Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method and a communication device. The method comprises the following steps: the terminal equipment receives first information and second information, and receives a signal according to the first information and the second information; wherein the first information comprises configuration information of a resource set of the signal. The configuration information of the resource set includes, for example, a repetition factor N indicating that at least one signal resource in the resource set is repeated N times. The second information indicates N times of repeated antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set. For example, the second information indicates whether N repetitions of the at least one signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, or which antenna ports in the N repetitions are the same. Therefore, the terminal equipment can determine whether to receive or process the signal in a low-complexity manner according to the second information.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In order to achieve a wider coverage and better transmission performance, the base station can schedule resources to repeatedly send the same downlink signal. However, multiple repetitions of the downlink signal may correspond to different antenna ports, so its channel consistency cannot be guaranteed, which will introduce phase errors.

[0003] On the one hand, in order to reduce the impact of possible phase errors, the receiving end will perform phase estimation and compensation on the received repeated downlink signals, which increases the complexity of the receiving end. On the other hand, in order to ensure the performance of the receiving end, the base station will try its best to ensure that multiple repetitions of the downlink signal correspond to the same antenna port, thereby increasing the overhead on the base station side and reducing the implementation flexibility. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device for reducing the complexity of processing signals of a terminal device, or for increasing the implementation flexibility of a base station.

[0005] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is executed by a terminal device, or the method is executed by some components in the terminal device (such as a processor, chip or chip system, etc.), or the method can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions.

[0006] In the first aspect and possible implementations thereof, the communication method is described by taking the execution of the terminal device as an example. In the method, the terminal device receives first information and second information, and receives a signal based on the first information and the second information. Among them, the first information indicates a resource set corresponding to the signal. The resource set includes at least one signal resource. The first information also indicates a repetition factor N. The repetition factor indicates the number of repetitions of at least one signal resource. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, that is, at least one signal resource in the resource set is repeated at least twice. The repetition factor N indicates that each signal resource in the resource set is repeated N times. The repetition of a signal resource N times can also be referred to as the N repetition of a signal resource. The repetition of a signal resource N times indicates that the transmitter of the signal will repeat the same signal N times. The second information indicates the antenna port information corresponding to at least one signal resource in the resource set. In other words, the second information indicates the antenna port information corresponding to the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set. The antenna port information corresponding to the N repetitions may refer to the consistency information of the antenna port corresponding to the N repetitions. For example, the antenna port information corresponding to the N repetitions is whether the N repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Or, the antenna port information corresponding to the N repetitions is which repetitions correspond to the same antenna port in the N repetitions. Alternatively, the antenna port information corresponding to the N repetitions is which repetitions in the N repetitions correspond to different antenna ports.

[0007] Thus, by obtaining antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set according to the second information, the terminal device can flexibly select a receiving method for receiving the signal, thereby reducing the complexity of the terminal device. The network device can also repeatedly send signals through different antenna ports, thereby improving the flexibility of resource scheduling and frequency division of the network device.

[0008] The signal may be a reference signal and / or a data signal. In an implementation example, the reference signal may be a reference signal dedicated to positioning, such as a positioning reference signal (PRS). PRS may include an uplink sounding reference signal (UL-SRS), a downlink sounding reference signal (DL-PRS), a sidelink positioning reference signal (SidelinkPRS), etc. In another implementation example, the reference signal may also be other reference signals not dedicated to positioning, such as multiple-input multiple-output sounding reference signal (MIMO-SRS), synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block, SS / PBCH block or SSB), tracking reference signal (TRS), phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), etc. Reference signals not dedicated to positioning are reference signals that also have other uses. Of course, reference signals not dedicated to positioning can also be used for positioning.

[0009] In one implementation, the first information and the second information may be used for positioning. The first information and the second information may also be used for other purposes. For example, the first information and / or the second information may be used for channel estimation, or the first information and / or the second information may be used for synchronization.

[0010] The second information may be a configuration at the resource set level, and the object indicated by the second information is the resource set as a whole, reflecting the antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set. The second information may be configured at the granularity of the resource set. Alternatively, the second information may also be a configuration at the resource level, and the object indicated by the second information is the signal resource, reflecting the antenna port information of a single signal resource. The second information may be configured at the granularity of the resource. Alternatively, the second information may be a configuration at the resource set level or a configuration at the resource level, and the indication object of the second information includes the resource set and the resource, reflecting both the antenna port information of at least one signal resource as a whole in the resource set and the antenna port information of a single signal resource.

[0011] The second information may also be configuration at other levels, such as frequency layer level, base station (TRP) level or other levels. For example, if the second information is a configuration at the base station level, the second information may be applied to one or more resource sets of the base station. Alternatively, the second information may be configuration at the above multiple levels, for example, the second information may be configuration at the base station level and the resource set level, or the second information may be configuration at the resource set level and the resource level, etc., or the second information may be configuration at the base station level, the resource set level and the resource level, which is not limited in this application.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level. The second information indicates that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. The first signal resource is a signal resource of at least one signal resource in the resource set. The first signal resource can be any signal resource in the resource set. The N repetitions of the first signal resource corresponding to the same antenna port can also be expressed as the N repetitions of the first signal resource sharing the same antenna port, or as the N repetitions of the first signal resource are all sent through the same antenna port, or as the N repetitions of the first signal resource are performed through the same antenna port, or as the antenna port used for the N repetitions of the first signal resource is the same, etc.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level. The second information indicates that the N repetitions of each signal resource in at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port. That is, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port. The N repetitions of each signal resource corresponding to the same antenna port can be understood as that the N repetitions of all signal resources correspond to the same antenna port, that is, the N repetitions of different signal resources also correspond to the same antenna port; or, different repetitions in the N repetitions of each signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and the N repetitions of different signal resources may correspond to different antenna ports.

[0014] Indicating at the resource set level that N repetitions of a signal resource correspond to the same antenna port eliminates the need to separately indicate that the N repetitions of each signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, thereby reducing the overhead of the second information.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level. The second information indicates that there are N repetitions of a signal resource in at least one signal resource in the resource set, corresponding to different antenna ports. That is, the second information may indicate that there are N repetitions of a signal resource in the resource set, corresponding to different antenna ports. Alternatively, the second information may indicate that there are N repetitions of multiple signal resources in the resource set, corresponding to different ports. Alternatively, the second information may indicate that the N repetitions of all signal resources in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports, or it may be expressed as the second information indicating that the N repetitions of any signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports. The existence of N repetitions of a signal resource corresponding to different antenna ports can be understood as that different repetitions in the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, and the N repetitions of different signal resources may be the same or different. Indicating at the resource set level that there are N repetitions of a signal resource in the resource set corresponding to different antenna ports does not require the antenna port information of each signal resource to be separately indicated, which can reduce the overhead of the second information.

[0016] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner in which the second information is a configuration at a resource set level, the size of the second information is 1 bit, thereby reducing the overhead of the second information.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level. The second information indicates that the first antenna port is different from the second antenna port, the first antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource, and the second antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource. That is, the second information indicates that the k-th repetition of the third signal resource corresponds to a different antenna port than the k-1th repetition. Optionally, the first antenna port corresponds to the 1st to k-1th repetitions of the third signal resource, and the second indication information can be understood as that in the N repetitions of the third signal resource, the first k-1th repetitions correspond to the same antenna port, and the k-th repetition corresponds to a different antenna port than the first k-1th repetition, that is, the antenna port corresponding to the k-th repetition has changed. Among them, the third signal resource is a signal resource in at least one signal resource in the resource set. The third signal resource is any signal resource in the resource set. Furthermore, the antenna port corresponding to the k-th repetition of each signal resource in the resource set is different from the antenna port corresponding to the k-1th repetition. It can be understood that k is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to N. Thus, the terminal device can more accurately determine which repetition corresponds to a change in the antenna port based on the second information, or the terminal device can further determine which repetitions correspond to the same antenna ports, so that the terminal device can more flexibly determine how to receive and process the signal.

[0018] Optionally, the second information may include a value k to indicate that the kth repetition of a signal resource in the resource set corresponds to a different antenna port than the first k-1 repetitions. Optionally, if the value k is omitted, it indicates that the Nth repetition of each signal resource in the resource set corresponds to the same antenna port.

[0019] Optionally, the second information may include a value k-1 to indicate that the kth repetition of a signal resource in the resource set corresponds to a different antenna port than the first k-1 repetitions. Alternatively, the value k-1 may indicate that the first k-1 repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Optionally, if the value k-1 is omitted, it indicates that the Nth repetition of each signal resource in the resource set corresponds to the same antenna port.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level. The second information indicates that the M repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. That is, the second information indicates that the M repetitions of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and further, the second information indicates which M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Alternatively, it can be expressed as the second information indicating the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource, where the M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Among them, the fourth signal resource is a signal resource in at least one signal resource in the resource set. If the second information is a configuration at the resource set level, the fourth signal resource is any signal resource in the resource set. Further, the M repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port. It can be understood that M is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N. Thus, the terminal device can accurately determine which repetitions of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port according to the second information, and then the terminal device can more flexibly determine the reception and processing method of the signal. For example, the terminal device can receive the signal by frequency hopping on the M repetitions corresponding to the same antenna port.

[0021] Optionally, the second information may include an index of M repetitions to indicate that the M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. For example, N repetitions have a corresponding index (index), thereby uniquely indicating a certain repetition. Alternatively, the index may also be referred to as an identity (ID) or a number, etc. Optionally, the indexes of the M repetitions belong to the same set. Optionally, the second information may include multiple sets, each set including at least two repetitions of the index, the repetitions indicated by the index in the same set correspond to the same antenna port, and different sets correspond to different antenna ports.

[0022] Optionally, the index of the M repetitions in the second information overlaps with the index of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource, and the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the fourth signal correspond to the same antenna port.

[0023] Optionally, M is 1, indicating that the antenna ports corresponding to the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource are different.

[0024] Optionally, the second information may include a bitmap, which indicates that M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Optionally, the length of the bitmap is N bits, and the N bits correspond to the N repetitions respectively. For example, the first bit corresponds to the first repetition, the second bit corresponds to the second repetition, ..., and the Nth bit corresponds to the Nth repetition. Or, the first bit corresponds to the Nth repetition, the second bit corresponds to the N-1th repetition, ..., and the Nth bit corresponds to the first repetition. It can also be other ways, which are not limited by this application. In the bitmap, the values ​​of the bits corresponding to the M repetitions are all 1 or all 0, and are different from the values ​​of other NM repetitions, to indicate that the M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level. The second information indicates that the third antenna port is different from the fourth antenna port, the third antenna port corresponds to the i-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the fourth antenna port corresponds to the j-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, and the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than the time threshold. The fifth signal resource is any signal resource in the resource set. Furthermore, the condition satisfied by the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition of each signal resource in the resource set corresponding to different antenna ports is that the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than the time threshold. It can be understood that i, j are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

[0026] Optionally, the j-th repetition is offset by p repetitions relative to the ith repetition. Wherein, p can be an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N-1. If the value of p is 1, the ith repetition and the j-th repetition are two adjacent repetitions in the time domain. If the value of p is 2, there is one repetition between the ith repetition and the j-th repetition, and so on.

[0027] Optionally, the value of p is 1, that is, j is i+1, and the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition are two adjacent repetitions in the time domain. That is, if the second information indicates that the time interval between two adjacent repetitions is greater than the time threshold, then the two repetitions correspond to different antenna ports. In other words, the second information indicates the condition satisfied by two adjacent repetitions corresponding to different antenna ports, and the condition is that the time interval between two adjacent repetitions is greater than the time threshold. Optionally, the second information can also be understood as that if the time interval between adjacent repetitions of the fifth signal resource is less than or equal to the time threshold, then the adjacent repetitions correspond to the same antenna port.

[0028] Optionally, the i-th repetition is a fixed repetition, and the j-th repetition is any repetition in the N repetitions except the i-th repetition. Further, i can be a predefined or indicated value, such as 1. For example, the i-th repetition is the first repetition, and the j-th repetition can be the second repetition, the third repetition, ... the N-th repetition. That is, if the time interval between the j-th repetition after the first repetition and the first repetition is greater than the time threshold, then the j-th repetition and the first repetition correspond to different antenna ports.

[0029] Optionally, the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition may be any two different repetitions among the N repetitions.

[0030] Optionally, the second information may include the time threshold. Thus, the terminal device can determine whether the multiple repetitions correspond to the same antenna port or different antenna ports based on the time threshold and the time interval between the multiple repetitions of the fifth signal resource.

[0031] The time intervals between different adjacent repetitions may be the same or different. Optionally, if the time intervals between adjacent repetitions of the fifth signal resource are the same, and the time intervals are less than or equal to the time threshold, it can be determined that the N repetitions of the fifth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. Alternatively, if the time intervals between adjacent repetitions of the fifth signal resource are the same, and the time intervals are greater than the time threshold, it can be determined that the N repetitions of the fifth signal resource correspond to different antenna ports.

[0032] In a possible implementation, multiple implementations of the second information can be combined. For example, the second information can indicate that the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port / the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports, and indicate which repetitions of the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port (for example, the second information includes at least one of a numerical value k, a numerical value k-1, an index of the M repetitions, a bitmap, and a time threshold). Alternatively, the second information indicates which repetitions of the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port through multiple parameters, for example, the second information includes at least two of a numerical value k, a numerical value k-1, an index of the M repetitions, a bitmap, and a time threshold. Thus, the second information can more accurately indicate which repetitions of the N repetitions of the signal resource of the resource set correspond to the same antenna port, and the terminal device can determine the received signal or process the signal in a more reasonable manner according to the second information. Optionally, a more reasonable manner may mean that the terminal device can receive a signal on the repetition corresponding to the same antenna port to reduce the complexity of the terminal device receiving or processing the signal.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the second information is a resource-level configuration. The second information indicates that N repetitions of a first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. Among them, the first signal resource is a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set. The first signal resource may be a signal resource associated with the second information in at least one signal resource in a resource set. The second information is configured to indicate antenna port information of N repetitions of the first signal resource, and the first signal resource is the signal resource associated with the second information. For example, the second information is an information element in the configuration of a signal resource, and the signal resource is the signal resource associated with the second information. For another example, the second information includes a signal resource identifier (resource ID, then the signal resource corresponding to the signal resource identifier is the signal resource associated with the second information. The second information can indicate the antenna port information of a single signal resource at the resource granularity, and the second information can accurately indicate that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, so that the terminal device can determine the reception method of the signal on the first signal resource, which can improve the flexibility of the terminal device.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the second information is a resource-level configuration. The second information indicates that N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports. Among them, the second signal resource is a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set. The second signal resource is a signal resource associated with the second information in at least one signal resource in a resource set. The second information can accurately indicate that the N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, so that the terminal device can determine the reception method of the signal on the second signal resource, which can improve the flexibility of the terminal device. The network device can also flexibly allocate antenna ports to the N repetitions of the second resource according to resource scheduling requirements, its own capabilities, or the capabilities of the terminal device.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner in which the second information is a resource-level configuration, the size of the second information is 1 bit, thereby being able to reduce the overhead of the second information.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the second information is a resource-level configuration. The second information indicates that the first antenna port is different from the second antenna port, the first antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource, and the second antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource. That is, the second information indicates that the antenna port corresponding to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource is different from the antenna port corresponding to the k-1th repetition. Optionally, the first antenna port corresponds to the 1st to k-1th repetitions of the third signal resource, and the second indication information can be understood as that in the N repetitions of the third signal resource, the first k-1th repetitions correspond to the same antenna port, and the k-1th repetition corresponds to a different antenna port from the first k-1th repetition, that is, the antenna port corresponding to the k-1th repetition has changed. Among them, the third signal resource is a signal resource of at least one signal resource in the resource set. The third signal resource can be a signal resource associated with the second information. It can be understood that k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N. Therefore, the terminal device can more accurately determine which repetition of the third signal resource corresponds to the change in the antenna port based on the second information, or the terminal device can further determine which repetitions of the third signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, so that the terminal device can more flexibly determine the signal reception and processing method.

[0037] Optionally, the second information may include a value k to indicate that the kth repetition of the third signal resource corresponds to a different antenna port than the previous k-1 repetitions. Optionally, if the value k is omitted, it indicates that the Nth repetition of the third signal resource corresponds to the same antenna port.

[0038] Optionally, the second information may include a value k-1 to indicate that the kth repetition of the signal resource in the resource set corresponds to a different antenna port than the first k-1 repetitions. Alternatively, the value k-1 may indicate that the first k-1 repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Optionally, if the value k-1 is omitted, it indicates that the Nth repetition of the third signal resource corresponds to the same antenna port.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the second information is a resource-level configuration. The second information indicates that M repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. That is, the second information indicates that M repetitions of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and further, the second information indicates which M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Alternatively, it can be expressed as the second information indicating N repetitions for the fourth signal resource, wherein the M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Among them, the fourth signal resource is a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set. If the second information is a resource-level configuration, the fourth signal resource is a signal resource associated with the second information in the resource set. It can be understood that M is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N. Thus, the terminal device can accurately determine which repetitions of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port based on the second information, and then the terminal device can more flexibly determine the reception and processing method of the signal. For example, the terminal device can receive the signal by frequency hopping on the M repetitions corresponding to the same antenna port.

[0040] Optionally, the second information may include an index of M repetitions to indicate that the M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. For example, N repetitions have a corresponding index (index), thereby uniquely indicating a certain repetition. Alternatively, the index may also be referred to as an identity (ID) or a number, etc. Optionally, the indexes of the M repetitions belong to the same set. Optionally, the second information may include multiple sets, each set including at least two repetitions of the index, the repetitions indicated by the index in the same set correspond to the same antenna port, and different sets correspond to different antenna ports.

[0041] Optionally, the index of the M repetitions in the second information overlaps with the index of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource, and the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the fourth signal correspond to the same antenna port.

[0042] Optionally, M is 1, indicating that the antenna ports corresponding to the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource are different.

[0043] Optionally, the second information may include a bitmap, which indicates that M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Optionally, the length of the bitmap is N bits, and the N bits correspond to the N repetitions respectively. For example, the first bit corresponds to the first repetition, the second bit corresponds to the second repetition, ..., and the Nth bit corresponds to the Nth repetition. Or, the first bit corresponds to the Nth repetition, the second bit corresponds to the N-1th repetition, ..., and the Nth bit corresponds to the first repetition. It can also be other ways, which are not limited by this application. In the bitmap, the values ​​of the bits corresponding to the M repetitions are all 1 or all 0, and are different from the values ​​of other NM repetitions, to indicate that the M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the second information is a resource-level configuration. The second information indicates that the third antenna port is different from the fourth antenna port, the third antenna port corresponds to the i-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the fourth antenna port corresponds to the j-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, and the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than the time threshold. If the second information is a resource-level configuration, the fifth signal resource is a signal resource associated with the second information in the resource set. It can be understood that i, j are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

[0045] Optionally, the j-th repetition is offset by p repetitions relative to the ith repetition. Wherein, p can be an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to n-1. If the value of p is 1, the ith repetition and the j-th repetition are two adjacent repetitions in the time domain. If the value of p is 2, there is one repetition between the ith repetition and the j-th repetition, and so on.

[0046] Optionally, the value of p is 1, that is, the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition are two adjacent repetitions in the time domain. That is, the second information indicates that the time interval between two adjacent repetitions is greater than the time threshold, then the two repetitions correspond to different antenna ports. In other words, the second information indicates the condition satisfied by two adjacent repetitions corresponding to different antenna ports, and the condition is that the time interval between two adjacent repetitions is greater than the time threshold. Optionally, the second information can also be understood as that the time interval between adjacent repetitions of the fifth signal resource is less than or equal to the time threshold, then the adjacent repetitions correspond to the same antenna port.

[0047] Optionally, the i-th repetition is a fixed repetition, and the j-th repetition is any repetition in the N repetitions except the i-th repetition. Further, i can be a predefined or indicated value, such as 1. For example, the i-th repetition is the first repetition, and the j-th repetition can be the second repetition, the third repetition, ... the N-th repetition. That is, if the time interval between the j-th repetition after the first repetition and the first repetition is greater than the time threshold, then the j-th repetition and the first repetition correspond to different antenna ports.

[0048] Optionally, the second information may include the time threshold. Thus, the terminal device can determine whether the multiple repetitions correspond to the same antenna port or different antenna ports based on the time threshold and the time interval between the multiple repetitions of the fifth signal resource.

[0049] The time intervals between different adjacent repetitions may be the same or different. Optionally, if the time intervals between adjacent repetitions of the fifth signal resource are the same, and the time intervals are less than or equal to the time threshold, it can be determined that the N repetitions of the fifth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. Alternatively, if the time intervals between adjacent repetitions of the fifth signal resource are the same, and the time intervals are greater than the time threshold, it can be determined that the N repetitions of the fifth signal resource correspond to different antenna ports.

[0050] In a possible implementation, multiple implementations of the second information can be combined. For example, the second information can indicate that the N repetitions of a single signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port / the N repetitions of a single signal resource in a resource set correspond to different antenna ports, and indicate which of the N repetitions of a single signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port (for example, the second information includes at least one of a numerical value k, a numerical value k-1, an index of M repetitions, a bitmap, and a time threshold). Alternatively, the second information indicates which of the N repetitions of a single signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port through multiple parameters, for example, the second information includes at least two of a numerical value k, a numerical value k-1, an index of M repetitions, a bitmap, and a time threshold. Thus, the second information can more accurately indicate which of the N repetitions of the associated signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and the terminal device can determine the received signal or process the signal in a more reasonable manner according to the second information. Optionally, a more reasonable manner may mean that the terminal device can receive a signal on the repetition corresponding to the same antenna port to reduce the complexity of the terminal device receiving or processing the signal.

[0051] Optionally, the terminal device sends a third information. The third information is used to request repeated transmission of the signal through the same antenna port. In other words, the third information is used to request or instruct the network device to perform N repetitions of signal resources through the same antenna port. In other words, the third information is used to request or instruct the network device to send N repetitions of signal resources through the same antenna port. That is, the terminal device requests the network device to repeatedly send the signal through the same antenna port through the third information, so that the terminal device can receive or process the signal in a less complex manner, reducing the complexity of the terminal. Optionally, the terminal device can send the third information when its own capabilities are limited, during mobility, at the edge of the cell, or in situations where high-precision positioning is required.

[0052] Optionally, the terminal device sends fourth information. The fourth information is used to request or indicate that the signal can be repeatedly sent through different antenna ports. In other words, the fourth information is used to request or indicate that the network device can perform N repetitions of signal resources through different antenna ports. Optionally, the terminal device can send the fourth information when its own capabilities are strong, the wireless signal is strong, it is stationary or moving at a low speed, or when high-precision positioning is not required.

[0053] Optionally, the terminal device sends fifth information. The fifth information is used to request the network device to send second information. The network device can send the second information in response to the request of the terminal device, which can reduce the number of times the network device sends the second information and reduce overhead.

[0054] Optionally, the terminal device receives sixth information. The sixth information is used to request or instruct the terminal device to send the third information or the fourth information. The sixth information may be sent by the network device to inquire the terminal device to report whether the terminal device expects the network device to repeatedly send signals through the same antenna port, or expects the network device to repeatedly send signals through different antenna ports. Thus, the terminal device can send the third information or the fourth information according to its own capabilities or status, and the network device can determine whether to send repeated signals through the same antenna port or through different antenna ports based on the third information or the fourth information, which can improve the flexibility of the network device.

[0055] The second aspect provides a communication method. The communication method can be executed by a network device. The network device is, for example, an access network device or a positioning management device. Alternatively, the communication method is executed by some components in the network device (such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or the communication method can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions (for example, DU or RU, etc.). The method includes: the network device determines first information, the first information indicates a resource set corresponding to the signal, and a repetition factor N. The resource set includes at least one signal resource, the repetition factor indicates the number of repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The network device determines second information, and the second information indicates antenna port information corresponding to at least one signal resource in the resource set. The network device sends the first information and the second information.

[0056] The network device sends the second information to notify the terminal device of the antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set, and the terminal device can flexibly select the receiving method of receiving the signal according to the antenna port information, thereby reducing the complexity of the terminal device. Thus, the network device can also repeatedly send signals through different antenna ports, thereby improving the flexibility of resource scheduling and frequency division of the network device.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the second information indicating at least one antenna port information includes: the second information indicating that N repetitions of a first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and the first signal resource is a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set. Or, the second information indicating at least one antenna port information includes: the second information indicating that N repetitions of each signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the second information indicating at least one antenna port information includes: the second information indicates that N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, and the second signal resource is a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set. Or, the second information indicating at least one antenna port information includes: the second information indicates that N repetitions of a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to different antenna ports.

[0059] In a possible implementation manner, the size of the second information is 1 bit.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the second information indicates at least one antenna port information including: the second information indicates that the first antenna port and the second antenna port are different, the first antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource, the second antenna port corresponds to the kth repetition of the third signal resource, the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resources in the resource set, and k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the second information indicates at least one antenna port information including: the second information indicates that M repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, the fourth signal resource is one signal resource among at least one signal resource in the resource set, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to N.

[0062] In a possible implementation, the second information indicates at least one antenna port information including: the second information indicates that the third antenna port is different from the fourth antenna port, the third antenna port corresponds to the i-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the fourth antenna port corresponds to the j-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than the time threshold, and the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resource in the resource set. It can be understood that i,,j are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

[0063] In a possible implementation manner, it is characterized in that the second information includes at least one of the following: a numerical value k; an index of M repetitions; and a time threshold.

[0064] It can be understood that in the second aspect, the relevant content of the second information can refer to the description in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0065] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information being used to request to repeatedly send a signal through the same antenna port. In other words, the third information is used to request or instruct the network device to perform N repetitions of signal resources through the same antenna port. In other words, the third information is used to request or instruct the network device to send N repetitions of signal resources through the same antenna port.

[0066] Optionally, the method further includes: the network device receives fourth information. The fourth information is used to request the network device to send second information. The network device can send the second information in response to the request of the terminal device.

[0067] Optionally, the method further includes that the network device receives fifth information. The fifth information is used to request or indicate that the signal can be repeatedly sent through different antenna ports. In other words, the second information is used to request or indicate that the network device sends N repetitions of the signal resource through different antenna ports.

[0068] Optionally, the network device sends sixth information. The sixth information is used to request or instruct to send the second information or the fourth information. The sixth information may be sent by the network device to inquire the terminal device to report whether the terminal device expects the network device to repeatedly send signals through the same antenna port or to repeatedly send signals through different antenna ports.

[0069] In a possible implementation manner, the signal is used for positioning; and / or the first information and the second information are used for positioning.

[0070] In a possible implementation manner, the signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0071] The third aspect provides a communication device. The communication device has the function of implementing the behavior in the method example of the first aspect above, and the beneficial effects can be referred to the description of the first aspect and will not be repeated here. The communication device may be the terminal device in the first aspect, or the communication device may be a device capable of supporting the terminal device in the first aspect to implement the functions required by the method provided in the first aspect, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0072] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means or modules for executing the method of the first aspect. For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned first aspect method example, and refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0073] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method example of the second aspect above, and the beneficial effects can be referred to the description of the second aspect and will not be repeated here. The communication device may be the network device in the second aspect, or the communication device may be a device capable of supporting the network device in the second aspect to implement the functions required by the method provided in the second aspect, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0074] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means or modules for executing the method of the second aspect. For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned second aspect method example, and refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0075] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be the communication device in the third aspect or the fourth aspect of the above-mentioned embodiment, or a chip or chip system arranged in the communication device in the third aspect or the fourth aspect. The communication device includes a communication interface and 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 or network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0076] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device comprising at least one processor, and optionally, further comprising a memory, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to the memory. The at least one processor is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0077] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and may also include a memory and / or a communication interface, for implementing the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect. In a possible implementation, the chip system also includes a memory for storing program instructions and / or data. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0078] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, the communication system comprising a communication device for executing the method described in the first aspect and a communication device for executing the method described in the second aspect. The communication device for executing the method described in the first aspect is, for example, the terminal device described in the first aspect, and the communication device for executing the method described in the second aspect is, for example, the network device described in the second aspect. Optionally, the communication system may also include a positioning management device.

[0079] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed, implements the method in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0080] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program code, when the computer program code is executed, the method in any one of the first to second aspects above is executed.

[0081] The beneficial effects of the third to tenth aspects and their implementations can refer to the description of the beneficial effects of the first aspect or the second aspect or the first aspect or the second aspect and their implementations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0082] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of two frequency hopping receiving methods provided in this application;

[0083] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided for this application;

[0084] Figure 3a Another schematic diagram of the network architecture provided for this application;

[0085] Figure 3b Another schematic diagram of the network architecture provided for this application;

[0086] Figure 3c Another schematic diagram of the network architecture provided for this application;

[0087] Figure 4a Another schematic diagram of the network architecture provided for this application;

[0088] Figure 4b Another schematic diagram of the network architecture provided for this application;

[0089] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of multiple repetitions of frequency hopping reception of PRS resources across time slots provided by the present application;

[0090] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0091] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0092] Figure 8 A possible exemplary block diagram of a communication device involved in the present application;

[0093] Fig. 9A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0094] Fig.10 A simplified schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application;

[0095] Fig.11 A simplified schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0096] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0097] First, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0098] (1) Terminal device: It can be a wireless terminal device that can receive network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem.

[0099] The terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone, mobile phone), a computer and a data card. For example, it can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges language and / or data with the radio access network. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers (Pads), computers with wireless transceiver functions, and other devices. The wireless terminal device may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), a remote station, an access point (AP), a remote terminal device, an access terminal device, a user terminal device (user terminal), a user agent, a subscriber station (SS), a customer premises equipment (CPE), a terminal, a user equipment (UE), a mobile terminal (MT), etc. The terminal device may also be a wearable device and a next generation communication system, for example, a terminal device in a 5G communication system or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc.

[0100] As an example but not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, etc., which are a general term for the application of wearable technology to intelligently design and develop wearable devices for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also powerful functions achieved through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include full-featured, large-size, and independent of smartphones to achieve complete or partial functions, such as smart watches or smart glasses, etc., as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various types of smart bracelets, smart helmets, and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0101] The terminal device can also be a terminal device in the Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. IoT technology can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and terminal power saving through narrow band (NB) technology, for example.

[0102] In addition, terminal devices can also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Their main functions include collecting data (part of the terminal equipment), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0103] The various terminals introduced above, if located on a vehicle, such as placed in a vehicle or installed in a vehicle, can be considered as vehicle-mounted terminals, which are also called on-board units (OBU).

[0104] In the embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal may be a terminal, or a circuit that can support the terminal to realize the function, such as a circuit that can be applied to a chip system, and the chip system can be installed in the terminal. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is described by taking the device for realizing the function of the terminal as an example.

[0105] (2) Reduced capability UE (RedCap UE)

[0106] RedCap UE refers to terminals with reduced capabilities, which are lower-end than enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC). For example, RedCap UE may include the following features: reduced maximum bandwidth capability, reduced number of transmit and receive antennas / antenna channels (branch), reduced maximum multiple input multiple output (MIMO) layer capability, reduced maximum modulation order capability, support for half frequency division duplexing (FDD), etc. For example, for frequency range 1 (FR1), the maximum communication or transmission bandwidth of RedCap UE may be less than 100MHz, such as 20MHz or 5MHz, and for frequency range 2 (FR2), the maximum communication or transmission bandwidth may be less than 400MHz, such as 100MHz. For FR1 and FR2, non-RedCap UE may have maximum communication or transmission bandwidths of 100MHz and 400MHz, respectively. A non-RedCap UE may refer to a UE having the minimum requirements for a UE specified in Rel 15 and Rel 16 (3GPP TS 38.306, (Release 16), Version 16-2, 2020-10-02). A non-RedCap UE may also be referred to as a legacy UE or a normal UE.

[0107] Application scenarios of RedCap UE include industrial sensors, video surveillance and wearable devices.

[0108] (3) (Radio) access network equipment (Radio access network, (R)AN)

[0109] (R)AN can also be called access equipment. (R)AN can manage wireless resources, provide access services for user equipment, and complete the forwarding of user equipment data between user equipment and the core network. (R)AN can also be understood as a base station in the network.

[0110] Exemplarily, the access network device in the embodiment of the present application may be any communication device with wireless transceiver function for communicating with user equipment. The access network equipment, for example, includes but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved NodeB (HeNB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be 5G, such as the next generation node B (gNB) in NR system, or transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in 5G system, or it can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc. In the positioning architecture based on the 5G core network, gNB / ng-eNB can provide measurement information for the target user equipment and convey this information to the positioning management device.

[0111] The RAN device can also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of the base station, for example, it can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete the functions of part of the physical layer or all of the physical layer. For the specific description of the above-mentioned various protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can also be included in the same network element, such as the baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, CU, DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art may understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, CU may also be referred to as O-CU (open CU), DU may also be referred to as O-DU, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the access network device may be the access network device, or may be a device capable of supporting the access network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, which may be installed in the access network device. In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the access network device is described as an example of the access network device.

[0113] Among them, the access network device can send configuration information to the terminal device (for example, carried in a scheduling message and / or an indication message), and the terminal device further performs network configuration according to the configuration information, so that the network configurations between the access network device and the terminal device are aligned; or, through the network configuration preset in the access network device and the network configuration preset in the terminal device, the network configurations between the access network device and the terminal device are aligned. Specifically, "alignment" means that when there is an interactive message between the access network device and the terminal device, the two have a consistent understanding of the carrier frequency for sending and receiving the interactive message, the determination of the interactive message type, the meaning of the field information carried in the interactive message, or other configurations of the interactive message.

[0114] (4) Positioning management equipment

[0115] The positioning management device is also called the location management network element, which is mainly responsible for positioning management. For example, the positioning management device receives positioning requests from other network elements (such as access and mobility management network elements), collects the user's positioning data, and obtains the user's location through positioning calculation. The location management network element can also manage and configure the base station or the positioning management unit to implement the configuration of the positioning reference signal, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the name of the positioning management device. For example, the positioning management device can also be called a positioning device, a location server, a positioning service center, or a positioning processing center. The positioning management device involved in the embodiment of the present application may be a location management function (LMF) or a location management component (LMC), or it may be a local location management function (LLMF) located in an access network device, or other network elements with similar functions. For the convenience of description, the following embodiments are all introduced as an example of the positioning management device being LMF.

[0116] In the positioning architecture based on the 5G core network, the role of the LMF network element can be responsible for supporting different types of location services related to the target UE, including positioning the UE and delivering auxiliary data to the UE. Its control plane and user plane are the evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) and the service location protocol (SLP), respectively. The LMF network element can interact with the ng-eNB / gNB and the UE as follows:

[0117] Exchange information with the next generation evolved nodeB (ng-eNB) / gNB through NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) messages, such as obtaining PRS, sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration information, cell timing, cell location information, etc.

[0118] LTE positioning protocol (LPP) messages are used to transmit UE capability information, auxiliary information, measurement information, etc. to the UE.

[0119] (5) Positioning method

[0120] According to the source of the positioning reference signal (PRS), the positioning methods are divided into the following three categories: downlink positioning method, uplink positioning method and uplink and downlink joint positioning method. It should be noted that uplink and downlink are relative here. If the transmission direction from the network device to the terminal device is downlink (this article takes this as an example), then the transmission direction from the terminal device to the network device is uplink. On the contrary, if the transmission direction from the network device to the terminal device is uplink, then the transmission direction from the terminal device to the network device is downlink.

[0121] In the downlink positioning method, the terminal device measures the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) sent by the network side. The terminal device estimates the location of the terminal device based on the measurement results to achieve downlink positioning.

[0122] In the uplink positioning method, the network device measures the uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS) sent by the terminal device. The network device estimates the position of the terminal device based on the measurement results to achieve uplink positioning. The uplink positioning reference signal may be an SRS, or other reference signals that can be used for uplink measurement. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. For example, the SRS may be an uplink reference signal (MIMO-SRS) for multiple-input multiple-out-put (MIMO). The SRS may also be an uplink positioning reference signal (pos-SRS) dedicated to positioning.

[0123] In the uplink and downlink joint positioning method, the network device measures the uplink positioning signal from the terminal device, and the terminal device measures the downlink positioning reference signal from the network device. The location of the terminal device is estimated based on the measurement results of the network device and the measurement results of the terminal device.

[0124] (6) Frequency Hopping Positioning

[0125] In order to improve the positioning accuracy of terminal devices with limited bandwidth capabilities (such as RedCap UE), or to reduce the power consumption of non-RedCap UE positioning, a positioning method based on frequency hopping can be used. For example, taking the network device as a base station and the terminal device as a UE as an example, Figure 1 As shown, the base station sends a large bandwidth PRS signal (such as 100MHz), and the UE can receive multiple "narrowband" reference signals (such as 20MHz SRS) in a frequency hopping manner (sometimes referred to as frequency hopping reception in this embodiment). At different frequency hopping moments, the UE needs to adjust the frequency point. Due to hardware reasons, switching the frequency point will introduce random phase errors. If the UE directly superimposes the signals at multiple frequency hopping moments, it will not be able to obtain an effective large bandwidth signal.

[0126] Specifically, frequency hopping reception includes overlapping frequency hopping reception and non-overlapping frequency hopping reception.

[0127] Overlapping frequency hopping reception means that the reference signals received at different frequency hopping moments partially overlap in the frequency domain. Therefore, the UE can estimate the random phase difference between the reference signals at different frequency hopping moments based on the overlapping signals and compensate for it. For example, the UE can receive multiple "narrowband" reference signals (such as 20MHz SRS) in a frequency hopping manner, and superimpose the signals at multiple frequency hopping moments to obtain a virtual large bandwidth signal (such as close to 100MHz PRS) for positioning.

[0128] Non-overlapping frequency hopping reception means that there is no requirement for overlap in the frequency domain between narrowband reference signals at different frequency hopping reception times. In this solution, in order to reduce the random phase error introduced by adjusting the frequency point, in one possible implementation, for multiple "narrowband" reference signals (such as 20MHz SRS) received at different frequency hopping times, the UE performs positioning respectively and performs some processing (such as filtering) after obtaining multiple positioning results, which can obtain diversity gain (but its positioning accuracy is far from the positioning accuracy of continuous 100MHz). Another possible implementation method is that for traditional UEs or RedCap UEs with higher configurations or stronger processing capabilities (for example, RF bandwidth greater than 20MHz), when the RF bandwidth is large, RF frequency hopping is not required, but baseband frequency hopping is performed, which can reduce or eliminate the random phase errors between multiple "narrowband" reference signals received at different frequency hopping times.

[0129] (7) Antenna port

[0130] The definition of antenna port in the protocol is as follows (TS 38.211): An antenna port is defined so that the channel over which a symbol on the antenna port is conveyed can be inferred from the channel over which another symbol on the same antenna port is conveyed. For example, if two symbols come from the same antenna port, the channel (or channel information) of one symbol can be inferred from the channel (or channel information) of the other symbol.

[0131] Antenna ports can also be described as follows: the channel (via a reference signal or a physical layer channel) transmitted by a symbol at an antenna port can be inferred from the channel (via a reference signal or a physical layer channel) transmitted by the symbol at the same antenna port, that is, if the channels transmitted by two symbols can be inferred from each other, then the two symbols correspond to the same antenna port. Two reference signals corresponding to the same antenna port means that the symbols mapped by the two reference signals correspond to the same antenna port.

[0132] The common antenna port (corresponding to the same antenna port) is the most stringent requirement for the two signals in the protocol. It is usually required that the two signals are sent using the same physical antenna or the same physical antenna set and the same precoding, and there is no RF phase jump in the process, that is, the channels on the two signals are the same.

[0133] (8) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application may be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B may be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, 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 multiple objects.

[0134] The present application can be applied to a long term evolution (LTE) system, a new radio (NR) system, or other communication systems, wherein the communication system includes a network device and a terminal device, the network device serves as a configuration information sending entity, and the terminal device serves as a configuration information receiving entity. Specifically, in the communication system, there is an entity that sends configuration information to another entity, and sends data to another entity, or receives data sent by another entity; another entity receives the configuration information, and sends data to the configuration information sending entity according to the configuration information, or receives data sent by the configuration information sending entity. Among them, the present application can be applied to a terminal device in a connected state or an active state (ACTIVE), and can also be applied to a terminal device that enters a non-connected state (INACTIVE) or an idle state (IDLE).

[0135] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments in this application, and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationships. The implementation methods of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0136] To facilitate understanding of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the system architecture of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below. It is understandable that the system architecture 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 technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0137] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the communication system provided for this application. Figure 2 The communication system includes a terminal device 100, an access network device 201, and a core network device 202. The terminal device 100 and the access network device 201 can communicate via a wireless link. The access network device 201 and the core network device 202 can communicate with each other.

[0138] As an implementation example, the communication system between the terminal device and the access network device can be Figure 3a See Figure 3a The communication system includes a terminal device 101, and the access network device may include a next generation Node B (gNB) 102, a next generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB) 103 or other access network devices as shown in the figure. The terminal device 101 communicates with the access network device (such as Figure 1 ng-eNB103 is an access network device in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system, and gNB102 is an access network device in the NR communication system.

[0139] As an implementation example, the communication system between the access network device and the core network device can be Figure 3b See Figure 3b The communication system includes an access network device and a core network device. For example, the access network device may include a gNB 102 and an ng-eNB 103 as shown in the figure, and the core network device may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 104 and a location management function (LMF) 105 as shown in the figure. Among them, LMF 105 is a network element, module or component in the NR core network that provides a positioning function for the terminal device.

[0140] Exemplarily, in the communication system, access network devices can communicate with each other through the Xn interface, and the access network device and AMF104 can communicate with each other through the NG-C interface. AMF104 and LMF105 can communicate with each other through the NL1 interface, and AMF104 is equivalent to a router for communication between the access network device and LMF105. LMF105 is used to calculate the location of the terminal device.

[0141] Above Figure 3a Only an example is shown in which the communication system includes two access network devices, gNB and ng-eNB. In actual applications, the communication system may include at least one access network device, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0142] In this application, the above Figure 3b In the communication system shown, LMF is the name of the current communication system. In the future communication system, the name of the LMF may change with the evolution of the communication system. In the current communication system or the future communication system, as long as the functional network element has other names with similar functions to the LMF, the LMF in the embodiment of the present application can be understood and is applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0143] Above Figure 3a and Figure 3b In the communication system shown, based on the control of the core network location management function (LMF), the access network and terminal-assisted architecture can be used to implement the positioning process of the terminal device. In general, the downlink positioning method is mainly based on the observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA), and the location of the terminal device is determined by the time when the downlink reference signals of multiple cells measured by the terminal device reach the terminal device and the time difference (TDOA) when the downlink signal of the reference cell base station reaches the terminal device. Exemplarily, NR defines other downlink positioning technologies such as downlink positioning technology based on the angle of departure (AoD). In this technology, the measurement information obtained by the terminal device measuring the downlink reference signals of multiple base stations is used to infer and calculate the AoD of each base station, so as to determine the location of the terminal device based on the AoD of multiple base stations.

[0144] For example, the above Figure 3a and Figure 3b The communication system composed of various devices can also be Figure 3c The method shown is implemented.

[0145] Optional, in Figure 3cIn the present invention, the communication system further includes an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) 106 and a secure user plane location platform (SLP) 107. E-SMLC 106 is a network element, module or component that provides positioning functions in the 4G core network. SLP 107 is a network element, module or component that is used to process the user plane secure location protocol in the 4G core network.

[0146] Optionally, the communication system further includes an LMC (not shown), and the specific deployment mode of the LMC is to be set inside the base station, such as in the gNB or in the ng-ENB. In this network architecture, the LMC is a function inside the base station, so there is no need to introduce a new interface.

[0147] Exemplarily, the communication system used in the present application may also be as follows: Figure 4a and Figure 4b As shown, it includes a single or multiple network devices and a single or multiple terminal devices.

[0148] Optional, such as Figure 4a As shown, a single network device can transmit data or control signaling to a single or multiple terminal devices.

[0149] Optional, such as Figure 4b As shown, multiple network devices can also transmit data or control signaling for a single terminal device.

[0150] For example, taking the terminal device as UE, the current Rel-16 positioning standardizes the SRS for positioning and the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) SRS of Rel-15 to support the following positioning technologies:

[0151] Uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) positioning technology: Each cell measures the uplink relative time of arrival (ULRTOA) of the UE's SRS signal and reports the measurement results to the LMF;

[0152] Uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA) positioning technology: Each cell measures the UL AoA of the UE's SRS signal and reports the measurement result to the LMF;

[0153] Multi-cell round trip time (Multi-RTT) positioning technology: The UE measures the Rx-Tx time difference of each cell’s positioning reference signal (PRS) and reports the measurement result to the LMF; each cell measures the Rx-Tx time difference of the gNB for the UE’s SRS signal and reports the measurement result to the LMF.

[0154] 5G ground cellular positioning has studied a variety of positioning methods, including the above-mentioned UL-TDOA), UL-AOA and Multi-RTT, as well as downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), downlink angle of departure (DL-AOD) and carrier phase positioning (CPP). Among them, UL / DL-TDOA and Multi-RTT algorithms are positioning technologies based on arrival time, that is, the receiving end needs to measure the arrival time of the signal sent by the sending end, and then convert it into the distance information between the two, and finally obtain the position of the target to be located based on the distance information. DL-AOD and UL-AOA are positioning technologies based on angles, that is, the receiving end measures the transmission angle or arrival angle of the reference signal sent by the sending end, and then infers the position of the target to be located based on the angle information between the receiving end and the sending end. Carrier phase positioning uses the phase measurement of signals sent by multiple base stations to estimate the position of the UE.

[0155] For downlink positioning methods, such as DL-TDOA, the principle is to use the measurement of downlink positioning reference signals received by the terminal device from one or more positioning reference stations (such as base stations) and the location information of one or more positioning reference stations to obtain the location of the terminal device. In order to perform downlink measurements, the terminal device needs to obtain corresponding positioning assistance data, such as cell identity (ID), timing information of the positioning reference station, downlink reference signal configuration information, and synchronization signal information of the positioning reference station, etc. For details, please refer to the 3GPP protocol.

[0156] Table 1 shows an example of information in which the positioning assistance data is downlink reference signal configuration information.

[0157] Table 1 Downlink positioning reference signal configuration information

[0158]

[0159] Of course, the information shown in Table 1 above is part of the downlink reference signal configuration information, and the downlink reference signal configuration information may also include information other than the information shown in Table 1 above.

[0160] In the terminal device positioning scenario, the bandwidth used for positioning will affect the positioning accuracy. Generally speaking, the bandwidth of the signal used for positioning is positively correlated with the positioning accuracy. Therefore, in order to improve the positioning accuracy of the terminal device, the terminal device can perform frequency hopping reception based on multiple repetitions of a single signal resource sent by the base station side. Especially for RedCap UE, for example, in some industrial scenarios, RedCap UE has high-precision positioning requirements, and the maximum bandwidth of RedCap UE may be only 20MHz. By receiving multiple repetitions of signal resources by frequency hopping and superimposing them, a larger bandwidth can be obtained, thereby improving positioning accuracy. For non-RedCap UE, when the loss of positioning accuracy or channel estimation accuracy is small, the power consumption during positioning or channel estimation is reduced by receiving multiple repetitions of a single signal resource by frequency hopping.

[0161] Currently, the protocol supports network devices to send a single signal resource multiple times across time slots, but the channel consistency corresponding to the multiple repetitions of the signal resource cannot be guaranteed, that is, the network device may send multiple repetitions of the signal resource through different antenna ports. For example, Figure 5 As shown, the network device sends three repetitions of PRS1 in time slot 1, time slot 2 and time slot 3. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives 20MHz PRS from the three repetitions of PRS1 by overlapping frequency hopping reception or non-overlapping frequency hopping reception.

[0162] When the channels corresponding to the multiple repetitions of signal resources are inconsistent, in addition to the random phase error introduced by frequency hopping, additional phase errors will be introduced, which will affect the positioning accuracy or channel estimation accuracy. In order to reduce the phase error introduced by the inconsistent channels corresponding to the multiple repetitions of signal resources, the terminal device can use overlapping frequency hopping reception, or the terminal device can compensate through other algorithms, but this will make the terminal device implementation complicated. The terminal device expects the network device to repeatedly send signals through the same antenna port, but this will limit the flexibility of the network device or put forward higher requirements on the performance of the network device.

[0163] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which will be further introduced below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0164] See also Figure 6 , is a schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application, and the method includes the following steps.

[0165] In the following introduction, this method is applied to Figure 2-4b It should be noted that the present application embodiment is only based on the communication system shown in any one of the examples. Figure 2-4b The communication system of is taken as an example, but is not limited to this scenario. In addition, the method involves network equipment and terminal equipment.

[0166] Figure 6 In the present invention, the terminal device may be a RedCap UE, a non-RedCap UE, or a calibration UE such as a positioning reference unit (PRU). Figure 6 In the present invention, the network device may be an access network device. The access network device may be a device in NG RAN, such as gNB, ng-eNB. Alternatively, the access network device may be an LMC. As mentioned above, if LMC is a function inside an access network device, then the access network device is the access network device where the LMC is located. LMC is an independent logical node connected to a network device or multiple access network devices through an interface, then the access network device is any access network device connected to the LMC. It should be noted that Figure 6 In the example, the terminal device and the network device are used as the execution subjects of the interaction diagram to illustrate the method, but the present application does not limit the execution subjects of the interaction diagram. Figure 6 The terminal device in the method may also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the terminal device to implement the method, or may be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device functions. Figure 6 The network device in the method may also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the network device to implement the method, or may be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions.

[0167] S601. The network device sends first information, where the first information indicates a resource set corresponding to a signal.

[0168] In this embodiment, the network device sends the first information in step S601, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information in step S601.

[0169] In this embodiment, the signal may be a reference signal or a data signal. Among them, the reference signal may be a reference signal dedicated to positioning, such as PRS. PRS is, for example, UL-SRS, DL-PRS, Sidelink PRS, etc., and PRS may also be other PRS defined in the future. The reference signal may also be other reference signals not dedicated to positioning, such as MIMO-SRS, SSB, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS or SSS, etc., or other reference signals, such as newly defined reference signals. Reference signals not dedicated to positioning refer to reference signals that are not defined by LTE or NR protocols for dedicated positioning, and these reference signals also have other uses. For example, non-specific positioning user reference signals can be used for channel estimation and synchronization, etc. Of course, reference signals not dedicated to positioning can also be used for positioning. Data signals are signals used to transmit user data. Data signals can also be used for positioning and channel estimation purposes.

[0170] The first information indicates a resource set (resource set) corresponding to the signal. In other words, the first information indicates the resource set configuration of the transmission signal. The resource set includes at least one signal resource (resource), and the signal resource indicates the resource configuration used to transmit the signal. A signal resource can correspond to one or more resource-level parameters. Resource-level parameters include, for example, identification class parameters or resource mapping class parameters. Identification class parameters include, for example, signal resource identifiers (resource ID) or sequence identifiers (sequence ID). For example, a signal resource corresponds to a resource identifier (resource ID). Resource mapping class parameters include, for example, comb size N and offset, resource time slot offset and resource symbol offset. For example, a signal resource corresponds to a time-frequency resource configuration. Resource-level parameters may also include QCL, resource priority subsets, etc. Exemplarily, taking DL-PRS resources as an example, a DL-PRS resource is defined by one or more of the following resource-level parameters: NR downlink positioning reference signal identifier (NR-DL-PRS-ResourceID), downlink positioning reference signal sequence identifier (DL-PRS-SequenceID), downlink positioning reference signal identifier comb size N and offset (DL-PRS-CombSizeN-AndReOffset), downlink positioning reference signal resource time slot offset (DL-PRS-ResourceSlotOffset), downlink positioning reference signal resource symbol offset (DL-PRS-ResourceSymbolOffset), downlink positioning reference signal quasi-co-location information (DL-PRS-QCL-Info), downlink positioning reference signal resource priority subset (DL-PRS-ResourcePrioritySubset), etc.

[0171] The network device can configure resources for the signal and send the configuration information of the signal resources to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can receive the signal according to the configuration information. Taking DL-PRS as an example, the network device configures resources for DL-PRS at four levels: frequency layer, TRP, DL-PRS resource set, and DL-PRS resource, including the configuration information of the DL-PRS resource set of DL-PRS.

[0172] In one possible implementation, the first information referred to in this embodiment is configuration information of a resource set for a signal. In another possible implementation, the first information referred to in this embodiment includes configuration information of a resource set for a signal, and configuration information of at least one signal resource in the resource set. In yet another possible implementation, the first information referred to in this embodiment refers to a message carrying configuration information of a resource set for a signal, and at least one signal resource in the resource set. For example, the first information may be a radio resource control (RRC) message, or the first information may be a system information blocks (SIB) message, etc., or the first information may also be other messages, such as a newly defined message for transmitting configuration information of a resource set.

[0173] The first information also indicates a repetition factor N. In other words, the first information includes a repetition factor, and the value of the repetition factor is N. The repetition factor is a configuration at the resource set level, and the repetition factor indicates the number of repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set. Among them, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, that is, the number of repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set is greater than or equal to 2 times. Specifically, the repetition factor N indicates that one or more or each signal resource in the resource set is repeated N times, or is repeated N times according to the parameter configuration corresponding to the signal resource. Thus, the network device will repeat sending the signal N times on the signal resource that is repeated N times. For example, the resource set includes a first signal resource and a second signal resource, and the repetition factor of the resource set is N, which means that the first signal resource is repeated N times and the second signal resource is repeated N times. Correspondingly, the network device will repeat sending the signal N times on the first signal resource and repeat sending the signal N times on the second signal resource.

[0174] In this embodiment, a resource signal repeated N times is sometimes expressed as N repetitions of a signal resource.

[0175] S602. The network device sends second information, where the second information indicates antenna port information corresponding to at least one signal resource in the resource set.

[0176] In this embodiment, the network device sends the second information in step S602, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second information in step S602.

[0177] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the order in which step S601 and step S602 are executed. Step S601 may be executed first, and then step S602. Step S602 may also be executed first, and then step S601. Alternatively, step S601 and step S602 may be the same step. In addition, the first information and the second information may be sent through the same message, or the first information and the second information may be sent through different messages.

[0178] The first information and the second information sent by the network device may be carried in a broadcast message / information / signaling, or in a unicast message / information / signaling. For example, the broadcast message may be a SIB message. The unicast message may be an RRC message. Optionally, the first information and / or the second information is used for positioning, that is, the first information and / or the second information is positioning assistance data, then the broadcast message may be SIB11 or other system information block messages, such as a newly defined SIB message, and the broadcast message may also be a positioning system information block (positioning system information blocks, posSIB), such as posSIBtype6-1, or a newly defined posSIB.

[0179] Optionally, when the first information and the second information are sent through the same message, the second information may also be included in the first information. For example, the first information includes configuration information of the resource set, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level, and the second information may be an information element (IE) in the first information. In this application, information elements are sometimes referred to as information elements. For another example, the first information includes configuration information of the resource set and configuration information of the signal resource, the second information is a configuration at the resource level, and the second information may be an IE in the first information. For another example, the first information is a SIB message or an RRC message, and the second information is carried in the first information. Of course, the first information and the second information may not contain each other, and this application does not limit this.

[0180] The second information indicates antenna port information corresponding to at least one signal resource in the resource set. In other words, the second information indicates antenna port information corresponding to N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set.

[0181] In addition to configuring (scheduling) the resources for sending signals (including resource sets, at least one signal resource in the resource set, and repetition factors, etc.), the network device also allocates corresponding antenna ports for each signal resource, that is, which antenna port is used to send signals on each signal resource. If the signal resource is repeated N times, the network device will allocate corresponding antenna ports for the N repetitions of the signal resource. The antenna ports allocated by the network device for the N repetitions of the signal resource may be the same or different. The N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to different antenna ports. It can be considered that the N repeated signals are transmitted to the terminal device through different channels, which will introduce phase errors. Therefore, in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the large bandwidth signal based on the N signal superposition, the terminal device will perform phase error estimation and compensation without knowing whether the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, but this will increase the complexity of the terminal device. The terminal device expects the network device to perform N repetitions of the signal resource through the same antenna port. If the network device is required to repeatedly send N repetitions of the signal resource through the same antenna port according to the expectations of the terminal device, the flexibility of the network device in scheduling resources and allocating antenna ports will be limited, affecting the performance of the network device.

[0182] Therefore, the network device can determine through which antenna ports the N repetitions of the signal resource are sent, whether the N repetitions correspond to the same antenna port, and which of the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. In this embodiment, the network device sends the second information to the terminal device, and the second information indicates the antenna port information corresponding to the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set, so as to inform the terminal device whether the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port, or which of the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port, etc. Thus, the terminal device determines whether it is necessary to perform phase error estimation and compensation according to the second information. For example, if the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, the terminal device may not perform phase error estimation and compensation, which can reduce the complexity of the terminal device. For another example, if the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, the terminal device may perform phase error estimation and compensation, or may not receive signals repeatedly sent through different antenna ports. Thus, the terminal device can flexibly select a method of receiving and processing the signal according to the second information, which can not only reduce the complexity of the terminal device, but also improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal and improve the positioning accuracy or channel estimation accuracy.

[0183] Specifically, there are many ways to implement the second information. The second information can indicate the antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set at different levels, which is repeated N times. For example, the second information can be a configuration at the resource set level, and "the second information indicates the antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set", which can be understood as "the second information indicates the antenna port information of any signal resource in the resource set". That is, the object indicated by the second information is the resource set as a whole, reflecting the antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set. Thus, the antenna port information of more signal resources can be indicated with less overhead. For another example, the second information can be a configuration at the resource level, and "the second information indicates the antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set", which can be understood as "the second information indicates the antenna port information of a single signal resource in the resource set". That is, the object indicated by the second information is the signal resource, reflecting the antenna port information of a single signal resource. Thus, the antenna port information of the N-times repeated signal resource associated with the second information can be indicated more accurately, so that the terminal device can perform different processing on different signal resources in the resource set, thereby improving the flexibility of the terminal device.

[0184] The second information can also indicate the antenna port information of N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set at different levels of information detail. For example, the second information can indicate that the N repetitions of the antenna port correspond to the same antenna port, or the second information can indicate that the N repetitions of the antenna port correspond to different antenna ports. Thus, the second information is more concise and the overhead of the second information can be reduced. For example, the second information can indicate which of the N repetitions of the antenna port correspond to the same antenna port. Thus, the terminal device can obtain more detailed antenna port information according to the second information, especially when the N repetitions correspond to different antenna ports, the second information can indicate which specific repetitions correspond to the same antenna port, so that the terminal device can receive and process signals in a more flexible manner, which can further reduce the complexity of the terminal device.

[0185] Optionally, when the second information indicates that N repetitions of a signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, or when the second information indicates that N repetitions of a signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, the size of the second information may be 1 bit, thereby greatly reducing the overhead of the second information. For example, the value of the second information is 1, indicating that N repetitions of each signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port, and the value of the second information is 0, indicating that N repetitions of at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to different antenna ports. Alternatively, the value of the second information is 0, indicating that N repetitions of each signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port, and the value of the second information is 1, indicating that N repetitions of at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to different antenna ports. Of course, the size of the first information may also be greater than 1 bit, and is not limited here. It should be noted that, whether the second information is a configuration at the resource set level or a configuration at the resource level, it is possible to indicate that N repetitions of at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port or that N repetitions of at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to different antenna ports by 1 bit.

[0186] In another implementation, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the antenna port correspond to the same antenna port, and the second information may be a first information element. If the message sent by the network device to the terminal device includes the first information element, it indicates that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port. If the first information element is default, or the message sent by the network device to the terminal device does not include the first information element, it indicates that the second information indicates that there are N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set corresponding to different antenna ports. In another implementation example, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the antenna port correspond to different antenna ports, and the second information may be a second information element. If the message sent by the network device to the terminal device includes the second information element, it indicates that there are N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set corresponding to different antenna ports. If the second information is default information, it indicates that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port. It should be noted that, whether the second information is a resource set-level configuration or a resource-level configuration, it is possible to indicate that the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port through the first information element, or to indicate that the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports through the second information element.

[0187] Optionally, the second information indicates which of the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and the second information may include at least one of the parameters such as the value k, the index of the M repetitions, the bitmap and the time interval. The meanings of the value k, the index of the M repetitions, the bitmap and the time interval will be described below. It should be noted that the parameters such as the value k, the index of the M repetitions, the bitmap and the time interval can be a configuration at the resource set level or a configuration at the resource level.

[0188] In this embodiment, the same antenna port may also be expressed as a shared antenna port, or the antenna ports are the same. Different antenna ports may also be expressed as non-shared antenna ports, or different antenna ports. The N repetitions of a signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, or may be expressed as N repetitions of a signal resource being sent through the same antenna port. The N repetitions of a signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, or may be expressed as N repetitions of a signal resource being sent through different antenna ports. The different antenna ports corresponding to the N repetitions of a signal resource may mean that among the N repetitions of a signal resource, at least one repetition corresponds to a different antenna port than the other repetitions, or at least two repetitions correspond to different antenna ports.

[0189] Various implementations of the second information are described below.

[0190] 1. The second information is the configuration at the resource set level.

[0191] 1.1 The second information indicates that the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port.

[0192] Specifically, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. The first signal resource is a signal resource in at least one resource, that is, the first signal resource is a signal resource in a resource set. If the second information is a configuration at the resource set level, the first signal resource may refer to any signal resource in the resource set. Optionally, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port. It should be noted that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port, which means that the N repetitions of each signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, rather than limiting that the antenna ports corresponding to all signal resources in the resource set must be the same. For example, the N repetitions of each signal resource corresponding to the same antenna port can be understood as the N repetitions of all signal resources corresponding to the same antenna port, that is, the N repetitions of different signal resources also correspond to the same antenna port; or, different repetitions of the N repetitions of each signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and the N repetitions of different signal resources may correspond to different antenna ports. The N repetitions of a signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, that is, the N repetitions of a signal resource all correspond to the same antenna port. In this document, the same antenna port corresponding to the N repetitions of a signal resource is sometimes abbreviated as the antenna port corresponding to the signal resource. The antenna ports corresponding to different signal resources in a resource set may be the same or different.

[0193] Exemplarily, the resource set includes signal resource 1, signal resource 2, and signal resource 3. The second information indicates that the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port, and may indicate that the N repetitions of signal resource 1 correspond to the same antenna port (for example, the N repetitions of signal resource 1 all correspond to antenna port 1), the N repetitions of signal resource 2 correspond to the same antenna port (for example, the N repetitions of signal resource 2 all correspond to antenna port 2), and the N repetitions of signal resource 3 correspond to the same antenna port (for example, the N repetitions of signal resource 3 all correspond to antenna port 3). Antenna port 1, antenna port 2, and antenna port 3 may be the same antenna port or different antenna ports (at least one antenna port among antenna port 1, antenna port 2, and antenna port 3 is different from the other antenna ports), which is not limited in the present application.

[0194] 1.2 The second information indicates that the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports.

[0195] The second information indicates that the N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports. Among them, the second signal resource is a signal resource in at least one resource, that is, the second signal resource is a signal resource in the resource set. The N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, which means that among the N repetitions of the second signal resource, there is at least one repetition corresponding to an antenna port that is different from the antenna port corresponding to the other one or more repetitions. The second information is a configuration at the resource set level, and the second information can also be expressed as the second information indicating that the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports. That is, the second information can indicate that the N repetitions of a signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports, or the second information can indicate that the N repetitions of multiple signal resources in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports, or the second information can indicate that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports. It can be understood that the existence of N repetitions of a signal resource corresponding to different antenna ports can be understood as that different repetitions in the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, and the N repetitions of different signal resources can be the same or different.

[0196] Exemplarily, the resource set includes signal resource 1, signal resource 2, and signal resource 3. The second information indicates that there are N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set corresponding to different antenna ports, and indicates that among the three signal resources in the resource set, there may be N repetitions of one signal resource corresponding to different antenna ports, or there may be N repetitions of two signal resources corresponding to different antenna ports, or there may be N repetitions of three signal resources corresponding to different antenna ports.

[0197] After the terminal device receives the second information, the terminal device cannot determine, based on the second information, which signal resources of at least one signal resource in the resource set have N repetitions corresponding to different antenna ports. Therefore, the terminal device can assume that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports.

[0198] 1.3 The second information indicates which repetitions among the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port.

[0199] The second information may be implemented in a variety of ways to indicate which of the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port. For example, the second information may include a value k, which indicates which of the N repetitions of the third signal resource corresponds to an antenna port that is different from the antenna ports corresponding to other repetitions, thereby determining which of the N repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. For another example, the second information may include an index of M repetitions, which indicates the M repetitions of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource that correspond to the same antenna port. For another example, the second information may include a bitmap of length N bits, each bit in the bitmap corresponds to one repetition, and which of the N repetitions correspond to the same antenna port can be determined based on the value in the bitmap. For another example, the second information may include a time threshold, and the second information indicates that among the N repetitions of the fifth signal resource, if the time interval between two repetitions is greater than the time threshold, then the two repetitions correspond to different antenna ports.

[0200] The second information indicates which of the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set corresponds to the same antenna port, so that the terminal device can determine which of the N repetitions of the signal resource corresponds to the same antenna port according to the second information (for example, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the signal resource all correspond to the same antenna port, which will be described accordingly below), or which repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Thus, the terminal device can flexibly choose a way to receive or process the signal. For example, even if there is at least one repetition in the N repetitions of the signal resource that corresponds to a different antenna port than the other repetitions, the terminal device can choose to receive the signal in a non-overlapping frequency hopping manner on multiple repetitions corresponding to the same antenna port, or not to compensate the signal when processing the signal, so that when the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, a signal reception or processing method with low complexity can still be used. For another example, when the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to more antenna ports, that is, when the number of repetitions corresponding to the same antenna port is small in the N repetitions, the terminal device can choose to receive the signal in an overlapping frequency hopping reception manner, or use a compensation algorithm to compensate the signal to ensure that the spliced ​​signal is valid.

[0201] It should be noted that the second information is a configuration at the configuration set level, and any signal resource in the resource set can determine which repetitions in the N repetitions correspond to the same antenna port through the above parameters. The above-mentioned value k, the index of the M repetitions, the bitmap and the time interval are described in detail below.

[0202] 1.3.1 The second information indicates that a certain repetition corresponds to different antenna ports than other repetitions.

[0203] Specifically, the second information indicates that the first antenna port and the second antenna port are different, the first antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource, and the second antenna port corresponds to the kth repetition of the third signal resource. If the second information is a configuration at the resource set level, the third signal resource can be any signal resource in the resource set. Optionally, the first antenna port corresponding to the k-1th repetition of each signal resource in the resource set is different from the second antenna port corresponding to the kth repetition. Optionally, the first antenna port corresponds to the 1st to k-1th repetitions of the third signal resource, and the second information can be understood as, among the N repetitions of the third signal resource, the first k-1th repetitions correspond to the same antenna port, and the antenna port corresponding to the kth repetition changes compared to the antenna port corresponding to the first k-1th repetition, that is, the antenna port is replaced in the kth repetition.

[0204] The second information may include a value k or a value k-1 or other values, which is used to indicate that in the N repetitions of the third signal resource, the second antenna port corresponding to the kth repetition is different from the first antenna port corresponding to the k-1th repetition. The second information includes data k-1, which can also be interpreted as that in the N repetitions of the third signal resource, until the k-1th repetition, they all correspond to the same antenna port, that is, the first k-1 repetitions correspond to the same antenna port, and the kth repetition corresponds to a different antenna port from the first k repetitions. Optionally, the value k is defaulted, or the second information does not include k, indicating that the N repetitions of the third signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. Alternatively, the value k is 0, or the value k is an integer greater than N, and the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the third signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. Optionally, the value k-1 is defaulted, indicating that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port.

[0205] Exemplarily, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level, and the resource set includes signal resource 1, signal resource 2, and signal resource 3, and the repetition factor is N. When the second information includes the value 3, it indicates that the third repetition of resource signal 1 changes the antenna port, that is, the antenna port corresponding to the third repetition of resource signal 1 is different from the antenna port corresponding to the second repetition. Alternatively, it may indicate that the third repetition of resource signal 2 changes the antenna port, that is, the antenna port corresponding to the third repetition of resource signal 2 is different from the antenna port corresponding to the second repetition. Alternatively, it may indicate that the third repetition of resource signal 3 changes the antenna port, that is, the antenna port corresponding to the third repetition of resource signal 3 is different from the antenna port corresponding to the second repetition. Optionally, the value 3 may also indicate that the antenna port corresponding to the first repetition of resource signal 1 is the same as the antenna port corresponding to the second repetition, and the antenna port corresponding to the third repetition is different from the antenna ports corresponding to the first repetition and the second repetition. Alternatively, the antenna port corresponding to the first repetition of resource signal 2 is the same as the antenna port corresponding to the second repetition, and the antenna port corresponding to the third repetition is different from the antenna ports corresponding to the first repetition and the second repetition. Alternatively, the antenna port corresponding to the first repetition of resource signal 3 is the same as the antenna port corresponding to the second repetition, and the antenna port corresponding to the third repetition is different from the antenna ports corresponding to the first repetition and the second repetition.

[0206] It should be noted that, since the N repetitions of the third signal resource are sent in different time slots in the time domain, that is, the third signal resource is sent once in each of N different time slots, the order of the N repetitions may be the order of sending in the time domain. The kth repetition may refer to the third signal resource sent for the kth time in the time domain. The value of k is 1≤k≤N, and k is an integer. For example, N=4, the signal resource sent for the first time is the first repetition, the signal resource sent for the second time is the second repetition, the signal resource sent for the third time is the third repetition, and the signal resource sent for the fourth time is the fourth repetition. Alternatively, the kth repetition may also refer to the third signal resource sent for the k+1th time in the time domain, that is, the kth repetition is relative to the third signal resource sent for the first time, that is, after the third signal resource is sent for the first time, the third signal resource is sent again for the nth time. The value of k is 1≤k≤N-1, and k is an integer. For example, N=4, the signal resource sent for the second time is the first repetition, the signal resource sent for the third time is the second repetition, and the signal resource sent for the fourth time is the third repetition. In this embodiment, description is made by taking the second signal resource sent for the kth time in the kth repetition finger time domain as an example.

[0207] 1.3.2 The second information indicates that M repetitions out of N repetitions correspond to the same antenna port.

[0208] Specifically, the second information indicates that the M repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. The second information is a configuration at the resource set level, and the fourth signal resource can be any signal resource in the resource set. That is, the second information indicates that M repetitions of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and further, the second information indicates which M repetitions correspond to the same antenna port.

[0209] In one possible implementation, the second information may include an index of the M repetitions to indicate that the M indexes correspond to the same antenna port. For example, N repetitions have corresponding indexes, thereby uniquely indicating a certain repetition. According to the second information, it is possible to determine which M repetitions of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. After the terminal device receives the second information in step S602, the terminal device can determine which M repetitions of the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port according to the second information.

[0210] In an implementation example, the index of the N repetitions is, for example, the sequence number corresponding to the order of transmission of the N repetitions in the time domain. For example, N=4, that is, the fourth signal resource is repeated 4 times, the index of the first repetition (here refers to the fourth signal resource transmitted for the first time, and so on) is 1, the index of the second repetition is 2, the index of the third repetition is 3, and the index of the fourth repetition is 4. Alternatively, the index of the N repetitions may also be the number of the time slot in which the fourth signal resource is transmitted. For example, N=4, the time interval between repetitions is 4 (that is, the fourth resource is transmitted once every 4 time slots), the number of the time slot of the first repetition (here refers to the fourth signal resource transmitted for the first time, and so on) is 0, then the index of the first repetition is 0, the time slot of the second repetition is 4, then the index of the second repetition is 4, the time slot of the third repetition is 8, then the index of the third repetition is 8, the time slot of the fourth repetition is 12, then the index of the fourth repetition is 12. Of course, the index of the N repetitions may also be configured in other ways, as long as the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource can be matched one-to-one with their indexes.

[0211] Optionally, the second information may include one or more sets. The indexes of multiple repetitions in the same set indicate that the multiple repetitions correspond to the same antenna port. Optionally, different sets correspond to different antenna ports, that is, the antenna ports corresponding to the repetitions in one set are different from the antenna ports corresponding to the repetitions in other sets. For example, N=4, the indexes of the M repetitions in the second information are {1,2,3,4}, which indicates that the first repetition, the second repetition, the third repetition, and the fourth repetition correspond to the same antenna port. For another example, N=4, the indexes of the M repetitions in the second information are {1,2},{3,4}, which indicates that the first repetition and the second repetition correspond to the same antenna port, the third repetition and the fourth repetition correspond to the same antenna port, and the antenna ports corresponding to the first repetition and the second repetition are different from the antenna ports corresponding to the third repetition and the fourth repetition.

[0212] In another implementation, the second information includes a bitmap with a length of N bits. Exemplarily, each bit corresponds to one repetition, and N bits correspond to N repetitions. In the bitmap, the repetitions corresponding to M bits whose values ​​are the target values ​​correspond to the same antenna port. The antenna ports corresponding to other repetitions whose values ​​in the bitmap are not the target values ​​may be the same or different. The target value may be 1 or 0. For example, N=8, the target value is 1, and the second information includes 11100101, indicating that the first repetition (here refers to the fourth signal resource sent for the first time, the same below), the second repetition, the third repetition, the sixth repetition and the eighth repetition correspond to the same antenna port. The antenna ports corresponding to the fourth repetition, the fifth repetition and the seventh repetition corresponding to the value 0 may be the same or different, and there is no limitation here.

[0213] Optionally, in some scenarios, for the N repetitions of the fourth signal resource, a portion of the repetitions correspond to the same antenna port (for example, all correspond to the fifth antenna port), and another portion of the repetitions correspond to the same antenna port (for example, all correspond to the sixth antenna port), and the fifth antenna port is different from the sixth antenna port. In one example, the value of the repetition corresponding to the antenna port associated with the most repetitions in the bitmap may be the target value. For example, N=8, the target value is 1, where 5 repetitions correspond to antenna port 1, and 3 repetitions correspond to antenna port 2, then the value of the 5 repetitions associated with antenna port 1 in the bitmap is 1. Alternatively, in another example, the value of the bit corresponding to the first repetition is 1 by default, and the other repetitions correspond to the same antenna port as the first repetition, and the value of the corresponding bit is 1.

[0214] In another example, the second information may include multiple bitmaps, and different bitmaps indicate repetitions associated with different antenna ports. For example, the target value of N=16 is 1, where 11 repetitions correspond to antenna port 3, 4 repetitions correspond to antenna port 4, and 1 repetition corresponds to antenna port 5. The second information may include a bitmap 1111011001110110 and a bitmap 0000100100001001, where the bitmap 1111011001110110 indicates the repetition associated with antenna port 3 (the repetition corresponding to the value 1), and the bitmap 0000100100001001 indicates the repetition associated with antenna port 4 (the repetition corresponding to the value 1).

[0215] 1.3.3 The second information indicates that the antenna ports corresponding to the two repetitions have different conditions that need to be met.

[0216] Specifically, the second information indicates that the third antenna port is different from the fourth antenna port, the third antenna port corresponds to the i-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the fourth antenna port corresponds to the j-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, and the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than the time threshold. That is, the second information indicates that among the N repetitions of the fifth signal resource, if the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than the time threshold, then the third antenna port corresponding to the i-th repetition is different from the fourth antenna port corresponding to the j-th repetition. Wherein, i, j are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N, and i and j are different. The fifth signal resource can be any signal resource in the resource set.

[0217] Optionally, the j-th repetition is offset by p repetitions relative to the ith repetition. Wherein, p can be an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N-1. If the value of p is 1, the ith repetition and the j-th repetition are two adjacent repetitions in the time domain. If the value of p is 2, there is one repetition between the ith repetition and the j-th repetition, and so on.

[0218] Optionally, the value of p is 1, that is, the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition are two adjacent repetitions in the time domain. That is, the second information indicates that the time interval between two adjacent repetitions is greater than the time threshold, then the two repetitions correspond to different antenna ports. In other words, the second information indicates the condition satisfied by two adjacent repetitions corresponding to different antenna ports, and the condition is that the time interval between two adjacent repetitions is greater than the time threshold. Optionally, the second information can also be understood as that the time interval between adjacent repetitions of the fifth signal resource is less than or equal to the time threshold, then the adjacent repetitions correspond to the same antenna port.

[0219] Optionally, the i-th repetition is a fixed repetition, and the j-th repetition is any repetition in the N repetitions except the i-th repetition. Further, i can be a predefined or indicated value, such as 1, 2 or 3, etc. For example, the i-th repetition is the first repetition, and the j-th repetition can be the second repetition, the third repetition, ... the N-th repetition. That is, if the time interval between the j-th repetition after the first repetition and the first repetition is greater than the time threshold, then the j-th repetition and the first repetition correspond to different antenna ports.

[0220] Optionally, the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition may be any two different repetitions in the N repetitions. Optionally, the terminal device may obtain the time interval between any two repetitions in the N repetitions, and then compare it with the time threshold, so as to determine which repetitions in the N repetitions correspond to the same antenna port and which repetitions correspond to different antenna ports.

[0221] Optionally, the second information may include the time threshold. Thus, the terminal device can determine whether the multiple repetitions correspond to the same antenna port or different antenna ports based on the time threshold and the time interval between the multiple repetitions of the fifth signal resource.

[0222] Optionally, the time threshold may be 35 microseconds (us), 70us, 140us, . . . 1 millisecond (ms), 5ms or 10ms, etc., or may be one or more time slots, or may be half a frame, or may be one or more frames, etc.

[0223] The time intervals between different adjacent repetitions may be the same or different, and may be configured according to actual resource scheduling requirements. Optionally, if the time intervals between adjacent repetitions of the fifth signal resource are the same, and the time interval is less than or equal to the time threshold, it can be determined that the N repetitions of the fifth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. Alternatively, if the time intervals between adjacent repetitions of the fifth signal resource are the same, and the time interval is greater than the time threshold, it can be determined that the N repetitions of the fifth signal resource correspond to different antenna ports.

[0224] Optionally, multiple implementations of the above-mentioned second information can be combined. For example, the second information can indicate that the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port / the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports, and indicate which repetitions of the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port (for example, the second information includes at least one of a numerical value k, a numerical value k-1, an index of the M repetitions, a bitmap, and a time threshold). Alternatively, the second information indicates which repetitions of the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port through multiple parameters, for example, the second information includes at least two of a numerical value k, a numerical value k-1, an index of the M repetitions, a bitmap, and a time threshold.

[0225] 2. The second information is the resource level configuration.

[0226] The second information is a resource-level configuration, and the second information indicates the antenna port information corresponding to the associated signal resource. For example, the network device also sends configuration information of each signal resource in the resource set to the terminal device, such as a signal resource identifier (resource ID) and a resource symbol offset (resource symbol offset). The configuration information of the signal resource may include the second information, and the second information is associated with the signal resource. Alternatively, the second information includes a signal resource identifier (to associate the second information with the signal resource corresponding to the signal resource identifier), and the antenna port information corresponding to the associated signal resource. In this case, the second information is effective only for the associated signal resource, or the second information is applied to the associated single signal resource. That is, the second information only indicates that the N repetitions of the associated signal resource correspond to the same or different antenna ports, or which of the N repetitions of the associated signal resource correspond to the same antenna port.

[0227] The following describes possible implementation methods of the second information:

[0228] 2.1 The second information indicates that the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same / different antenna ports.

[0229] Specifically, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. The first signal resource may be a signal resource associated with the second information in the resource set. For example, N=4, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, specifically indicating that the first signal resource is sent for the first time, the second time, the third time, and the fourth time using the same antenna port.

[0230] Alternatively, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports. When the second information is an indication of the resource level, the second signal resource is a signal resource in the resource set that is associated with the second information. The N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, which may mean that among the N repetitions, the antenna port corresponding to at least one repetition is different from the antenna port corresponding to at least one other repetition. That is, among the N repetitions of the second signal resource, two repetitions correspond to different antenna ports. For example, N=4, the first repetition corresponds to antenna port 1, the second repetition corresponds to antenna port 2, the third repetition corresponds to antenna port 1, and the fourth repetition corresponds to antenna port 1, then the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports.

[0231] 2.2 The second information indicates which repetitions among the N repetitions of the associated signal resource correspond to the same antenna port.

[0232] 2.2.1 The second information indicates that a certain repetition corresponds to different antenna ports than other repetitions.

[0233] The methods described in 2.2.1 and 1.3.1 are similar, except that in method 2.2.1, the second information is a resource-level configuration, and the third signal resource is a signal resource associated with the second information. Method 2.2.1 is effective for the third signal resource, so it will not be repeated here.

[0234] 2.2.2 The second information indicates that M repetitions out of N repetitions correspond to the same antenna port.

[0235] 2.2.2 is similar to the method described in 1.3.2, except that in method 2.2.2, the second information is a resource-level configuration, and the fourth signal resource is a signal resource associated with the second information. Method 2.2.2 is effective for the fourth signal resource, so it will not be repeated here.

[0236] 2.2.3 The second information indicates that the antenna ports corresponding to the two repetitions have different conditions that need to be met.

[0237] 2.2.3 is similar to the method described in 1.3.3, except that in method 2.2.3, the second information is a resource-level configuration, and the fifth signal resource is a signal resource associated with the second information. Method 2.2.3 is effective for the fifth signal resource, so it will not be repeated here.

[0238] Optionally, multiple implementations of the above-mentioned second information can be combined. For example, the second information can indicate that the N repetitions of a single signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port / the N repetitions of a single signal resource in a resource set correspond to different antenna ports, and indicate which of the N repetitions of a single signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port (for example, the second information includes at least one of a numerical value k, a numerical value k-1, an index of the M repetitions, a bitmap, and a time threshold). Alternatively, the second information indicates which of the N repetitions of a single signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port through multiple parameters, for example, the second information includes at least two of a numerical value k, a numerical value k-1, an index of the M repetitions, a bitmap, and a time threshold.

[0239] Optionally, the second information may include configurations at the resource set level and the resource level, that is, the second information indicates both the antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set and the antenna port information of the specific signal resource. For example, the second information indicates at the resource set level that there are N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set corresponding to different antenna ports, and also indicates at the resource level which N repetitions of signal resources correspond to different antenna ports, or indicates at the resource level which repetitions of the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same antenna port. Thus, the terminal device can obtain antenna port information of multiple levels according to the second information, and then select an appropriate signal reception and processing method.

[0240] S603. The network device sends a signal.

[0241] In step S603, the network device sends a signal on a signal resource in the resource set based on the first information. The antenna port used by the network device when repeatedly sending the signal resource is consistent with the second information. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the signal according to the first information and the second information in step S603.

[0242] Based on the second information, the terminal device can determine whether the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, or which repetitions correspond to the same antenna port, thereby determining a method for receiving the signal, or determining a method for processing the signal.

[0243] In one possible implementation, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level. The second information indicates that the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port, and it can be considered that the N repetitions of the signal resource do not have a phase error introduced by the different corresponding antenna ports. In this case, for the signal resources in the resource set, the terminal device can optionally receive repeated signals in a non-overlapping frequency hopping reception manner. Thus, high-precision positioning / channel estimation based on large-bandwidth signals can be achieved, and the processing complexity of the terminal device can be reduced.

[0244] In one possible implementation, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level. When the second information indicates that there are N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set corresponding to different antenna ports, since the terminal does not know which N repetitions of signal resources in the resource set correspond to the same antenna port and which N repetitions of signal resources correspond to different antenna ports, the terminal device may assume that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the resource set correspond to different antenna ports, and there is a phase error introduced due to the different antenna ports corresponding to the signal resources. Therefore, in this case, the terminal device may receive repeated signals in an overlapping frequency hopping reception manner. Alternatively, the terminal device may receive repeated signals in a non-overlapping frequency hopping reception manner, and then, in the process of processing the signal, compensate the narrowband signal received on the N repetitions by a phase compensation algorithm. If the terminal device is a non-RedCap UE, the terminal device may also receive the signal in a non-frequency hopping reception manner, that is, the terminal device receives the signal based on its maximum bandwidth.

[0245] In a possible implementation, the second information is a resource-level configuration, and when the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, it can be considered that the N repetitions of the first signal resource do not have a phase error introduced by the different corresponding antenna ports. In this case, the terminal device can receive signals on the N repetitions of the first signal resource in a non-overlapping frequency hopping reception manner.

[0246] In one possible implementation, the second information is a resource-level configuration, and when the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, it can be considered that the N repetitions of the second signal resource have a phase error introduced by the different corresponding antenna ports. Therefore, in this case, the terminal device can receive the signal on the N repetitions of the second signal resource by means of overlapping frequency hopping reception. Alternatively, the terminal device can receive the signal on the N repetitions of the second signal resource by means of non-overlapping frequency hopping reception, and then compensate the narrowband signal received on the N repetitions by means of a phase compensation algorithm during the signal processing. If the terminal device is a non-RedCap UE, the terminal device can also receive the signal on the N repetitions of the second signal resource by means of non-frequency hopping reception, that is, the terminal device receives the signal based on its maximum bandwidth.

[0247] In a possible implementation, the second information indicates which of the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set correspond to the same / different antenna ports. If the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, it can be considered that the N repetitions of the signal resource do not have a phase error introduced by the different corresponding antenna ports. In this case, the terminal device can receive the repeated signal in a non-overlapping frequency hopping reception manner.

[0248] If the second information indicates that M (assuming M is less than N) repetitions out of the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, the terminal device may receive the signal on the M repetitions of the signal resource using a non-overlapping frequency hopping reception method. Alternatively, the terminal device may receive the repeated signal using an overlapping frequency hopping reception method. Alternatively, the terminal device may receive the repeated signal using a non-overlapping frequency hopping reception method, and then, in the process of processing the signal, compensate the narrowband signal received on the N repetitions using a phase compensation algorithm. If the terminal device is a non-RedCap UE and the RF bandwidth of the terminal device is large, the terminal device may receive the signal on the N repetitions of the second signal resource using a non-frequency hopping reception method, that is, the terminal device receives the signal based on its maximum bandwidth.

[0249] In this embodiment, the network device sends the second information to the terminal device to indicate the antenna port self-information corresponding to the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set, so that the terminal device can determine the way to receive or process the signal based on the second information, that is, it can determine whether to use the non-overlapping frequency hopping mode for reception according to the second information, or determine on which repetitions to perform non-overlapping frequency hopping reception according to the second information, or determine whether to perform phase compensation on the signal during signal processing according to the second information, so as to reduce the complexity of signal processing by the terminal device under the premise of improving positioning / channel estimation. The network device can also repeatedly send signals through different antenna ports to improve the flexibility of resource scheduling and frequency division of the network device.

[0250] Figure 6 In the scheme shown, taking the network device as an access network device as an example, the information interaction between the access network device and the terminal device is described, that is, the access network device sends the first information and the second information to the terminal device. In a positioning scenario, such as a downlink positioning scenario or an uplink and downlink joint positioning scenario, information interaction is performed between the access network device and the positioning management device, and the access network device or the positioning management device determines the first information and the second information based on the interaction information, and sends the first information and the second information to the terminal device. In this embodiment, the access network device may be a base station / TRP. The positioning management device may be an LMF network element. It should be understood that in future communications such as 6G, the positioning management device may still be an LMF network element, or have other names, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0251] Optionally, the positioning management device may send a seventh message to the access network device, and the seventh message is used to request positioning-related configuration information (e.g., PRS configuration information). The access network device sends an eighth message to the positioning management device based on the seventh information, and the eighth message includes the configuration information requested by the seventh message. Based on the positioning-related configuration information in the eighth information, the positioning management device sends the first information and the second information to the terminal device, or instructs the access network device to send the first information and the second information to the terminal device. The first information and / or the second information is used for positioning the terminal device. Optionally, the positioning management device and the access network device exchange information through an NR positioning protocol (NR positioning protocol annex, NRPPa) message. For example, the positioning management device sends the seventh information through a TRP information request message. The access network device may send the eighth information through a TRP information response (TRP information response).

[0252] In one possible implementation, the positioning management device sends ninth information to the access network device based on the positioning-related configuration information in the eighth information, and the ninth information instructs the access network device to send the first information and the second information to the terminal device. Optionally, the positioning management device can send the ninth information via an NRPPa message. For example, the positioning management device sends the ninth information via an assistance information control message. The positioning management device can also send the ninth information via other messages, such as a newly defined NRPPa message. The access network device receives the ninth information and sends the first information and the second information to the terminal device. The specific process is as follows: Figure 6 shown.

[0253] In another possible implementation, the location management device determines the first information and the second information based on the location-related configuration information in the eighth information, and sends the first information and the second information to the terminal device. Figure 6 S601 and S602 in. It should be noted that the first information and the second information can be carried in the same message or in different messages, and this application does not limit this. Exemplarily, the positioning management device can send the first information and the second information to the terminal device via an LPP message. For example, the positioning management device sends the first information and the second information via an LPP provide assistance data message. The positioning management device can also send the first information and the second information via other messages, such as newly defined messages.

[0254] Optionally, when the first information and the second information are sent through the same message, the second information may also be included in the first information. For example, the first information includes configuration information of the resource set, the second information is a configuration at the resource set level, and the second information may be an IE in the first information. For another example, the first information includes configuration information of the resource set and configuration information of the signal resource, the second information is a configuration at the resource level, and the second information may be an IE in the first information. For another example, the first information is an LPP message, and the second information is carried in the first information. Of course, the first information and the second information may not contain each other, and this application does not limit this.

[0255] In this embodiment, the positioning management device sends second information to the terminal device to indicate the antenna port self-information corresponding to the N repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set, so that the terminal device can determine the method of receiving or processing the signal based on the second information, thereby reducing the complexity of the terminal device.

[0256] exist Figure 6 In the technical solution shown, the network device can trigger the sending of the first information and / or the second information based on multiple methods. For example, the sending process can be triggered by the network device based on its own signal transmission, or it can be triggered by the network device based on the request of the terminal device. Taking the latter as an example, Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 A flow chart of another communication method provided by the present application. Figure 6 The difference of the embodiment shown is that it also includes the feature of antenna port information interaction corresponding to N repetitions of signal resources between the network device and the terminal device, for example, including one or more steps of S701-S703. It should be noted that steps S701, S702a / S702b and S703 are all optional steps. Figure 7 Marked by dotted line. Figure 7 In the embodiment, the network device may be an access network device, such as a base station / TRP, etc. This embodiment includes the following steps:

[0257] S701. The network device sends sixth information, where the sixth information is used to request third information or fourth information.

[0258] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the sixth information. The sixth information is used to request or instruct the terminal device to send the third information or the fourth information. The third information is used to request to repeatedly send a signal through the same antenna port. The fourth information is used to request or indicate that a signal can be repeatedly sent through different antenna ports.

[0259] That is, the network device sends the sixth information to inquire the terminal device to report whether the terminal device expects the network device to repeatedly send signals through the same antenna port or to repeatedly send signals through different antenna ports. Thus, the terminal device can send the third information or the fourth information according to its own capabilities or status, and the network device can determine whether to send repeated signals through the same antenna port or through different antenna ports according to the third information or the fourth information, which can improve the flexibility of the network device.

[0260] S702a. The terminal device sends the third information.

[0261] Accordingly, the network device receives the third information. The third information is used to request repeated transmission of the signal through the same antenna port. In other words, the third information is used to request or instruct the network device to perform N repetitions of signal resources through the same antenna port. In other words, the third information is used to instruct the network device to send N repetitions of signal resources through the same antenna port. That is, the terminal device requests the network device to repeatedly send the signal through the same antenna port through the third information, so that the terminal device can receive or process the signal in a less complex manner, reducing the complexity of the terminal. Optionally, the terminal device can send the third information when its own capabilities are limited, during mobility, at the edge of the cell, or in situations where high-precision positioning is required.

[0262] S702b. The terminal device sends the fourth information.

[0263] Accordingly, the network device receives the fourth information. The fourth information is used to request or indicate that the signal can be repeatedly sent through different antenna ports. In other words, the fourth information is used to request or indicate that the network device can perform N repetitions of signal resources through different antenna ports. Optionally, the terminal device can send the fourth information when its own capability is strong, the wireless signal is strong, it is stationary or the moving speed is low, or when high-precision positioning is not required.

[0264] S703. The terminal device sends the fifth information.

[0265] Accordingly, the network device receives the fifth information.

[0266] The fifth information is used to request the network device to send the first information and / or the second information. The first information indicates a resource set of a signal. The second information indicates antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set. The terminal device may send the fifth information to the network device when there is a positioning requirement or a channel estimation requirement. Thus, the network device may send the second information in response to the request of the terminal device, which can reduce the number of times the network device sends the second information and reduce overhead.

[0267] S704. The network device sends first information, where the first information indicates a resource set of a signal.

[0268] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information.

[0269] This step is similar to S601. For related content, please refer to the description of S601, so it will not be repeated here.

[0270] S705. The network device sends second information, where the second new information indicates antenna port information of at least one signal resource in the resource set.

[0271] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second information.

[0272] This step is similar to S602. For related content, please refer to the description of S602, so it will not be repeated here.

[0273] S706. The network device sends a signal.

[0274] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a signal according to the first information and the second information.

[0275] Optionally, the network device may send a signal according to the third information or the fourth information to meet the needs of the terminal device.

[0276] Optionally, the network device may repeatedly send signals through the same antenna port according to the third information to reduce the complexity of the terminal device. Of course, the network device may also repeatedly send signals through different antenna ports according to resource scheduling and frequency division, and notify the terminal device of the actual antenna port status through the second information, so that the terminal device determines the way to receive or process the signal according to the second information.

[0277] Optionally, the network device may repeatedly send signals through different antenna ports according to the fourth information to improve the flexibility of resource scheduling and frequency division of the network device. Of course, the network device may also repeatedly send signals through the same antenna port according to resource scheduling and frequency division, and notify the terminal device of the actual antenna port status through the second information, so that the terminal device determines that it can receive or process the signal in a low-complexity manner according to the second information.

[0278] This step is similar to S603. For related content, please refer to the description of S603, so it will not be repeated here.

[0279] In this embodiment, before the network device sends the first information and the second information, the network device and the terminal device can exchange information, so that the network device can send the first information and / or the second information according to the needs of the terminal device, or determine whether the N repetitions of the signal resource correspond to the same antenna port according to the needs of the terminal device. The network device can flexibly schedule according to the needs of the terminal device, and the terminal device can also flexibly select the signal reception and processing method according to the second information. For example, when the antenna port corresponding to the N repetitions of the signal resource meets certain conditions (N repetitions correspond to the same antenna port, or partial repetitions correspond to the same antenna port), a low-complexity method can be used to receive and process the signal.

[0280] Figure 7 In the scheme shown, taking the network device as an access network device as an example, the information interaction between the access network device and the terminal device is described, that is, the access network device sends the sixth information, the first information, and the second information to the terminal device, and the terminal device sends the third information / fourth information, and the fifth information to the access network device. Optionally, in a positioning scenario, such as a downlink positioning scenario or an uplink and downlink joint positioning scenario, the positioning management device may instruct the access network device to send the first information and the second information to the terminal device. For example, the positioning management device sends the ninth information to the access network device, and the ninth information instructs the access network device to send the first information and the second information to the terminal device. The information interaction between the positioning management device and the access network device (such as the seventh information, the eighth information, and the ninth information) can be found in the relevant description above and will not be repeated here.

[0281] In another possible implementation, information may be exchanged between the positioning management device and the terminal device. That is, the positioning management device may send the sixth information, the first information, and the second information to the terminal device, and the terminal device may send the third information / fourth information, and the fifth information to the positioning management device. The information exchange between the positioning management device and the access network device (such as the seventh information and the eighth information), and the process of the positioning management device obtaining the first information and the second information according to the eighth information can be referred to the relevant description above, which will not be repeated here.

[0282] Optionally, the positioning management device and the terminal device may interact via LPP messages. It should be noted that the first information and the second information may be carried in the same message or in different messages, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this. Exemplarily, the positioning management device may send the first information and the second information to the terminal device via an LPP message. For example, the positioning management device sends the first information and the second information via an LPP provide assistance data (LPP provide assistance data) message. Exemplarily, the terminal device may send the fifth information to the positioning management device via an LPP message. For example, the terminal device may send the fifth information via an LPP request assistance data (LPP request assistance data).

[0283] In this embodiment, before the positioning management device sends the first information and the second information, information can be exchanged between the positioning management device and the terminal device. Thus, the positioning management device can send the first information and / or the second information according to the needs of the terminal device, or determine whether the N repetitions of the signal resources sent by the access network device correspond to the same antenna port according to the needs of the terminal device. The terminal device can flexibly select the signal reception and processing method according to the second information, thereby reducing the complexity of the terminal device.

[0284] The following describes a communication device used to implement the above method in an embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0285] like Figure 8 As shown, it is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the present application. The communication device 800 can correspond to the functions or steps implemented by the terminal device or network device in the above-mentioned various method embodiments. The communication device may include a transceiver module 801 and a processing module 802. Optionally, it may also include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions (codes or programs) and / or data. The processing module 802 can be coupled to the storage module. For example, the processing module 802 can read the instructions (codes or programs) and / or data in the storage module to implement the corresponding method. The above-mentioned modules can be set independently or partially or fully integrated.

[0286] It should be understood that the processing module 802 can be a processor or a controller, for example, 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 can implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements a computing function, for example, including a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The transceiver module 801 is an interface circuit of the device for receiving signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the transceiver module 801 is an interface circuit of the chip for receiving signals from other chips or devices, or an interface circuit of the chip for sending signals to other chips or devices.

[0287] The communication device 800 may be a network device or a terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may also be a chip for realizing the functions of the network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, when the communication device 800 is a network device or a terminal device, the processing module 802 may be, for example, a processor, and the transceiver module 801 may be, for example, a transceiver. Optionally, the transceiver may include a radio frequency circuit, and the storage unit may be, for example, a memory. For example, when the communication device 800 is a chip for realizing the functions of a network device or a terminal device, the processing module 802 may be, for example, a processor, and the transceiver module 801 may be, for example, an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc. The processing module 802 may execute computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit, and optionally, the storage unit may be a storage unit in the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc. The storage unit may also be a storage unit located outside the chip in the network device, the terminal device or the location management 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.

[0288] In some possible implementations, the communication device 800 can implement the behaviors and functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device 800 can be a terminal device, or a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in the terminal device. The transceiver module 801 can be used to support the communication between the terminal device and other network entities, such as supporting the terminal device to communicate with other network entities. Figure 6 or Figure 7 The processing module 802 is used to control and manage the actions of the terminal device. For example, the processing module 802 is used to support the terminal device to execute Figure 6 or Figure 7 All operations of the terminal device except sending and receiving.

[0289] For example, the transceiver module 801 can be used to perform Figure 6 or Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, all receiving or sending operations performed by the terminal device, such as Figure 6 S601, S602, S603, etc. in the embodiment shown, for example Figure 7 S701, S702a / S702b, S703, S704, S705, S706, etc. in the embodiment shown, and / or other processes for supporting the technology described herein. Among them, the processing module 802 is used to perform the following steps: Figure 6 or Figure 7 All operations except for the sending and receiving operations performed by the terminal device in the illustrated embodiment are, for example, other processes for supporting the technology described herein.

[0290] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 801 receives first information, the first information indicates a resource set corresponding to the signal, and a repetition factor N. The resource set includes at least one signal resource in the resource set, the repetition factor indicates the number of repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0291] The transceiver module 801 receives second information, where the second information indicates antenna port information corresponding to at least one signal resource in the resource set.

[0292] The transceiver module 801 receives a signal based on the first information and the second information.

[0293] In a possible implementation, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and the first signal resource is one signal resource of at least one signal resource in a resource set. Or, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of each signal resource of at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port.

[0294] In a possible implementation, the second information indicates that N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, and the second signal resource is a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set. Or, the second information indicates that N repetitions of a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to different antenna ports.

[0295] In a possible implementation manner, the size of the second information is 1 bit.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the second information indicates that the first antenna port and the second antenna port are different, the first antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource, the second antenna port corresponds to the kth repetition of the third signal resource, the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resources in the resource set, and k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

[0297] In one possible implementation, the second information indicates that M repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, the fourth signal resource is one signal resource of at least one signal resource in the resource set, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to N.

[0298] In one possible implementation, the second information indicates that the third antenna port and the fourth antenna port are different, the third antenna port corresponds to the i-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the fourth antenna port corresponds to the j-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than the time threshold, the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resource in the resource set, and i, j are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

[0299] In a possible implementation manner, the second information includes at least one of the following: a value k, an index of M repetitions, and a time threshold.

[0300] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 801 sends third information, where the third information is used to indicate that it is desired to repeatedly send a signal through the same antenna port.

[0301] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 801 sends fourth information. The fourth information is used to instruct the network device to send the first information.

[0302] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 801 sends fifth information. The fifth information is used to indicate that a signal is repeatedly sent through different antenna ports.

[0303] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 801 receives sixth information. The sixth information is used to instruct the terminal device to send the second information or the fourth information.

[0304] In a possible implementation manner, the signal is used for positioning; and / or the first information and the second information are used for positioning.

[0305] In a possible implementation manner, the signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0306] In some possible implementations, the communication device 800 can implement the behaviors and functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device 800 can be a network device, or a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in a network device. The network device is, for example, an access network device, such as a base station or a TRP. The network device can also be a location management device, such as an LMF. The transceiver module 801 can be used to support the communication between the network device and other network entities, such as supporting the network device to communicate with other network entities. Figure 6 or Figure 7 The processing module 802 is used to control and manage the actions of the network devices. For example, the processing module 802 is used to support the network devices to execute Figure 6 or Figure 7 All operations except sending and receiving.

[0307] In some embodiments, the processing module 802 determines first information, the first information indicates a resource set corresponding to the signal, and a repetition factor N; the resource set includes at least one signal resource in the resource set, the repetition factor indicates the number of repetitions of at least one signal resource in the resource set, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0308] The processing module 802 determines second information, where the second information indicates antenna port information corresponding to at least one signal resource in the resource set.

[0309] The transceiver module 801 sends the first information and the second information.

[0310] In a possible implementation, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and the first signal resource is one signal resource of at least one signal resource in a resource set. Or, the second information indicates that the N repetitions of each signal resource of at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to the same antenna port.

[0311] In a possible implementation, the second information indicates that N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, and the second signal resource is a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set. Or, the second information indicates that N repetitions of a signal resource in at least one signal resource in a resource set correspond to different antenna ports.

[0312] In a possible implementation manner, the size of the second information is 1 bit.

[0313] In one possible implementation, the second information indicates that the first antenna port and the second antenna port are different, the first antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource, the second antenna port corresponds to the kth repetition of the third signal resource, the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resources in the resource set, and k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

[0314] In one possible implementation, the second information indicates that M repetitions of the fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, the fourth signal resource is one signal resource of at least one signal resource in the resource set, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to N.

[0315] In one possible implementation, the second information indicates that the third antenna port and the fourth antenna port are different, the third antenna port corresponds to the i-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the fourth antenna port corresponds to the j-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than the time threshold, the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resource in the resource set, and i, j are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

[0316] In a possible implementation manner, the second information includes at least one of the following: a value k, an index of M repetitions, and a time threshold.

[0317] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 801 receives third information, where the third information is used to indicate that it is desired to repeatedly send a signal through the same antenna port.

[0318] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 801 receives fourth information. The fourth information is used to instruct the network device to send the first information.

[0319] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 801 receives fifth information. The fifth information is used to indicate that a signal is repeatedly sent through different antenna ports.

[0320] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 801 sends sixth information. The sixth information is used to instruct the terminal device to send the second information or the fourth information.

[0321] In a possible implementation manner, the signal is used for positioning; and / or the first information and the second information are used for positioning.

[0322] In a possible implementation manner, the signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0323] It should be understood that the processing module 802 in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component, and the transceiver module 801 can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit component.

[0324] like Fig. 9 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in the present application, wherein the communication device 900 may be a network device, such as a base station, TRP or LMF, etc., which can implement the function of the network device in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, or the communication device 900 may be a terminal device, which can implement the function of the terminal device in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application; or the communication device 900 may also be a device that can support the network device or terminal device to implement the corresponding function in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Among them, the communication device 900 may be a chip system. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0325] The communication device 900 includes at least one processor 920, which may be a CPU, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application, and is used to implement or support the communication device 900 to implement the functions of the network device or terminal device in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. For details, please refer to the detailed description in the method example, which will not be repeated here.

[0326] The communication device 900 may also include at least one memory 930 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 930 is coupled to the processor 920. The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which may be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules. The processor 920 may operate in conjunction with the memory 930. The processor 920 may execute program instructions and / or data stored in the memory 930 so that the communication device 900 implements the corresponding method. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor 920.

[0327] The communication device 900 may also include a communication interface 910, using any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as RAN, wireless local area networks (WLAN), wired access networks, etc. The communication interface 910 is used to communicate with other devices through a transmission medium, so that the device used in the communication device 900 can communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, when the communication device 900 is a network device, the other device is a terminal device or a location management function; or, when the communication device is a terminal device, the other device is a network device or a location management function. The processor 920 can use the communication interface 910 to send and receive data. The communication interface 910 can specifically be a transceiver.

[0328] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 910, the processor 920 and the memory 930 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the memory 930, the processor 920 and the communication interface 910 are connected via a bus 940. Fig. 9 The connections between the other components are shown in bold lines, which are only for illustration and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Fig. 9 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0329] In the embodiment of the present application, the processor 920 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiment of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0330] The memory 930 may be a ROM or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor via a communication line. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0331] The memory 930 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 920. The processor 920 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 930, thereby realizing the communication method provided in the above embodiment of the present application.

[0332] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0333] It should be noted that the communication device in the above embodiment can be a terminal device or a circuit, or a chip applied to the terminal device or other combined devices, components, etc. having the functions of the above terminal devices. When the communication device is a terminal device, the transceiver module can be a transceiver, which can include an antenna and a radio frequency circuit, etc., and the processing module can be a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU). When the communication device is a component having the functions of the above terminal device, the transceiver module can be a radio frequency unit, and the processing module can be a processor. When the communication device is a chip system, the communication device can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a dedicated ASIC, a system on chip (SoC), a CPU, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chips. The processing module 802 can be a processor of the chip system. The transceiver module 801 or the communication interface can be an input and output interface or an interface circuit of the chip system. For example, the interface circuit may be a code / data read / write interface circuit. The interface circuit may be used to receive code instructions (the code instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may be read from the memory through other devices) and transmit them to a processor; the processor may be used to run the code instructions to execute the method in the above method embodiment. For another example, the interface circuit may also be a signal transmission interface circuit between a communication processor and a transceiver.

[0334] Exemplarily, the communication device in the above embodiment may be a chip, which includes a logic circuit and an input / output interface, and may also include a memory. The input / output interface may be used to receive code instructions (the code instructions are stored in the memory, and may be read directly from the memory, or may be read from the memory through other devices) and transmit them to the logic circuit; the logic circuit may be used to run the code instructions to execute the method in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the input / output interface may also be a signal transmission interface circuit between the logic circuit and the transceiver.

[0335] Fig.10 A simplified schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device is shown. For ease of understanding and illustration, Fig.10 In the example, the communication device is a base station. The base station can be applied to Figure 2-4b In the system shown, it can be Figure 2-4b The network device in the embodiment performs the functions of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0336] The communication device 1000 may include a transceiver 1010, a memory 1021, and a processor 1022. The transceiver 1010 may be used for the communication device to communicate, such as for sending the above-mentioned broadcast message. The memory 1021 is coupled to the processor 1022 and may be used to store the programs and data necessary for the communication device 1000 to implement various functions. The processor 1022 is configured to support the communication device 1000 to perform the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned method, and the functions may be implemented by calling the programs stored in the memory 1021.

[0337] Specifically, the transceiver 1010 may be a wireless transceiver, which may be used to support the communication device 1000 to receive and send signaling and / or data through a wireless air interface. The transceiver 1010 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit or a communication unit. The transceiver 1010 may include one or more radio frequency units 1012 and one or more antennas 1011, wherein the radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU), may be specifically used for transmission of radio frequency signals and conversion of radio frequency signals to baseband signals, and the one or more antennas may be specifically used for radiation and reception of radio frequency signals. Optionally, the transceiver 1010 may include only the above radio frequency units, in which case the communication device 1000 may include a transceiver 1010, a memory 1021, a processor 1022, and an antenna.

[0338] The memory 1021 and the processor 1022 may be integrated into one or may be independent of each other. Fig.10 As shown, the memory 1021 and the processor 1022 can be integrated into the control unit 1020 of the communication device 1000. Exemplarily, the control unit 1020 may include a baseband unit (BBU) of an LTE base station, and the baseband unit may also be called a digital unit (DU), or the control unit 1020 may include a distributed unit (DU) and / or a centralized unit (CU) in a base station under 5G and future wireless access technologies. The above-mentioned control unit 1020 may be composed of one or more antenna panels, wherein a plurality of antenna panels may jointly support a wireless access network of a single access standard (such as an LTE network), and a plurality of antenna panels may also respectively support wireless access networks of different access standards (such as an LTE network, a 5G network or other networks).

[0339] The memory 1021 and the processor 1022 may serve one or more antenna panels. That is, the memory 1021 and the processor 1022 may be separately provided on each antenna panel. It is also possible that multiple antenna panels share the same memory 1021 and the processor 1022. In addition, necessary circuits may be provided on each antenna panel, such as the circuits that may be used to achieve coupling between the memory 1021 and the processor 1022. The above transceiver 1010, the processor 1022, and the memory 1021 may be connected via a bus structure and / or other connection media.

[0340] based on Fig.10 In the structure shown, when the communication device 1000 needs to send data, the processor 1022 can perform baseband processing on the data to be sent, and then output the baseband signal to the RF unit. The RF unit performs RF processing on the baseband signal and then sends the RF signal in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device 1000, the RF unit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1022. The processor 1022 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0341] Based on Fig.10 In the structure shown, the transceiver 1010 can be used to execute the steps executed by the transceiver module 801 above. And / or, the processor 1022 can be used to call the instructions in the memory 1021 to execute the steps executed by the processing module 802 above.

[0342] Fig.11 A simplified schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device is shown. For ease of understanding and illustration, Fig.11 In the example, the terminal device is a mobile phone. Fig.11 As shown, the terminal device includes a processor, a memory, a radio frequency circuit, an antenna, and an input-output device. The processor is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, as well as to control the on-board unit, execute software programs, process the data of the software programs, etc. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for converting baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used to send and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input-output devices, such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards, etc., are mainly used to receive data input by users and output data to users. It should be noted that some types of equipment may not have input-output devices.

[0343] When data needs to be sent, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit performs RF processing on the baseband signal and then sends the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data. For ease of explanation, Fig.11 Only one memory and processor are shown. In an actual device product, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device. The memory may be set independently of the processor or may be integrated with the processor, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0344] In the embodiments of the present application, the antenna and the radio frequency circuit having transceiver functions may be regarded as the transceiver unit of the device, and the processor having a processing function may be regarded as the processing unit of the device. Fig.11 As shown, the device includes a transceiver unit 1110 and a processing unit 1120. The transceiver unit 1110 may also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. The processing unit 1120 may also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, etc. Optionally, the device used to implement the receiving function in the transceiver unit 1110 may be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device used to implement the sending function in the transceiver unit 1110 may be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiver unit 1110 includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. The transceiver unit 1110 may also be sometimes referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver, or a transceiver circuit, etc. The receiving unit may also be sometimes referred to as a receiver, a receiver, or a receiving circuit, etc. The sending unit may also be sometimes referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0345] It should be understood that the transceiver unit 1110 is used to perform sending operations and receiving operations on the terminal side in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1120 is used to perform other operations on the terminal except the sending and receiving operations in the above method embodiment.

[0346] When the communication device is a chip-type device or circuit, the device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit, wherein the transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface; and the processing unit may be an integrated processor or microprocessor or integrated circuit.

[0347] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute Figure 6 or Figure 7 The method executed by the network device or terminal device, or the method executed by the above-mentioned positioning management device.

[0348] The present application also provides a computer program product, including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute Figure 6 or Figure 7 The method executed by the network device or terminal device, or the method executed by the above-mentioned positioning management device.

[0349] 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 network device and the terminal device in the aforementioned method. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0350] In the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in this embodiment is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., an SSD), etc.

[0351] 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: The method comprises: Receive first information, where the first information indicates a resource set corresponding to a signal and a repetition factor N; the resource set includes at least one signal resource, the repetition factor indicates the number of repetitions of the at least one signal resource, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; receiving second information, where the second information indicates antenna port information corresponding to the at least one signal resource; The signal is received based on the first information and the second information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and the first signal resource is one of the at least one signal resource; or The second information indicates that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the at least one signal resource correspond to the same antenna port.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that the N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, and the second signal resource is one of the at least one signal resource; or The second information indicates that N repetitions of signal resources in the at least one signal resource correspond to different antenna ports.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The size of the second information is 1 bit.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that the first antenna port and the second antenna port are different, the first antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource, the second antenna port corresponds to the kth repetition of the third signal resource, the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resources, and k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that M repetitions of a fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, the fourth signal resource is one signal resource among the at least one signal resource, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to the N.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that the third antenna port is different from the fourth antenna port, the third antenna port corresponds to the i-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the fourth antenna port corresponds to the j-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than a time threshold, the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resource, and i, j are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that The second information includes at least one of the following: Numeric value k; The index of the M repetitions; The time threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: The third information is sent, where the third information is used to indicate that it is desired to repeatedly send the signal through the same antenna port.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The signal is used for positioning; and / or the first information and the second information are used for positioning.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determine first information, where the first information indicates a resource set corresponding to the signal and a repetition factor N; the resource set includes at least one signal resource, the repetition factor indicates the number of repetitions of the at least one signal resource, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; Determine second information, where the second information indicates antenna port information corresponding to the at least one signal resource; The first information and the second information are sent.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that the N repetitions of the first signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, and the first signal resource is one of the at least one signal resource; or The second information indicates that the N repetitions of each signal resource in the at least one signal resource correspond to the same antenna port.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that the N repetitions of the second signal resource correspond to different antenna ports, and the second signal resource is one of the at least one signal resource; or The second information indicates that N repetitions of signal resources in the at least one signal resource correspond to different antenna ports.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The size of the second information is 1 bit.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that the first antenna port and the second antenna port are different, the first antenna port corresponds to the k-1th repetition of the third signal resource, the second antenna port corresponds to the kth repetition of the third signal resource, the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resources, and k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that M repetitions of a fourth signal resource correspond to the same antenna port, the fourth signal resource is one signal resource among the at least one signal resource, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to the N.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that The second information indicating the at least one antenna port information includes: The second information indicates that the third antenna port is different from the fourth antenna port, the third antenna port corresponds to the i-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the fourth antenna port corresponds to the j-th repetition of the fifth signal resource, the time interval between the i-th repetition and the j-th repetition is greater than a time threshold, the third signal resource is one of the at least one signal resource, and i, j are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that The second information includes at least one of the following: Numeric value k; The index of the M repetitions; The time threshold.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: The third information is sent, where the third information is used to indicate that it is desired to repeatedly send the signal through the same antenna port.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that The signal is used for positioning; and / or the first information and the second information are used for positioning.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises at least one processor configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

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

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