Communication method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method and device. The method comprises: a network device receiving a first message from a terminal device, the first message being used for instructing the network device to configure an MIMO flow number for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, the second message being used for instructing the maximum MIMO flow number supported by the terminal device, and the third message being used for instructing at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device. In the embodiment of the invention, the terminal equipment can indicate the network equipment to configure the MIMO flow number for the terminal equipment based on the maximum MIMO flow number supported by the terminal equipment and the SRS antenna switching capability, so that the MIMO flow number configured for the terminal equipment by the network equipment can be the MIMO flow number corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal equipment; therefore, the terminal equipment does not need to reconfigure the radio frequency capability when switching the SRS antenna, and the energy consumption of the terminal equipment is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In order to assist the network device in measuring the uplink channel, the terminal device can send a sounding reference signal (SRS) on each antenna, and then the network device can estimate the uplink channel information corresponding to each antenna based on the received SRS. For the time division duplexing (TDD) frequency band, there is mutual benefit between the uplink and downlink channels between the terminal device and the network device, and the network device can also estimate the downlink channel information corresponding to each antenna based on the received SRS. Therefore, in order for the network device to obtain the complete channel information corresponding to all antennas, the terminal device can perform SRS antenna switching (AS), that is, the terminal device can use multiple antennas to send SRS in turn within the uplink RF capability range to complete the SRS transmission of all antennas within a period of time.

[0003] The SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device refers to the SRS transmission port switching mode supported by the terminal device, and the SRS transmission port switching mode corresponds to the number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) streams supported by the terminal device. If the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device is xTyR, it means that the terminal device can transmit SRS on x antenna ports through y antennas, y corresponds to all receiving antennas of the terminal device or a subset of receiving antennas, and the number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device includes uplink x stream transmission and downlink y stream reception. For example, if the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device is t1r4, it means that the terminal device supports sending SRS 4 times in each measurement period, using 1 antenna port to send SRS each time, and the number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device includes uplink 1 stream transmission and downlink 4 stream reception. Because the network device configures the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device according to the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device may be the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching that the terminal device does not support, resulting in the terminal device needing to reconfigure the RF capability, increasing the energy consumption of the terminal device. Summary of the invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for reducing energy consumption of terminal equipment.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or by a chip system, and the chip system can implement the functions of the network device. The method includes: receiving a first message from a terminal device, the first message is used to indicate that the network device configures the number of multiple-input multiple-output MIMO streams for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, the second message is used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one sounding reference signal SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

[0006] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can instruct the network device to configure the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device based on the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device and the SRS antenna switching capability, so that the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device can be the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, so that the terminal device does not need to reconfigure the radio frequency capability when performing SRS antenna switching, reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device. And because the terminal device does not modify the existing MIMO capability reporting format, it complies with the provisions of the existing protocol and has good compatibility.

[0007] In an optional implementation, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one first MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

[0008] In this embodiment, the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device can be equal to or less than the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, so that when the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device is the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device is also the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, so that the terminal device does not need to reconfigure the RF capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0009] In an optional embodiment, the method also includes: configuring a second MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, the second MIMO stream number being the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number; and sending a fourth message to the terminal device, the fourth message being used to indicate the second MIMO stream number.

[0010] In this embodiment, the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device can be the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device or the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability, so that the terminal device does not need to reconfigure the RF capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0011] In an optional implementation, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the first number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device. In this implementation, the granularity of the number of MIMO streams can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or can also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, which is more flexible.

[0012] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a chip system, and the chip system can implement the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: sending a first message to a network device, the first message is used to instruct the network device to configure the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, the second message is used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one second MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, the method also includes: receiving a fourth message from the network device, the fourth message being used to indicate a second MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, the second MIMO stream number being the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number.

[0015] In an optional embodiment, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the first number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0016] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the second aspect or some optional implementation methods, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementation methods.

[0017] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or by a chip system, and the chip system can implement the functions of the network device. The method includes: receiving a fifth message from a terminal device, the fifth message is used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponds to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third MIMO stream number of the at least one third MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can modify the existing MIMO capability reporting format to report all MIMO streams supported by the terminal device except the maximum MIMO stream number. Since all MIMO streams supported by the terminal device except the maximum MIMO stream number correspond to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, the base station can configure the MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on the maximum MIMO stream number and the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, so that the MIMO stream number configured by the base station for the terminal device is the MIMO stream number corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, so that the terminal device does not need to reconfigure the RF capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0019] In an optional embodiment, the method also includes: configuring a fourth MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on a second message and the fifth message, the second message being used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, the fourth MIMO stream number being the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number; and sending a sixth message to the terminal device, the sixth message being used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number.

[0020] In this embodiment, the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device can be the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device or the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability, so that the terminal device does not need to reconfigure the RF capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0021] In an optional implementation, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the third number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device. In this implementation, the granularity of the number of MIMO streams can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or can also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, which is more flexible.

[0022] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a chip system, and the chip system can implement the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: sending a fifth message to a network device, the fifth message is used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponds to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third MIMO stream number of the at least one third MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

[0023] In an optional embodiment, the method also includes: receiving a sixth message from the network device, the sixth message being used to indicate a fourth MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the fifth message, the second message being used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, the fourth MIMO stream number being the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number.

[0024] In an optional embodiment, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the third number of MIMO streams includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0025] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the fourth aspect or some optional implementation methods, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the third aspect or corresponding implementation methods.

[0026] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the device is running, the processor executes the computer instructions stored in the memory to enable the device to execute any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above. The memory can be a volatile or non-volatile memory, such as a cache in a semiconductor chip.

[0027] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device or a terminal device, or a chip for a network device or a terminal device. The device has the function of implementing any implementation method of the first to fourth aspects above. The function may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0028] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a unit or means for executing each step of any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above.

[0029] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above. The processor may be one or more processors.

[0030] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the processor being used to call a program stored in the memory to execute any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above. The memory may be located inside the device or outside the device. The processor may also be one or more processors.

[0031] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed on a communication device, enables any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects to be executed.

[0032] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device, any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects is executed.

[0033] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, including: a processor, used to execute any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a UE communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 4 Another UE communication process diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device;

[0039] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a communication device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably. "Multiple" means two or more than two. 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 understood as one or more, for example, one, two or more. For example, including at least one means including one, two or more, and there is no restriction 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 similar. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. 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 associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0041] Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of the present application mention ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" for distinguishing between multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects, and the descriptions of "first" and "second" do not limit the objects to be different.

[0042] The technical solution in the embodiment of the present application is mainly applicable to a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system may comply with the wireless communication standard of the third generation partnership project (3GPP), or may comply with other wireless communication standards, such as the wireless communication standard of the 802 series (such as 802.11, 802.15, or 802.20) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

[0043] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication system includes a network device and one or more terminal devices. According to the transmission direction, the transmission link from the terminal device to the network device is recorded as an uplink (UL), and the transmission link from the network device to the terminal device is recorded as a downlink (DL). The data transmission of the uplink can be referred to as uplink data transmission or uplink transmission, and the data transmission of the downlink can be referred to as downlink data transmission or downlink transmission.

[0044] In this wireless communication system, the network device can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area through an integrated or external antenna device. One or more terminal devices located within the communication coverage of the network device can access the network device. A network device can manage one or more cells. Each cell has an identification, which is also called a cell identity (cell ID). From the perspective of wireless resources, a cell is a combination of downlink wireless resources and uplink wireless resources (optional) paired with it.

[0045] The terminal device and the network device are aware of the predefined configuration of the wireless communication system, including the radio access technology (RAT) supported by the system and the wireless resource configuration specified by the system (such as the frequency band of the radio and the basic configuration of the carrier). The carrier is a frequency range that complies with the system regulations. This frequency range can be determined by the center frequency of the carrier (referred to as the carrier frequency) and the bandwidth of the carrier. These system predefined configurations can be used as part of the standard protocol of the wireless communication system, or determined through the interaction between the terminal device and the network device. The content of the relevant standard protocol may be pre-stored in the memory of the terminal device and the network device, or embodied in the hardware circuit or software code of the terminal device and the network device.

[0046] In the wireless communication system, the terminal device and the network device support one or more of the same RAT, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), or RAT of a future evolution system. Specifically, the terminal device and the network device use the same air interface parameters, coding scheme, modulation scheme, etc., and communicate with each other based on the wireless resources specified by the system.

[0047] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a user equipment (UE), etc. In the embodiment of the present application, UE is used as an example of a terminal device for description.

[0048] The network device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, etc.; it may also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of a base station, for example, a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The network device may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, a base station is used as an example of a network device for description.

[0049] Figure 2 A structural diagram of a wireless communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication device may be a UE or a base station in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication device may include multiple components, such as an application subsystem, a memory, a massive storage, a baseband subsystem, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a radio frequency front end (RFFE) device, and an antenna (ANT). These components may be coupled via various interconnection buses or other electrical connections.

[0050] Figure 2 In , ANT_1 represents the first antenna, ANT_N represents the Nth antenna, and N is an integer greater than 1. Tx represents the transmission path, Rx represents the reception path, and different numbers represent different paths. Each path can represent a signal processing channel. Among them, FBRx represents the feedback reception path, PRx represents the main reception path, and DRx represents the diversity reception path. HB represents high frequency, and LB represents low frequency, and the two refer to the relative high and low frequencies. BB represents baseband. It should be understood that Figure 2 The marks and components in the figure are for illustration purposes only and are only used as a possible implementation. The embodiments of the present application also include other implementations. For example, the wireless communication device may include more or fewer paths and more or fewer components.

[0051] Among them, the application subsystem may include one or more processors. Multiple processors may include multiple processors of the same type, or may include a combination of multiple types of processors. In the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor or a processor designed for a specific field. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a microcontroller (MCU). The processor may also be a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), an audio signal processor (ASP), and an AI processor specially designed for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. AI processors include, but are not limited to, neural network processing units (NPUs), tensor processing units (TPUs), and processors referred to as AI engines.

[0052] RF integrated circuits (including RFIC 1, and one or more optional RFIC 2) and RF front-end devices can together constitute an RF subsystem. Depending on the signal reception or transmission path, the RF subsystem can also be divided into an RF receive path and an RF transmit path. Among them, the RF receive channel can receive the RF signal through the antenna, process the RF signal (such as amplification, filtering and down-conversion) to obtain a baseband signal, and pass it to the baseband subsystem. The RF transmit channel can receive the baseband signal from the baseband subsystem, process the baseband signal (such as up-conversion, amplification and filtering) to obtain an RF signal, and finally radiate the RF signal into space through the antenna. RF integrated circuits can be called RF processing chips or RF chips.

[0053] Similar to the RF subsystem, which mainly processes RF signals, the baseband subsystem mainly processes baseband signals. The baseband subsystem can extract useful information or data bits from the baseband signal, or convert the information or data bits into baseband signals to be sent. These information or data bits can be data representing user data such as voice, text, video, or control information. For example, the baseband subsystem can implement signal processing operations such as modulation and demodulation, encoding, and decoding. For different wireless access technologies, such as 5G NR and 4G LTE, the baseband signal processing operations are not exactly the same.

[0054] Similar to the application subsystem, the baseband subsystem may also include one or more processors. In addition, the baseband subsystem may also include one or more hardware accelerators (HAC). Hardware accelerators can be used to specifically complete some sub-functions with high processing overhead, such as data packet assembly and parsing, data packet encryption and decryption, etc. These sub-functions can also be implemented using general-purpose processors, but due to performance or cost considerations, it may be more appropriate to use hardware accelerators. In a specific implementation, the hardware accelerator is mainly implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Of course, the hardware accelerator may also include one or more relatively simple processors, such as an MCU.

[0055] The baseband subsystem can be integrated into one or more chips, which can be called a baseband processing chip or a baseband chip. The baseband subsystem can be a standalone chip, which can be called a modem or a modem chip. The baseband subsystem can be manufactured and sold in units of modem chips. Modem chips are sometimes also called baseband processors or mobile processors. In addition, the baseband subsystem can be further integrated into a larger chip, which can be manufactured and sold in units of larger chips. This larger chip can be called a system chip, a chip system, or a system on a chip (SoC), or simply a SoC chip. The software components of the baseband subsystem can be built into the hardware components of the chip before the chip leaves the factory, or can be imported from other non-volatile memories into the hardware components of the chip after the chip leaves the factory, or these software components can be downloaded and updated online through the network.

[0056] In addition, the wireless communication device may also include a memory, such as Figure 2In the application subsystem and the baseband subsystem, one or more caches can be included respectively. In the specific implementation, the memory can be divided into volatile memory and non-volatile memory (NVM). Volatile memory refers to a memory in which the data stored inside will be lost when the power supply is interrupted. At present, volatile memory is mainly random access memory (RAM), including static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Non-volatile memory refers to a memory in which the data stored inside will not be lost even if the power supply is interrupted. Common non-volatile memories include read-only memory (ROM), optical disks, magnetic disks, and various memories based on flash memory technology. Generally speaking, volatile memory can be used for memory and cache, and non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, can be used for large-capacity storage.

[0057] The wireless communication system and wireless communication device applicable to the embodiments of the present application are briefly introduced above. The following introduces the relevant technical solutions involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0058] 1) Uplink (UL) / Downlink (DL)-MIMO capability

[0059] UL / DL-MIMO means that the UE can use multiple antennas to simultaneously send and receive multiple streams (layers) (also called streams) on the same wireless channel. Usually, the UL / DL-MIMO capability supported by the UE is a comprehensive reflection of baseband processing, the number of radio frequency channels, and the number of physical antenna ports. From the perspective of the physical layer, the maximum number of streams and logical ports (logical antenna ports) supported by the UE are directly related to the number of radio frequency links. It should be understood that physical antennas, logical ports, and streams are not one-to-one. Specifically, the number of physical antennas is not less than the number of logical ports, and the number of logical ports is not less than the number of streams. For example, when the UE uses the [1, 0; 0, 1] codebook for uplink transmission, it means that the UE maps 2-stream modulation symbols to 2 logical ports.

[0060] At present, the UE can report the MIMO capabilities supported by the UE to the base station through the following information elements: FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC and FeatureSetUplinkPerCC. Among them, the information element FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC is a downlink carrier feature set, and the information element FeatureSetUplinkPerCC is an uplink carrier feature set. These two sets respectively represent a set of characteristics supported by the UE on a downlink or uplink carrier in a frequency band of the spectrum combination. The sub-information element MIMO-LayersDL of FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC and the sub-information element MIMO-LayersUL of FeatureSetUplinkPerCC are respectively used to directly indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE. For example, when the UE reports MIMO-LayersDL as 4, it means that the UE supports a maximum of 4 downlink streams on the corresponding carrier, and thus the UE also has the ability to receive 3 streams, 2 streams and 1 stream. For another example, when the UE reports MIMO-LayersUL as 4, it means that the UE supports a maximum of 4 uplink streams on the corresponding carrier, and thus the UE also has the ability to send 3 streams, 2 streams and 1 stream. It can be seen that when the UE reports the MIMO capability, the uplink and downlink are decoupled for reporting, and the MIMO capability reported by the UE is the maximum MIMO capability supported by the UE.

[0061] 2) SRS antenna switching capability

[0062] In order to assist the base station in uplink channel measurement, the UE can send SRS (antenna switching SRS) on each antenna, and then the base station can estimate the uplink channel information corresponding to each antenna based on the received SRS. For the TDD frequency band, there is mutual benefit between the uplink and downlink channels between the UE and the base station, and the base station can also estimate the downlink channel information corresponding to each antenna based on the received SRS. Therefore, in order for the base station to obtain complete channel information corresponding to all antennas, the UE can perform SRS antenna switching, that is, the UE can use multiple antennas to send SRS in turn within the uplink RF capability range to complete the SRS transmission of all antennas within a period of time. For example, the UE reports MIMO-LayersUL / DL as 4, that is, the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams supported by the UE is 1 and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams is 4. Based on the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams supported by the UE, the UE can send SRS 4 times in one measurement cycle, using 1 antenna port to send SRS each time, so that the UE can complete the SRS transmission of 4 RF links in one measurement cycle.

[0063] The SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE refers to the SRS port switching mode supported by the UE, and the SRS transmission port switching mode corresponds to the number of MIMO streams supported by the UE. If the SRS antenna switching capability indicated by the UE is xTyR, it means that the UE can transmit SRS on x antenna ports through y antennas, y corresponds to all receiving antennas of the UE or a subset of receiving antennas, and the number of MIMO streams supported by the UE includes uplink x stream transmission and downlink y stream reception (i.e. (x, y)). For example, if the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE is t1r4, it means that the UE supports sending SRS 4 times in each measurement period, using 1 antenna port to send SRS each time, and the number of MIMO streams supported by the UE includes uplink 1 stream transmission and downlink 4 stream reception (1, 4).

[0064] Currently, the UE can report some of the SRS antenna switching capabilities supported by the UE to the base station through the following information elements: supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch and supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch-v1610, where the information element supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch indicates the xTyR supported by the UE. The information element supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch-v1610 indicates the fallback xTyR supported by the UE. For example, when the UE reports supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch as t1r4, it means that the UE supports sending SRS 4 times in each measurement cycle, using 1 antenna port to send SRS each time. Assuming that the base station has a 64-reception capability, the base station can estimate a channel matrix with a dimension of 1*64 each time it receives, and then the base station can estimate a 64*4 channel matrix in each measurement cycle. For another example, when the UE reports supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch as t2r4, it means that the UE supports sending SRS twice in each measurement cycle, using two antenna ports to send SRS each time. Assuming that the base station has a 64-reception capability, the base station can estimate a channel matrix with a dimension of 2*64 each time, and then the base station can estimate a 64*4 channel matrix in each measurement cycle. Alternatively, the UE can traverse and report all SRS antenna switching capabilities supported by the UE, that is, the UE can report the SRS antenna switching capabilities supported by the UE to the base station through the information element Supported SRS-Tx Port Switch Beyond 4Rx-r17. Among them, the information element Supported SRS-Tx Port Switch Beyond 4Rx-r17 represents all xTyR combinations supported by the UE. It contains an 11-bit bitmap, starting from the first bit on the left (i.e. bit 0), each bit corresponds to {t1r1, t2r2, t1r2, t4r4, t2r4, t1r4, t2r6, t1r6, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8}. For example, when the UE reports Supported SRS-Tx Port Switch Beyond 4Rx-r17 as {0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1}, it means that the UE supports 8r's 1t / 2t / 4t switching (i.e. t4r8, t2r8, t1r8), and falls back to 4r's 1t / 2t switching (i.e. t2r4, t1r4). It can be seen that when the UE reports the SRS antenna switching capability, the uplink and downlink are not decoupled, and the SRS antenna switching capability reported by the UE is all the SRS antenna switching capabilities supported by the UE.

[0065] 3) MIMO stream number and SRS resource configuration

[0066] After the UE reports the maximum number of MIMO streams supported and the SRS antenna switching capability supported, the base station can configure the number of MIMO streams for the UE according to the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE, and configure SRS resources for the UE according to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE. SRS resources refer to time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources used to send SRS. However, since the base station only considers the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE when configuring the number of MIMO streams for the UE and does not consider the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE, the number of MIMO streams configured by the base station for the UE may be the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability that the UE does not support, resulting in higher energy consumption of the UE.

[0067] For example, the number of MIMO streams configured by the base station for the UE is 4 uplink streams for sending and 4 downlink streams for receiving (4, 4), that is, the UE maintains 4 independent RF links for sending and receiving signals. When the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE includes t4r8 but does not include t4r4, the base station configures the SRS resources corresponding to t4r8 for the UE. The UE sends the SRS twice in each measurement period, and uses 4 antenna ports to send the SRS each time. At this time, the UE needs to maintain 8 independent RF links for SRS antenna switching. Therefore, the UE needs to reconfigure the RF capability, which increases the energy consumption of the UE.

[0068] In order to reduce the energy consumption of the UE in the scenario where the UE performs SRS antenna switching, the embodiments of the present application provide multiple communication methods, and the embodiments of the present application are further described below with reference to specific examples. In the accompanying drawings corresponding to the embodiments of the present application, all steps indicated by dotted lines are optional steps.

[0069] Embodiment 1, as Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a UE communication process provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

[0070] Step 301: The UE sends a first message to a base station, and correspondingly, the base station receives the first message from the UE.

[0071] In this embodiment of the present application, the first message may be used to instruct the base station to configure the number of MIMO streams for the UE based on the second message and the third message.

[0072] Among them, the second message can be used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE. Optionally, the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE may include the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE can also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0073] In a specific implementation, the second message can indicate the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE through the information element MIMO-LayersUL and the information element MIMO-LayersDL, respectively. For example, when the second message indicates that MIMO-LayersUL is 4 and MIMO-LayersDL is 8, the base station can determine that the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE is 4 and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams is 8, that is, the base station can determine that the maximum number of MIMO layers supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes 4 uplink streams sending and 8 downlink streams receiving (4, 8).

[0074] The third message may be used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE. Optionally, the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may include the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0075] At least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may correspond to at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE. A first MIMO stream number of at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE, and a first MIMO stream number other than the first MIMO stream number of at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE. It can be understood that at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE refers to all MIMO stream numbers supported by the UE, including the maximum MIMO stream number. Optionally, the first MIMO stream number supported by the UE includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the first MIMO stream number supported by the UE can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the first MIMO stream number supported by the UE can also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0076] In a specific implementation, the third message may indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE in the form of a bitmap. For example, the third message may include an 11-bit bitmap, starting from the first leftmost bit (i.e., bit 0), each bit corresponding to {t1r1, t2r2, t1r2, t4r4, t2r4, t1r4, t2r6, t1r6, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8}. When the third message indicates the bitmap {0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1}, the base station can determine that the UE supports 1t / 2t / 4t switching of 8r and 1t / 2t switching falling back to 4r, that is, at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes {t2r4, t1r4, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8}, and {t2r4, t1r4, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8} corresponds to uplink 2 stream sending and downlink 4 stream receiving (2, 4), uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 4 stream receiving, respectively. The base station may determine that at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (2, 4), uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (1, 4), uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (2, 8), and uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (1, 8).

[0077] Optionally, the first message may be the same message as the second message or the third message, and it can be understood that the first message is carried in the second message or the third message; or, the first message may be different from the second message and the third message, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The first message, the second message or the third message may be an air interface message such as UECapabilityInformation, UEAssistanceInformation, RRCSetupRequest, RRCResumeRequest, RRCReestablishmentRequest, RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, or RRCReestablishmentComplete, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0078] Step 302: The base station configures a second number of MIMO streams for the UE based on the second message and the third message.

[0079] In the embodiment of the present application, step 302 is an optional step. The second MIMO stream number may be the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE, or may be any first MIMO stream number among at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. For example, the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), and at least one first number of MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (2, 4), uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (1, 4), uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (2, 8), and uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (1, 8). Then the second number of MIMO streams configured by the base station for the UE can be uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (2, 4), uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (1, 4), uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (2, 8), or uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (1, 8).

[0080] Step 303: The base station sends a fourth message to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receives the fourth message from the base station.

[0081] In the embodiment of the present application, step 303 is an optional step. The fourth message may be used to indicate the second MIMO stream number configured by the base station for the UE based on the second message and the third message.

[0082] According to the above scheme, the UE can instruct the base station to configure the number of MIMO streams for the UE based on the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE and the SRS antenna switching capability, ensuring that the number of MIMO streams configured by the base station for the UE is the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE, so that the UE does not need to reconfigure the radio frequency capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the UE. In addition, since the UE does not modify the existing MIMO capability reporting format, it complies with the provisions of the existing protocol and has good compatibility.

[0083] Embodiment 2, as Figure 4 FIG. 1 is another schematic diagram of a UE communication process provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

[0084] Step 401: The UE sends a fifth message to the base station, and correspondingly, the base station receives the fifth message from the UE.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present application, the fifth message may be used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE. Optionally, the third MIMO stream number supported by the UE may include an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the third MIMO stream number supported by the UE may be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the third MIMO stream number supported by the UE may also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0086] At least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE may correspond to at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE. Optionally, the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may include the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0087] Any of the at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE may be less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE, and it can be understood that the at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE refers to all MIMO stream numbers supported by the UE except the maximum MIMO stream number. Optionally, the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE includes the maximum uplink MIMO stream number and the maximum downlink MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE, and it can be understood that the granularity of the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE may be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE may also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0088] In a specific implementation, the fifth message may indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE in the form of a bitmap. For example, the fifth message may include an 11-bit bitmap, starting from the first leftmost bit (i.e., bit 0), each bit corresponds to {(1, 1), (2, 2), (1, 2), (4, 4), (2, 4), (1, 4), (2, 6), (1, 6), (4, 8), (2, 8), (1, 8)}, where (x, y) indicates that the uplink x stream is sent and the downlink y stream is received, such as (1, 1) indicates that the uplink 1 stream is sent and the downlink 1 stream is received. When the UE supports 1t / 2t / 4t switching of 8r and 1t / 2t switching that falls back to 4r, that is, at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes {t2r4, t1r4, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8}, and the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes 4 uplink streams sending and 8 downlink streams receiving (4, 8), the fifth message reported by the UE to the base station may indicate a bitmap {0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1}, that is, the fifth message may indicate that at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes {(2, 4), (1, 4), (2, 8), (1, 8)}.

[0089] Optionally, the fifth message may be an air interface message such as UECapabilityInformation, UEAssistanceInformation, RRCSetupRequest, RRCResumeRequest, RRCReestablishmentRequest, RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, or RRCReestablishmentComplete, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0090] Step 402: The base station configures a fourth MIMO stream number for the UE based on the second message and the fifth message.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present application, step 402 is an optional step. The second message may be used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. Optionally, the second message may be an air interface message such as UECapabilityInformation, UEAssistanceInformation, RRCSetupRequest, RRCResumeRequest, RRCReestablishmentRequest, RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, or RRCReestablishmentComplete, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0092] The fourth MIMO stream number may be the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE, or may be any third MIMO stream number among at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. For example, the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), and at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes {(2, 4), (1, 4), (2, 8), (1, 8)}, then the second MIMO stream number may be uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (2, 4), uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (1, 4), uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (2, 8), or uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (1, 8).

[0093] Step 403: The base station sends a sixth message to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receives the sixth message from the base station.

[0094] In the embodiment of the present application, step 403 is an optional step. The sixth message may be used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number configured by the base station for the UE based on the second message and the fifth message.

[0095] According to the above scheme, the UE can modify the existing MIMO capability reporting format and report all MIMO streams supported by the UE except the maximum MIMO stream number. Since all MIMO streams supported by the UE except the maximum MIMO stream number correspond to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE, the base station can configure the MIMO stream number for the UE based on the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE and the SRS antenna switching capability, thereby ensuring that the MIMO stream number configured by the base station for the UE is the MIMO stream number corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE, so that the UE does not need to reconfigure the RF capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the UE.

[0096] It is understandable that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device and the network device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0097] Figure 5 and Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of possible communication devices provided for embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a terminal device, a network device, or a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal device or a network device.

[0098] like Figure 5 As shown, the communication device 500 includes a processing unit 510 and a transceiver unit 520. The communication device 500 is used to implement the above Figure 3 to Figure 4 The functions of the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG.

[0099] In the first embodiment, when the communication device 500 is used to implement Figure 3 The function of the network device in the method embodiment shown is: a transceiver unit 520 is used to receive a first message from a terminal device, the first message is used to indicate that the network device configures the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, the second message is used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

[0100] In a possible implementation method, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one first MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

[0101] In a possible implementation method, the processing unit 510 is used to configure a second MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, where the second MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number; the transceiver unit 520 is also used to send a fourth message to the terminal device, where the fourth message is used to indicate the second MIMO stream number.

[0102] In a possible implementation method, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the first number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0103] In the first embodiment, when the communication device 500 is used to implement Figure 3 The function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown is: the transceiver unit 520 is used to send a first message to the network device, the first message is used to instruct the network device to configure the MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, the second message is used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

[0104] In a possible implementation method, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one second MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

[0105] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is also used to receive a fourth message from the network device, and the fourth message is used to indicate the second MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, and the second MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number.

[0106] In a possible implementation method, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the first number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0107] In the second embodiment, when the communication device 500 is used to implement Figure 4 The function of the network device in the method embodiment shown is: a transceiver unit 520 is used to receive a fifth message from a terminal device, and the fifth message is used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, and the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponds to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third MIMO stream number of the at least one third MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

[0108] In a possible implementation method, the processing unit 510 is used to configure a fourth MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on a second message and the fifth message, wherein the second message is used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, and the fourth MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number; the transceiver unit 520 is also used to send a sixth message to the terminal device, wherein the sixth message is used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number.

[0109] In a possible implementation method, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the third number of MIMO streams includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0110] In the second embodiment, when the communication device 500 is used to implement Figure 4 The function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown is: the transceiver unit 520 is used to send a fifth message to the network device, and the fifth message is used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, and the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponds to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third MIMO stream number of the at least one third MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

[0111] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is also used to receive a sixth message from the network device, wherein the sixth message is used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the fifth message, and the second message is used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, and the fourth MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number.

[0112] In a possible implementation method, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the third number of MIMO streams includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0113] like Figure 6 As shown, the communication device 600 includes a processor 610 and an interface circuit 620. The processor 610 and the interface circuit 620 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 620 can be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Optionally, the communication device 600 may also include a memory 630 for storing instructions executed by the processor 610 or storing input data required by the processor 610 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 610 executes instructions.

[0114] When the communication device 600 is used to implement Figure 3 to Figure 4 When the method is shown, the processor 610 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned processing unit 510, and the interface circuit 620 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 520.

[0115] When the above communication device is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal device chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The terminal device chip receives information from other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device; or the terminal device chip sends information to other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0116] When the above-mentioned communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the function of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The network device module receives information from other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device; or, the network device module sends information to other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device. The network device module here can be a baseband chip of the network device, or it can be a DU or other module, and the DU here can be a DU under the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0117] It is understandable that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application may adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application may adopt the form of a computer program product implemented in one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that include computer-usable program code.

[0119] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0120] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0121] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A step that specifies a function in one or more boxes.

[0122] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and 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: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: A first message is received from a terminal device, wherein the first message is used to instruct the network device to configure the number of multiple-input multiple-output MIMO streams for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, the second message is used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one sounding reference signal SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one first MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Based on the second message and the third message, configure a second MIMO stream number for the terminal device, where the second MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number; A fourth message is sent to the terminal device, where the fourth message is used to indicate the second MIMO stream number.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The maximum number of MIMO streams includes a maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and a maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device; The first MIMO stream number includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

5. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: A first message is sent to a network device, wherein the first message is used to instruct the network device to configure the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, wherein the second message is used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one second MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive a fourth message from the network device, wherein the fourth message is used to indicate a second MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, wherein the second MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The maximum number of MIMO streams includes a maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and a maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device; The first MIMO stream number includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: Receive a fifth message from a terminal device, wherein the fifth message is used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, wherein the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponds to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third MIMO stream number of the at least one third MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: Based on the second message and the fifth message, configure a fourth MIMO stream number for the terminal device, where the second message is used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, and the fourth MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number; A sixth message is sent to the terminal device, where the sixth message is used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The maximum number of MIMO streams includes a maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and a maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device; The third MIMO stream number includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: A fifth message is sent to the network device, wherein the fifth message is used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, wherein the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponds to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third MIMO stream number of the at least one third MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive a sixth message from the network device, the sixth message being used to indicate a fourth MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the fifth message, the second message being used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, the fourth MIMO stream number being the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The maximum number of MIMO streams includes a maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and a maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device; The third MIMO stream number includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, or a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, or a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, or a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices other than the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices other than the communication device, and the processor implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, or implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, or implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, or implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Memory for storing computer programs; A processor, configured to call and run the computer program from the memory to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, or to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, or to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, or to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14.

18. A chip system, characterized in that: include: Memory for storing computer programs; A processor, used to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that a device equipped with the chip system executes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or executes the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 8, or executes the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 11, or executes the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 14.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises a computer program, which, when executed by a communication device, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

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