Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of communication, and discloses a communication method and device, which can improve the flexibility and transmission performance of data transmission by performing UEP layered transmission on to-be-transmitted data, and support data UEP transmission in a non-MIMO scene. The method comprises the steps that layering processing is conducted on first data, N layers of data are obtained, and N is an integer larger than or equal to 2; receiving modulation and coding indication information from the second communication device, wherein the modulation and coding indication information is used for indicating MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data, the P-layer data belongs to the N-layer data, the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data, and the modulation and coding indication information is determined according to the sequence of the information source contribution degree of the layer data in the P-layer data and a mapping strategy of the information source contribution degree sequence and the MCS; and according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data, coding modulation is carried out on the P-layer data.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and particularly to a communication method and apparatus.

[0002] With the rapid development of industries such as environmental perception, imaging, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), the surging data volume poses new challenges to network transmission capabilities. Currently, in order to improve the performance of data transmission, one way is to introduce a retransmission mechanism to retransmit data when resources permit, so that more data can be correctly transmitted; another way is to introduce unequal error protection (UEP), also known as non-uniform protection, to provide more robust channel protection for relatively important data to ensure that the receiving end can correctly decode this relatively important data in the case of fluctuating channel quality. Compared with the retransmission mechanism for data retransmission, UEP has the advantages of lower transmission delay and smaller resource overhead, and can better adapt to the real-time transmission and fusion of data such as perception, imaging, AI, and ML.

[0003] However, the current UEP is mainly adapted to multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. By configuring different modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for different MIMO streams, it adapts to the transmission quality requirements of different MIMO streams, only considering the transmission quality requirements at the MIMO stream granularity, without considering the transmission quality requirements of individual data, resulting in low flexibility and also being inapplicable to non-MIMO scenarios.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can improve the flexibility and transmission performance of data transmission by performing UEP hierarchical transmission on the data to be transmitted, and supports UEP transmission of data in non-MIMO scenarios.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. This method can be executed by a first communication device, and the method includes: performing hierarchical processing on first data to obtain N layers of data, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; receiving modulation and coding indication information from a second communication device, and the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in P layers of data. The P layers of data belong to the N layers of data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layers of data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS. Among them, the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing, and P is less than or equal to N; according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data, perform coding and modulation on the P layers of data respectively to obtain P code streams; send N code streams to the second communication device, and the N code streams include the P code streams and N - P code streams corresponding to the N - P layers of data other than the P layers of data in the N layers of data. Optionally, the method further includes: sending source characteristic information to the second communication device, and the source characteristic information includes the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data.

[0007] In the above communication method, the first communication device can be a terminal device, or a component of the terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in matching with the terminal device, etc. The second communication device can be a network device, or a component of the network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in matching with the network device, etc. Or the first communication device can be a terminal device, or a component of the terminal device, or a device used in matching with the terminal device, etc., and the second communication device is a terminal device different from the first communication device, or a component of the terminal device, or a device used in matching with the terminal device.

[0008] By adopting the above method, through UEP layering of the data to be transmitted, determining the source contribution degree of each layer of data, and indicating the importance degree of each layer of data, the second communication device can be enabled to configure the MCS for each layer of data based on the source contribution degree (i.e., the importance degree) of each layer of data, support different protection levels of MCS for different data layers within the data, meet the transmission quality requirements of data granularity, improve the transmission flexibility and the robustness of the overall data transmission. And it supports UEP transmission of data by a single transmission stream in a non - MIMO scenario, which can improve the applicable range of UEP transmission.

[0009] In a possible design, performing hierarchical processing on the first data to obtain N layers of data includes: determining a first hierarchical method associated with the first data type according to the first data type of the first data and the association relationship between the data type and the hierarchical method; performing hierarchical processing on the first data according to the first hierarchical method to obtain N layers of data.

[0010] Optionally, the deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P-layer data is missing includes one or more of the mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P-layer data is missing.

[0011] In the above design, according to the data type of the first data, the first data can be correspondingly stratified, and the corresponding deviation calculation method can be adopted, which can flexibly adapt to data of different data types and is beneficial to improving the transmission performance.

[0012] In a possible design, the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the ranking of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree ranking and the MCS, including: the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the channel state information with the second communication device, the ranking of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree ranking and the MCS.

[0013] In the above design, when determining the MCS corresponding to each layer of data, the channel state information between the first communication device and the second communication device can also be considered to further improve the reliability of the transmission.

[0014] In a possible design, the method further includes: sending the data length information of each layer of data in the N-layer data to the second communication device; receiving the resource configuration information from the second communication device, where the resource configuration information is used to configure M transmission blocks TB for transmitting the N-layer data, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; sending N code streams to the second communication device, including: sending N code streams to the second communication device on M TBs.

[0015] In the above design, reporting the data length information of each layer of data in the N-layer data to the second communication device can enable the second communication device to determine the resources required for transmitting the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data according to the data length information of each layer of data in the N-layer data and the MCS, and then accurately configure resources for the transmission of the N-layer data, which can improve the utilization rate of resources and reduce resource waste.

[0016] In a possible design, when the number of transmission streams O for transmitting the N-layer data is greater than or equal to 2, sending N code streams to the second communication device on M TBs includes: dividing the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized; sending the O groups of code streams to the second communication device through O transmission streams on M TBs.

[0017] In the above design, by dividing the N code streams into O groups of code streams so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized, the load of the O transmission streams can be balanced and the transmission efficiency can be improved.

[0018] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving layer number indication information from a second communication device, where the layer number indication information is used to indicate N; or determining N according to the UEP requirements for transmitting the first data.

[0019] In a possible design, for any two layers of data in the P-layer data, the MCSs satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer of data with a larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer of data with a smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data.

[0020] In the above design, compared with the layer of data with a smaller source contribution degree, the layer of data with a larger source contribution degree can adopt a smaller code rate and / or modulation order, which is beneficial to improving the robustness of the transmission of the layer of data with a larger source contribution degree and ensuring the transmission performance.

[0021] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device. The method includes: obtaining the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data of the first data to be transmitted by a first communication device, where the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when the layer of data is missing; sending modulation and coding indication information to the first communication device, where the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of the layer of data in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS.

[0022] In the above communication method, the first communication device may be a terminal device, or a component of the terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in combination with the terminal device, etc. The second communication device may be a network device, or a component of the network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in combination with the network device, etc. Or the first communication device may be a terminal device, or a component of the terminal device, or a device used in combination with the terminal device, etc., and the second communication device is a terminal device different from the first communication device, or a component of the terminal device, or a device used in combination with the terminal device.

[0023] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving N code streams from a first communication device, the N code streams corresponding to N layers of data of first data, the N layers of data including P layers of data, the N code streams including P code streams corresponding to the P layers of data and N - P code streams corresponding to N - P layers of data other than the P layers of data in the N layers of data, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2, and P being less than or equal to N; demodulating and decoding the N code streams to obtain N layers of data, wherein the P code streams corresponding to the P layers of data in the N code streams are demodulated and decoded according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data; reconstructing the N layers of data to obtain the first data.

[0024] In a possible design, obtaining the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data to be transmitted by the first communication device includes: receiving source characteristic information from the first communication device, the source characteristic information including the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data.

[0025] In a possible design, the deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P layers of data is missing includes one or more of the mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P layers of data is missing.

[0026] In a possible design, the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layers of data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS, including: the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data is determined according to the channel state information between the first communication device, the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layers of data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS.

[0027] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving the data length information of each layer of data in the N layers of data from the first communication device; determining the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N layers of data according to the data length information of each layer of data in the N layers of data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data and the MCS corresponding to the N - P layers of data in the N layers of data; determining M transport blocks TB for transmitting the N layers of data according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N layers of data and the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N layers of data, M and O being integers greater than or equal to 1; sending resource configuration information to the first communication device, the resource configuration information being used to configure the M TBs; receiving the N code streams from the first communication device, including: receiving the N code streams from the first communication device on the M TBs.

[0028] In a possible design, determining M transport blocks (TBs) for transmitting N-layer data according to the sizes of N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data and the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N-layer data includes: dividing the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data, such that the difference in data volume between the O groups of code streams is minimized; and determining the M TBs for transmitting the N-layer data according to the data volume of the group of code streams with the largest corresponding data volume among the O groups of code streams.

[0029] In a possible design, the method further includes: determining N according to the UEP requirements of the first communication device for transmitting the first data; and sending layer indication information to the first communication device, where the layer indication information is used to indicate N.

[0030] In a possible design, for any two layers of data in the P-layer data, the MCSs satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer of data with a larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer of data with a smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data.

[0031] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first communication device. The method includes: receiving modulation and coding indication information from a second communication device, where the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data to be transmitted by the second communication device; receiving N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data from the second communication device; demodulating and decoding the N code streams respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data to obtain the N-layer data; and reconstructing the N-layer data to obtain the first data.

[0032] In the above communication method, the first communication device may be a terminal device, or a component of the terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in combination with the terminal device, etc. The second communication device may be a network device, or a component of the network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in combination with the network device, etc. Or the first communication device may be a terminal device, or a component of the terminal device, or a device used in combination with the terminal device, etc., and the second communication device is a terminal device different from the first communication device, or a component of the terminal device, or a device used in combination with the terminal device.

[0033] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving resource configuration information from a second communication device, where the resource configuration information is used to configure M transport blocks (TBs) for transmitting N-layer data, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; receiving N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data from the second communication device, including: receiving the N code streams from the second communication device on the M TBs.

[0034] In a possible design, for any two layers of data in the N-layer data, the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) satisfies: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer of data with a larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer of data with a smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device. The method includes: performing hierarchical processing on first data to obtain N-layer data, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; obtaining the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N-layer data, where the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N-layer data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when the layer of data is missing; sending modulation and coding indication information to a first communication device, where the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the N-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS; performing encoding and modulation on the N-layer data respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data to obtain N code streams; sending the N code streams to the first communication device.

[0036] In a possible design, performing hierarchical processing on the first data to obtain N-layer data includes: determining a first hierarchical method associated with the first data type according to the first data type of the first data and the association relationship between the data type and the hierarchical method; performing hierarchical processing on the first data according to the first hierarchical method to obtain N-layer data.

[0037] In a possible design, the deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the N-layer data is missing includes one or more of the mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error brought to the first data when each layer of data in the N-layer data is missing.

[0038] In a possible design, the method further includes: determining the sizes of N code streams corresponding to N layers of data according to the data length information of each layer of data in the N layers of data and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N layers of data; determining M transport blocks (TBs) for transmitting the N layers of data according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N layers of data and the number of transport streams O for transmitting the N layers of data, where M and O are integers greater than or equal to 1; sending resource configuration information to a first communication device, where the resource configuration information is used to configure the M TBs; and sending the N code streams to the first communication device, including: sending the N code streams to a second communication device on the M TBs.

[0039] In a possible design, when the number of transport streams O for transmitting the N layers of data is greater than or equal to 2, sending the N code streams to the first communication device on the M TBs includes: dividing the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams, such that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized; and sending the O groups of code streams to the first communication device through O transport streams on the M TBs.

[0040] In a possible design, determining the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N layers of data according to the sorting of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the N layers of data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS includes: determining the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N layers of data according to the channel state information with the first communication device, the sorting of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the N layers of data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS.

[0041] In a possible design, for any two layers of data in the N layers of data, the MCSs satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer of data with the larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer of data with the smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the method in the first aspect or the third aspect above. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions, such as an interface unit and a processing unit.

[0043] In a possible design, the device may be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0044] In a possible design, the device includes a memory and a processor. The memory is used to store instructions executed by the processor. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the device can execute the methods of the first aspect or the third aspect described above.

[0045] In a possible design, the device can be the entire terminal device.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The device has the function of implementing the methods in the second aspect or the fourth aspect described above. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions, such as an interface unit and a processing unit.

[0047] In a possible design, the device can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0048] In a possible design, the device includes a memory and a processor. The memory is used to store instructions executed by the processor. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the device can execute the methods of the second aspect or the fourth aspect described above.

[0049] In a possible design, the device can be the entire network device or the entire terminal device.

[0050] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes an interface circuit and a processor, which are coupled to each other. The processor is used to implement the methods of the first aspect or the third aspect described above through logic circuits or by executing instructions. The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. It can be understood that the interface circuit can be a transceiver or a transceiver or a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0051] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory, which is used to store instructions executed by the processor, or to store input data required for the processor to run instructions, or to store data generated after the processor runs instructions. The memory can be a physically independent unit, or can be coupled to the processor, or the processor includes the memory.

[0052] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes an interface circuit and a processor, and the processor and the interface circuit are coupled to each other. The processor is configured to implement the method according to the second aspect or the fourth aspect through a logic circuit or by executing instructions. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. It can be understood that the interface circuit can be a transceiver, a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0053] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory, which is configured to store instructions executed by the processor, or input data required for the processor to execute instructions, or data generated after the processor executes instructions. The memory can be a physically independent unit, or can be coupled to the processor, or the processor includes the memory.

[0054] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device can implement the method according to the first aspect, and the second communication device can implement the method according to the second aspect; or the first communication device can implement the method according to the third aspect, and the second communication device can implement the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0055] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instructions are stored. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, or the fourth aspect can be implemented.

[0056] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, or the fourth aspect can be implemented.

[0057] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, which includes a processor and a memory. The processor is coupled to the memory, and the memory is configured to store programs or instructions. When the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the method according to the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, or the fourth aspect can be implemented.

[0058] For the technical effects that can be achieved by the second aspect to the twelfth aspect, please refer to the technical effects that can be achieved by the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0059] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 2 is one of the schematic diagrams of the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the layering method provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the source characteristic information provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of code block division provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of transport block combination provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 7 is a second schematic diagram of the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 8 is a first schematic diagram of the communication device structure provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 9 is a second schematic diagram of the communication device structure provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0068] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), univeRMal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system or new radio (NR), etc. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system. The communication system can also be a public land mobile network (PLMN) network, device-to-device (D2D) network, WiFi network, machine to machine (M2M) network, IoT network or other networks.

[0069] The architecture of the communication system applied in the embodiments of this application can be as shown in FIG. 1. The communication system includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system may further include the Internet 300. Among them, the radio access network 100 may include at least one network device, such as 110a and 110b in FIG. 1, and may further include at least one terminal device, such as 120a-120j in FIG. 1. Among them, 110a is a base station, 110b is a micro station, 120a, 120e, 120f, and 120j are mobile phones, 120b is a car, 120c is a fuel dispenser, 120d is a home access point (HAP) deployed indoors or outdoors, 120g is a laptop computer, 120h is a printer, and 120i is a drone. Among them, the same terminal device or network device can provide different functions in different application scenarios. For example, among the mobile phones in FIG. 1, there are 120a, 120e, 120f, and 120j. The mobile phone 120a can access the base station 110a, connect to the car 120b, directly communicate with the mobile phone 120e, and access the HAP. The mobile phone 120b can access the HAP and directly communicate with the mobile phone 120a. The mobile phone 120f can access the micro station 110b, connect to the laptop computer 120g, and connect to the printer 120h. The mobile phone 120j can control the drone 120i.

[0070] The terminal device is connected to the network device, and the network device is connected to the core network. The core network device and the network device can be independent and different physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the network device can be integrated on the same physical device, or the functions of part of the core network device and part of the network device can be integrated on one physical device. The terminal devices and the network devices can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner. FIG. 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system may further include other devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG. 1.

[0071] A network device, which can also be referred to as a radio access network device, can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc.; it can also be a module or unit that completes some functions of a base station. For example, it can be a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). Here, the CU completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete some or all of the functions of the physical layer. For specific descriptions of the above various protocol layers, reference can be made to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in FIG. 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in FIG. 1), or a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the network device.

[0072] The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as D2D, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the terminal device.

[0073] The network device and the terminal device can be fixed in position or movable. The network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and artificial satellites in the air. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the network device and the terminal device.

[0074] The roles of the network device and the terminal device can be relative. For example, the helicopter or the drone 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured as a mobile network device. For the terminal devices 120j that access the radio access network 100 through 120i, the terminal device 120i is a network device; but for the network device 110a, 120i is a terminal device, that is, the communication between 110a and 120i is through the radio air interface protocol. Of course, the communication between 110a and 120i can also be through the interface protocol between network devices. At this time, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, the network device and the terminal device can both be uniformly referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 can be referred to as communication devices with network device functions, and 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0075] The communication between the network device and the terminal device, between the network device and the network device, and between the terminal device and the terminal device can be through authorized spectrum, can be through unlicensed spectrum, or can be through both authorized spectrum and unlicensed spectrum at the same time; it can communicate through the spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), can communicate through the spectrum above 6 GHz, or can also use 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.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device can also be executed by modules (such as chips) in the network device, or can be executed by a control subsystem including network device functions. The control subsystem including network device functions here can be a control center in the above application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal device can also be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) in the terminal device, or can be executed by a device including terminal device functions.

[0077] Currently, performing environmental perception, imaging, AI / ML computing, etc. at the physical layer has become potential technologies and new application scenarios for communication systems. Future devices such as mobile terminals, sensors, and base stations are capable of performing environmental perception and imaging through electromagnetic signals, thereby performing offline or real-time modeling and analysis of the wireless transmission environment based on AI / ML, etc., and ultimately achieving a significant improvement in the performance of communication systems. Since the computing power, battery capacity, and the environmental range that a single device can perceive are relatively limited, it is necessary to transmit the results of perception, imaging, and AI / ML computing back to a remote central node (which may be a base station, server, cloud computing center, or a terminal device with strong computing power, etc.) for information fusion. To meet the transmission requirements of a large amount of data such as perception, imaging, and AI / ML, a UEP scheme can be adopted, by configuring different MCSs for different MIMO streams to adapt to the transmission quality requirements of different MIMO streams. For example: The perception data of type 1 and the perception data of type 2 are transmitted through MIMO stream 1 and MIMO stream 2 respectively. The MCSs can be configured for MIMO stream 1 and MIMO stream 2 according to the transmission quality requirements of the perception data of type 1 and the perception data of type 2 to adapt to the transmission quality requirements of different MIMO streams. However, this scheme only considers the transmission quality requirements at the stream granularity, does not consider the transmission quality requirements of the data, has low flexibility, and is not applicable to non-MIMO scenarios either.

[0078] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method and device, which can improve the flexibility and transmission performance of data transmission by performing UEP hierarchical transmission on the data to be transmitted, and support data UEP transmission in non-MIMO scenarios. The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0079] In addition, it should be understood that the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, time sequence, priority, or importance, etc. of the multiple objects. For example, the first communication device and the second communication device do not indicate the difference in the corresponding priority or importance, etc. of the two communication devices.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, for the number of nouns, it means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one (item)" or its similar expression refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0081] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In FIG. 2, a network device and a terminal device are taken as an example of the execution entity to illustrate the method, but the present application does not limit the execution entity of the method. For example, the network device in FIG. 2 can also be a second communication device, and the second communication device can be a network device, or a component of the network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in combination with the network device; the terminal device in FIG. 2 can also be a first communication device, and the first communication device can be a terminal device, or a component of the terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in combination with the terminal device. The method includes:

[0082] S201: The terminal device performs hierarchical processing on the first data to obtain N layers of data, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0083] In a possible implementation, the terminal device can perform hierarchical processing on the first data according to the required number of UEP layers N in a manner such as average division or random division according to the data volume to obtain N layers of data, that is, obtain N hierarchical data. Optionally, in order to further reduce the data transmission volume and improve the transmission performance, the terminal device can also perform compression processing on the obtained N layers of data respectively.

[0084] Among them, the required number of UEP layers N can be predefined by the protocol or preconfigured by the network device to the terminal device, and can also be determined by the terminal device according to the UEP requirements of the terminal device for transmitting the first data, or determined by the network device according to the UEP requirements of the terminal device for transmitting the first data and indicated to the terminal device through layer indication information. The present application does not limit this.

[0085] Taking the example that the required number of UEP layers N is determined by the terminal device according to the UEP requirements for transmitting the first data, as shown in Table 1, the corresponding relationship between the data volume (X) and the UEP requirements (i.e., the number of UEP layers) as shown in Table 1 can be pre-configured in the terminal device. When the data volume of the first data is greater than or equal to data volume threshold 1 and less than data volume threshold 2, the corresponding number of UEP layers is 2; when the data volume of the first data is greater than or equal to data volume threshold 2 and less than data volume threshold 3, the corresponding number of UEP layers is 3; when the data volume of the first data is greater than or equal to data volume threshold 3 and less than data volume threshold 4, the corresponding number of UEP layers is 4; …; when the data volume of the first data is greater than or equal to data volume threshold Z-1 and less than data volume threshold Z, the corresponding number of UEP layers is Z. Where Z is the maximum available number of UEP layers, that is, the maximum value that N can take. For the case where the data volume of the first data is less than data volume threshold 1, it can fall back to the non-layered mode, that is, the terminal device does not perform UEP layered transmission on the first data.

[0086] Table 1

[0087] Data volume (X) UEP requirements (number of UEP layers) Data volume threshold 1 ≤ X < data volume threshold 2 2 Data volume threshold 2 ≤ X < data volume threshold 3 3 Data volume threshold 3 ≤ X < data volume threshold 4 4 …… Data volume threshold Z-1 ≤ X < data volume threshold Z Z Table

[0088] In another possible implementation, the association relationship between the data type and the layering method can also be saved in the terminal device. When the terminal device performs layering processing on the first data, it can also determine the first layering method associated with the first data type according to the first data type of the first data, and use the first layering method associated with the first data type to perform layering processing on the first data to obtain N-layer data.

[0089] Among them, for the data type of the first data to be transmitted by the terminal device, the network device can indicate or configure it to the terminal device through signaling such as radio resource control (RRC) sent to the terminal device. Among them, in the signaling such as RRC, an information element (IE) with a physical layer data type (PHYData-DataType) field can be set to indicate different data types. The data types that the PHYData-DataType field can indicate include but are not limited to the following types:

[0090] (1) SensingSignal: The original sensing signal, which can be in the form of a real number or a complex number signal;

[0091] (2) Imaging Signal: Data obtained after the original perception signal undergoes imaging processing;

[0092] (3) Dense Point Cloud Signal: A complete point cloud signal with values at each spatial position;

[0093] (4) Sparse Point Cloud Signal: Part of the signal points with higher intensity obtained after sparsification operation on the basis of the dense point cloud signal;

[0094] (5) AI / ML Signal: The signal sent by AI / ML during inference or training.

[0095] In the embodiments of the present application, the layering methods that can be adopted include, in addition to layering by average division, random division, etc. according to the data volume, transformation coefficient layering (which can also be called transformation coefficient grouping), quantization coefficient bit layering (which can also be called quantization coefficient bit grouping), quality layering, etc. Referring to the schematic diagram of the layering method shown in Figure 3, when using transformation coefficient layering, one or more of the following transformations can be performed on the data first: discrete cosine transform (DCT), discrete wavelet transformation (DWT), discrete fourier transform (DFT), etc., and the transformed data can be layered according to low-frequency coefficients - high-frequency coefficients, etc. (taking 4 layers as an example in Figure 3); when using quantization coefficient bit layering, layering can be performed on the basis of the quantized coefficients, for example, multiple columns of quantized coefficients can be divided into a set number of layers according to the high and low bits of the bits (taking 4 layers as an example in Figure 3); when using quality layering, first, the original data (such as the first data) can be compressed and reconstructed according to a relatively low quality 1 to obtain reconstructed data 1, then the residual data 1 can be obtained by taking the residual between the original data and the reconstructed data 1, and the residual data 1 can be compressed and reconstructed according to quality 2 to obtain reconstructed residual data 1, where quality 2 is better than quality 1 (such as adjusted by the quantization coefficient size in the compression parameter, and the quantization coefficient of quality 2 is smaller than that of quality 1). Then, the residual data 2 can be obtained by taking the residual between the residual data 1 and the reconstructed residual data 1, and the residual data 2 can be compressed and reconstructed according to quality 3 to obtain reconstructed residual data 2, where quality 3 is better than quality 2. Finally, the residual data 3 can be obtained by taking the residual between the residual data 2 and the reconstructed residual data 2, and the residual data 3 can be compressed according to quality 4 to obtain reconstructed residual data 3, where quality 4 is better than quality 3. Through the above operations, a total of 4 layers of data corresponding to the reconstructed data 1, reconstructed residual data 1, reconstructed residual data 2, and reconstructed residual data 3 can be obtained, and the 4 layers of data also respectively correspond to the original data and 3 residual data (residual data 1 - residual data 3).

[0096] Exemplary: The layering method associated with the sensing signal can be transformation coefficient layering or quantization coefficient bit layering, etc. When the data type of the first data is a sensing signal, the terminal device can perform preprocessing such as Fourier transform and spatial domain transform on the first data (i.e., the sensing signal), then perform transformations such as discrete cosine transform and wavelet transform, and quantize the transformed coefficients. Finally, layering processing is performed on the basis of the quantized coefficients. For example, layering processing is performed according to high and low frequency coefficients to achieve transformation coefficient layering of the first data, or layering processing is performed according to the high and low bits of the bits to achieve quantization coefficient bit layering of the first data, etc.

[0097] The layering method associated with the imaging signal can be coefficient transformation layering or quantization coefficient bit layering, etc. When the data type of the first data is an imaging signal, the terminal device can perform discrete cosine, wavelet, etc. transformations on the first data (i.e., the imaging signal), quantize the transformed coefficients, and finally perform a layering operation based on the quantized coefficients. For example: perform layering processing according to high and low frequency coefficients to achieve coefficient transformation layering of the first data, or perform layering processing according to high and low bits to achieve quantization coefficient bit layering of the first data, etc.

[0098] The layering method associated with the 3D dense point cloud signal can be quality layering, etc. When the data type of the first data is a 3D dense point cloud signal, with the three dimensions being length, width, and height respectively, the terminal device can compress the two-dimensional data (corresponding to length and width) for each height of the first data (i.e., the 3D dense point cloud signal) respectively, complete the layering operation (such as quality layering) during the compression process, and can introduce predictive coding for the two-dimensional data of adjacent heights, for example, perform differential coding operations, thereby reducing data redundancy to a certain extent.

[0099] The layering method associated with the 3D sparse point cloud signal can be quantization coefficient bit layering or quality layering, etc. When the data type of the first data is a 3D sparse point cloud signal, the terminal device can use transformations such as quadtree and octree in combination with quantization and entropy coding for compression, and introduce a layering operation during quantization, such as quantization coefficient bit layering or quality layering, etc.

[0100] The layering method associated with the AI / ML signal can be quantization coefficient bit layering or quality layering, etc. When the data type of the first data is an AI / ML signal, the terminal device can use a predefined codebook in combination with quantization, entropy coding, etc. for compression, and introduce a layering operation during quantization, such as quantization coefficient bit layering or quality layering, etc.

[0101] It should be understood that in addition to determining the first layering method applied to the first data for layering processing according to the association relationship between the data type and the layering method, the terminal device can also determine the first layering method applied to the first data for layering processing according to the indication of the network device. For example: the network device can indicate the first layering method applied to the first data for layering processing through signaling such as RRC sent to the terminal device. Among them, a layering method (LayerMode) field can be set in the RRC and other signaling to indicate the first layering method applied to the first data for layering processing. In addition, it can be understood that when the UEP layer number N is configured or indicated by the network device, a layer number (LayerNum) field can also be set in the RRC and other signaling sent by the network device to the terminal device to indicate the UEP layer number N.

[0102] S202: The network device sends modulation and coding indication information to the terminal device. The modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the modulation and coding indication information. The MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS.

[0103] Among them, the P-layer data belongs to the N-layer data. The source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing, and P is less than or equal to N.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present application, for the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data, after the terminal device determines the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N-layer data of the first data, it can send the source contribution degree of the P-layer data therein to the network device through source characteristic information, etc. Among them, for the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N-layer data, the terminal device can determine it according to the deviation brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing. For example: for the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N-layer data, the terminal device can use the mean square error (MSE), or the normalized mean square error (NMSE), etc. of the first data missing this layer of data relative to the complete first data as the source contribution degree of this layer of data.

[0105] As an example, the first data is denoted as Y, and the reconstructed data obtained by missing the nth layer of data is denoted as Y' n , then the mean square error corresponding to the nth layer of data can be obtained as where L represents the length of the first data (such as the number of bits, the number of coefficients in the data, etc.).

[0106] In some implementations, the terminal device can also adopt a corresponding source contribution degree determination method according to the data type of the first data, so as to more truly reflect the importance degree of each layer of data of the first data. For example: when the data type of the first data is a sensing signal, the source contribution degree of each layer of data can be determined according to the mean square error, or normalized mean square error and other deviations brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing; when the data type of the first data is an imaging signal, it can be determined not only according to the mean square error, or normalized mean square error and other deviations brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing, but also according to the imaging error brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing; when the data type of the first data is a 3D dense point cloud signal, it can be determined not only according to the mean square error, or normalized mean square error and other deviations brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing, but also according to the geometric feature deviations such as chamfer distance error brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing; when the data type of the first data is a 3D sparse point cloud signal, it can be determined not only according to the mean square error, or normalized mean square error and other deviations brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing, but also according to the positioning error brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing; when the data type of the first data is an AI / ML signal, it can be determined not only according to the mean square error, or normalized mean square error and other deviations brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing, but also according to the inference error (the inference error of the AI / ML model corresponding to the AI / ML signal) brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing.

[0107] In some implementation manners, the network device can also indicate or configure the source contribution degree determination method to the terminal device by sending signaling such as RRC. For example: a layer importance (LayerImportance) field can be set in the signaling such as RRC to indicate the source contribution degree determination method, such as using the mean square error, etc.

[0108] After determining the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N layers of data of the first data, the terminal device can send the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data to the network device through the source characteristic information.

[0109] In a possible implementation, P can be equal to N, that is, the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N layers of data can be included in the source characteristic information sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0110] In another possible implementation, P can also be less than N, that is, the source contribution degree of some layers of the N-layer data can be included in the source characteristic information sent by the terminal device to the network device. As an example, the source contribution degree threshold predefined by the protocol or preconfigured by the network device can be stored in the terminal device. For the N-layer data, the terminal device only sends the source contribution degree of each layer of the P-layer data in the N-layer data whose corresponding source contribution degree is greater than the source contribution degree threshold to the network device through the source characteristic information. Alternatively, the reporting ratio S predefined by the protocol or preconfigured by the network device can be stored in the terminal device. For the N-layer data, the terminal device can only send the source contribution degree of each layer of the P (P = N * S)-layer data with a larger source contribution degree in the N-layer data to the network device through the source characteristic information.

[0111] It should be understood that the source contribution degree of each layer of the P-layer data sent by the terminal device to the network device can be the original source contribution degree of each layer of the P-layer data without quantization, or the source contribution degree of each layer of the P-layer data after quantization (such as the source contribution degree quantized to the interval of 1-10, or the source contribution degree after rounding calculation, etc.), or the sorting of the source contribution degree of each layer of the P-layer data in the P-layer data (for example, according to the order of the source contribution degree of the P-layer data from large to small, the sorting of the source contribution degree of each layer of the P-layer data in the P-layer data is determined, etc.).

[0112] In addition, in order to facilitate the network device to accurately recover the N-layer data from the code stream from the terminal device subsequently, in the source characteristic information sent by the terminal device to the network device, in addition to including the source contribution degree (C) of each layer of the P-layer data in the N-layer data, the data length information (L) of each layer of the N-layer data can also be included.

[0113] For example, referring to the schematic diagram of the source characteristic information shown in FIG. 4, the source characteristic information can include N + P + 1 parameters. Among them, the parameter bitmap includes N bits for indicating the P-layer data in the N-layer data for which the source contribution degree is sent. Taking bitmap as 1011…1 means that the source characteristic information includes the source contribution degree of the first layer data (i.e., the first hierarchical data), the third layer data (i.e., the third hierarchical data), the fourth layer data (the fourth hierarchical data), … the Nth layer data (i.e., the Nth hierarchical data) in the N-layer data, a total of P layers of data. N parameters L 1 、L 2 …、L N represent the data length information of the first, second, …, Nth layer data (such as the number of bytes or the number of specific length code blocks (such as 512-bit code blocks)), and P parameters C 1 、C 3 、…C NIndicates the source contribution degrees of the data in the 1st, 3rd, …, Nth layers. For the layers for which the source contribution degrees are not reported, the source contribution degrees related to the data in those layers are not sent. For example, for the data in the 2nd layer, only the data length information (L 2 ) is reported, and the source contribution degree (C 2 ) is not reported.

[0114] It can be understood that the network device can not only obtain the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the P-layer data of the first data to be sent by the terminal device through the source characteristic information reported by the terminal device. The network device can also use other methods to obtain the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the P-layer data of the first data to be sent by the terminal device.

[0115] As an example: Multiple data scheduled by the network device for the terminal device to send within a period of time through downlink control information (DCI), etc. are usually of the same or similar types. For multiple data sent by the terminal device to the network device within a period of time (such as within one reporting period), the terminal device can divide the multiple data into the same number of layers, and only before sending the first data to the network device within this time period, send the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the P-layer data of this data to the network device. For the subsequent data (such as the first data) within this time period, the network device can follow the configuration of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the previous P-layer data.

[0116] Or, if there are other terminal devices in the same cell as the terminal device to send the first data, the network device can also follow the configuration of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the P-layer data reported by other terminal devices as the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the P-layer data of this terminal device.

[0117] For the determination of the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data, in a possible implementation, one or more mapping tables of source contribution degree sorting and MCS can be maintained in the network device. The terminal device and the network device can negotiate the mapping table of source contribution degree sorting and MCS to be used, or the network device can determine the mapping table of source contribution degree sorting and MCS to be used. After the network device obtains the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the P-layer data of the first data to be sent by the terminal device, it can determine the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data according to the sorting (such as sorting from large to small) of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the P-layer data.

[0118] For example: The mapping table of source contribution degree sorting and MCS to be used is shown in Table 2, and the source contribution degree sorting in each column corresponds (or maps) to the MCS in that column. For example: Sorting 1 corresponds to MCS 1 and sorting 2 corresponds to MCS 2Corresponding, …, sorting Z and MCS Z Correspond. The value of Z can be determined according to the maximum available number of layers supported by the network device and the terminal device. If P is 4, the hierarchical data with the source contribution degree ranking 1 in the 4-layer data corresponds to MCS 1 , the hierarchical data with the source contribution degree ranking 2 corresponds to MCS 2 , the hierarchical data with the source contribution degree ranking 3 corresponds to MCS 3 , the hierarchical data with the source contribution degree ranking 4 corresponds to MCS 4 .

[0119] Table 2

[0120] 1 2 3 … Z MCS 1 MCS 2 MCS 3 … MCS Z Table

[0121] In another possible implementation, one or more mapping tables of channel state information and source contribution degree sorting and MCS can also be maintained in the network device. The terminal device and the network device can negotiate the mapping table of channel state information and source contribution degree sorting and MCS used, or the network device can determine the mapping table of channel state information and source contribution degree sorting and MCS used. After the network device obtains the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data of the first data to be sent by the terminal device, it can determine the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data according to the channel state information between the network device and the terminal device and the sorting of the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data. Among them, the channel state information can be one or more of signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), bit error ratio (BER), etc.

[0122] Taking the channel state information as SNR as an example, the mapping table of the channel state information and source contribution degree sorting and MCS used is shown in Table 3. According to the column where the source contribution degree sorting is located and the SNR interval to which the SNR between the network device and the terminal device belongs, an MCS can be uniquely determined. Among them, the SNR interval 1 , SNR interval 2 , SNR interval 3 , …, SNR interval D Do not overlap. For example: the SNR interval to which the SNR between the network device and the terminal device belongs 1If the ranking of the source contribution degree of a certain layer of data in the P-layer data is 1, then the MCS corresponding to this layer of data can be determined as MCS 1,1 ; the SNR interval to which the SNR between the network device and the terminal device belongs 1 If the ranking of the source contribution degree of a certain layer of data in the P-layer data is 2, then the MCS corresponding to this layer of data can be determined as MCS 1,2 and so on.

[0123] Table 3

[0124]

[0125] Taking D = 4 and Z = 8 as an example, the MCS mapped to the channel state information and the source contribution degree ranking can be specifically shown in Table 4. Among them, quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) represents a modulation scheme with a modulation order of 4 (i.e., the modulation bit number is log2(4) = 2), 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) represents a modulation scheme with a modulation order of 16 (i.e., the modulation bit number is log2(16) = 4), and 32QAM represents a modulation scheme with a modulation order of 32 (i.e., the modulation bit number is log2(32) = 5). Referring to Table 4, if the SNR interval to which the SNR between the network device and the terminal device belongs 1 and the ranking of the source contribution degree of the hierarchical data in the P-layer data is 1, then the MCS corresponding to this layer of data (i.e., MCS 1,1 ) is a modulation coding scheme with a code rate (Rate) of 1 / 2 and a modulation order of 4; if the SNR interval to which the SNR between the network device and the terminal device belongs 1 and the ranking of the source contribution degree of the hierarchical data in the P-layer data is 2, then the MCS corresponding to this layer of data (i.e., MCS 1,2 ) is a modulation coding scheme with a Rate of 17 / 32 and a modulation order of 4; …; if the SNR interval to which the SNR between the network device and the terminal device belongs 4 and the ranking of the source contribution degree of the hierarchical data in the P-layer data is 8, then the MCS corresponding to this layer of data (i.e., MCS 4,8 ) is a modulation coding scheme with a Rate of 25 / 32 and a modulation order of 32.

[0126] Table 4

[0127]

[0128] In another possible implementation, the network device may also obtain the corresponding MCS = (Rate, Mod) according to the mapping relationship between the channel state information and the MCS and the channel state information between the network device and the other device, where Mod represents the number of modulated bits (i.e., the number of bits that each modulation symbol can represent), for example, the number of bits that each symbol of code patterns such as QPSK, 8QAM, 16QAM, and 32QAM can represent is 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively, and the corresponding modulation orders of these code patterns are 4, 8, 16, and 32 respectively; Rate represents the preset code rate.

[0129] For each layer of data, the same modulation Mod can be used, that is, the same modulation order is adopted, and only the code rate (Rate) is used for differentiation:

[0130]

[0131] where the code rate of the nth layer of data in the P layer of data is Rate n , is the αth power of the source contribution degree of the nth layer of data in the P layer of data, L n is the data length of the nth layer of data in the P layer of data, α is an adjustment factor, α > 0, and Rate represents the preset code rate. That is, for the data layer with a higher source contribution degree, a lower code rate is allocated for key protection. When the value of α is smaller, the code rate difference between layers is smaller (the protection degree is closer); α can first determine a set of alternative value sets A = {α 1 , α 2 , …, α x}, and the network device can select a value of α from the set A, and can also configure the selected value of α to the terminal device through RRC signaling so that the terminal device can calculate the code rate of each layer of data.

[0132] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the MCSs corresponding to any two layers of data in the determined P-layer data satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer data with a larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer data with a smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data. That is to say, the above mapping table of source contribution degree sorting and MCS, channel state information, and mapping table of source contribution degree sorting and MCS, etc., satisfy that under the same channel state (or without considering the channel state), as the source contribution degree of the layer data is sorted in descending order, the modulation order and / or code rate of the corresponding MCS show an increasing trend, so that the layer data with a larger source contribution degree can use a smaller code rate and / or modulation order compared to the layer data with a smaller source contribution degree to obtain stronger transmission robustness and ensure transmission performance.

[0133] S203: The terminal device performs encoding and modulation on the P-layer data respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data to obtain P code streams.

[0134] S204: The terminal device sends N code streams to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives N code streams, and the N code streams include P code streams and N - P code streams corresponding to the N - P layers of data other than the P-layer data in the N-layer data.

[0135] After determining the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data, the network device can send modulation and coding indication information for indicating the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data to the terminal device, indicating the MCS used for each layer of data in the P-layer data by the terminal device. After receiving the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data, the terminal device can perform encoding and modulation on the P-layer data respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data (such as code rate, modulation order) to obtain P code streams.

[0136] For the N - P layers of data other than the P-layer data in the N-layer data, the MCS used for the N - P layers of data can be pre-configured or agreed upon in the network device and the terminal device in advance through protocol pre-definition or network device indication, etc. For example, a single MCS for the N - P layers of data can be pre-configured; or it can be pre-agreed that the N - P layers of data use the MCS corresponding to the first layer of data in the P-layer data, or the MCS corresponding to the Pth layer of data in the P-layer data, etc. The terminal device can also perform encoding and modulation on the N - P layers of data respectively according to the MCS used for the N - P layers of data to obtain N - P code streams.

[0137] After obtaining P bitstreams corresponding to the P - layer data and N - P bitstreams corresponding to the N - P layer data other than the P - layer data in the N - layer data, a total of N bitstreams, the terminal device can send the N bitstreams to the network device. For example, send the N bitstreams to the network device on the uplink shared channel. Correspondingly, the network device receives the N bitstreams from the terminal device.

[0138] S205: The network device demodulates and decodes the N bitstreams to obtain N - layer data.

[0139] S206: The network device reconstructs the N - layer data to obtain the first data.

[0140] After the network device receives the N bitstreams, for the P bitstreams corresponding to the P - layer data among the N bitstreams, it can demodulate and decode according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P - layer data to obtain the P - layer data; for the N - P bitstreams corresponding to the N - P layer data other than the P - layer data, it can demodulate and decode the N - P bitstreams respectively according to the MCS used by the N - P layer data to obtain the N - P layer data. After obtaining the P - layer data and the N - P layer data, the network device can reconstruct the N - layer data to obtain the first data. For example, splice the N - layer data according to the position of each layer of data in the N - layer data (or the layer number in the N - layer data) to obtain the first data.

[0141] It should be understood that if the terminal device sends the N bitstreams spliced together, the network device can also determine the size of the bitstream corresponding to each layer of data according to the data length information corresponding to each layer of data in the N - layer data and the corresponding MCS, and then determine the switching points of each bitstream, so as to demodulate and decode the N bitstreams.

[0142] In the above method, the network device can configure transmission resources (such as transport block (TB)) for the terminal device according to the optional lowest bitstream and the minimum modulation order (or the minimum number of modulation bits) so that the terminal device has sufficient resources to send the N bitstreams. In some embodiments, in order to improve resource utilization, the network device can also determine the sizes of the N bitstreams corresponding to the N - layer data according to the data length information of each layer of data in the N - layer data, as well as the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P - layer data and the MCS corresponding to the N - P layer data in the N - layer data; and determine M TBs for transmitting the N - layer data (that is, the N bitstreams corresponding to the N - layer data) according to the sizes of the N bitstreams and the number of transmission streams O for transmitting the N - layer data. M and O are integers greater than or equal to 1.

[0143] Specifically, obtain the MCS of each layer n =(Rate n ,Mod nAfter that, the network device can estimate the number of transmission resources (i.e., the number of symbols) for each layer: where n represents the nth layer of data in the N layers of data, MCS n , Rate n , Mod n represent the MCS, coding rate, and number of modulation bits corresponding to the nth layer of data in the N layers of data.

[0144]

[0145] ΔL n represents the increase in bit length caused by cyclic redundancy check (CRC) verification, zero padding, etc. Given the CRC length L crc and the code block (CB) bit size K cb,n (which may be different for each layer), it can be calculated represents the ceiling operation. Where Mod n can be determined according to the modulation order. For example, for modulation orders such as QPSK, 8QAM, 16QAM, 32QAM, etc., the modulation orders are 4, 8, 16, 32 respectively, and the number of bits that each modulation symbol can represent is 2, 3, 4, 5 respectively. The CB size of each layer of the N layers of data can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the network device.

[0146] The total number of transmission resources (i.e., the size of the N code streams) is The network device can estimate the required TB symbol length L avi and the quantity M according to the currently available resources Res tb , that is, the maximum TB supported (the maximum TB can be determined by the product of the number of consecutive time slots (slots) supported, the number of resource blocks (RBs) per slot, the number of symbols per RB, and the number of transmission layers (layers)).

[0147]

[0148] After determining the required M, the network device indicates it to the terminal device through the resource configuration information. For example, it indicates the quantity and symbol length of the M TBs to the terminal device.

[0149] Taking N = 4 as an example, as shown in the CB division schematic diagram of FIG. 5, the terminal device can divide the data of each layer into one or more CBs according to the size of each layer of CB, and perform padding 0 operation on the unfilled CBs. For the divided CBs, encoding and modulation are performed according to the corresponding MCS of each layer to obtain the code streams corresponding to each layer. Then, according to the configured M (taking 2 as an example) TBs, the code streams after encoding and modulation of each layer are filled into M TBs. After filling the 4 code streams corresponding to the 4-layer data (layered data 1 - layered data 4) shown in FIG. 5 into 2 TBs (such as TB1 and TB2), the TB combination shown in FIG. 6 can be obtained, where TB1 includes the resources of code stream 1 (Res 1 ), the resources of code stream 2 (Res 2 ), and part of the resources of code stream 3 (Res 3，1 ), and TB2 includes the remaining resources of code stream 3 (Res 3，2 ) and the resources of code stream 4 (Res 4 ).

[0150] In some implementations, for the case where the terminal device and the network device are configured for MIMO transmission, that is, when the number O of transmission streams between the terminal device and the network device is greater than or equal to 2, the network device can divide the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams, so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized. For example, traverse all possible grouping methods of dividing the N code streams into O groups of code streams, and select the grouping method with the smallest data volume difference (or less than a threshold) between the O groups of code streams; determine the M TBs for transmitting the N-layer data according to the data volume size of the group of code streams with the largest corresponding data volume among the O groups of code streams. Similarly, the terminal device can also divide the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams, so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized; and send the O groups of code streams to the network device through O transmission streams on the M TBs respectively.

[0151] In the above implementation, for each layer of data in the P-layer data, if the MCS corresponding to this layer of data is determined according to the channel state information between the network device and the terminal device, the ranking of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree ranking and the MCS, when the channel state information of the O transmission streams is different, the channel state information (such as SNR) of one transmission stream can be randomly selected or selected according to a certain strategy (such as selecting the maximum value or the minimum value) as the channel state information between the network device and the terminal device.

[0152] In some implementations, when the channel state information of the O transmission streams is different, the O groups of code streams can also be divided and the MCS of each layer of data can be configured according to the channel state information of each transmission stream and the ranking of the source contribution degree of the P-layer data.

[0153] Taking four - layer data (denoted as hierarchical data 1, …, hierarchical data 4 in descending order of source contribution) and two transport streams as an example, where the SNR of transport stream 1 (denoted as SNR Rx,1 ) is greater than the received SNR of transport stream 2 (denoted as SNR Rx,2 ), the most important hierarchical data is preferentially sent using the transmission resources of transport stream 1, and other hierarchical data is sent using the transmission resources of transport stream 2.

[0154] (1) Resource estimation: According to the mapping table of channel state information, source contribution degree sorting and MCS (as shown in Table 3), select the MCS groups 1 corresponding to hierarchical data 1 - 4 according to SNR Rx,1 (that is, according to SNR Rx,1 combined with the source contribution degree sorting of hierarchical data 1 - 4, determine the MCS group composed of the MCSs corresponding to hierarchical data 1 - 4 respectively), select the MCS groups 2 corresponding to hierarchical data 1 - 4 according to SNR Rx,2 (that is, according to SNR Rx,2 combined with the source contribution degree sorting of hierarchical data 1 - 4, determine the MCS group composed of the MCSs corresponding to hierarchical data 1 - 4 respectively). A total of two groups of MCSs are selected. And according to the two selected groups of MCSs and the data lengths of layers 1 - 4, estimate the number of transmission resources Res 1,1 -Res 1,4 corresponding to hierarchical data 1 - 4 when applying MCS group 1 respectively, and the number of transmission resources Res 2,1 -Res 2,4 corresponding to hierarchical data 1 - 4 when applying MCS group 2 respectively, corresponding to transport stream 1 and transport stream 2 respectively;

[0155] (2) Transport stream allocation: There are three allocation methods in total - transport stream 1 (hierarchical data 1) & stream 2 (hierarchical data 2 - 4), transport stream 1 (hierarchical data 1, 2) & transport stream 2 (hierarchical data 3, 4), transport stream 1 (hierarchical data 1 - 3) & transport stream 2 (hierarchical data 4). Calculate the transmission resource occupancy under these three allocation methods as follows:

[0156] Transport stream 1 (hierarchical data 1) & transport stream 2 (hierarchical data 2 - 4): Transport stream 1 resource Res 1,1 , transport stream 2 resource Res 2,2 +Res 2,3 +Res 2,4 , and the percentage of resource difference between the two transport streams is Diff 1 =|1–Res 1,1 / (Res 2,2 +Res 2,3 +Res 2,4 )|;

[0157] Transport Stream 1 (Layered Data 1, 2) & Transport Stream 2 (Layered Data 3, 4): Transport Stream 1 Resource Res 1,1 +Res 1,2 , Transport Stream 2 Resource Res 2,3 +Res 2,4 , the resource difference percentage between the two transport streams is Diff 2 = |1 – (Res 1,1 +Res 1,2 ) / (Res 2,3 +Res 2,4 )|;

[0158] Transport Stream 1 (Layered Data 1) & Transport Stream 2 (Layered Data 2 - 4): Transport Stream 1 Resource Res 1,1 +Res 1,2 +Res 1,3 , Transport Stream 2 Resource Res 2,4 , the resource difference percentage between the two transport streams is Diff 3 = |1 – (Res 1,1 +Res 1,2 +Res 1,3 ) / Res 2,4 |;

[0159] The network device can select the configuration method of the MCS and code stream grouping (or sub - transport stream) of each layer of data corresponding to the minimum value in Diff 1 -Diff 3 so that the transmission resource lengths of the two transport streams are closest.

[0160] The above mainly introduces the UEP hierarchical transmission of the first data to be transmitted from the perspective of uplink data transmission. It can be understood that for downlink data transmission, UEP hierarchical transmission can also be adopted. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method includes:

[0161] S701: The network device performs hierarchical processing on the first data to obtain N layers of data, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0162] S702: The network device sends modulation and coding indication information to the terminal device. The modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N layers of data. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the modulation and coding indication information from the network device.

[0163] Among them, the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the N-layer data in the N-layer data, and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS. The source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N-layer data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when the data of this layer is missing.

[0164] S703: The network device performs encoding and modulation on the N-layer data respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data, and obtains N code streams.

[0165] S704: The network device sends N code streams to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives N code streams.

[0166] S705: The terminal device demodulates and decodes the N code streams to obtain N-layer data.

[0167] S706: The terminal device reconstructs the N-layer data to obtain the first data.

[0168] The implementation of the above steps S701 - S706 is similar to the principle of the implementation of steps S201 - S206. The specific implementation can refer to the introduction at S201 - S206 and will not be repeated here.

[0169] It should be understood that the above takes the first communication device as the terminal device, the second communication device as the network device, and the transmission of the first data between the terminal device and the network device as an example to introduce the communication method provided in this application. It can be understood that in some embodiments, the above first communication device is the terminal device, and the second communication device can also be a terminal device different from the first communication device. The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applicable to the transmission of the first data between terminal devices.

[0170] It can be understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the first communication device (such as the terminal device) and the second communication device (such as the network device) include 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 method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, this 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 scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0171] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are schematic structural diagrams of possible communication devices provided by embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device (such as a terminal device) and the second communication device (such as a network device) in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In a possible implementation, the communication device can be a terminal device or a network device, or can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal device or a network device.

[0172] As shown in FIG. 8, the communication device 800 includes a processing unit 810 and an interface unit 820, where the interface unit 820 can also be a transceiver unit or an input / output interface. The communication device 800 can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device (such as a terminal device) and the second communication device (such as a network device) in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 7 above.

[0173] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the function of the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 2:

[0174] The processing unit 810 is configured to perform hierarchical processing on the first data to obtain N layers of data, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the interface unit 820 is configured to receive modulation and coding indication information from the second communication device, and the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data. The P layers of data belong to the N layers of data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layers of data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS. The source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing, and P is less than or equal to N;

[0175] The processing unit 810 is further configured to perform coding and modulation on the P layers of data respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data to obtain P code streams; the interface unit 820 is further configured to send N code streams to the second communication device, and the N code streams include the P code streams and the N - P code streams corresponding to the N - P layers of data other than the P layers of data in the N layers of data.

[0176] In a possible design, the interface unit 820 is further configured to send source characteristic information to the second communication device, and the source characteristic information includes the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data.

[0177] In a possible design, when the processing unit 810 performs hierarchical processing on the first data to obtain N layers of data, it is specifically configured to determine a first hierarchical method associated with the first data type according to the first data type of the first data and the association relationship between the data type and the hierarchical method; perform hierarchical processing on the first data according to the first hierarchical method to obtain N layers of data.

[0178] In a possible design, the deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P layer data is missing includes one or more of the mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P layer data is missing.

[0179] In a possible design, the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS, including: the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layer data is determined according to the channel state information with the second communication device, the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layer data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS.

[0180] In a possible design, the interface unit 820 is further configured to send the data length information of each layer of data in the N layer data to the second communication device; and receive the resource configuration information from the second communication device, where the resource configuration information is used to configure M transport TBs for transmitting the N layer data, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1;

[0181] When the interface unit 820 sends N code streams to the second communication device, it is specifically configured to send N code streams to the second communication device on M TBs.

[0182] In a possible design, when the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N layer data is greater than or equal to 2, when the interface unit 820 sends N code streams to the second communication device on M TBs, it is specifically configured to divide the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams, so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized; and send the O groups of code streams to the second communication device through O transport streams on M TBs.

[0183] In a possible design, the interface unit 820 is further configured to receive the layer number indication information from the second communication device, where the layer number indication information is used to indicate N; or, the processing unit 810 is further configured to determine N according to the unequal error protection UEP requirement for transmitting the first data.

[0184] In a possible design, the MCSs corresponding to any two layers of data in the P layer data satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B layer data; where the A layer data is the layer data with the larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B layer data is the layer data with the smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data.

[0185] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the functions of the second communication device (such as a network device) in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 2:

[0186] A processing unit 810, configured to obtain the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data of the first data to be sent by the first communication device, where the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when the data of this layer is missing; and determine modulation and coding indication information, where the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the modulation and coding scheme MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS;

[0187] An interface unit 820, configured to send the modulation and coding indication information to the first communication device.

[0188] In a possible design, the interface unit 820 is further configured to receive N code streams from the first communication device, the N code streams correspond to N layers of data of the first data, the N layers of data include the P-layer data, the N code streams include P code streams corresponding to the P-layer data and N-P code streams corresponding to N-P layers of data other than the P-layer data in the N layers of data, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and P is less than or equal to N; the processing unit 810 is further configured to demodulate and decode the N code streams to obtain N layers of data, where the P code streams corresponding to the P-layer data in the N code streams are demodulated and decoded according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data; and reconstruct the N layers of data to obtain the first data.

[0189] In a possible design, when the processing unit 810 obtains the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data of the first data to be sent by the first communication device, it is specifically configured to receive source characteristic information from the first communication device through the interface unit 820, where the source characteristic information includes the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data.

[0190] In a possible design, the deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P-layer data is missing includes one or more of the mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P-layer data is missing.

[0191] In a possible design, the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS, including: the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the channel state information with the first communication device, the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS.

[0192] In a possible design, the interface unit 820 is further configured to receive the data length information of each layer of the N-layer data from the first communication device; the processing unit 810 is further configured to determine the sizes of N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data according to the data length information of each layer of the N-layer data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of the P-layer data in the N-layer data and the MCS corresponding to the N-P layer data; and determine M transport blocks TB for transmitting the N-layer data according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data and the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N-layer data, where M and O are integers greater than or equal to 1;

[0193] The interface unit 820 is further configured to send resource configuration information to the first communication device, where the resource configuration information is used to configure M TBs; when the interface unit 820 receives N code streams from the first communication device, it is specifically configured to receive the N code streams from the first communication device on M TBs.

[0194] In a possible design, when the processing unit 810 determines M TBs for transmitting the N-layer data according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data and the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N-layer data, it is specifically configured to divide the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data, so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized; and determine M TBs for transmitting the N-layer data according to the data volume size of the group of code streams with the largest corresponding data volume among the O groups of code streams.

[0195] In a possible design, the processing unit 810 is further configured to determine N according to the unequal error protection UEP requirements for the first communication device to transmit the first data; the interface unit 820 is further configured to send layer number indication information to the first communication device, where the layer number indication information is used to indicate N.

[0196] In a possible design, for any two layers of data in the P-layer data, the MCSs satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer of data with the larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer of data with the smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data.

[0197] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the functions of the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 7:

[0198] An interface unit 820, configured to receive modulation and coding indication information from a second communication device, where the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data to be sent by the second communication device; and receive N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data from the second communication device; A processing unit 810, configured to demodulate and decode the N code streams respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data to obtain N-layer data; and reconstruct the N-layer data to obtain first data.

[0199] In a possible design, the interface unit 820 is further configured to receive resource configuration information from the second communication device, where the resource configuration information is used to configure M transport blocks (TBs) for transmitting the N-layer data, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; when the interface unit 820 receives the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data from the second communication device, specifically: receive the N code streams from the second communication device on the M TBs.

[0200] In a possible design, for any two layers of data in the N-layer data, the MCSs satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer of data with a larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer of data with a smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data.

[0201] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the functions of the second communication device (such as a network device) in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 7:

[0202] The processing unit 810 is configured to perform layer processing on the first data to obtain N-layer data, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; and obtain the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N-layer data, where the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the N-layer data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when the layer of data is missing;

[0203] The interface unit 820 is configured to send modulation and coding indication information to the first communication device, where the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the N-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS;

[0204] The processing unit 810 is further configured to perform coding and modulation on the N-layer data respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N-layer data to obtain N code streams; the interface unit 820 is further configured to send the N code streams to the first communication device.

[0205] In a possible design, when the interface unit 820 performs hierarchical processing on the first data to obtain N layers of data, it is specifically configured to determine a first hierarchical method associated with the first data type according to the first data type of the first data and the association relationship between the data type and the hierarchical method; perform hierarchical processing on the first data according to the first hierarchical method to obtain N layers of data.

[0206] In a possible design, the deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the N layers of data is missing includes one or more of the mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error brought to the first data when each layer of data in the N layers of data is missing.

[0207] In a possible design, the processing unit 810 is further configured to determine the sizes of N code streams corresponding to the N layers of data according to the data length information of each layer of data in the N layers of data and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N layers of data; determine M transport blocks (TBs) for transmitting the N layers of data according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N layers of data and the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N layers of data, where M and O are integers greater than or equal to 1; the interface unit 820 is further configured to send resource configuration information to the first communication device, and the resource configuration information is used to configure the M TBs; when the interface unit 820 sends the N code streams to the first communication device, it is specifically configured to send the N code streams to the second communication device on the M TBs.

[0208] In a possible design, when the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N layers of data is greater than or equal to 2, when the interface unit 820 sends the N code streams to the first communication device on the M TBs, it is specifically configured to divide the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams, so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized; send the O groups of code streams to the first communication device through O transport streams on the M TBs.

[0209] In a possible design, determining the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N layers of data according to the sorting of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the N layers of data in the N layers of data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS includes: determining the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the N layers of data according to the channel state information with the first communication device, the sorting of the source contribution degrees of each layer of data in the N layers of data in the N layers of data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS.

[0210] In a possible design, the MCSs corresponding to any two layers of the N-layer data satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer data with a larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer data with a smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data.

[0211] As shown in FIG. 9, the present application further provides a communication device 900, including a processor 910 and an interface circuit 920. The processor 910 and the interface circuit 920 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 920 can be a transceiver, an input / output interface, an input interface, an output interface, a communication interface, etc. Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a memory 930, configured to store instructions executed by the processor 910 or store input data required for the processor 910 to run instructions or store data generated after the processor 910 runs instructions. Optionally, the memory 930 may also be integrated with the processor 910.

[0212] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 7, the processor 910 can be used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit 810, and the interface circuit 920 can be used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned interface unit 820.

[0213] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), logic circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0214] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in a hardware manner or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, register, hard disk, removable hard disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well-known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a network device or a terminal device.

[0215] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are executed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable devices. The computer program or 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 program or instructions can be transmitted from one network device, terminal, computer, server, or data center to another network device, terminal, computer, server, or data center in a wired or wireless manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that the computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or a data center integrating one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0216] In various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special indication and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0217] In addition, it should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the word "exemplary" is used to mean an example, illustration, or explanation. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" in the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner.

[0218] It can be understood that the various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The magnitude of the sequence numbers of the above processes does not mean the sequence of execution, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

A communication method characterized in that it includes performing hierarchical processing on first data to obtain N layers of data, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; receiving modulation and coding indication information from a second communication device, the modulation and coding indication information being used to indicate the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) corresponding to each layer of data in P layers of data, the P layers of data belonging to the N layers of data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data being determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layers of data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS, wherein the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing, and P is less than or equal to N; encoding and modulating the P layers of data respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data to obtain P code streams; sending N code streams to the second communication device, the N code streams including the P code streams and N - P code streams corresponding to N - P layers of data other than the P layers of data in the N layers of data. The method according to claim 1 characterized in that the method further includes: sending source characteristic information to the second communication device, the source characteristic information including the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data. The method according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the performing hierarchical processing on the first data to obtain N layers of data includes: determining a first hierarchical method associated with the first data type according to the first data type of the first data and the association relationship between the data type and the hierarchical method; performing hierarchical processing on the first data according to the first hierarchical method to obtain N layers of data. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 3 characterized in that the deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P layers of data is missing includes one or more of the mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P layers of data is missing. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 4 characterized in that the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data being determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layers of data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS includes: the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data being determined according to the channel state information between the second communication device, the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layers of data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 5 characterized in that The method further includes: sending data length information of each layer of the N-layer data to the second communication device; receiving resource configuration information from the second communication device, where the resource configuration information is used to configure M transport blocks TBs for transmitting the N-layer data, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the sending the N code streams to the second communication device includes: sending the N code streams to the second communication device on the M TBs. The method according to claim 6, wherein, when the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N-layer data is greater than or equal to 2, the sending the N code streams to the second communication device on the M TBs includes: dividing the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams, so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized; sending the O groups of code streams to the second communication device through O transport streams on the M TBs. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein, the method further includes: receiving layer number indication information from the second communication device, where the layer number indication information is used to indicate N; or, determining N according to the unequal error protection UEP requirements for transmitting the first data. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein, the MCSs corresponding to any two layers of the P-layer data satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer data with a larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer data with a smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data. A communication method, wherein, it includes: obtaining the source contribution degree of each layer of the P-layer data of the first data to be sent by the first communication device, where the source contribution degree of each layer of the P-layer data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when the layer data is missing; sending modulation and coding indication information to the first communication device, where the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the modulation and coding scheme MCS corresponding to each layer of the P-layer data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of the P-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The method further includes: receiving N code streams from the first communication device, the N code streams corresponding to N layers of data of the first data, the N layers of data including the P layers of data, the N code streams including P code streams corresponding to the P layers of data and N-P code streams corresponding to N-P layers of data other than the P layers of data in the N layers of data, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2, and P being less than or equal to N; demodulating and decoding the N code streams to obtain the N layers of data, wherein the P code streams corresponding to the P layers of data in the N code streams are demodulated and decoded according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data; and reconstructing the N layers of data to obtain the first data. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, obtaining the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data to be transmitted by the first communication device includes: receiving source characteristic information from the first communication device, the source characteristic information including the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P layers of data. The method according to any one of claims 10-12, wherein, the deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P layers of data is missing includes: one or more of mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P layers of data is missing. The method according to any one of claims 10-13, wherein, the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layers of data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS, including: the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data is determined according to the channel state information with the first communication device, the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P layers of data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS. The method according to claim 11, wherein, the method further includes: receiving the data length information of each layer of data in the N layers of data from the first communication device; determining the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N layers of data according to the data length information of each layer of data in the N layers of data, the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P layers of data in the N layers of data, and the MCS corresponding to the N-P layers of data; determining M transport blocks TB for transporting the N layers of data according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N layers of data and the number O of transport streams for transporting the N layers of data, M and O being integers greater than or equal to 1; sending resource configuration information to the first communication device, the resource configuration information being used to configure the M TBs; and receiving the N code streams from the first communication device includes: receiving the N code streams from the first communication device on the M TBs. The method according to claim 15, wherein, Determining M transport blocks (TBs) for transmitting the N-layer data according to the sizes of N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data and the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N-layer data includes: dividing the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data, such that the difference in data volume between the O groups of code streams is minimized; and determining the M TBs for transmitting the N-layer data according to the data volume of the group of code streams with the largest corresponding data volume among the O groups of code streams. The method according to any one of claims 10-16, wherein, the method further includes: determining the N according to the unequal error protection (UEP) requirement of the first communication device for transmitting the first data; and sending layer indication information to the first communication device, where the layer indication information is used to indicate the N. The method according to any one of claims 10-17, wherein, the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) corresponding to any two layers of data in the P-layer data satisfies: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer of data with a larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer of data with a smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data. A communication device, wherein, comprises an interface unit and a processing unit; the processing unit is configured to perform layer processing on first data to obtain N-layer data, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the interface unit is configured to receive modulation and coding indication information from a second communication device, where the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) corresponding to each layer of data in P-layer data, the P-layer data belongs to the N-layer data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS, where the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when the layer of data is missing, and P is less than or equal to N; the processing unit is further configured to perform encoding and modulation on the P-layer data respectively according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data to obtain P code streams; the interface unit is further configured to send the N code streams to the second communication device, where the N code streams include the P code streams and N-P code streams corresponding to the N-P layers of data other than the P-layer data in the N-layer data. The device according to claim 19, wherein, the interface unit is further configured to send source characteristic information to the second communication device, where the source characteristic information includes the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data. The device according to claim 19 or 20, wherein, When the processing unit performs hierarchical processing on the first data to obtain N layers of data, it is specifically configured to determine a first hierarchical method associated with the first data type according to the first data type of the first data and the association relationship between the data type and the hierarchical method; and perform hierarchical processing on the first data according to the first hierarchical method to obtain N layers of data. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19-21, wherein, The deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P-layer data is missing includes one or more of the mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P-layer data is missing. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19-22, wherein, The MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS, including: The MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the channel state information with the second communication device, the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19-23, wherein, The interface unit is further configured to send the data length information of each layer of data in the N layers of data to the second communication device; and receive resource configuration information from the second communication device, where the resource configuration information is used to configure M transport blocks TB for transmitting the N layers of data, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; when the interface unit sends the N code streams to the second communication device, it is specifically configured to send the N code streams to the second communication device on the M TBs. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein, When the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N layers of data is greater than or equal to 2, when the interface unit sends the N code streams to the second communication device on the M TBs, it is specifically configured to divide the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams, so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized; and send the O groups of code streams to the second communication device through O transport streams on the M TBs. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19-25, wherein, The interface unit is further configured to receive layer number indication information from the second communication device, where the layer number indication information is used to indicate the N; or, the processing unit is further configured to determine the N according to the unequal error protection UEP requirement for transmitting the first data. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19-26, wherein, For any two layers of data in the P-layer data, the MCSs satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer of data with a larger source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer of data with a smaller source contribution degree among the two layers of data. A communication device characterized in that it includes an interface unit and a processing unit; the processing unit is configured to obtain the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data of the first data to be sent by the first communication device, where the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data is used to indicate the deviation brought to the first data when this layer of data is missing; the processing unit is configured to determine modulation and coding indication information, where the modulation and coding indication information is used to indicate the modulation and coding scheme MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degree of this layer of data in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS; the interface unit is configured to send the modulation and coding indication information to the first communication device. The device according to claim 28 characterized in that the interface unit is further configured to receive N code streams from the first communication device, the N code streams correspond to N layers of data of the first data, the N layers of data include the P-layer data, the N code streams include P code streams corresponding to the P-layer data and N-P code streams corresponding to N-P layers of data other than the P-layer data in the N layers of data, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and P is less than or equal to N; the processing unit is further configured to demodulate and decode the N code streams to obtain the N layers of data, where the P code streams corresponding to the P-layer data in the N code streams are demodulated and decoded according to the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data; and reconstruct the N layers of data to obtain the first data. The device according to claim 28 or 29 characterized in that when the processing unit obtains the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data of the first data to be sent by the first communication device, it is specifically configured to receive source characteristic information from the first communication device through the interface unit, and the source characteristic information includes the source contribution degree of each layer of data in the P-layer data. The device according to any one of claims 28-30 characterized in that the deviation brought to the first data when each layer of data in the P-layer data is missing includes one or more of mean square error, normalized mean square error, imaging error, positioning error, and inference error when each layer of data in the P-layer data is missing. The device according to any one of claims 28-31 characterized in that The MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the sorting of the source contribution degrees of the data in this layer in the P-layer data and the mapping strategy between the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS, including: The MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data is determined according to the channel state information with the first communication device, the sorting of the source contribution degrees of the data in this layer in the P-layer data, and the mapping strategy between the channel state information and the source contribution degree sorting and the MCS. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein, the interface unit is further configured to receive the data length information of each layer of data in the N-layer data from the first communication device; the processing unit is further configured to determine the sizes of N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data according to the data length information of each layer of data in the N-layer data, and the MCS corresponding to each layer of data in the P-layer data and the MCS corresponding to the N-P layer data in the N-layer data; and determine M transport blocks TB for transmitting the N-layer data according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data and the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N-layer data, where M and O are integers greater than or equal to 1; the interface unit is further configured to send resource configuration information to the first communication device, and the resource configuration information is used to configure the M TBs; when the interface unit receives the N code streams from the first communication device, it is specifically configured to receive the N code streams from the first communication device on the M TBs. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein, when the processing unit determines the M TBs for transmitting the N-layer data according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data and the number O of transport streams for transmitting the N-layer data, it is specifically configured to divide the N code streams into O groups of code streams according to the sizes of the N code streams corresponding to the N-layer data, so that the data volume difference between the O groups of code streams is minimized; and determine the M TBs for transmitting the N-layer data according to the data volume size of the group of code streams with the largest corresponding data volume among the O groups of code streams. The apparatus according to any one of claims 28-34, wherein, the processing unit is further configured to determine N according to the unequal error protection UEP requirements of the first communication device for transmitting the first data; the interface unit is further configured to send layer number indication information to the first communication device, and the layer number indication information is used to indicate N. The apparatus according to any one of claims 28-35, wherein, the MCSs corresponding to any two layers of data in the P-layer data satisfy: the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the code rate of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; and / or, the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the A-layer data is less than or equal to the modulation order of the MCS corresponding to the B-layer data; where the A-layer data is the layer of data with the larger corresponding source contribution degree among the two layers of data, and the B-layer data is the layer of data with the smaller corresponding source contribution degree among the two layers of data. A communication device, wherein, Comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-9 through logic circuits or by executing instructions. A communication device, characterized in that it comprises a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 10-18 through logic circuits or by executing instructions. A computer program product, characterized in that it contains instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1-18 to be implemented. A chip system, characterized in that the chip system includes: a processor and a memory, the processor being coupled to the memory, the memory being configured to store programs or instructions which, when executed by the processor, implement the method according to any one of claims 1-18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1-18 to be implemented.

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