time, such as Figure 5 As shown, there is a switching time (for example, 0.5ms / 0.25ms) at the start and end positions of the time window. For a frequency hopping unit, the duration excluding the reference signal time unit can be used for switching. In order to save resources, when the switching time corresponding to the frequency hopping unit overlaps with the switching time of the time window, the switching time corresponding to the frequency hopping unit includes the switching time of the time window; or the switching time of the time window includes the switching time corresponding to the frequency hopping unit. Since the switching time in the time window has two parts, one part is the switching time at the head of the time window, and the other part is the switching time at the tail of the time window. Therefore, the switching time corresponding to the first frequency hopping unit or the last frequency hopping unit in the time window may be different from the switching time of the remaining frequency hopping units in the time window.

[0189] For example, see Figure 5 , Figure 5Take the case where the switching time within a frequency hopping unit is located after the reference signal time unit, and the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit is the starting position of the effective length of the time window. In this case, the switching time corresponding to the last frequency hopping unit in the time window overlaps with the switching time at the tail of the time window. In this case, it can also be considered that the last frequency hopping unit in the time window only includes the reference signal time unit, that is, the last frequency hopping unit within the N frequency hopping units only includes the time unit of the reference signal, for example, the third frequency hopping unit only includes the third time unit. The switching time corresponding to the last frequency hopping unit multiplexes the switching time at the tail of the time window. Alternatively, the last frequency hopping unit in the time window does not include the switching time, that is, the last frequency hopping unit within the N frequency hopping units does not include the switching time, and the switching time corresponding to the last frequency hopping unit multiplexes the switching time at the tail of the time window.

[0190] For another example, see Figure 6 , Figure 6 Take the switching time within a frequency hopping unit as an example, where the switching time is located before the reference signal time unit, and the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit is the starting position of the effective length of the time window. In this case, the switching time corresponding to the first frequency hopping unit in the time window overlaps with the switching time of the head in the time window. In this case, it can also be considered that the first frequency hopping unit in the time window only includes the reference signal time unit, for example, the first frequency hopping unit only includes the first time unit. The switching time corresponding to the first frequency hopping unit multiplexes the switching time of the head in the time window. Alternatively, the first frequency hopping unit in the time window does not include the switching time, and the switching time corresponding to the first frequency hopping unit multiplexes the switching time of the tail in the time window.

[0191] Implementation form 2: The frequency hopping unit may include only the reference signal time unit.

[0192] For example, see Figure 7 , Figure 7 The time window includes three frequency hopping units (i.e., the first frequency hopping unit to the third frequency hopping unit), and Figure 7 Take the time unit in the frequency hopping unit before the switching time as an example. Figure 7 In the embodiment, the first frequency hopping unit includes only the first time unit, the second frequency hopping unit includes only the second time unit, and the third frequency hopping unit includes only the third time unit. The switching time corresponding to each frequency hopping unit may be a period of time after the frequency hopping unit. For example, the switching time corresponding to the first frequency hopping unit is the first switching time, and the switching time corresponding to the second frequency hopping unit is the second switching time. The starting position of the first switching time is the ending position of the first time unit, and the starting position of the second switching time is the ending position of the second time unit.

[0193] In implementation form 2, the length of the reference signal time unit in each frequency hopping unit in the time window is the same. For example, the length of the first time unit, the length of the second time unit, and the length of the third time unit are the same. Alternatively, the length of each frequency hopping unit in the time window is the same. For example, the length of the first frequency hopping unit, the length of the second frequency hopping unit, and the length of the third frequency hopping unit are the same.

[0194] If the switching time corresponding to the frequency hopping unit overlaps with the switching time of the time window, the frequency hopping unit can reuse the switching time of the time window. For example, the switching time corresponding to the first frequency hopping unit in the time window includes the switching time at the head of the time window, and the switching time corresponding to the last frequency hopping unit includes the RF switching time at the end of the time window. Alternatively, the switching time corresponding to the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is within the switching time at the head of the time window, and the switching time corresponding to the last frequency hopping unit is within the RF switching time at the end of the time window.

[0195] Implementation form three: a frequency hopping unit includes a reference signal time unit and a switching time, and the switching time is composed of a plurality of time periods distributed at both ends of the reference signal time unit.

[0196] The first frequency hopping unit includes a first time unit and a first switching time, the first switching time includes a first part and a second part, the first part is located before the first time unit, and the second part is located after the first time unit. For example, see Figure 8 , Figure 8 Take the example that the time window includes 3 frequency hopping units (i.e., the first frequency hopping unit to the third frequency hopping unit). The first switching time is the switching time corresponding to the first frequency hopping unit, the second switching time is the switching time corresponding to the second frequency hopping unit, and the third switching time is the switching time corresponding to the third frequency hopping unit.

[0197] Similar to implementation form 1 / implementation form 2, if a part of the switching time corresponding to a frequency hopping unit overlaps with the switching time of the time window, then the part of the switching time multiplexes the switching time of the time window. For example, the first part of the switching time of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window includes the switching time of the head of the time window; or, the first part of the switching time of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is located within the switching time of the head of the time window. Figure 8 For example, the first part of the first switching time of the first frequency hopping unit is the switching time at the head of the time window, and the second part of the switching time of the last frequency hopping unit is the switching time at the tail of the time window; or the second part of the switching time of the last frequency hopping unit is located in the switching time at the tail of the time window. Figure 8 For example, the second part of the third switching time of the third frequency hopping unit is the switching time at the end of the time window.

[0198] It should be noted that the above Figure 5-Figure 8 The end position of the first frequency hopping unit in two adjacent frequency hopping units is taken as the start position of the second frequency hopping unit. In some embodiments, the end position of the first frequency hopping unit in two adjacent frequency hopping units and the start position of the second frequency hopping unit may be separated by a period of time.

[0199] The distribution of the N frequency hopping units in the time window is related to the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the length of each frequency hopping unit, the period of each frequency hopping unit, and the number of frequency hopping units N. The terminal device can determine the position of each frequency hopping unit in the time window according to the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the length of each frequency hopping unit, the period of each frequency hopping unit, and the number of frequency hopping units N, and then receive the reference signal at the time unit used for transmitting the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit.

[0200] One or more of the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the length of each frequency hopping unit, the period of each frequency hopping unit, or the number N of frequency hopping units may be configured by the network device through signaling. For example, in S403 (not shown) of the communication method 400, the network device sends configuration information to the terminal device, and the configuration information includes one or more of the following parameters: the length of the first frequency hopping unit, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the period of the first frequency hopping unit, or the number of the first frequency hopping unit. These parameters can be configured to the terminal device through one signaling, and can also be configured to the terminal device through multiple signaling.

[0201] One or more of these parameters may also be predefined / predefined, or determined by other parameters. Therefore, S403 is not a step that must be performed. The following takes the first frequency hopping unit as an example to introduce the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the length of each frequency hopping unit, the period of each frequency hopping unit, or the number N of frequency hopping units.

[0202] 1) The length of the first frequency hopping unit may be predefined, configured by the network device, or determined by the terminal device according to some parameters. The following describes the determination method of the length of the first frequency hopping unit with different examples.

[0203] Mode 1-1: The length of the first frequency hopping unit is predefined.

[0204] For example, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is M time slots, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1. When the length of the first frequency hopping unit is M time slots, the terminal device performs frequency hopping in units of M time slots, and receives the reference signal at a certain frequency point within the M time slots, for example, the terminal device receives the reference signal at F symbols in the M time slots.

[0205] The size of M is related to the switching duration of the terminal device. For example, as shown in Table 1, if the switching time of the terminal device may be less than 1 time slot, it may also be greater than 1 time slot. When the switching time of the terminal device is less than 1 time slot, M may be equal to 1, so that the terminal device can achieve more frequency hopping within the time window. Of course, when the switching time of the terminal device is less than 1 time slot, M may also be greater than 1, so as to leave enough resources for the reference signal. When the switching time of the terminal device is greater than 1 time slot, M may be greater than or equal to 2, so that the terminal device receives the reference signal within one frequency hopping unit. For example, the terminal device can be defined to work in FR1, and the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 1 time slot; the terminal device works in FR2, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 2 time slots, or the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 4 time slots.

[0206] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application takes the length of the first frequency hopping unit as M time slots as an example. In a possible implementation, the length of the first frequency hopping unit may also be defined as L symbols or a period of time. For example, the terminal device may be defined to work in FR1, and the length of the first frequency hopping unit may be 1 millisecond (ms); the terminal device may work in FR2, and the length of the first frequency hopping unit may be 0.5 ms.

[0207] F symbols are the duration for transmitting reference signals within M time slots. The length of F symbols may be the length of M time slots minus a period of time (e.g., a second duration), the second duration including the time for terminal device switching, or the second duration may be used for the terminal device to switch the frequency point.

[0208] F can be predefined or calculated by the terminal device based on the switching time and the length of the first frequency hopping unit. For example, F satisfies F=floor(length of the first frequency hopping unit-first switching time), where floor is rounded down. Alternatively, F can satisfy: F=length of the first frequency hopping unit-first switching time. Alternatively, F can satisfy: F=length of the first frequency hopping unit-ceil(first switching time), where ceil is rounded up. For example, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 2 time slots, 1 time slot includes 14 symbols, and the first switching time is 16 symbols, then F can be 12, that is, F=14×2-16.

[0209] In mode 1-2, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is determined by the terminal device according to some parameters. For example, the length of the first frequency hopping unit can be determined according to one or more of the following: the capability of the terminal device, the switching time of the terminal device, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the subcarrier spacing of the reference signal, or the time interval between different hops of the reference signal. The repetition interval of the reference signal is the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions, such as Fig. 9 shown. Fig. 9Taking the example that the repetition interval of the reference signal is the time interval between the start positions of two adjacent repeated transmissions, the repetition interval of the reference signal can also be the time interval between the end positions of two adjacent repeated transmissions. The time interval between different hops of the reference signal refers to the time interval between the start position / end position of the reference signal resource between two adjacent hops. Fig. 9 For example, the i-th hop of the reference signal is located in the first time unit within the first frequency hopping unit, the i+1-th hop of the reference signal is located in the third time unit within the third frequency hopping unit, and the time interval between different hops of the reference signal can be the interval between the starting position of the first time unit and the starting position of the third time unit.

[0210] Exemplarily, if the switching time of the terminal device is less than 1 time slot, the length of the first frequency hopping unit may be 1 time slot; if the switching time of the terminal device is greater than 1 time slot, the length of the first frequency hopping unit may be 2 time slots. Optionally, if the switching time of the terminal device is less than or equal to 8 symbols, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 1 time slot; if the switching time of the terminal device is greater than or equal to 8 symbols, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 2 time slots.

[0211] Exemplarily, the capability of the terminal device is as mentioned above (N3, T3), and the terminal device may determine that the length of the first frequency hopping unit is T3.

[0212] Exemplarily, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is the repetition interval of the reference signal (e.g., Q time slots). For another example, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is the repetition interval of the reference signal + 1 time slot. For another example, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is the maximum value of the repetition interval of the reference signal. It is understandable that the reference signals in the time window may include reference signals from different cells, and the repetition intervals of the reference signals of different cells may be different. Fig.10 As shown, the repetition interval of the reference signal of cell 2 is greater than the repetition interval of the reference signal of cell 1, and the length of the first frequency hopping unit may be the repetition interval of the reference signal of cell 2.

[0213] 2) The period of the first frequency hopping unit may be predefined, configured by the network device, or determined by the terminal device according to some parameters. The following describes the determination method of the period of the first frequency hopping unit with different examples.

[0214] In mode 2-1, the period of the first frequency hopping unit may be predefined.

[0215] For example, the period of the first frequency hopping unit may be P time slots or P symbols, where P is an integer greater than or equal to 1. For example, the period of the first frequency hopping unit may be the length of the first frequency hopping unit, so that the number of frequency hopping units in the time window is the largest, thereby enabling the terminal device to perform frequency hopping to the maximum extent.

[0216] For example, the period of the first frequency hopping unit is the repetition interval of the reference signal (eg, Q time slots), and the repetition interval is the number of time slots between two adjacent repetition transmissions.

[0217] For another example, the period of the first frequency hopping unit is the repetition interval of the reference signal+1 time slot. For another example, the period of the first frequency hopping unit is the maximum value of the repetition interval of the reference signal.

[0218] In mode 2-2, the period of the first frequency hopping unit may also be determined based on one or more of the following: the capability of the terminal device, the switching time of the terminal device, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the subcarrier spacing of the reference signal, or the time interval between different hops of the reference signal. The method for determining the period of the first frequency hopping unit may refer to the method for determining the length of the first frequency hopping unit described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0219] 3) The first frequency hopping unit is at the starting position of the time window.

[0220] Mode 3-1, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is predefined.

[0221] For example, the starting position of the time window of the first frequency hopping unit is the starting position of the time window, as mentioned above Figure 6 As shown. For another example, the first frequency hopping unit is at a first time interval between the start position of the time window and the start position of the time window. Optionally, the first time interval may be the RF switching time at the head of the time window, as described above. Figure 5 , Figure 7 Optionally, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is the position of the first time slot after the radio frequency switching time at the head of the time window.

[0222] Mode 3-2: The starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is determined by the configuration of the reference signal. For example, the network device configures the starting position of the reference signal resource and the period of the reference signal resource, etc. The starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window can be the starting position of the reference signal resource in the time window. For example, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is the starting position of the time slot where the earliest starting position of all reference signals is located.

[0223] 4) The number N of frequency hopping units in the time window may be predefined, configured by the network device, or determined by the terminal device according to some parameters. The following describes the determination method of N with different examples.

[0224] In method 4-1, N can be predefined.

[0225] Mode 4-2, N is related to the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, or N has a mapping relationship with the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device. For example, the maximum value of N may be ceil (processing frequency hopping bandwidth / (processing reference signal bandwidth-each repetition bandwidth)), where ceil is rounded up. For example, the processing frequency hopping bandwidth is 100 MHz, the processing reference signal bandwidth is 20 MHz, and the processing repetition bandwidth is 5M each time, and N is less than or equal to 6.

[0226] In mode 4-3, N is determined according to the effective length of the time window and the length of the first frequency hopping unit. The effective length of the time window is the time window minus the switching time of the time window. It is understandable that if the unit of the effective length of the time window is different from the unit of the length of the first frequency hopping unit, the unit of the effective length of the time window and the unit of the length of the first frequency hopping unit need to be converted to the same. For example, if the length of the first frequency hopping unit is in slots and the effective length of the time window is in milliseconds (ms), the effective length of the time window can be converted to slots.

[0227] For example, the maximum value of N hop,max Satisfy: N hop,max =floor(effective length of the time window / length of the first frequency hopping unit), where floor is rounded down.

[0228] Mode 4-4, N is determined according to the effective length of the time window, the length of the first time unit and the length of the first frequency hopping unit.

[0229] For example, the maximum value of N hop,max Satisfy: N hop,max =floor((effective length of the time window-length of the first time unit) / length of the first frequency hopping unit)+1, where floor means rounding down.

[0230] The terminal device can determine the distribution of the N frequency hopping units in the time window according to the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the length of each frequency hopping unit, the period of each frequency hopping unit or the number of frequency hopping units N, and receive the reference signal from the network device in the N frequency hopping units in a frequency hopping manner. It is understandable that the number of times the terminal device switches in the time window does not exceed N. In other words, N is the maximum number of frequency hopping times of the terminal device in the time window.

[0231] The actual number of switching times of the terminal device within the time window / the number of frequency hopping times N hop, that is: number of hops UE can perform within a single MG occasion. It depends on PRS resource configuration and switching time, and we will discuss its definition next. N hop It can be determined according to one or more of the following: N, the number of effective resources P of the reference signal, the number of times the reference signal resource falls in N frequency hopping units, the repetition interval Q of the reference signal, the length K of the first frequency hopping unit, N3, the length of the time window, the length of the radio frequency conversion time of the time window, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, or the length of the first time unit. Among them, N3 indicates the time length supported by the terminal device for processing the reference signal, which can characterize the storage capacity of the terminal device for frequency hopping.

[0232] In a possible implementation, N hop Less than or equal to Among them, L per-hop is the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

[0233] In a possible implementation, N hop Less than or equal to N hops,effect Among them, N hops,effect The number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device within a time window based on the reference signal resource configuration and the RF switching time.

[0234] For example, N hop satisfy: Among them, N hops,effect L is the frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in a time window according to resource configuration and RF switching time. per-hop is the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

[0235] Optionally, N hops,effect It is related to one or more of the following: the length of the time window, the radio frequency switching time reserved in the time window, the starting position of the first first frequency hopping unit in the time window, the length of the first frequency hopping unit, or the length of the first time unit.

[0236] As an example, N hops,effect satisfy: Wherein, n is the nth hop in the time window, or, n indicates the nth frequency hopping unit; is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource that is not muted during the time of receiving the signal in the nth hop or the nth frequency hopping unit; It is related to the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the number of frequency hopping times in a time unit.

[0237] In a possible implementation, when the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping times in one time unit is 2, When the length of the first frequency hopping unit is not 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping in a time unit is not 2,

[0238] For example, when the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 7 symbols and the number of frequency hopping in a time slot is 2, for 15k, if It represents the number of integer slots after the time window is deducted from the frequency hopping conversion time, then: or, The starting position of the slot is the same as the downlink timing of the terminal device. For another example, when the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 14 symbols and the number of frequency hopping in a slot is 1, for 15k, if It represents the number of integer slots after the time window is deducted from the frequency hopping conversion time, then:

[0239] As another example, N hops,effect satisfy: Or, N hops,effect satisfy: Among them, the first value is the length of the time window, the second value is the RF conversion time reserved in the time window, the third value is the starting position of the first first frequency hopping unit in the time window, and the fourth value is the length of the first time unit.

[0240] In a possible implementation, the terminal device needs to complete the measurement of multiple frequency points. The duration of the reference signal resource in each time window period in the reference signal resource valid period is different. The terminal device has a frequency hopping number N in the jth time window at the kth frequency point. hop,k,j Satisfies the following formula:

[0241] N hop,k,j =min(N hops,effect,k,j ,N store,k,j ,N hop,max,k )

[0242] Among them, N hops,effect,k,j N is the number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in the jth time window of the kth frequency layer according to the configuration of the reference signal and the RF switching time, hop,max,k N is the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device at the kth frequency layer; store,k,j With N3 and L per-hop,k,j and / or L per-hop,k,j,n Related to; L per-hop,k,jis the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k The reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit in the j-th time window in L; per-hop,k,j,n is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k The reference signal resource duration in the nth frequency hopping unit in the jth time window / the first time unit in the nth hop.

[0243] Optionally, the number of frequency hopping times N of the terminal device in any time window of the kth frequency layer is hop,k,j For all N hop,k,j or the minimum value of all N in the ith frequency layer hop,k,j The minimum value in .

[0244] Or, N store,k,j To satisfy The largest N store,k,j ;

[0245] Among them, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in the jth time window per-hop,k,j,n (n=1,2,3,..); or, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in the jth time window per-hop,k,j,n (n=1,2,3,..) any value; or, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in all time windows per-hop,k,j,b The maximum value of (n=1,2,3,..).

[0246] The effective length L of the reference signal in the kth frequency layer time window available_PRS,k satisfy:

[0247] or,

[0248] In one implementation, the length K of the first frequency hopping unit satisfies: K = max(K′, Q), wherein when the switching time of the terminal device is less than or equal to a preset threshold, K′ = 1; otherwise, K′ = 2. For example, the preset threshold may be 7 symbols. In another implementation, K = a×Q, where a is a coefficient, and a is related to the switching time. For example, when the switching time is less than or equal to a certain threshold, a = 1; when the switching time is greater than a certain threshold, a = 2 or other possible values.

[0249] The reference signal resource within the time window has a time slot granularity. Taking the reference signal as PRS as an example, the number of repetitions P of the reference signal resource within the time window is: the number of PRS inter-slot repetitions within a singleMG instance, excluding the gap retuning times.

[0250] In the embodiment of the present application, the number of times the reference signal resource falls in N frequency hopping units does not include the number of times the reference signal resource is repeated and falls in N frequency hopping units. In other words, the number of times the reference signal resource is repeated and falls in one frequency hopping unit is one. The actual number of switching times of the terminal device in the time window / the number of frequency hopping times N hop It is also related to resource allocation, for example, N hop The first duration is also related to one or more of the configured number of symbols, pilot interval, number of reference signal repetitions, reference signal repetition interval, expected reference signal time difference (RSTD) of resources, and expected RSTD uncertainty. The first duration is also related to one or more of the above resource configurations.

[0251] In addition, the repetition intervals between the same frequency layers may be different, and the number of repetitions between the same frequency layers may be different. When there are multiple resources, the repetition interval Q of the reference signal is the least common multiple of the repetition intervals on the multiple resources or the maximum value of the repetition intervals on the multiple resources. When there are multiple resources, the number of repetitions P of the reference signal resource in the time window is the minimum or maximum value of the number of valid resources on the multiple resources.

[0252] In some examples, N hop It can be N, that is, the actual frequency hopping times of the terminal device is the number of frequency hopping units, which can achieve maximum frequency hopping. hop is the maximum or minimum number of times the reference signal resource falls within N frequency hopping units. hop is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource, or N hop is the minimum value between the number of repetitions of the reference signal and N. Or, N hop The minimum value of the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device, N, and the number of repetitions of the reference signal.

[0253] For example, N hop Satisfies the following formula: Where P is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource in the time window, Q is the repetition interval of the reference signal, K is the length of the first frequency hopping unit, N hop,maxThe maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device.

[0254] The maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device (i.e., the maximum number of frequency hopping times) is related to the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device. For example, the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device and the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device satisfy:

[0255] BW PRS.max =N hop,max ×BW per-hop -(N hop,max -1)×BW overlap ;or,

[0256]

[0257] Among them, BW PRS.max N is the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device. hop,max The maximum frequency hopping number supported by the terminal device, BW overlap is the BW of the overlapping RB which is underdiscussion in RAN1. per-hop It is the maximum bandwidth that the terminal device can receive in one frequency hop (the supported BW per hop which is UE capability (eg 20MHz)).

[0258] BW PRS.max It can be the maximum bandwidth of the reference signal or the bandwidth of multiple frequency hopping of the terminal device. PRS.max is the aforementioned second bandwidth. In other words, the meaning of the aforementioned second bandwidth also applies to BW PRS.max .

[0259] BW per-hop It can be the bandwidth of a frequency hopping of the terminal device, or the bandwidth of the reference signal that the terminal device can process, or the maximum bandwidth that the terminal device can process. per-hop is the aforementioned first bandwidth. In other words, the meaning of the aforementioned first bandwidth also applies to BW per-hop .

[0260] For ease of understanding, the following Figure 11-Figure 14 How to determine N hop .

[0261] See also Fig.11 , which is a schematic diagram of frequency hopping within a time window. Fig.11 Take the case where the time window includes three frequency hopping units (ie, the first frequency hopping unit to the third frequency hopping unit) as an example.

[0262] exist Fig.11 In the example, the length of each frequency hopping unit may be the maximum value of the repetition intervals of all reference signal resources. Fig.11 It can be seen that the reference signal resource from cell 1 falls in the first hopping unit once and in the second hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resource from cell 1 falls in three hopping units twice. The reference signal resource from cell 2 falls in the first hopping unit once and in the second hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resource from cell 1 falls in three hopping units twice. The reference signal resource from cell 3 falls within the switching time, so the reference signal resource from cell 3 is interrupted. The terminal device can determine N hop is the maximum or minimum number of times the reference signal resource falls in N frequency hopping units, that is, N hop =2.

[0263] See also Fig.11 , which is a schematic diagram of frequency hopping within a time window. Fig.11 It is assumed that the time window includes three frequency hopping units (ie, the first frequency hopping unit to the third frequency hopping unit), and the length of each frequency hopping unit is the period of each frequency hopping unit.

[0264] exist Fig.11 In the example, the length of each frequency hopping unit may be the maximum value of the repetition intervals of all reference signal resources. Fig.11 It can be seen that the reference signal resource from cell 1 falls in the first hopping unit once and in the second hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resource from cell 1 falls in three hopping units twice. The reference signal resource from cell 2 falls in the first hopping unit once and in the second hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resource from cell 2 falls in three hopping units twice. The reference signal resource from cell 3 falls within the switching time, so the reference signal resource from cell 3 is interrupted. The terminal device can determine N hop is the maximum or minimum number of times the reference signal resource falls in N frequency hopping units, that is, N hop =2.

[0265] See also Fig.12 , which is a schematic diagram of frequency hopping within a time window. Fig.12 It is assumed that the time window includes four frequency hopping units (ie, the first frequency hopping unit to the fourth frequency hopping unit), and the length of each frequency hopping unit is the period of each frequency hopping unit.

[0266] exist Fig.12 In the example, the length of each frequency hopping unit may be the maximum value of the repetition intervals of all reference signal resources. Fig.12 It can be seen that the reference signal resources from cell 1 fall into the four frequency hopping units once, that is, the reference signal resources from cell 1 fall into the four frequency hopping units four times. The reference signal resources from cell 2 fall into the first frequency hopping unit once and the second frequency hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resources from cell 2 fall into the four frequency hopping units twice. The reference signal resources from cell 3 fall within the switching time, so the reference signal resources from cell 3 are interrupted. The terminal device can determine N hop is the maximum number of times the reference signal resource falls in N frequency hopping units, that is, N hop =4; or, the terminal device may determine N hop is the minimum number of times the reference signal resource falls in N frequency hopping units, that is, N hop =2.

[0267] See also Fig.13 , which is a schematic diagram of frequency hopping within a time window. Fig.13 It is assumed that the time window includes four frequency hopping units (ie, the first frequency hopping unit to the fourth frequency hopping unit), and the length of each frequency hopping unit is the period of each frequency hopping unit.

[0268] exist Fig.13 In the example, the length of each frequency hopping unit can be predefined. Fig.13 It can be seen that the reference signal resources from cell 1 fall in the second frequency hopping unit once and in the fourth frequency hopping unit twice, that is, the reference signal resources from cell 1 fall in four frequency hopping units twice. The reference signal resources from cell 2 fall in the first frequency hopping unit once and in the third frequency hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resources from cell 2 fall in four frequency hopping units twice. The reference signal resources from cell 3 fall in the first frequency hopping unit once and in the third frequency hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resources from cell 3 fall in four frequency hopping units twice. The terminal device can determine N hop is the maximum or minimum number of times the reference signal resource falls in N frequency hopping units, that is, N hop =2.

[0269] See also Fig.14 , which is a schematic diagram of frequency hopping within a time window. Fig.14 It is assumed that the time window includes four frequency hopping units (ie, the first frequency hopping unit to the fourth frequency hopping unit), and the length of each frequency hopping unit is the period of each frequency hopping unit.

[0270] exist Fig.14 In the example, the length of each frequency hopping unit can be predefined. Fig.14It can be seen that the reference signal resources from cell 1 fall into the second frequency hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resources from cell 1 fall into the four frequency hopping units once. The reference signal resources from cell 2 fall into the first frequency hopping unit once and the third frequency hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resources from cell 2 fall into the four frequency hopping units twice. The reference signal resources from cell 3 fall into the first frequency hopping unit once and the third frequency hopping unit once, that is, the reference signal resources from cell 3 fall into the four frequency hopping units twice. The terminal device can determine N hop is the maximum number of times the reference signal resource falls within N frequency hopping units, for example, N hop =2.

[0271] The terminal device receives the reference signal from the network device in a frequency hopping manner within a time window. The effective length Lprs of the reference signal processed by the terminal device within the time window can be the sum of the lengths of the reference signals in each frequency hopping unit, that is, Lprs = sum(Lper_hop), Lper_hop is the length of the reference signal in one frequency hopping unit, and sum is the sum. Optionally, Lper_hop is floor (the duration of the reference signal in the time unit used to transmit the reference signal in the frequency hopping unit), and floor is rounded up. The unit of Lper_hop can be a symbol or a time slot. If the effective lengths of the reference signals in each frequency hopping unit are the same, then Lprs = Nhop×Lper_hop.

[0272] Use the above Fig.11 For example, the length of the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit is the same, the number of frequency hopping times of the terminal device in the time window is 2, and the terminal device can perform frequency hopping in the first frequency hopping unit and the second frequency hopping unit, Lprs = number of frequency hopping times × Lper_hop, that is, Lprs = 2 × Lper_hop.

[0273] for Fig.12 For example, assuming that the number of frequency hopping times of the terminal device in the time window is 4, the terminal device can perform frequency hopping in each frequency hopping unit, and the terminal device can also perform frequency hopping in the first frequency hopping unit and the third frequency hopping unit. The effective length of the reference signal in different frequency hopping units may be different. Therefore, Lprs = sum (Lper_hop); or, Lprs = Nhop × Lper_hop, where Lper_hop is the effective length of the reference signal of the first frequency hopping unit.

[0274] for Fig.13For example, assuming that the number of frequency hopping times of the terminal device in the time window is 2, the terminal device can also perform frequency hopping in the first frequency hopping unit and the third frequency hopping unit, and the terminal device can also perform frequency hopping in the second frequency hopping unit and the fourth frequency hopping unit. The effective length of the reference signal in different frequency hopping units may be different. Therefore, Lprs = sum(Lper_hop).

[0275] for Fig.14 For example, assuming that the number of frequency hopping of the terminal device in the time window is 2, the terminal device can also perform frequency hopping in the first frequency hopping unit and the third frequency hopping unit, Lprs = sum (Lper_hop), that is, the terminal device can receive the reference signal in the first frequency hopping unit to the third frequency hopping unit. Or, Lprs = N hop ×Lper_hop, where Lper_hop is the effective length of the reference signal of the first frequency hopping unit.

[0276] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device performs frequency hopping within a time window in units of frequency hopping units. The duration for transmitting the positioning reference signal and the time for switching corresponding to each frequency hopping unit do not overlap, and the switching time corresponding to one frequency hopping unit and the duration for transmitting the positioning reference signal corresponding to the adjacent frequency hopping unit do not overlap. Therefore, when the terminal device receives the reference signal from the network device in a frequency hopping manner, other reference signal resources on the entire bandwidth will not be interrupted due to switching, thereby reducing the waste of reference signal resources. In addition, since the number of interruptions to the reference signal resources is small, the terminal device can complete more frequency hopping times within a period of time, which can make the bandwidth of the received reference signal larger.

[0277] It is understandable that the switching time of the terminal device may be related to the capability of the terminal device. Embodiments of the present application relate to one or more capabilities of the terminal device, for example, the bandwidth capability of the terminal device to process reference signals, the capability of the terminal device to cache reference signals, the capability of the terminal device to process reference signals with a duration of N within a unit time supported by the terminal device, or the number of reference signals processed by the terminal device within a unit time, etc.

[0278] 1) The bandwidth capability of a terminal device to process reference signals refers to the maximum bandwidth at which a terminal device can process reference signals.

[0279] Taking the reference signal as a positioning reference signal as an example, in non-frequency hopping mode, when the terminal device operates in FR1, the maximum bandwidth of the positioning reference signal that the terminal device can process is {5, 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, 100}; when the terminal device operates in FR2, the maximum bandwidth of the positioning reference signal that the terminal device can process is {50, 100, 200, 400}.

[0280] 2) The capability of the terminal device to cache reference signals refers to the granularity / level at which the terminal device caches reference signals, which is symbol or time slot.

[0281] In non-FH mode, the ability of a terminal device to buffer reference signals by symbol is called Type 1: sub-slot / symbol level buffering; the ability of a terminal device to buffer reference signals by time slot is called Type 2: slot level buffering.

[0282] 3) The ability of a terminal device to support processing of a reference signal of duration N within a unit time length (eg, T milliseconds) refers to how long the terminal device can process the reference signal per unit time length.

[0283] With positioning reference signals, and with a unit duration of Tms, in non-frequency hopping mode, the terminal device processes reference signals of duration Nms every Tms (Duration of DL PRS symbols N in units of ms a UE can process every T ms assuming maximum DL PRS bandwidth in MHz, which is supported and reported by UE), where T: {8, 16, 20, 30, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280} ms; N: {0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 25, 30, 32, 35, 40, 45, 50} ms. 15k stored in 4ms means that 4 segments may be stored; 60k stored in 4ms means that 16 segments may be stored.

[0284] 4) The ability of a terminal device to support the number of reference signal resources processed within a unit time length (eg, a single time slot) refers to the maximum number of reference signal resources that the terminal device can process within the unit time length.

[0285] For example, taking the unit time length as 1 time slot, in non-frequency hopping mode, when the terminal device operates in FR1 and the SCS is 15kHz, 30kHz, or 60kHz, the maximum number of reference signal resources that the terminal device can process in each time slot is {1,2,4,6,8,12,16,24,32,48,64}; when the terminal device operates in FR2, when the SCS is 60kHz or 120kHz, the maximum number of reference signal resources that the terminal device can process in each time slot is {1,2,4,6,8,12,16,24,32,48,64}.

[0286] Depending on whether the terminal device performs frequency hopping, one or more of the above capabilities may also be different. The capability of the terminal device in non-frequency hopping mode is referred to as the non-frequency hopping capability of the terminal device; the capability of the terminal device in frequency hopping mode is also referred to as the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device. The non-frequency hopping capability of the terminal device indicates the capability supported by the terminal device when receiving and / or sending reference signals without frequency hopping, or the non-frequency hopping capability is the capability supported by the terminal device when receiving and / or sending reference signals at one receiving frequency. The frequency hopping capability of the terminal device is the capability supported by the terminal device when receiving and / or sending reference signals in a frequency hopping manner.

[0287] In an embodiment of the present application, the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device includes one or more capabilities of the terminal device in the frequency hopping mode: the bandwidth capability of the terminal device to process reference signals, the ability of the terminal device to cache reference signals, the ability of the terminal device to process reference signals with a duration of N within a unit time length supported by the terminal device, or the number of reference signals processed by the terminal device within a unit time.

[0288] In the frequency hopping mode, the bandwidth capability of the terminal device to process the reference signal refers to the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth that the terminal device can process, and / or the maximum sampling bandwidth supported by the terminal device. "Sampling" refers to the acquisition of reference signals. The sampling bandwidth capability of the terminal device can reuse the maximum reference signal bandwidth capability that the terminal device can process. The ability of the terminal device to cache reference signals in the frequency hopping mode can reuse the ability of the terminal device to cache reference signals in the non-frequency hopping mode. The ability of the terminal device to process reference signals of duration N within a unit time length supported by the terminal device refers to how long the duration of the reference signal can be processed by the terminal device in the frequency hopping mode. The ability of the terminal device to process the number of reference signal resources in each time slot refers to the maximum number of reference signal resources processed by the terminal device in each time slot in the frequency hopping mode.

[0289] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may report the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device to the network device, and accordingly, the network device receives the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, or receives capability information. For example, the terminal device sends capability information to the network device, and the capability information includes (N3, T3), where N3 indicates the time length for processing reference signals supported by the terminal device, and T3 indicates the time required for the terminal device to process the reference signal of N3. Optionally, T3 indicates the time required for the terminal device to store and process the reference signal of N3. It should be noted that N3 refers to the total time length for processing reference signals supported by the terminal device. For example, within a period of time, the processing time of the reference signal may be discontinuous, and N3 refers to the sum of the processing time of all reference signals within the period of time.

[0290] Wherein, N3 is determined based on the first bandwidth, and T3 is determined based on the second bandwidth. Exemplarily, the first bandwidth is the bandwidth of a single frequency hopping of the terminal device, or the first bandwidth is the bandwidth of a reference signal that the terminal device can process, or the first bandwidth is the maximum bandwidth that the terminal device can process. The second bandwidth is the maximum bandwidth of the reference signal, or the second bandwidth is the bandwidth of multiple frequency hopping of the terminal device, or the second bandwidth is the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device.

[0291] Alternatively, the capability information includes (N3, T3), where N3 indicates that the terminal device can process a first reference signal with a duration of N3; and T3 indicates that the terminal device can process a second reference signal with a duration of N3 within T3.

[0292] Exemplarily, the (maximum) bandwidth of the first reference signal is the maximum receiving bandwidth, and the (maximum) bandwidth of the second reference signal is the maximum reference signal bandwidth or the maximum processing bandwidth supported by the UE. Alternatively, the (maximum) bandwidth of the first reference signal is the maximum reference signal bandwidth, and the (maximum) bandwidth of the second reference signal is the maximum reference signal bandwidth.

[0293] Optionally, the terminal device may also report the non-frequency hopping capability of the terminal device to the network device. For example, the capability information further includes (N, T), where N indicates the time length for processing the reference signal supported by the terminal device, and T indicates the time required for the terminal device to process the reference signal of N. N is determined based on the first bandwidth, and T is determined based on the first bandwidth. Optionally, N3 may be the same as N, or N3 may also be N×the number of frequency hopping times.

[0294] Alternatively, the non-frequency hopping capability of the terminal device includes (N, T), where (N, T) indicates that the terminal device can process a third reference signal with a duration of N within a duration of T, or N indicates that the terminal device can process a third reference signal with a duration of N; T indicates that the terminal device can process a third reference signal with a duration of N within a time of T. Exemplarily, the (maximum) bandwidth of the third reference signal is the maximum receiving bandwidth.

[0295] In the frequency hopping mode, the terminal device can also report to the network device the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device. The terminal device can also report to the network device whether the terminal device supports reporting the results of one hop or multiple hops at the same time. The maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device is related to the processing frequency hopping bandwidth capability, the processing reference signal bandwidth capability, and the bandwidth for each repetition. For example, the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device = ceil (processing frequency hopping bandwidth / (processing reference signal bandwidth-each repetition bandwidth)), where ceil is rounded up. For example, if the processing frequency hopping bandwidth is 100M, the processing reference signal bandwidth is 20M, and the bandwidth for each repetition is 5M, then the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device is 6.

[0296] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device and the network device. Among them, the steps performed by the terminal device can be implemented by different functional entities constituting the terminal device. The steps performed by the network device can be implemented by different functional entities constituting the network device. In order to implement the various functions in the methods provided in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application, the terminal device and the network device may include a hardware structure and / or a software module, and the above-mentioned functions are implemented in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether a certain function of the above-mentioned functions is executed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0297] The following describes the communication device used to implement the above method in the embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the above contents can be used in subsequent embodiments, and repeated contents will not be repeated.

[0298] Fig.15 1 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1500 may be a network device or a terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the communication device 1500 may be Figure 1The communication device 1500 is a network device or a terminal device in the network device; or, the communication device 1500 is a chip (system) in the network device or a chip (system) in the terminal device; or, the communication device 1500 is a software module of the network device or the terminal device. The communication device 1500 can implement the functions or steps implemented by the terminal device or the network device in the above-mentioned various method embodiments. The communication device 1500 may include a processing module 1510 and a transceiver module 1520. Optionally, a storage module may be included, which may be used to store instructions (codes or programs) and / or data. The storage module may be, for example, a memory. The processing module 1510 and the transceiver module 1520 may be coupled to the storage module. For example, the processing module 1510 may read instructions (codes or programs) and / or data in the storage module to implement the corresponding method. When the communication device 1500 is a chip used in a network device or a chip in a terminal device, the storage module may be a storage module in the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc. For example, the storage module may also be a storage module located outside the chip in the network device / terminal device, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc. The above-mentioned units may be independently arranged or partially or fully integrated.

[0299] In one possible implementation, the processing module 1510 may be a processor or a controller, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processing (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of the present application. The processor may also be a combination that implements a computing function, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The transceiver module 1520 may be a transceiver, an interface circuit, a bus, a pin or other possible communication interface for receiving signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the transceiver module 1520 is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices, or an interface circuit for the chip to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0300] In some possible implementations, the communication device 1500 can implement the behaviors and functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, for example, Figure 4 The communication device 1500 may be a terminal device, or a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in a terminal device, or a chip or a chipset in a terminal device or a part of a chip used to perform the functions of the related method, or a device capable of implementing Figure 4 The software module of the method executed by the terminal device in the embodiment is not limited. For example, the transceiver module 1520 can be used to execute Figure 4 S401 in the embodiment shown, and / or other processes for supporting the technology described herein; the processing module 1510 can be used to execute Figure 4 S402 in the illustrated embodiment is used to execute other processes of the technology described herein.

[0301] In some embodiments, the processing module 1510 is used to determine a first frequency hopping unit, the first frequency hopping unit includes a first time unit and a first switching time, the first time unit is used to transmit a reference signal, and the first time unit and the first switching time do not overlap in the time domain. The transceiver module 1520 is used to receive the reference signal within the first time unit.

[0302] As an optional implementation manner, the first switching time is used for the terminal device to switch from the first frequency point to the second frequency point.

[0303] As an optional implementation method, the transceiver module 1520 is used to receive a reference signal within a first time unit, including: the transceiver module 1520 receives the reference signal at a first frequency within the first time unit; the transceiver module 1520 is also used to receive the reference signal at a second frequency within a second time unit, the second time unit is included in a second frequency hopping unit, and the second time unit is used to transmit the reference signal.

[0304] As an optional implementation manner, the second frequency hopping unit further includes a second switching time, and the second switching unit and the second time unit do not overlap in the time domain.

[0305] As an optional implementation manner, the first frequency hopping unit belongs to one frequency hopping unit among N frequency hopping units in the time window, and the second frequency hopping unit belongs to one frequency hopping unit among N frequency hopping units in the time window.

[0306] As an optional implementation manner, the last frequency hopping unit among the N frequency hopping units only includes a time unit for transmitting a reference signal; or, the last frequency hopping unit among the N frequency hopping units does not include a switching time.

[0307] As an optional implementation manner, the duration of the first time unit may be predefined. For example, the first time unit may be F symbols, where F is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0308] As an optional implementation, F is determined based on the length of the first frequency hopping unit and / or the first switching time. For example, F satisfies: F = floor (length of the first frequency hopping unit - first switching time), floor is rounded down; or, F satisfies: F = length of the first frequency hopping unit - first switching time; or, F satisfies: F = length of the first frequency hopping unit - ceil (first switching time), ceil is rounded up. In this case, the terminal device can store the length of the first time unit according to the configuration. Of course, the length of the first time unit can also be configured through signaling.

[0309] Optionally, the length of the first time unit may be defined according to the switching time, so that there is enough time to complete the switching of the frequency points within one frequency hopping unit.

[0310] As an optional implementation method, the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit can be predefined, or can be determined based on one or more of the following: the processing capability of the terminal device, the storage capability of the terminal device, the switching duration of the terminal device, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval being the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions, the subcarrier spacing of the reference signal, or the time interval between different hops of the reference signal.

[0311] Optionally, the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is determined according to the configuration of the reference signal.

[0312] As an optional implementation method, the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is: the repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval of the reference signal + 1, or the maximum value of the repetition interval of the reference signal, where the repetition interval is the number of time slots between two adjacent repeated transmission intervals.

[0313] As an optional implementation manner, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is the period of the first frequency hopping unit.

[0314] As an optional implementation manner, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is predefined, or the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is determined by the configuration of the reference signal.

[0315] Optionally, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is the starting position of the time window, or the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is separated from the starting position of the time window by a first duration. The first duration may be predefined or configured through signaling.

[0316] Optionally, the first duration is related to resource configuration of the reference signal.

[0317] Optionally, the resource configuration includes one or more of the following: the number of symbols, the pilot interval, the number of repetitions of the reference signal, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the expected RSTD of the resource, or the expected RSTD uncertainty.

[0318] As an optional implementation, N is predefined, N is related to the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, N is determined according to the effective length of the time window and the length of the first frequency hopping unit, or N is determined according to the effective length of the time window, the length of the first time unit and the length of the first frequency hopping unit. Wherein, the effective length of the time window is the time window minus the switching time of the time window.

[0319] Optionally, the maximum value of N hop,max Satisfy: N hop,max =floor((effective length of the time window - length of the first time unit) / length of the first frequency hopping unit)+1, where floor is rounded down; or, N hop,max =floor(effective length of the time window / length of the first frequency hopping unit), where floor is rounded down.

[0320] As an optional implementation manner, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0321] As an optional implementation method, the number of frequency hopping of the terminal device within the time window does not exceed N.

[0322] As an optional implementation, the processing module 1510 performs frequency hopping times N within the time window. hop Related to one or more of the following: N, the maximum or minimum number of times that the reference signal resource falls in N frequency hopping units, the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource, or the minimum value of the number of repetitions of the reference signal and N, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval is the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions, the length of the first frequency hopping unit, N3, the length of the time window, the length of the RF conversion time of the time window, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, or the length of the first time unit. Among them, the number of times the reference signal resource is repeated in one frequency hopping unit is once.

[0323] As an optional implementation, N hop Satisfies the following formula:

[0324]

[0325] Where P is the number of valid resources of the reference signal in the GAP, Q is the repetition interval of the reference signal, K is the length of the first frequency hopping unit, and N hopmaxThe maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device.

[0326] As an optional implementation, N hop Less than or equal to L per-hop is the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

[0327] As an optional implementation, N hop Less than or equal to N hops,effect , N hops,effect The number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device within a time window based on the resource configuration of the reference signal and the RF switching time.

[0328] As an optional implementation, N hop Satisfies the following formula:

[0329]

[0330] Among them, N hops,effect L is the frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in a time window according to resource configuration and RF switching time. per-hop is the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

[0331] As an optional implementation, N hops,effect It is related to one or more of the following: the length of the time window, the radio frequency switching time reserved in the time window, the starting position of the first first frequency hopping unit in the time window, the length of the first frequency hopping unit, or the length of the first time unit.

[0332] As an optional implementation, N hops,effect Satisfies the following formula:

[0333]

[0334] Wherein, n is the nth hop in the time window, or, n indicates the nth frequency hopping unit; is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource that is not muted during the time of receiving the signal in the nth hop or the nth frequency hopping unit; It is related to the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the number of frequency hopping times in a time unit.

[0335] As an optional implementation, when the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping in a time unit is 2, When the length of the first frequency hopping unit is not 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping in a time unit is not 2,

[0336] As an optional implementation method, the terminal device needs to complete the measurement of multiple frequency points. The reference signal resource duration of each time window period in the reference signal resource valid period is different. The terminal device is at the kth frequency point and the number of frequency hopping in the jth time window is N. hop,k,j Satisfies the following formula:

[0337] N hop,k,j =min(N hops,effect,k,j ,N store,k,j ,N hop,max,k )

[0338] Among them, N hops,effect,k,j N is the number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in the jth time window of the kth frequency layer according to the configuration of the reference signal and the RF switching time, hop,max,k N is the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device at the kth frequency layer; store,k,j With N3 and L per-hop,k,j and / or L per-hop,k,j,n Related to; L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRs,k The reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit in the j-th time window in L; per-hop,k,j,n is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k The reference signal resource duration in the nth frequency hopping unit in the jth time window / the first time unit in the nth hop.

[0339] Optionally, Or, N store,k,j To satisfy The largest N store,k,j ;

[0340] Among them, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in the jth time window per-hop,k,j,n (n=1,2,3,..); or, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in the jth time window per-hop,k,j,n (n=1,2,3,..) any value; or, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in all time windows per-hop,k,j,n The maximum value of (n=1,2,3,..).

[0341] As an optional implementation, the number of frequency hopping times N in any time window of the kth frequency layer ishop,k,j For all N hop,k,j The minimum value of or the minimum value of all N in the kth frequency layer hop,k,j The minimum value in .

[0342] As an optional implementation, the effective length L of the reference signal in the kth frequency layer time window is available_PRS,k satisfy:

[0343] or,

[0344] As an optional implementation, K satisfies: K=max(K′,Q), wherein when the switching time of the terminal device within the time window is less than a preset threshold, K′=1; otherwise, K′=2.

[0345] As an optional implementation manner, the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device is related to the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device.

[0346] As an optional implementation, the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device and the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device satisfy the following conditions:

[0347] BW PRS.max =N hop,max ×BW per-hop -(N hop,max -1)×BW overlap ;or,

[0348]

[0349] Among them, BW PRS.max N is the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device. hop,max The maximum frequency hopping number supported by the terminal device, BW overlap is the frequency hopping repetition bandwidth, BW per-hop It is the maximum bandwidth that a terminal device can receive in one frequency hop.

[0350] As an optional implementation manner, the effective length Lprs of the reference signal in the time window is determined according to the length of the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit and / or the number of frequency hopping times of the terminal device in the time window.

[0351] For example, Lprs satisfies: Lprs = N hop ×Lper_hop, or, Lprs=sum(Lper_hop), Lper_hop is the length of the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit, and sum is the sum.

[0352] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 1520 is also used to receive configuration information, which includes one or more of the following: the length of the first frequency hopping unit, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the period of the first frequency hopping unit, or the number of first frequency hopping units.

[0353] In some possible implementations, the communication device 1500 can implement the behaviors and functions of the network device in the above method embodiments, for example, Figure 4 The communication device 1500 may be a network device, or a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in a network device, or a chip or a chipset in a network device or a part of a chip used to perform the functions of the related method, or a device capable of implementing Figure 4 The software module of the method executed by the network device in the embodiment is not limited. For example, the transceiver module 1520 can be used to execute Figure 4 S401 in the illustrated embodiment, and / or other processes for supporting the technology described herein; the processing module 1510 is used to execute other processes of the technology described herein.

[0354] The transceiver module 1520 is used to send a reference signal in a first time unit in a first frequency hopping unit. The first frequency hopping unit includes a first time unit and a first switching time. The first time unit is used to transmit the reference signal, and the first time unit and the first switching time do not overlap in the time domain.

[0355] As an optional implementation manner, the first frequency hopping unit is a frequency hopping unit among N frequency hopping units in the time window.

[0356] As an optional implementation manner, the last frequency hopping unit among the N frequency hopping units only includes a time unit for transmitting a reference signal; or, the last frequency hopping unit among the N frequency hopping units does not include a switching time.

[0357] As an optional implementation manner, the duration of the first time unit may be predefined. For example, the first time unit may be F symbols, where F is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0358] As an optional implementation, F is determined based on the length of the first frequency hopping unit and / or the first switching time. For example, F satisfies: F = floor (length of the first frequency hopping unit - first switching time), floor is rounded down; or, F satisfies: F = length of the first frequency hopping unit - first switching time; or, F satisfies: F = length of the first frequency hopping unit - ceil (first switching time), ceil is rounded up. In this case, the terminal device can store the length of the first time unit according to the configuration. Of course, the length of the first time unit can also be configured through signaling.

[0359] Optionally, the length of the first time unit may be defined according to the switching time, so that there is enough time to complete the switching of the frequency points within one frequency hopping unit.

[0360] As an optional implementation manner, the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is determined according to the configuration of the reference signal.

[0361] As an optional implementation method, the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit can be predefined, or can be determined based on one or more of the following: the processing capability of the terminal device, the storage capability of the terminal device, the switching duration of the terminal device, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval being the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions, the subcarrier spacing of the reference signal, or the time interval between different hops of the reference signal.

[0362] As an optional implementation method, the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is: the repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval of the reference signal + 1, or the maximum value of the repetition interval of the reference signal, where the repetition interval is the number of time slots between two adjacent repeated transmission intervals.

[0363] As an optional implementation manner, the length of the first frequency hopping unit is the period of the first frequency hopping unit.

[0364] As an optional implementation manner, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is predefined, or the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is determined by the configuration of the reference signal.

[0365] As an optional implementation, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is the starting position of the time window, or the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is separated from the starting position of the time window by a first duration. The first duration may be predefined or configured through signaling.

[0366] As an optional implementation, N is predefined, N is related to the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device, N is determined according to the effective length of the time window and the length of the first frequency hopping unit, or N is determined according to the effective length of the time window, the length of the first time unit and the length of the first frequency hopping unit. Wherein, the effective length of the time window is the time window minus the switching time of the time window.

[0367] As an optional implementation, the maximum value of N hop,max Satisfy: N hop,max =floor((effective length of the time window - length of the first time unit) / length of the first frequency hopping unit)+1, where floor is rounded down; or, N hop,max=floor(effective length of the time window / length of the first frequency hopping unit), where floor is rounded down.

[0368] As an optional implementation manner, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0369] As an optional implementation, the number of frequency hopping times N of the terminal device within the time window hop Related to one or more of the following: N, the maximum or minimum number of times that the reference signal resource falls in the N frequency hopping units, the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource, or the minimum value of the number of repetitions of the reference signal and N, the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device and the minimum value of N, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval is the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions, the length of the first frequency hopping unit, N3, the length of the time window, the length of the RF conversion time of the time window, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, or the length of the first time unit. Among them, the number of times the reference signal resource is repeated in one frequency hopping unit is once.

[0370] As an optional implementation, N hop Satisfies the following formula:

[0371]

[0372] Wherein, P is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource in the time window, Q is the repetition interval of the reference signal, K is the length of the first frequency hopping unit, N hop,max The maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device.

[0373] As an optional implementation, N hop Less than or equal to L per-hop is the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

[0374] As an optional implementation, N hop Less than or equal to N hops,effect , N hops,effect The number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device within a time window based on the resource configuration of the reference signal and the RF switching time.

[0375] As an optional implementation, N hop Satisfies the following formula:

[0376]

[0377] Among them, N hops,effect L is the frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in a time window according to resource configuration and RF switching time. per-hopis the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

[0378] As an optional implementation, N hops,effect It is related to one or more of the following: the length of the time window, the radio frequency switching time reserved in the time window, the starting position of the first first frequency hopping unit in the time window, the length of the first frequency hopping unit, or the length of the first time unit.

[0379] As an optional implementation, N hops,effect Satisfies the following formula:

[0380]

[0381] Wherein, n is the nth hop in the time window, or, n indicates the nth frequency hopping unit; is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource that is not muted during the time of receiving the signal in the nth hop or the nth frequency hopping unit; It is related to the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the number of frequency hopping times in a time unit.

[0382] As an optional implementation, when the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping in a time unit is 2, When the length of the first frequency hopping unit is not 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping in a time unit is not 2,

[0383] As an optional implementation method, the terminal device needs to complete the measurement of multiple frequency points. The reference signal resource duration of each time window period in the reference signal resource valid period is different. The terminal device is at the kth frequency point and the number of frequency hopping in the jth time window is N. hop,k,j Satisfies the following formula:

[0384] N hop,k,j =min(N hops,effect,k,j ,N store,k,j ,N hop,max,k )

[0385] Among them, N hops,effect,k,j N is the number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in the jth time window of the kth frequency layer according to the configuration of the reference signal and the RF switching time, hop,max,k N is the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device at the kth frequency layer; store,k,j With N3 and L per-hop,k,j and / or L per-hop,k,j,n Related to; L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,kThe reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit in the j-th time window in L; per-hop,k,j,n is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k The reference signal resource duration in the nth frequency hopping unit in the jth time window / the first time unit in the nth hop.

[0386] Optionally, Or, N store,k,j To satisfy The largest N store,k,j ;

[0387] Among them, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in the jth time window per-hop,k,j,n (n=1,2,3,..); or, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in the jth time window per-hop,k,j,n (n=1,2,3,..) any value; or, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in all time windows per-hop,k,j,n The maximum value of (n=1,2,3,..).

[0388] As an optional implementation, the number of frequency hopping times N of the terminal device in any time window of the kth frequency layer is hop,k,j For all N hop,k,j The minimum value of or the minimum value of all N in the kth frequency layer hop,k,j The minimum value in .

[0389] As an optional implementation, the effective length L of the reference signal in the kth frequency layer time window is available_PRS,k satisfy:

[0390] or,

[0391] As an optional implementation, K satisfies: K=max(K′,Q), wherein when the switching time of the terminal device within the time window is less than a preset threshold, K′=1; otherwise, K′=2.

[0392] As an optional implementation manner, the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device is related to the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device.

[0393] As an optional implementation, the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device and the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device satisfy the following conditions:

[0394] BW PRS.max =N hop,max ×BW per-hop -(N hop,max -1)×BW overlap ;or,

[0395]

[0396] Among them, BW PRs.max N is the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device. hop,max The maximum frequency hopping number supported by the terminal device, BW overlap is the frequency hopping overlap bandwidth, BW per-hop It is the maximum bandwidth that a terminal device can receive in one frequency hop.

[0397] As an optional implementation, in the methods provided in the first aspect and the second aspect, the effective length Lprs of the reference signal in the time window is determined according to the length of the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit and / or the number of frequency hopping times of the terminal device in the time window.

[0398] For example, Lprs satisfies: Lprs = N hop ×Lper_hop, or, Lprs=sum(Lper_hop), Lper_hop is the length of the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit, and sum is the sum.

[0399] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 1520 is also used to send configuration information, which includes one or more of the following: the length of the first frequency hopping unit, the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, the period of the first frequency hopping unit, or the number of first frequency hopping units.

[0400] When the communication device 1500 is a chip-type device or circuit, the transceiver module may be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface; the processing module may be an integrated processor or microprocessor or integrated circuit.

[0401] Fig.16 1 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1600 may be a network device or a terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the communication device 1600 may be Figure 1 The network device or terminal device in the communication device 1600; or the communication device 1600 is a chip (system) in the network device or terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. For specific functions, please refer to the description in the above method embodiment.

[0402] The communication device 1600 includes one or more processors 1601, which are used to implement or support the communication device 1600 to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here. The processor 1601 may also be referred to as a processing unit or a processing module, which may implement certain control functions. The processor 1601 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it includes: a baseband processor, a central processing unit, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processor, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video codec processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor, etc. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data. The central processing unit may be used to control the communication device 1600 (e.g., a network device or a terminal device), execute software programs and / or process data. Different processors may be independent devices, or they may be integrated in one or more processors, for example, integrated in one or more application-specific integrated circuits.

[0403] In one design, the processor 1601 may include a program 1603 (sometimes also referred to as code or instruction), and the program 1603 may be executed on the processor 1601 to enable the communication device 1600 to perform the method described in the following embodiments. In another possible design, the communication device 1600 includes a circuit ( Fig.16 The circuit is used to implement the network device or terminal device functions in the above embodiments.

[0404] In one design, the communication device 1600 may include one or more memories 1602 on which a program 1604 (sometimes referred to as code or instruction) is stored. The program 1604 may be executed on the processor 1601 so that the communication device 1600 performs the method described in the above method embodiment, for example Figure 4 The process shown.

[0405] In one design, the processor 1601 and / or the memory 1602 may include an artificial intelligence (AI) module 1607 and an AI module 1608, and the AI ​​module is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​module may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module may include a RAN intelligent controller (RAN intelligent controller, RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0406] In a possible design, data may also be stored in the processor 1601 and / or the memory 1602. The processor and the memory may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0407] In a possible design, the communication device 1600 may also include a transceiver 1605 and / or an antenna 1606. The processor 1601 may also be sometimes referred to as a processing unit, which controls the communication device 1600. The transceiver 1605 may also be sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, etc., which is used to implement the transceiver function of the communication device through the antenna 1606.

[0408] In a possible design, the communication device 1600 may also include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external memory interface, an internal memory, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display screen, etc. It is understood that in some embodiments, the communication device 1600 may include more or fewer components, or some components may be integrated, or some components may be separated. These components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0409] The communication device in the above embodiment may be a terminal device (or network device), or a circuit, or a chip applied to a terminal device (or network device) or other combined devices, components, etc. having the above terminal device (or network device). When the communication device is a terminal device (or network device), the transceiver module may be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and a radio frequency circuit, etc., and the processing module may be a processor, such as a CPU. When the communication device is a component having the functions of the above terminal device (or network device), the transceiver module may be a radio frequency unit, and the processing module may be a processor. When the communication device is a chip system, the communication device may be an FPGA, a dedicated ASIC, a system on chip (SoC), a CPU, a network processor (NP), a DSP, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chips. The processing module may be a processor of a chip system. The transceiver module or the communication interface may be an input / output interface or an interface circuit of a chip system. For example, the interface circuit may be a code / data read / write interface circuit. The interface circuit can be used to receive code instructions (the code instructions are stored in the memory, can be read directly from the memory, or can be read from the memory through other devices) and transmit them to the processor; the processor can be used to run the code instructions to execute the method in the above method embodiment. For another example, the interface circuit can also be a signal transmission interface circuit between the communication processor and the transceiver.

[0410] The embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system. Specifically, the communication system includes a network device and a terminal device. Exemplarily, the communication system includes a Figure 4 Terminal device and terminal equipment for implementing terminal device related functions Figure 4 For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0411] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute Figure 4 A method executed by a terminal device or a network device.

[0412] The present application also provides a computer program product, including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute Figure 4 A method executed by a terminal device or a network device.

[0413] The embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and may also include a memory, for implementing the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0414] In order to achieve the above Figure 15-16 In order to realize the functions of the communication device, the embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, including a processor, for supporting the communication device to realize the functions involved in the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiment. In one possible design, the chip is connected to a memory or the chip includes a memory, and the memory is used to store the necessary computer programs or instructions and data of the communication device.

[0415] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0416] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0417] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0418] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0419] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0420] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part of the technical solution of the present application that contributes essentially or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM), RAM, magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0421] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determine a first frequency hopping unit, where the first frequency hopping unit includes a first time unit and a first switching time, where the first time unit is used to transmit a reference signal, and the first time unit and the first switching time do not overlap in the time domain; The reference signal is received within the first time unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first switching time is used for the terminal device to switch from the first frequency point to the second frequency point.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Receiving the reference signal within the first time unit includes: receiving the reference signal at the first frequency point within the first time unit; The method further includes: receiving the reference signal at the second frequency point within a second time unit, the second time unit is included in a second frequency hopping unit, and the second time unit is used to transmit the reference signal.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The second frequency hopping unit also includes a second switching time, and the second time unit and the second switching time do not overlap in the time domain.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The first frequency hopping unit belongs to one frequency hopping unit among N frequency hopping units in the time window, and the second frequency hopping unit belongs to one frequency hopping unit among N frequency hopping units in the time window.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The last frequency hopping unit among the N frequency hopping units only includes a time unit for transmitting a reference signal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The first time unit is F symbols, and F is determined according to the length of the first frequency hopping unit and / or the first switching time.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The F satisfies: F=floor(length of the first frequency hopping unit-the first switching time), where floor is rounded down; F=the length of the first frequency hopping unit-the first switching time; or, F=the length of the first frequency hopping unit-ceil (the first switching time), where ceil is rounded up.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is determined according to one or more of the following: The processing power of the terminal equipment; Storage capacity of the terminal device; The switching time of the terminal equipment; a repetition interval of the reference signal, wherein the repetition interval is the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions; the subcarrier spacing of the reference signal; or, The time interval between different hops of the reference signal.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is determined according to the configuration of the reference signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is: The repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval of the reference signal+1, or the maximum value of the repetition interval of the reference signal; wherein the repetition interval is the number of time slots between two adjacent repeated transmission intervals.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The period of the first frequency hopping unit is the length of the first frequency hopping unit.

13. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 12, characterized in that: The starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is predefined, or the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is determined by the configuration of the reference signal.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is the starting position of the time window, or the starting position of the first frequency hopping unit in the time window is separated from the starting position of the time window by a first time length.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first duration is related to resource configuration of a reference signal.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The resource configuration includes one or more of the following: the number of symbols, the pilot interval, the number of repetitions of the reference signal, the repetition interval of the reference signal, the expected reference signal timing difference RSTD of the resource, or the expected reference signal timing difference uncertainty expected RSTD uncertainty of the resource.

17. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 16, characterized in that: Said N is predefined; The N is related to the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device; The N is determined according to the effective length of the time window and the length of the first frequency hopping unit, the effective length of the time window being the time window minus the switching time of the time window; or, The N is determined according to the effective length of the time window, the length of the first time unit, and the length of the first frequency hopping unit. The effective length of the time window is the time window minus the switching time of the time window.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that: The reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

19. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 18, characterized in that: The number of frequency hopping times N of the terminal device within the time window hop Not exceeding the stated N.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein: The number of frequency hopping times N of the terminal device within the time window hop Related to one or more of the following: Said N; the maximum number of times or the minimum number of times the reference signal resource falls in the N frequency hopping units, wherein the number of times the reference signal resource is repeated and falls in one frequency hopping unit is once; the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource; The minimum value of the number of repetitions of the reference signal and N; The minimum value among the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device, N, and the number of repetitions of the reference signal; a repetition interval of the reference signal, wherein the repetition interval is the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions; The maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device, or The length of the first frequency hopping unit; N3, where N3 indicates the time length supported by the terminal device for processing a reference signal; the length of the time window; The length of the radio frequency switching time of the time window; a starting position of the first frequency hopping unit; The length of the first time unit.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein: The N hop Satisfies the following formula: Wherein, P is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource in the time window, Q is the repetition interval of the reference signal, K is the length of the first frequency hopping unit, N hop,max The maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein: The N hop Less than or equal to L per-hop is the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein: The N hop Less than or equal to N hops,effect , the N hops,effect The number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device within a time window according to the resource configuration of the reference signal and the radio frequency conversion time.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein: The N hop Satisfies the following formula: Among them, N hops,effect is the number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in a time window according to resource configuration and radio frequency switching time, L per-hop is the reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that The N hops,effect Satisfies the following formula: Wherein, n is the nth hop in the time window, or, n indicates the nth frequency hopping unit; is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource that is not muted during the time of receiving the signal in the nth hop or the nth frequency hopping unit; It is related to the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the number of frequency hopping times in a time slot.

26. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, characterized in that When the length of the first frequency hopping unit is 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping times in one time slot is 2, When the length of the first frequency hopping unit is not 7 symbols, or the number of frequency hopping in a time slot is not 2, 27. The method of claim 20, wherein: The terminal device needs to complete the measurement of multiple frequency points. The duration of the reference signal resource in each time window period in the reference signal resource valid period is different. The terminal device has a frequency hopping number N in the jth time window at the kth frequency point. hop,k,j Satisfies the following formula: N hop,k,j =min(N hops,effect,k,j ,N store,k，j ,N hop,max，k ) Among them, N hops,effect,k,j is the number of frequency hopping times determined by the terminal device in the jth time window of the kth frequency layer according to the configuration of the reference signal and the radio frequency conversion time, N hop,max,k is the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device at the kth frequency layer; N store,k,j Related to one or more of the following: N3, L per-hop,k,j , or L per-hop,k,j,n ; L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k The reference signal resource duration in the first time unit in the first frequency hopping unit in the j-th time window in L per-hop,h,j,h is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k The reference signal resource duration in the nth frequency hopping unit in the jth time window / the first time unit in the nth hop.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein: Or, N store,k,j To satisfy The largest N store,k,j ; Among them, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k The maximum value of all Lper-hop,k,j,n (n=1,2,3,..) in the j-th time window in ; or, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in the jth time window per-hop,k,j,n Any value of (n=1,2,3,..); or, L per-hop,k,j is the effective period T of the reference signal resource in the kth frequency layer available_PRS,k All L in all time windows per-hop,k,j,n The maximum value of (n=1,2,3,..).

29. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that The N hopseffect，k，j Satisfies the following formula: Wherein, n is the nth hop in the time window, or, n indicates the nth frequency hopping unit; is the number of repetitions of the reference signal resource that is not muted within the time of the received signal within the first time unit in the nth hop or nth frequency hopping unit in the jth time window of the kth frequency layer; It is related to the length of the first frequency hopping unit or the number of frequency hopping times in a time slot.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein: The number of frequency hopping times N of the terminal device in any time window of the kth frequency layer hop,k,j For all N hop,k,j The minimum value of or the minimum value of all N in the kth frequency layer hop,k,j The minimum value in .

31. The method of claim 21, wherein: The K satisfies: K=max(K′,Q), wherein when the switching time of the terminal device within the time window is less than a preset threshold, K′=1; otherwise, K′=2.

32. The method according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that The maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device is related to the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein: The maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device and the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device satisfy: BW PRS.max =N hop,max ×BW pre-hop -(N hop,max -1)×BW overlap ;or, Among them, BW PRS.max is the maximum frequency hopping bandwidth supported by the terminal device, N hop,max is the maximum number of frequency hopping times supported by the terminal device, BW overlap is the frequency hopping overlap bandwidth, BW per-hop It is the maximum bandwidth that the terminal device can receive in one frequency hopping.

34. The method of claim 20, wherein: The effective length Lprs of the reference signal in the time window is determined according to the length of the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit and / or the number of frequency hopping times of the terminal device in the time window.

35. The method of claim 21, wherein: The effective length Lprs of the reference signal in the time window satisfies: Lprs=N hop ×Lper_hop, or, Lprs=sum(Lper_hop), where Lper_hop is the length of the reference signal in each frequency hopping unit, and sum is the sum.

36. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 31, characterized in that The effective length L of the reference signal in the kth frequency layer time window available_PRS,k satisfy: or, 37. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 36, characterized in that The method further comprises: Configuration information is received, where the configuration information includes one or more of the following: a length of the first frequency hopping unit, a starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, a period of the first frequency hopping unit, or the number of the first frequency hopping units.

38. A communication method, characterized in that: include: A reference signal is sent within a first time unit included in a first frequency hopping unit, wherein the first frequency hopping unit includes a first time unit and a first switching time, the first time unit is used to transmit the reference signal, and the first time unit and the first switching time do not overlap in the time domain.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein: The method further comprises: Send configuration information, where the configuration information is one or more of the following: a length of the first frequency hopping unit, a starting position of the first frequency hopping unit, a period of the first frequency hopping unit, or the number of the first frequency hopping units.

40. The method according to claim 38 or 39, characterized in that The length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is determined according to one or more of the following: The processing power of the terminal equipment; Storage capacity of the terminal device; The time required for the terminal device to switch radio frequencies; a repetition interval of the reference signal, wherein the repetition interval is the time interval between two adjacent repeated transmissions; the subcarrier spacing of the reference signal; or, The time interval between different hops of the reference signal.

41. The method according to any one of claims 38 to 40, characterized in that The length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is determined according to the configuration of the reference signal.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein: The length of the first frequency hopping unit or the period of the first frequency hopping unit is: The repetition interval of the reference signal, the repetition interval of the reference signal+1, or the maximum value of the repetition interval of the reference signal; wherein the repetition interval is the number of time slots between two adjacent repeated transmission intervals.

43. The method according to any one of claims 38 to 42, characterized in that: The first frequency hopping unit belongs to one frequency hopping unit among N frequency hopping units in the time window, wherein: Said N is predefined; The N is related to the frequency hopping capability of the terminal device; The N is determined according to the effective length of the time window and the length of the first frequency hopping unit, the effective length of the time window being the time window minus the switching time of the time window; or, The N is determined according to the effective length of the time window, the length of the first time unit, and the length of the first frequency hopping unit. The effective length of the time window is the time window minus the switching time of the time window.

44. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 37, or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 38 to 43.

45. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor configured to execute one or more computer programs or instructions so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 37 or the method according to any one of claims 38 to 43.

46. ​​A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 37, and the second communication device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 38 to 43.

47. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A computer program or instruction is stored, and the computer program or instruction is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-37, or the method according to any one of claims 38-43.

48. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program, and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 37, or the method according to any one of claims 38 to 43.

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