Communication method and device

Abstract

According to the communication method and device provided by the embodiment of the invention, channel aging can be relieved. The method comprises the following steps: receiving first configuration information, wherein each group of reference signal resources in at least one group of reference signal resources indicated by the first configuration information respectively comprises at least X reference signal ports; the X reference signal ports of the ith group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the ith antenna array, the ith group of reference signal resources are one group of reference signal resources in the at least one group of reference signal resources, and the ith antenna array is one antenna array in the at least one antenna array of the terminal equipment; the connecting line of the antenna ports in the same row in the ith antenna array is parallel to the movement direction of the terminal equipment, the first group of antenna ports are X antenna ports at the most front end in the ith antenna array in the movement direction of the terminal equipment, the X antenna ports are located in the same row in the ith antenna array, X is smaller than the column number of the ith antenna array, and i and X are positive integers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] As one of the key technologies of the new generation of radio access technology (New Radio, NR), massive multiple input multiple output (Massive MIMO) technology can utilize more spatial degrees of freedom to improve system capacity and has been widely studied.

[0003] To better implement the performance of MIMO, the base station needs to obtain accurate downlink channel information, and then calculate the precoding vector from the base station to the terminal device according to the downlink channel information, so as to improve the transmission quality or rate of the signal between the base station and the terminal device. For example, in a time division duplexing (TDD) system, the base station determines the uplink channel state information (CSI) by receiving the sounding reference signal (SRS) from the terminal device, and then determines the downlink CSI (i.e., the downlink channel information) according to the uplink-downlink reciprocity.

[0004] However, the time-frequency resources for transmitting SRS are limited. The more terminal devices the base station serves, the fewer time-frequency resources allocated to each terminal device for transmitting SRS, which increases the period for the terminal device to transmit SRS, resulting in the mismatch between the CSI determined according to SRS and the CSI at the actual scheduling moment, that is, causing channel aging. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The communication method and apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application can alleviate channel aging.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the terminal device, or may be implemented by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: receiving first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates at least one set of reference signal resources, and each set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources includes at least X reference signal ports;

[0007] Among them, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. The i-th group of reference signal resources is one of at least one group of reference signal resources, and the i-th antenna array is one of at least one antenna array of the terminal device;

[0008] The connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row in the i-th antenna array are parallel to the movement direction of the terminal device. The first group of antenna ports are the X antenna ports at the forefront in the movement direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array. The X antenna ports are located in the same row in the i-th antenna array, and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array. Both i and X are positive integers.

[0009] Based on this solution, the first configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device indicates at least one group of reference signal resources, where each group of reference signal resources in the at least one group of reference signal resources includes at least X reference signal ports, and the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. That is, the terminal device can receive the reference signal ports respectively configured by the network device for the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in each antenna array of at least one antenna array. Since the first group of antenna ports are the X antenna ports located in the same row in the i-th antenna array, and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array, it can be considered that the network device respectively configures reference signal resources for some of the antenna ports in at least one row of antenna ports in at least one antenna array of the terminal device.

[0010] In addition, the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device, and the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports are located at the forefront of the same row of the i-th antenna array. Therefore, during the movement of the terminal device, in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array is located, all the antenna ports other than the X antenna ports can move to the positions where the X antenna ports are located; that is to say, there is a correlation between the X antenna ports and the other antenna ports. Thus, the network device can infer the channel state information corresponding to the other antenna ports respectively based on the channel state information (such as the downlink channel information) corresponding to the X antenna ports respectively, so as to determine the channel state information of all the antenna ports in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array is located. That is to say, by configuring reference signal resources for some antenna ports in a row of antenna ports, the channel state information of all the antenna ports in this row can be obtained; compared with the scheme of configuring reference signal resources for each antenna port respectively for channel estimation, the consumption of reference signal resources can be reduced. That is, the channel state information of the terminal device (i.e., the channel state information of each antenna port of the terminal device) can be determined by a small amount of reference signal resources, so that when the number of terminal devices served by the network device remains unchanged, the reference signal resources available for a terminal device to send reference signals increase. Therefore, for a terminal device, the transmission period of the reference signal is shortened, thereby alleviating channel aging.

[0011] In a possible design, the communication method further includes: sending a reference signal through X antenna ports, where the reference signal is used to determine the channel state information of Z antenna ports, and Z is the total number of antenna ports in at least one antenna array, and Z is a positive integer.

[0012] Based on this possible design, the terminal device sends a reference signal through X antenna ports. Thus, the network device can determine the channel state information of the X antenna ports according to the reference signals from the X antenna ports, and further determine the channel state information of Z antenna ports. Compared with the scheme of configuring reference signal resources for each antenna port respectively for channel estimation, the channel state information of the terminal device (i.e., the channel state information of each antenna port in at least one antenna array of the terminal device) can be determined by a small amount of reference signal resources, so that when the number of terminal devices served by the network device remains unchanged, the reference signal resources available for a terminal device to send reference signals increase. That is to say, for a terminal device, the transmission period of the reference signal is shortened, thereby alleviating channel aging.

[0013] In a possible design, the communication method further includes: sending first indication information, where the first indication information indicates M, and the first indication information is used to determine the number of at least X reference signal ports, and M is greater than or equal to X.

[0014] In a possible design, the communication method further includes: sending second indication information for indicating Z.

[0015] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. This method may be executed by a network device, or by components of the network device, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the network device, or may also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. The method includes: sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates at least one set of reference signal resources, and each set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources respectively includes at least X reference signal ports;

[0016] Among them, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. The i-th set of reference signal resources is one set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources, and the i-th antenna array is one antenna array among at least one antenna array of the terminal device;

[0017] The connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the movement direction of the terminal device. The first group of antenna ports are the X antenna ports at the forefront in the movement direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array. The X antenna ports are located in the same row of the i-th antenna array, and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array. Both i and X are positive integers.

[0018] Based on this solution, the first configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device indicates at least one set of reference signal resources, where each set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources respectively includes at least X reference signal ports, and the X reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. That is, the network device configures reference signal ports for the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in each antenna array among at least one antenna array of the terminal device respectively. Since the first group of antenna ports are the X antenna ports located in the same row of the i-th antenna array and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array, it can be considered that the network device configures reference signal resources for some of the antenna ports in at least one row of antenna ports among at least one antenna array of the terminal device respectively.

[0019] In addition, the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device, and the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports are located at the forefront of the same row of the i-th antenna array. Therefore, during the movement of the terminal device, in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array are located, all the antenna ports other than these X antenna ports can move to the positions where these X antenna ports are located; that is to say, there is a correlation between these X antenna ports and the other antenna ports. Thus, the network device can infer the channel state information corresponding to the other antenna ports respectively according to the channel state information (such as the downlink channel information) corresponding to these X antenna ports respectively, so as to determine the channel state information of all the antenna ports in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array are located. That is to say, by configuring reference signal resources for some of the antenna ports in a row of antenna ports, the channel state information of all the antenna ports in this row can be obtained; compared with the solution of configuring reference signal resources for each antenna port respectively for channel estimation, the consumption of reference signal resources can be reduced. That is, the channel state information of the terminal device (that is, the channel state information of each antenna port of the terminal device) can be determined through a small amount of reference signal resources, so that when the number of terminal devices served by the network device remains unchanged, the reference signal resources available for a terminal device to send reference signals increase. Thus, for a terminal device, the transmission period of the reference signal is shortened, thereby alleviating channel aging.

[0020] In a possible design, the communication method further includes: receiving a reference signal through X antenna ports, where the reference signal is used to determine the channel state information of Z antenna ports, and Z is the total number of antenna ports in at least one antenna array, and Z is a positive integer.

[0021] In a possible design, the communication method further includes: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information indicates M, and the first indication information is used to determine the number of at least X reference signal ports, and M is greater than or equal to X.

[0022] In a possible design, the communication method further includes: receiving second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate Z.

[0023] Wherein, the technical effects brought by any design in the second aspect can refer to the corresponding technical effects in the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0024] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible design, the first indication information and the second indication information may be located in the capability information of the terminal device sent to the network device.

[0025] Based on this possible design, the first indication information and the second indication information may be located in the capability information. It can be understood that the capability information is reported by the terminal device to the network device during the random access process. Therefore, compared with the method of the terminal device reporting the first indication information and the second indication information using dynamic signaling (such as uplink control information (UCI)), the overhead of dynamic signaling can be reduced. In addition, in the case where the reference signal resources change, more signaling interactions are required between the terminal device and the network device. If dynamic signaling is used for reporting, the overhead of dynamic signaling is further increased. Therefore, the solution provided in the embodiments of the present application can further reduce the overhead of dynamic signaling in the case where the reference signal resources change.

[0026] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible design, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, including: the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are mapped to the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array in sequence according to the first mapping rule, where the first mapping rule includes mapping to the X antenna ports in sequence according to the order of the reference signal port indexes from small to large and the order of the antenna ports in the first group of antenna ports from front to back.

[0027] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible design, the number of at least X reference signal ports is M, and M is Y times X. Correspondingly, the M reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, and Y is less than or equal to the number of rows of the i-th antenna array;

[0028] Among them, the second group of antenna ports is located in the frontmost X columns in the movement direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array. The M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports include the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports, and Y is a positive integer.

[0029] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible design, the M reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, including: the M reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are mapped to the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array in sequence according to the second mapping rule, where the second mapping rule includes mapping to the M antenna ports in sequence according to the order of the reference signal port indexes from small to large and the order of the column indexes of the antenna ports in the second group of antenna ports from front to back.

[0030] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible design, the second indication information is used to indicate the structure of the i-th antenna array and the number of antenna arrays of at least one antenna array, and the structures of each antenna array in the at least one antenna array are the same.

[0031] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible design, the second indication information includes the number of rows and columns of the i-th antenna array and the number of antenna arrays.

[0032] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible design, the second indication information is further used to indicate the distribution mode of at least one antenna array.

[0033] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible design, the maximum value of i is determined according to the number of antenna arrays of at least one antenna array.

[0034] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible design, the maximum value of i is the number of antenna arrays.

[0035] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device may be the terminal device in the first aspect or the network device in the second aspect, or a device included in the terminal device or the network device, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the method, and the modules, units, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0036] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manners thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, which are respectively used to implement the receiving function and the transmitting function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manners thereof.

[0037] In some possible designs, the transceiver module may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0038] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device is caused to execute the method described in any aspect. The communication device may be the terminal device in the first aspect or the network device in the second aspect, or a device included in the terminal device or the network device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0039] Fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used for communicating with modules outside the communication device; the processor is used for executing computer programs or instructions to enable the communication device to execute the method described in any aspect. The communication device can be the terminal device in the first aspect or the network device in the second aspect, or a device included in the terminal device or the network device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0040] Sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: at least one processor; the processor is used for executing computer programs or instructions to enable the communication device to execute the method described in any aspect. The communication device can be the terminal device in the first aspect or the network device in the second aspect, or a device included in the terminal device or the network device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0041] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory, and the memory is used for storing necessary program instructions and data. The memory can be coupled with the processor, or can be independent of the processor.

[0042] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0043] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the third aspect to the sixth aspect is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as inputting information.

[0044] Seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which computer programs or instructions are stored. When it runs on a communication device, it enables the communication device to execute the method described in any aspect.

[0045] Eighth aspect, a computer program product including instructions is provided. When it runs on a communication device, it enables the communication device to execute the method described in any aspect.

[0046] Ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the terminal device in the first aspect (or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip or a chip system) and the network device in the second aspect (or a device included in the network device, such as a chip or a chip system).

[0047] Among them, the technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the third aspect to the ninth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought by different design manners in the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect, and will not be elaborated here. Description of the Drawings

[0048] Figure 1 A distribution schematic diagram of an antenna array provided by this application;

[0049] Figure 2 An architecture schematic diagram of a communication system provided by this application;

[0050] Figure 3 A flowchart schematic diagram of a communication method provided by this application;

[0051] Figure 4 A distribution schematic diagram of a first group of antenna ports provided by this application;

[0052] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the mapping relationship between a reference signal port and an antenna port provided by this application;

[0053] Figure 6 Another distribution schematic diagram of an antenna array provided by this application;

[0054] Figure 7 A flowchart schematic diagram of another communication method provided by this application;

[0055] Figure 8 A distribution schematic diagram of at least one antenna array provided by this application;

[0056] Figure 9 Another distribution schematic diagram of at least one antenna array provided by this application;

[0057] Figure 10 A structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided by this application;

[0058] Figure 11 Another structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided by this application;

[0059] Figure 12 Another structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided by this application. Detailed implementation manners

[0060] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Among them, A and B can be singular or plural.

[0061] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality of" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or its similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c may represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, and c may be single or plural.

[0062] In addition, for the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with basically the same functions and roles. Those skilled in the art can understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second", etc. do not necessarily mean different.

[0063] In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present relevant concepts in a specific way for easy understanding.

[0064] It can be understood that the "embodiments" mentioned throughout the specification mean that specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It can be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the magnitude of the sequence numbers of the various processes does not mean the sequence of execution, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0065] It can be understood that in the present application, both "when..." and "if" refer to corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, which does not limit time, and does not require a judgment action during implementation, nor does it mean the existence of other limitations.

[0066] It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can, in some scenarios, be implemented independently without relying on other features, such as the current scheme they are based on, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. In some scenarios, they can also be combined with other features according to requirements. Correspondingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application can also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0067] 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.

[0068] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the related technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0069] 1. Antenna array:

[0070] An antenna array refers to an antenna system composed of a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a regular pattern; illustratively, in the antenna array, the distances between adjacent antenna elements in the same row are equal, and / or the distances between adjacent antenna elements in the same column are equal.

[0071] For example, Figure 1 As shown, antenna array #1 is a 3×6 (i.e., three rows and six columns) antenna array; wherein the distances between adjacent antenna elements in antenna array #1 are equal and are all a. Antenna array #2 is a 3×6 antenna array; wherein in antenna array #2, the distances between adjacent antenna elements in the same row are equal and are all a; the distances between adjacent antenna elements in the same column are equal and are all b, and a is greater than b. Antenna array #3 is a 3×4 antenna array; wherein in antenna array #3, the distances between adjacent antenna elements in the same row are equal and are all c; the distances between adjacent antenna elements in the same column are equal and are all a, and c is greater than a.

[0072] 2. Channel estimation:

[0073] Channel estimation refers to the process of estimating the characteristics of the channel using the characteristics of the received signal. Since the signal will be interfered to varying degrees during propagation, the amplitude, phase, and frequency of the signal will change significantly when it reaches the receiving end. Through channel estimation, the signal can be restored as much as possible, thereby improving the decoding efficiency of the signal.

[0074] In a time division duplexing (TDD) system, channel estimation is usually performed using sounding reference signals (SRS). Specifically, the terminal device sends SRS to the network device. After the network device receives the SRS from the terminal device, it determines the uplink channel state information (CSI) based on the SRS, and determines the downlink CSI according to channel reciprocity. Thus, the network device can calculate the precoding matrix based on the downlink CSI, and then communicate with the terminal device according to the precoding matrix to improve the signal transmission quality or transmission rate. That is to say, the accuracy of SRS channel estimation affects the overall throughput of the system.

[0075] Since the time-frequency resources configured for SRS are limited, the more terminal devices the network device serves, the fewer time-frequency resources are allocated to each terminal device. Thus, for a terminal device, the fewer time-frequency resources, the larger the SRS transmission period. However, an increase in the SRS period will cause the downlink CSI estimated by the network device based on the SRS to mismatch the actual scheduling time, that is, channel aging; especially in the scenario where the terminal device is moving, the phenomenon of channel aging is more serious.

[0076] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. In this method, the first configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device indicates at least one set of reference signal resources. Each set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources includes at least X reference signal ports, and the X reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. That is, the network device configures reference signal ports for the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in each antenna array of at least one antenna array of the terminal device. Since the first group of antenna ports are the X antenna ports in the same row in the i-th antenna array, and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array, it can be considered that the network device configures reference signal resources for some of the antenna ports in at least one row of antenna ports of at least one antenna array of the terminal device.

[0077] In addition, the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device, and the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports are located at the forefront of the same row of the i-th antenna array. Therefore, during the movement of the terminal device, among the antenna ports in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array are located, all the antenna ports except these X antenna ports can move to the positions where these X antenna ports are located; that is to say, there is a correlation between these X antenna ports and the other antenna ports. Thus, the network device can infer the channel state information corresponding to the other antenna ports respectively according to the channel state information (such as the downlink channel information) corresponding to these X antenna ports respectively, so as to determine the channel state information of all the antenna ports in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array are located. That is to say, by configuring reference signal resources for some of the antenna ports in a row of antenna ports, the channel state information of all the antenna ports in this row can be obtained; compared with the scheme of configuring reference signal resources for each antenna port respectively for channel estimation, the consumption of reference signal resources can be reduced. That is, the channel state information of the terminal device (that is, the channel state information of each antenna port of the terminal device) can be determined through a small amount of reference signal resources, so that when the number of terminal devices served by the network device remains unchanged, the reference signal resources available for a terminal device to send reference signals increase. Thus, for a terminal device, the transmission period of the reference signal is shortened, thereby alleviating channel aging.

[0078] The technical solution provided by this application can be used in various communication systems. This communication system can be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system. For example, a 4th generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) system, an evolved LTE system (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A) system, a 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR) system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) system, a system of hybrid networking of LTE and NR, or a device-to-device (D2D) system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an internet of things (IoT), and other next-generation communication systems, such as a 6th generation (6G) communication system, etc. Alternatively, this communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system, without limitation.

[0079] Among them, the communication system applicable to this application is only an example, and the communication system applicable to this application is not limited thereto. It is uniformly stated here and will not be elaborated further below.

[0080] See Figure 2 , which is an exemplary communication system provided by this application. The communication system includes at least one network device and at least one terminal device. Optionally, different terminal devices can communicate with each other.

[0081] Optionally, information transmission between the network device and the terminal device can be achieved through transmission media such as radio waves, visible light, lasers, infrared light, and optical fibers.

[0082] Optionally, the terminal device in the embodiment of this application is applied in a high-speed mobile scenario, that is, the terminal device can be a high-speed mobile terminal device. Further, at least one antenna array is deployed on the terminal device.

[0083] Exemplarily, the terminal device includes, but is not limited to, devices capable of high-speed movement such as high-speed trains, trains, cars, and trucks.

[0084] Optionally, the network device in the embodiment of this application is a device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The network device can be a node in a radio access network, also called a base station, or also called a radio access network (RAN) node (or device).

[0085] For example, the network device may include an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutional Node B) in an LTE system or an LTE-A system, such as a traditional macro eNB and a micro eNB in a heterogeneous network scenario. Alternatively, it may include a next generation node B (gNB) of wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA). Alternatively, it may include a transmission reception point (TRP), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), a BBU pool, a base transceiver station (BTS) in a global system for mobile communication (GSM) or a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) access point (AP), etc. Alternatively, it may include a base station in NTN, that is, it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or a satellite. In NTN, the network device can act as a layer 1 (L1) relay, or can act as a base station, or can act as a distributed unit (DU), or can act as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Alternatively, the network device can be a device that implements the base station function in IoT, such as a device that implements the base station function in V2X, D2D, or machine to machine (M2M). Or, it may include in-vehicle devices or wearable devices. Or, it may include network devices in a 5G network or a public land mobile network (PLMN) evolved after 5G. The embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0086] In some possible scenarios, the network device in the embodiments of the present application may also be a module or unit capable of implementing some functions of a base station. For example, the network device may be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU may be separately provided, or may also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0087] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the access network device may be a network device or a module of a network device in an open radio access network (ORAN) system. In the ORAN system, the CU may also be referred to as an open (O)-CU, the DU may also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP may also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP may also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU may also be referred to as an O-RU. Any one 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.

[0088] Optionally, the base station in the embodiments of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also referred to as small stations), relay stations, access points, home base stations, TRPs, transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereon.

[0089] Optionally, the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may be a user-side device for implementing wireless communication functions, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in a terminal. Among them, the terminal may be a user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, mobile station, mobile phone, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent or terminal device in a 5G network or a PLMN evolved after 5G. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device or a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a wireless data card, a tablet computer, a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, etc. Alternatively, the terminal may be a terminal with communication function in IoT, such as a terminal in V2X (such as a vehicle-to-everything device), a terminal in D2D communication, or a terminal in M2M communication, etc. The terminal may be mobile or fixed.

[0090] Optionally, the roles between the network device and the terminal device may be relative. For example, Figure 2The terminal device 9 and the terminal device 10 among them. Since the terminal device 10 needs to access the network device 1 through the terminal device 9, therefore, relative to the terminal device 10, at this time the terminal device 9 can be configured as a network device; and relative to the network device 1, at this time the terminal device 9 is a terminal device, that is, the network device 1 and the terminal device 9 communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Optionally, the network device 1 and the terminal device 9 can also communicate through an interface protocol between network devices. At this time, relative to the network device 1, the terminal device 9 also acts as a network device. Optionally, the communication between the network device and the terminal device, between the network device and the network device, or between the terminal device and the terminal device can be carried out through an authorized spectrum, or can be carried out through an unlicensed spectrum, or can be carried out through both the authorized spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum at the same time. Optionally, the communication between the network device and the terminal device, between the network device and the network device, or between the terminal device and the terminal device can be carried out through a spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), or can be carried out through a spectrum above 6 GHz, or can use both the spectrum below 6 GHz and the spectrum above 6 GHz at the same time. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0091] Next, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the network device or the terminal device can execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also execute other operations or various deformations of the operations. In addition, the various steps can be executed in different orders presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible not to execute all the operations in the embodiments of the present application.

[0092] As Figure 3 shown, a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

[0093] S301. The network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration information from the network device. The first configuration information indicates at least one set of reference signal resources, and each set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources includes at least X reference signal ports.

[0094] Among them, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. The i-th set of reference signal resources is one set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources, and the i-th antenna array is one of at least one antenna array of the terminal device.

[0095] Among them, the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device. The first group of antenna ports are the X antenna ports at the forefront in the moving direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array. The X antenna ports are located in the same row of the i-th antenna array, and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array. Both i and X are positive integers.

[0096] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the antenna element and the antenna port represent the same concept, that is, the antenna element and the antenna port can be replaced with each other. For example, the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports can be replaced with: the X antenna elements of the first group of antenna elements, or, it can also be replaced with: the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna elements, or, it can also be replaced with: the X antenna elements of the first group of antenna ports. For the convenience of description, in the following embodiments of the present application, they are uniformly referred to as antenna ports, and this is explained uniformly here and will not be elaborated further.

[0097] Optionally, the maximum value of i is determined according to the number of at least one antenna array. Exemplarily, the maximum value of i is the number of at least one antenna array.

[0098] Optionally, the total number of reference signal ports included in at least X reference signal ports (or, the number of at least X reference signal ports) is an integer multiple of X. For the convenience of description, the following takes the total number of reference signal ports included in at least X reference signal ports as M as an example for introduction. This is explained uniformly here and will not be elaborated further, where M is a positive integer.

[0099] As an example, the total number of reference signal ports included in at least X reference signal ports is equal to X. That is to say, each group of reference signal resources in at least one group of reference signal resources respectively includes X reference signal ports, that is, M is equal to X.

[0100] Optionally, in this example, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array.

[0101] Exemplarily, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, which can be understood as: the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are in one-to-one correspondence with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array.

[0102] Exemplarily, the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports can also be understood as: the total number of antenna ports included in the first group of antenna ports is X.

[0103] Optionally, in this example, the first set of antenna ports are the X antenna ports at the very front in the movement direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array, and the X antenna ports are in the same row of the i-th antenna array. It can be understood that: the first set of antenna ports are the X antenna ports at the very front in the movement direction of the terminal device in the same row of the i-th antenna array; that is to say, the X antenna ports included in the first set of antenna ports are the antenna ports closest to the front end of the terminal device in the same row of the i-th antenna array.

[0104] Exemplarily, taking the i-th antenna array as Figure 4 the antenna array #1 in (a) of, and taking X = 2 as an example, since the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row are parallel to the movement direction of the terminal device, the antenna array #1 is a three-row and six-column antenna array (or, the antenna array #1 is a 3×6 antenna array); since the X antenna ports are the antenna ports closest to the front end of the terminal device in the same row of the antenna array, the first set of antenna ports can be Figure 4 the antenna ports in any one of the three dashed areas in (a) of.

[0105] Or, taking the i-th antenna array as Figure 4 the antenna array #2 in (b) of, and taking X = 1 as an example, since the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row are parallel to the movement direction of the terminal device, the antenna array #2 is a six-row and three-column antenna array (or, the antenna array #2 is a 6×3 antenna array); since the X antenna ports are the antenna ports closest to the front end of the terminal device in the same row of the antenna array, the first set of antenna ports can be, as in Figure 4 any one of the six dashed areas in (b) of.

[0106] Optionally, in this example, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, including: the X reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are mapped to the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array in sequence according to the first mapping rule.

[0107] Wherein, the first mapping rule includes mapping to the X antenna ports in sequence according to the order of the reference signal port indexes from small to large and the order of the antenna ports in the first set of antenna ports from front to back.

[0108] Exemplarily, the order of the antenna ports in the first set of antenna ports from front to back refers to: the order of the antenna ports in the first set of antenna ports from front to back in the movement direction of the terminal device.

[0109] Exemplarily, taking the i-th antenna array as Figure 5The antenna array #1 shown, where the value of X is 2, the first set of antenna ports is any one of the antenna ports within the three dashed regions, and taking the X reference signal ports as reference signal port #1000 and reference signal port #1001, from Figure 5 it can be seen that the two antenna ports included in the first set of antenna ports include antenna port #0 and antenna port #1. Thus, reference signal port #1000 can be mapped to antenna port #0, and reference signal port #1001 can be mapped to antenna port #1.

[0110] Based on this example, the terminal device can, according to the first mapping rule, map the X reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources to the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array respectively. Furthermore, the reference signal can be sent through the first set of antenna ports, enabling the network device to determine the channel state information corresponding to the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports according to the reference signal.

[0111] Since the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device, and the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports are located at the forefront of the same row of the i-th antenna array, during the movement of the terminal device, in the row where the first set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array is located, all other antenna ports except these X antenna ports can move to the positions where these X antenna ports are located; that is to say, there is a correlation between these X antenna ports and these other antenna ports. Thus, the network device can infer the channel state information corresponding to the other antenna ports respectively according to the channel state information corresponding to these X antenna ports respectively, so as to determine the channel state information of all antenna ports in the row where the first set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array is located. That is to say, by configuring reference signal resources for some antenna ports in a row of antenna ports, the channel state information of all antenna ports in this row can be obtained; compared with the scheme of configuring reference signal resources for each antenna port respectively for channel estimation, it can reduce the consumption of reference signal resources.

[0112] In another example, the total number of reference signal ports included in at least X reference signal ports is greater than X, that is, M is greater than X.

[0113] Optionally, in this example, the M reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the M antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array.

[0114] Among them, the second set of antenna ports includes the first set of antenna ports, that is, the M antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports include the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports. That is to say, the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports are part of the antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports.

[0115] Among them, the second set of antenna ports is located in the i-th antenna array, in the frontmost X columns in the movement direction of the terminal device.

[0116] Exemplarily, the implementation of the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports can refer to the relevant description of the first set of antenna ports in the above example, and will not be elaborated here.

[0117] Exemplarily, the M reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the M antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. It can be understood that: the M reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are in one-to-one correspondence with the M antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. That is to say, each of the M reference signal ports in each set of reference signals has its corresponding antenna port.

[0118] Exemplarily, the M antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports can also be understood as: the total number of antenna ports included in the second set of antenna ports is M.

[0119] Optionally, in this example, M is Y times X. Among them, Y is less than or equal to the number of rows of the i-th antenna array, and Y is a positive integer.

[0120] In the first possible implementation manner, when Y is less than the number of rows of the i-th antenna array, the M antenna ports included in the second set of antenna ports are located in some rows of the i-th antenna array.

[0121] Optionally, in this possible implementation manner, the M antenna ports are located in Y rows of the i-th antenna array, and each of the Y rows includes X of the M antenna ports.

[0122] Exemplarily, taking the i-th antenna array as Figure 4 the antenna array #1 shown in (a) therein, with X being 2 as an example, the antenna array #1 is a three-row and six-column antenna array, and the value of Y is less than 3. Since M is greater than X, the value of Y can be 2. At this time, M is equal to 4, and the second set of antenna ports includes Figure 4 the antenna ports in any two of the three dashed areas in (a) therein. Among them, the antenna ports in one of the two dashed areas are the first set of antenna ports.

[0123] Or, taking the i-th antenna array as Figure 4 the antenna array #2 shown in (b) therein, with X being 1 as an example, the antenna array #2 is a six-row and three-column antenna array, and the value of Y is less than 6. Since M is greater than X, the value of Y can be any one of 2 to 5; at this time, the second set of antenna ports includes Figure 4antenna ports within any Y of the 6 dashed areas in (b) therein. Among them, the antenna ports within one of the any Y dashed areas are the first group of antenna ports.

[0124] In a second possible implementation, when Y is equal to the number of rows of the i-th antenna array, the M antenna ports included in the second group of antenna ports are located in all rows of the i-th antenna array.

[0125] Optionally, in this possible implementation, the M antenna ports are located in each row of the i-th antenna array, and each row respectively includes X of the M antenna ports. That is to say, the second group of antenna ports are the X columns of antenna ports at the forefront in the movement direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array.

[0126] Exemplarily, taking the i-th antenna array as Figure 4 the antenna array #1 shown in (a) therein, and taking X = 2 as an example, the antenna array #1 is a three-row and six-column antenna array, and the value of Y is equal to 3. At this time, M is equal to 6, and the second group of antenna ports includes Figure 4 antenna ports within 3 dashed areas in (a) therein. Among them, the antenna ports within one of the any three dashed areas are the first group of antenna ports.

[0127] Or, taking the i-th antenna array as Figure 4 the antenna array #2 shown in (b) therein, and taking X = 1 as an example, the antenna array #2 is a six-row and three-column antenna array, and the value of Y is equal to 6; at this time, M is equal to 6, and the second group of antenna ports includes Figure 4 antenna ports within 6 dashed areas in (b) therein. Among them, the antenna ports within one of the 6 dashed areas are the first group of antenna ports.

[0128] Optionally, in this example, the M reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, including: the M reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are mapped to the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array in sequence according to the second mapping rule.

[0129] Among them, the second mapping rule includes mapping to the M antenna ports in sequence according to the order of the reference signal port index from small to large and the order of the column index of the antenna ports in the second group of antenna ports from front to back.

[0130] Exemplarily, the column index of the antenna ports in the second group of antenna ports from front to back means: the column index of the antenna ports in the second group of antenna ports is from front to back in the movement direction of the terminal device.

[0131] Optionally, the second mapping rule may further include: for the same column of antenna ports, they may be mapped to M antenna ports in ascending order of antenna port index.

[0132] Exemplarily, taking the i-th antenna array as Figure 6 the antenna array #1 shown in the figure, where the value of X is 2 and the second group of antenna ports includes at least two antenna ports within two of the three dashed areas, when Y is less than the number of rows of the antenna array #1 (i.e., 3), the value of M can be 4. At this time, if the M reference signal ports include reference signal ports #1000 to 1003, and taking the second group of antenna ports including antenna ports #0 to 1 and antenna ports #6 to 7 as an example, according to the second mapping rule, reference signal port #1000 can be mapped to antenna port #0, reference signal port #1001 can be mapped to antenna port #6, reference signal port #1002 can be mapped to antenna port #1, and reference signal port #1003 can be mapped to antenna port #7. Or, reference signal port #1000 can be mapped to antenna port #6, reference signal port #1001 can be mapped to antenna port #0, reference signal port #1002 can be mapped to antenna port #7, and reference signal port #1003 can be mapped to antenna port #1.

[0133] When Y is equal to the number of rows of the antenna array #1 (i.e., 3), the value of M can be 6. At this time, if the M reference signal ports include reference signal ports #1000 to 1005, and the second group of antenna ports includes antenna ports #0 to 1, antenna ports #6 to 7, and antenna ports #12 to 13, then according to the second mapping rule, reference signal port #1000 can be mapped to antenna port #0, reference signal port #1001 can be mapped to antenna port #6, reference signal port #1002 can be mapped to antenna port 12, reference signal port #1003 can be mapped to antenna port #1, reference signal port #1004 can be mapped to antenna port #7, and reference signal port #1005 can be mapped to antenna port #13.

[0134] Taking Figure 6Taking the first row where antenna ports #0 to #1 are located as an example, in the above example, the mapping order of the second mapping relationship further includes: for antenna ports in the same column, they are mapped in ascending order of row index. In fact, the embodiments of the present application also support mapping in descending order of row index. For example, reference signal port #1000 can be mapped to antenna port #12, reference signal port #1001 can be mapped to antenna port #6, and reference signal port #1002 can be mapped to antenna port #0; or, for antenna ports in the same column, they can also be mapped in other preset mapping orders. For example, they can be mapped in the order of the second row, the third row, and the first row. For example, reference signal port #1000 can be mapped to antenna port #6, reference signal port #1001 can be mapped to antenna port #12, and reference signal port #1002 can be mapped to antenna port #0; the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0135] Based on this example, the terminal device can, according to the second mapping rule, map the M reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources to the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array respectively, and then can send the reference signal through the second group of antenna ports, so that the network device can determine the channel state information corresponding to the second group of antenna ports respectively according to the reference signal.

[0136] Since the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row in the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device, and the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports are located at the front end of the same row in the i-th antenna array, during the movement of the terminal device, among the antenna ports in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array are located, all the other antenna ports except these X antenna ports can move to the positions where these X antenna ports are located; that is to say, there is a correlation between these X antenna ports and the other antenna ports. Thus, the network device can infer the channel state information corresponding to the other antenna ports respectively according to the channel state information (such as the downlink channel information) corresponding to these X antenna ports respectively, so as to determine the channel state information of all the antenna ports in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array are located. That is to say, by configuring reference signal resources for some of the antenna ports in a row of antenna ports, the channel state information of all the antenna ports in this row can be obtained; compared with the scheme of configuring reference signal resources for each antenna port respectively for channel estimation, it can reduce the consumption of reference signal resources.

[0137] That is, the channel state information of the terminal device (i.e., the channel state information of each antenna port of the terminal device) can be determined through a small amount of reference signal resources, so that when the number of terminal devices served by the network device remains unchanged, the reference signal resources available for a terminal device to send reference signals increase. As a result, for a terminal device, the transmission period of the reference signal is shortened, thereby alleviating channel aging.

[0138] It should be noted that the above is only exemplary. Taking the first mapping rule and the second mapping rule as examples, the mapping relationship between M reference signal ports and M antenna ports is introduced. In fact, there are other mapping relationships between M reference signal ports and M antenna ports. For example, it can be mapped to M antenna ports in the order of decreasing reference signal port index and in the order of increasing column index of the antenna ports in the second group of antenna ports. Its implementation is similar to that of the above first mapping rule and second mapping rule, and the specific details can refer to the relevant descriptions of the above first mapping rule and second mapping rule, which will not be elaborated here.

[0139] Optionally, after step S301, as Figure 7 shown, the communication method further includes the following step S302:

[0140] S302: The terminal device sends a reference signal to the network device through the X antenna ports; correspondingly, the network device receives the reference signal from the terminal device through the X antenna ports. Among them, the reference signal is used to determine the channel state information of Z antenna ports, where Z is the total number of antenna ports in at least one antenna array, and Z is a positive integer.

[0141] Exemplarily, the reference signal includes, but is not limited to, a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0142] Exemplarily, the channel state information of the Z antenna ports can be the downlink channel information of the Z antenna ports; it can be understood that the downlink channel information of the Z antenna ports can also be regarded as: the downlink channel information of the terminal device.

[0143] Optionally, step S302 can also be replaced by: The terminal device sends a reference signal to the network device through M antenna ports; where, when M is equal to X, that is, the terminal device sends a reference signal to the network device through the X antenna ports.

[0144] Optionally, the network device can determine the channel state information of each antenna port in the i-th group of antenna arrays according to the channel state information of the M antenna ports, the structure of at least one antenna array, and the mapping relationship between the M antenna ports and the M reference signal ports, so as to determine the channel state information of at least one antenna array (i.e., Z antenna ports).

[0145] Among the M antenna ports, the channel state information of X antenna ports in the same row can be used to determine the channel state information of other antenna ports in that row (that is, the antenna ports in that row other than the X antenna ports, which is uniformly described here and will not be repeated).

[0146] Optionally, the following relationship (1) is satisfied between the channel state information of the X antenna ports and the channel state information of other antenna ports:

[0147]

[0148] Among them, t in the above relationship (1) represents time; represents the channel state information of one antenna port among other antenna ports; represents the channel state information of one antenna port among the X antenna ports in the same row; a h is a prediction coefficient; L is the distance that the terminal device moves when one antenna port among other antenna ports moves to the position where one antenna port among the X antenna ports is located; Δ t is the time duration used for the terminal device to move the distance L. Among them, for different values of L and t, are respectively the channel state information of antenna ports corresponding to different antenna ports.

[0149] Exemplarily, L is the distance that the terminal device moves when one antenna port among other antenna ports moves to the position where one antenna port among the X antenna ports is located, and it can also be understood as: L is the distance between one antenna port among the X antenna ports and one antenna port among the M antenna ports.

[0150] Exemplarily, taking the value of X as 1 and the number of columns of the i-th antenna array as 4 as an example, that is, the network device can infer the channel state information corresponding to the remaining 3 antenna ports in the row where the antenna port is located according to the channel state information of one antenna port. Among them, the L and t corresponding to each of the remaining 3 antenna ports can be determined according to the moving speed of the terminal device and the distances between the remaining 3 antenna ports and the antenna port respectively, so as to determine the channel state information corresponding to the 3 antenna ports respectively according to the above relationship (1).

[0151] Optionally, when the value of X is greater than 1, the network device may determine multiple channel state information of one antenna port among the other antenna ports according to the channel state information of each of the X antenna ports, where the channel state information of each of the X antenna ports respectively corresponds to one piece of channel state information among the multiple pieces of channel state information; and then determine the channel state information of one antenna port among the other antenna ports according to the multiple pieces of channel state information.

[0152] Exemplarily, taking the i-th antenna array as Figure 6 the shown antenna array #1 as an example, the value of X is 2, the X antenna ports include antenna port #0 and antenna port #1, and the other antenna ports include antenna port #2 to antenna port #5. Taking the example of inferring the channel state information of antenna port #2 by using the channel state information of antenna port #0 and antenna port #1, the channel state information of antenna port #0 and the channel state information of antenna port #1 are respectively substituted into the above relationship (1) to obtain 2 pieces of channel state information of antenna port #2. Further, the channel state information of antenna port #2 is determined according to the 2 pieces of channel state information.

[0153] Exemplarily, determining the channel state information of one antenna port among the other antenna ports according to the multiple pieces of channel state information includes: obtaining the channel state information of one antenna port among the other antenna ports by one or more of weighted combining, maximal ratio combining (MRC), and Kalman filtering of the multiple pieces of channel state information.

[0154] It should be noted that the above only exemplarily introduces the implementation manner of "determining the channel state information of one antenna port among the other antenna ports according to the multiple pieces of channel state information". Actually, the embodiments of the present application may also implement "determining the channel state information of one antenna port among the other antenna ports according to the multiple pieces of channel state information" by other manners other than the above manners, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0155] Based on this optional solution, the network device may respectively determine the channel state information corresponding to each row of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array according to the above relationship (1). Compared with the solution of respectively configuring reference signal resources for each antenna port for channel estimation, the channel state information of the terminal device (i.e., the channel state information of each antenna port in at least one antenna array of the terminal device) can be determined by using a small amount of reference signal resources. When the number of terminal devices served by the network device remains unchanged, the reference signal resources available for a terminal device to send reference signals increase. That is to say, for a terminal device, the transmission period of the reference signal is shortened, thereby alleviating channel aging.

[0156] It should be noted that, only by way of example, the above takes relationship (1) as an example to introduce inferring the channel state information of other antenna ports in the row where the X antenna ports are located according to the channel state information of the X antenna ports. In fact, "inferring the channel state information of other antenna ports in the row where the X antenna ports are located according to the channel state information of the X antenna ports" can also be implemented in other ways other than the above relationship (1), and the embodiments of the present application do not limit it.

[0157] In addition, the channel state information of each row of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array can be implemented according to the process of "inferring the channel state information of other antenna ports in the row where the X antenna ports are located according to the channel state information of the X antenna ports", so as to determine the channel state information of the i-th antenna array. Further, each antenna array in at least one antenna array can refer to the implementation process of the channel state information of the i-th antenna array, so as to obtain the channel state information of at least one antenna array (that is, the channel state information of the terminal device).

[0158] In the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, in this method, the first configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device indicates at least one group of reference signal resources, where each group of reference signal resources in the at least one group of reference signal resources includes at least X reference signal ports, and the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. That is, the network device configures reference signal ports for the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in each antenna array of at least one antenna array of the terminal device respectively. Since the first group of antenna ports are X antenna ports in the same row in the i-th antenna array, and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array, it can be considered that the network device configures reference signal resources for some antenna ports in at least one row of antenna ports in at least one antenna array of the terminal device respectively.

[0159] In addition, the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device, and the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports are located at the forefront of the same row of the i-th antenna array. Therefore, during the movement of the terminal device, in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array is located, all the antenna ports other than the X antenna ports can move to the positions where the X antenna ports are located; that is to say, there is a correlation between the X antenna ports and the other antenna ports. Thus, the network device can infer the channel state information corresponding to the other antenna ports respectively according to the channel state information (such as the downlink channel information) corresponding to the X antenna ports respectively, so as to determine the channel state information of all the antenna ports in the row where the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array is located. That is to say, by configuring reference signal resources for some antenna ports in a row of antenna ports, the channel state information of all the antenna ports in this row can be obtained; compared with the solution of configuring reference signal resources for each antenna port respectively for channel estimation, the consumption of reference signal resources can be reduced. That is, the channel state information of the terminal device (that is, the channel state information of each antenna port of the terminal device) can be determined through a small amount of reference signal resources, so that when the number of terminal devices served by the network device remains unchanged, the reference signal resources available for a terminal device to send reference signals increase. Therefore, for a terminal device, the transmission period of the reference signal is shortened, thereby alleviating channel aging.

[0160] Optionally, before step S301, as Figure 7 shown, the communication method further includes the following steps S300A to S300B:

[0161] S300A. The terminal device sends a first indication message to the network device; correspondingly, the network device receives the first indication message from the terminal device. Wherein, the first indication message indicates M, and the first indication message is used to determine the number of at least X reference signal ports. That is to say, after receiving the first indication message, the network device can determine the number of at least X reference signal ports according to the first indication message.

[0162] S300B. The terminal device sends a second indication message to the network device; correspondingly, the network device receives the second indication message from the terminal device. Wherein, the second indication message indicates Z.

[0163] Optionally, the second indication message indicates Z through the structure of the i-th antenna array and the number of arrays of at least one antenna array, and the structures of each antenna array in the at least one antenna array are the same.

[0164] Exemplarily, the structure of the i-th antenna array can be represented by the number of rows and columns of the i-th antenna array. Therefore, the second indication information for indicating the structure of the i-th antenna array can be understood as: the second indication information is used to indicate the number of rows and columns of the i-th antenna array. For example, the second indication information includes the number of rows and columns of the i-th antenna array and the number of arrays.

[0165] Optionally, at least one antenna array can be located in different antenna panels respectively. At this time, the number of arrays can also be referred to as the number of antenna panels. Exemplarily, the terminal device can be a train, and different carriages of the train can be regarded as different antenna panels. Thus, the number of arrays can also be referred to as the number of carriages of the train.

[0166] Optionally, the distance between adjacent antennas in the i-th antenna array can be a default value, or the distance between adjacent antennas can be preset. Among them, the antenna ports in the i-th antenna array are evenly distributed, that is, the distance between any two adjacent antenna ports in the i-th antenna array is equal.

[0167] As an example, the distribution mode of at least one antenna array can be the default distribution mode.

[0168] Optionally, the default distribution mode can include: at least one antenna array is evenly distributed in the moving direction of the terminal device. That is, the distance between any two adjacent antenna ports in at least one antenna array is the same. That is to say, the distance between any two adjacent antenna ports in any one of at least one antenna array is equal, and the distance between the two closest antenna ports in adjacent antenna arrays in at least one antenna array is the same as the distance between any two adjacent antenna ports.

[0169] For the convenience of description, hereinafter, the distance between the two closest antenna ports in adjacent antenna arrays in at least one antenna array will be briefly referred to as the distance between adjacent antenna arrays, and the distance between any two adjacent antenna ports in any one of at least one antenna array will be briefly referred to as the distance between adjacent antenna ports. This is uniformly explained here and will not be elaborated further.

[0170] Optionally, the distance between adjacent antenna ports can adopt a default value, or it can also be a predetermined value, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0171] Optionally, the default distribution mode can also include: at least one antenna array is arranged side by side in the moving direction of the terminal device, or at least one antenna array is arranged in parallel in the moving direction of the terminal device.

[0172] Exemplarily, taking the distance between adjacent antenna ports as a and at least one antenna array including 3 antenna arrays as an example, as Figure 8As shown in (a) of [reference], at least one antenna array is distributed side by side in the moving direction of the terminal device; or, as shown in (b) of [reference], at least one antenna array is distributed in parallel in the moving direction of the terminal device. Figure 8 As shown in (b) of [reference], at least one antenna array is distributed in parallel in the moving direction of the terminal device.

[0173] As another example, the distribution manner of at least one antenna array may be indicated by the second indication information, that is, the second indication information is further used to indicate the distribution manner of at least one antenna array.

[0174] Optionally, the second indication information may also indicate that at least one antenna array is evenly distributed in the moving direction of the terminal device. Or, the second indication information may also indicate that at least one antenna array is unevenly distributed in the moving direction of the terminal device.

[0175] Exemplarily, the second indication information may also indicate that the implementation of the even distribution of at least one antenna array in the moving direction of the terminal device is the same as the implementation of the above default distribution manner, and the specific description may refer to the relevant description of the above default distribution manner and will not be elaborated here.

[0176] Optionally, the second indication information may further indicate the arrangement manner of at least one antenna array. Exemplarily, the arrangement manner of at least one antenna array may be: at least one antenna array is distributed side by side in the moving direction of the terminal device, or at least one antenna array is distributed in parallel in the moving direction of the terminal device.

[0177] Optionally, in the case where the second indication information indicates that at least one antenna array is unevenly distributed in the moving direction of the terminal device, the second indication information may further indicate the distance between adjacent antenna arrays.

[0178] Exemplarily, taking at least one antenna array including three antenna arrays, the distance between adjacent antenna ports being a, and the distance between adjacent antenna arrays being b as an example, in the case where at least one antenna array is distributed side by side in the moving direction of the terminal device, the distribution manner of antenna arrays #1 to #3 may be as shown in (a) of [reference]; in the case where at least one antenna array is distributed in parallel in the moving direction of the terminal device, the distribution manner of antenna arrays #1 to #3 may be as shown in (b) of [reference]. Figure 9 As shown in (a) of [reference]; in the case where at least one antenna array is distributed in parallel in the moving direction of the terminal device, the distribution manner of antenna arrays #1 to #3 may be as shown in (b) of [reference]. Figure 9 As shown in (b) of [reference].

[0179] Exemplarily, the above Figure 8 (such as (a) of [reference] or Figure 8 (b) of [reference]) and Figure 8 (such as (a) of [reference] or Figure 9 (b) of [reference]) and Figure 9 (such as (a) of [reference] or Figure 9 (b) of [reference]) and the dotted line areas in [reference], may refer to the above Figure 4 and / or Figure 5The relevant description of the dashed area in the figure will not be elaborated here.

[0180] Exemplarily, the above first indication information and second indication information can be collectively referred to as the constraint of the reference signal, that is, the terminal device reports the constraint of the reference signal to the network device, so that the network device can know, according to the constraint, that each group of reference signal resources indicated by the first configuration information respectively includes at least the number of X reference signal ports and the structure of at least one antenna array. Further, it can also know the distance between any one of the X antenna ports and other antenna ports in its row (i.e., L in the above relationship (1)), so as to realize the acquisition of the channel state information of Z antenna ports.

[0181] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the sequence relationship between step S300A and step S300B, that is, step S300A can be executed before step S300B, or step S300A can be executed after step S300B, or step S300A and step S300B can be executed simultaneously. Exemplarily, when step S300A and step S300B are executed simultaneously, the first indication information and the second indication information (i.e., the constraint of the reference signal) can be in the same information, that is, step S300A and step S300B can be combined into one step.

[0182] Optionally, the first indication information and the second indication information can be in the capability information of the terminal device sent to the network device.

[0183] Optionally, taking the distribution mode of at least one antenna array as the default distribution mode as an example, the capability information can include a first field and a second field. The first field is used to indicate Z; the second field is used to indicate M.

[0184] Optionally, when Z is indicated by the structure of the i-th antenna array and the number of at least one antenna array, the second field includes sub-field #1, sub-field #2 and sub-field #3, where sub-field #1 is used to indicate the number of rows of the i-th antenna array; sub-field #2 is used to indicate the number of columns of the i-th antenna array; sub-field #3 is used to indicate the number of at least one antenna array.

[0185] Based on this optional solution, the first indication information and the second indication information may be located in the capability information. It can be understood that the capability information is reported by the terminal device to the network device during the random access process. Therefore, compared with the method in which the terminal device reports the first indication information and the second indication information using dynamic signaling (such as uplink control information (UCI)), the overhead of dynamic signaling can be reduced. In addition, in the case where the reference signal resources change, more signaling interactions are required between the terminal device and the network device. If dynamic signaling is used for reporting, the overhead of dynamic signaling is further increased. Therefore, the solution provided in the embodiments of the present application can further reduce the overhead of dynamic signaling in the case where the reference signal resources change.

[0186] The above only takes the distribution manner of at least one antenna array as the default distribution manner as an example to introduce the implementation of the capability information. In fact, the distribution manner of at least one antenna array may also be other distribution manners. At this time, the capability information further includes a third field, and this third field is used to indicate the distribution manner of at least one antenna array.

[0187] In the above embodiments of the present application, the description is made by taking at least one antenna array including 3 antenna arrays as an example. In fact, the number of antenna arrays of at least one antenna array may also be less than 3, or the number of antenna arrays of at least one antenna array may also be greater than 3. Its implementation is similar to the implementation of at least one antenna array including 3 antenna arrays. For details, reference may be made to the relevant description of at least one antenna array including 3 antenna arrays, and details are not described herein again.

[0188] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, the antenna ports on the line parallel to the movement direction of the terminal device are referred to as the same row of antenna ports. In fact, in the embodiments of the present application, the antenna ports parallel to the movement direction of the terminal device may also be referred to as the same column of antenna ports, that is, the X antenna ports included in the first group of antenna ports are located in the same column; correspondingly, the second group of antenna ports is located in the X rows at the forefront in the movement direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array.

[0189] It can be understood that in each of the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device may also be implemented by components (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, a logic module, or software) available for the network device; the methods and / or steps implemented by the terminal device may also be implemented by components (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, a logic module, or software) available for the terminal device. Among them, the chip system may be composed of chips, or the chip system may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0190] It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes the corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, combining the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the way of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of the present application.

[0191] The embodiments of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiments. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there can be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0192] Communication device Figure 10 FIG. shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 100. The communication device 100 includes a processing module 1001 and a transceiver module 1002. The communication device 100 can be used to implement the functions of the above network device or terminal device.

[0193] In some embodiments, the communication device 100 may further include a storage module ( Figure 10 not shown in the figure) for storing program instructions and data.

[0194] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1002, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1002 can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0195] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1002 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps executed by the network device or terminal device in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes of the technology described herein; the processing module 1001 can be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, etc.) executed by the network device or terminal device in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes of the technology described herein.

[0196] When the communication device 100 is used to implement the functions of the above terminal device:

[0197] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to receive first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates at least one set of reference signal resources, and each set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources includes at least X reference signal ports;

[0198] Among them, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. The i-th set of reference signal resources is one set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources, and the i-th antenna array is one of at least one antenna array of the terminal device;

[0199] The connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device. The first group of antenna ports are the X antenna ports at the forefront in the moving direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array. The X antenna ports are located in the same row of the i-th antenna array, and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array. Both i and X are positive integers.

[0200] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send first indication information, where the first indication information indicates M; correspondingly, the processing module 1001 is configured to determine the number of at least X reference signal ports according to the first indication information, and M is greater than or equal to X.

[0201] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send a reference signal through X antenna ports, where the reference signal is used to determine the channel state information of Z antenna ports, and Z is the total number of antenna ports in at least one antenna array, and Z is a positive integer.

[0202] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate Z.

[0203] When the communication device 100 is used to implement the functions of the above network device:

[0204] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to send first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates at least one set of reference signal resources, and each set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources includes at least X reference signal ports;

[0205] Among them, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array. The i-th set of reference signal resources is one set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources, and the i-th antenna array is one of at least one antenna array of the terminal device;

[0206] The connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device. The first group of antenna ports are the X antenna ports at the forefront in the moving direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array. The X antenna ports are located in the same row of the i-th antenna array, and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array. Both i and X are positive integers.

[0207] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive first indication information, and the first indication information indicates M; correspondingly, the processing module 1001 is configured to determine the number of at least X reference signal ports according to the first indication information, and M is greater than or equal to X.

[0208] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive a reference signal through X antenna ports, and the reference signal is used to determine the channel state information of Z antenna ports. Z is the total number of antenna ports in at least one antenna array, and Z is a positive integer.

[0209] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate Z.

[0210] Wherein, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be cited to the function descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0211] In the present application, the communication device 100 can be presented in the form of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner. Here, a "module" can refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0212] In some embodiments, when Figure 10 the communication device 100 in is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1002 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or the chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1001 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or the chip system.

[0213] Since the communication device 100 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained thereby can refer to the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0214] As a possible product form, the terminal device or network device described in the embodiments of the present application can also be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout the present application.

[0215] As another possible product form, the terminal device or network device described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 FIG. 1100 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1100 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1100 includes a processor 1101 and a transceiver 1102. The communication device 1100 can be a network device, or a chip or chip system therein; alternatively, the communication device 1100 can be a terminal device, or a chip or module therein. Figure 11 Only the main components of the communication device 1100 are shown. In addition to the processor 1101 and the transceiver 1102, the communication device may further include a memory 1103 and an input / output device (not shown in the figure).

[0216] Optionally, the processor 1101 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. The memory 1103 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1102 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and the processing of radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input / output device, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., is mainly used to receive data input by the user and output data to the user.

[0217] Optionally, the processor 1101, the transceiver 1102, and the memory 1103 can be connected through a communication bus.

[0218] After the communication device is powered on, the processor 1101 can read the software program in the memory 1103, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be wirelessly transmitted, after the processor 1101 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted, it outputs a baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1101. The processor 1101 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0219] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be set independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be independent of the communication device and arranged in a remote manner.

[0220] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can conceive that the above communication device 100 can adopt Figure 11 the form of the communication device 1100 shown.

[0221] As an example, Figure 10 the function / implementation process of the processing module 1001 in Figure 11 can be implemented by the processor 1101 in the communication device 1100 shown calling the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1103. Figure 10 the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1002 in Figure 11 can be implemented by the transceiver 1102 in the communication device 1100 shown.

[0222] As another possible product form, the network device or terminal device in the present application can adopt Figure 12 the composition structure shown, or include Figure 12 the components shown. Figure 12 FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1200 provided by the present application. The communication device 1200 can be a terminal device, or a chip or system-on-chip in the terminal device; or, it can be a network device, or a module, chip, or system-on-chip in the network device.

[0223] As shown in Figure 12 , the communication device 1200 includes at least one processor 1201 and at least one communication interface ( Figure 12 in

[0224] The processor 1201 can be a general - purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general - purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 1201 can also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0225] The communication bus 1202 is used to connect different components in the communication device 1200, enabling different components to communicate. The communication bus 1202 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For the sake of representation, Figure 12 only a thick line is used to represent it in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0226] The communication interface 1204 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Exemplarily, the communication interface 1204 can be a module, a circuit, a transceiver, or any device capable of implementing communication. Optionally, the communication interface 1204 can also be an input - output interface located within the processor 1201 to enable signal input and signal output of the processor.

[0227] The memory 1203 can be a device with storage functions, used to store instructions and / or data. Among them, the instructions can be computer programs.

[0228] Exemplarily, the memory 1203 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and / or instructions. It can also be a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and / or instructions. Additionally, it can be 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 compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, without limitation.

[0229] It should be noted that the memory 1203 can exist independently of the processor 1201 or be integrated with the processor 1201. The memory 1203 can be located inside the communication device 1200 or outside the communication device 1200, without limitation. The processor 1201 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1203 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0230] As an alternative implementation, the communication device 1200 can further include an output device 1205 and an input device 1206. The output device 1205 communicates with the processor 1201 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1205 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 1206 communicates with the processor 1201 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1206 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, etc.

[0231] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can envision that the Figure 10 shown communication device 100 can adopt the Figure 12 form of the shown communication device 1200.

[0232] As an example, Figure 10 the function / implementation process of the processing module 1001 in Figure 12 can be implemented by the processor 1201 in the shown communication device 1200 calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1203.Figure 10 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1002 in Figure 12 can be implemented by the communication interface 1204 in the communication device 1200 shown in

[0233] It should be noted that Figure 12 the structure shown does not constitute a specific limitation on the network device or the terminal device. For example, in some other embodiments of the present application, the network device or the terminal device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or have different component arrangements. The components shown in the figure can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0234] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0235] As a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, and the processor may call the instructions stored in the computer program in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device.

[0236] As another possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, and is used to receive computer execution instructions (the computer execution instructions are stored in the memory, and may be directly read from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0237] As yet another possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device.

[0238] It can be understood that the communication device may be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0239] The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program or instructions are stored, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the functions in any of the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0240] The present application further provides a computer program product, and when the computer program product is executed by a computer, the functions in any of the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0241] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments and will not be elaborated herein.

[0242] It can be understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in this application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections of the devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0243] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed to multiple network units. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0244] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of this application can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0245] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, 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 processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can 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 can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that the computer can access or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more media integrated therein. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state drive (SSD)), etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the computer can include the devices described above.

[0246] Although the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments herein, however, in the process of implementing the claimed present application, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure content, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "one" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions recited in the claims. Certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0247] Although the present application has been described in connection with specific features and their embodiments, it will be apparent that various modifications and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, the present specification and the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application is also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, the method comprises: receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information indicating at least one set of reference signal resources, each set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources respectively comprising at least X reference signal ports; wherein, the X reference signal ports comprised in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, the i-th set of reference signal resources being one set of reference signal resources in the at least one set of reference signal resources, and the i-th antenna array being one of at least one antenna array of a terminal device; the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row of the i-th antenna array are parallel to the moving direction of the terminal device, the first set of antenna ports being the X antenna ports at the forefront in the moving direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array, the X antenna ports being in the same row in the i-th antenna array, and X being less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array, both i and X being positive integers.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the X reference signal ports comprised in the i-th set of reference signal resources being respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array comprises: the X reference signal ports comprised in the i-th set of reference signal resources are sequentially mapped to the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array according to a first mapping rule, wherein, the first mapping rule comprises mapping, in the order from the smallest to the largest of the reference signal port indexes, and in the order from the front to the back of the antenna ports in the first set of antenna ports, to the X antenna ports.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the number of the at least X reference signal ports is M, M being Y times X, correspondingly, the M reference signal ports comprised in the i-th set of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the M antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, and Y being less than or equal to the number of rows of the i-th antenna array; wherein, the second set of antenna ports is located in the X columns at the forefront in the moving direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array, the M antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports comprising the X antenna ports of the first set of antenna ports, and Y being a positive integer.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, the M reference signal ports comprised in the i-th set of reference signal resources being respectively associated with the M antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array comprises: the M reference signal ports comprised in the i-th set of reference signal resources are sequentially mapped to the M antenna ports of the second set of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array according to a second mapping rule, wherein, the second mapping rule comprises mapping, in the order from the smallest to the largest of the reference signal port indexes, and in the order from the front to the back of the column indexes of the antenna ports in the second set of antenna ports, to the M antenna ports.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, the method further comprises: Send first indication information, where the first indication information indicates M, and the first indication information is used to determine the number of the at least X reference signal ports, and M is greater than or equal to X.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, the method further includes: sending a reference signal through the X antenna ports, where the reference signal is used to determine the channel state information of Z antenna ports, and Z is the total number of antenna ports in the at least one antenna array, and Z is a positive integer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, the method further includes: sending second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate Z.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, the second indication information is used to indicate the structure of the i-th antenna array and the number of antenna arrays of the at least one antenna array, and the structures of each antenna array in the at least one antenna array are the same.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, the second indication information includes the number of rows and columns of the i-th antenna array and the number of antenna arrays.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, the second indication information is further used to indicate the distribution manner of the at least one antenna array.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein, the maximum value of i is determined according to the number of antenna arrays of the at least one antenna array.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, the maximum value of i is the number of antenna arrays.

13. A communication method, wherein, the method includes: sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates at least one group of reference signal resources, and each group of reference signal resources in the at least one group of reference signal resources respectively includes at least X reference signal ports; wherein, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, the i-th group of reference signal resources is one group of reference signal resources in the at least one group of reference signal resources, and the i-th antenna array is one antenna array in the at least one antenna array of the terminal device; the connection lines of the antenna ports in the same row in the i-th antenna array are parallel to the movement direction of the terminal device, the first group of antenna ports are the X antenna ports at the forefront in the movement direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array, the X antenna ports are located in the same row in the i-th antenna array, and X is less than the number of columns of the i-th antenna array, and both i and X are positive integers.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, including: the X reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are sequentially mapped to the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array according to the first mapping rule, where, The first mapping rule includes mapping to the X antenna ports in the order of the reference signal port indices from small to large and the antenna ports in the first group of antenna ports from front to back.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, the number of the at least X reference signal ports is M, M is Y times of X, correspondingly, the M reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array, and Y is less than or equal to the number of rows of the i-th antenna array; wherein, the second group of antenna ports is located in the X columns at the forefront in the movement direction of the terminal device in the i-th antenna array, and the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports include the X antenna ports of the first group of antenna ports, and Y is a positive integer.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, the fact that the M reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are respectively associated with the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array includes: the M reference signal ports included in the i-th group of reference signal resources are mapped to the M antenna ports of the second group of antenna ports in the i-th antenna array in sequence according to the second mapping rule, wherein, the second mapping rule includes mapping to the M antenna ports in the order of the reference signal port indices from small to large and the column indices of the antenna ports in the second group of antenna ports from front to back.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, wherein, the method further includes: receiving first indication information, the first indication information indicating M, M being greater than or equal to; determining the number of the at least X reference signal ports according to the first indication information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13-17, wherein, the method further includes: sending a reference signal through the X antenna ports, the reference signal being used to determine the channel state information of Z antenna ports, Z being the total number of antenna ports in the at least one antenna array, and Z being a positive integer.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, the method further includes: sending second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate Z.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, the second indication information is used to indicate the structure of the i-th antenna array and the number of antenna arrays of the at least one antenna array, and the structures of each antenna array in the at least one antenna array are the same.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, the second indication information includes the number of rows and columns of the i-th antenna array and the number of antenna arrays.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein, the second indication information is further used to indicate the distribution manner of the at least one antenna array.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13-22, wherein, the maximum value of i is determined according to the number of antenna arrays of the at least one antenna array.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein, The maximum value of i is the number of the arrays.

25. A communication system, characterized in that the communication system includes a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-12; the network device is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 13-24.

26. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module, the transceiver module is configured to execute the receiving or sending behavior in the method according to any one of claims 1-12, or is configured to execute the receiving or sending behavior in the method according to any one of claims 13-24; the processing module is configured to execute the processing behavior in the method according to any one of claims 1-12, or is configured to execute the processing behavior in the method according to any one of claims 13-24.

27. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction, so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1-12, or so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 13-24.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs, and when the computer instructions or programs run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1-12 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 13-24 is executed.

29. A computer program product, characterized in that when the computer program product runs on a communication device, the communication device is enabled to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-12, or the communication device is enabled to execute the method according to any one of claims 13-24.

30. A chip, characterized in that it includes: a processor, the processor is coupled to an interface circuit, and the interface circuit is configured to receive computer execution instructions. When the execution instructions are executed by the processor, the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1-12, or the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 13-24.

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