Communication method and device and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device and a computer readable storage medium, and relates to the field of wireless communication. The method comprises: sending first indication information to at least two terminal devices, the first indication information indicating a first time-frequency resource for a terminal device group to send a reference signal, the reference signal being used for determining channel quality, and the at least two terminal devices belonging to the terminal device group; and receiving reference signals from at least two terminal devices on the first time-frequency resource. Since the at least two terminal devices send the reference signal on the same first time-frequency resource, the time-frequency resource occupied by the reference signal is reduced, the problem that the reference signal occupies too many time-frequency resources in the prior art is solved, more time-frequency resources can be used for data transmission, and the data transmission speed and the service quality are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication, and in particular, to a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Measuring channel quality is an important task in wireless communication systems. It involves evaluating and optimizing the performance of wireless channels to ensure reliable data transmission and a good user experience. To ensure the stability and reliability of wireless communication systems, it is necessary to measure and evaluate channel quality. By measuring channel quality, the transmission characteristics of the channel, interference conditions, and signal attenuation can be understood, providing a basis for system design and optimization. Currently, how to reduce the time-frequency resources used to determine channel quality is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium that can reduce the time-frequency resources used to determine channel quality.

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes sending first indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the first indication information indicates first time-frequency resources for a terminal device group to send reference signals, and the reference signals are used to determine channel quality, and the at least two terminal devices belong to the terminal device group; receiving reference signals from the at least two terminal devices on the first time-frequency resources.

[0005] Among them, the number of terminal device groups may be at least one. The at least two terminal devices belong to the same terminal device group; the distances between multiple terminal devices in the same terminal device group may be close, or the channel qualities may be similar, or the path loss values are less than a certain threshold. The at least two terminal devices may be all the terminal devices in the same terminal device group, or may be some of the terminal devices in the same terminal device group.

[0006] Exemplarily, the number of the at least two terminal devices may be 2, namely a first terminal device and a second terminal device. Among them, the communication method provided in the first aspect may be applied to a network device, such as a base station; or, the communication method provided in the first aspect may be applied to a terminal device that does not belong to the terminal device group.

[0007] According to the communication method provided in this application, the same first time-frequency resources can be configured for at least two terminal devices in the same terminal device group, and the at least two terminal devices can send reference signals on the same first time-frequency resources, reducing the resources (time-frequency resources) occupied when transmitting reference signals and improving resource utilization.

[0008] Among them, sending the first indication information to at least two terminal devices can be implemented in any one of the following four ways:

[0009] The first way: Send the first Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling to at least two terminal devices. The first RRC signaling includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the first time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send reference signals in each period. Among them, the frequency-domain resources of the first time-frequency resource for sending reference signals in each period can be the same or different. The first way belongs to the periodic resource indication method.

[0010] Among them, the first RRC signaling includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the starting position and period value of the time-domain resource in the first time-frequency resource. The period value refers to the time interval between two adjacent transmissions of reference signals.

[0011] Exemplarily, the first indication information includes two parameters, namely periodicityAndOffset-p and periodicity. Among them, periodicityAndOffset-p is used to indicate the slot offset, and its value range is [1, 32]. Based on the slot offset, the starting position of the time-domain resource in the first time-frequency resource can be determined. Periodicity is used to indicate the period value, and this period value is represented by T SRS It is represented, and its value range is [1, 2560], indicating that the minimum period is 1 slot and the maximum period is 2560 slots.

[0012] Based on the above solution, at least two terminal devices can periodically send reference signals on the first time-frequency resource, reducing the resources (time-frequency resources) occupied when transmitting reference signals and improving resource utilization.

[0013] The second way: Send the first Downlink Control Information (DCI) to at least two terminal devices. The first DCI includes the first indication information. The first indication information can indicate that at least two terminal devices send a reference signal on the first time-frequency resource once.

[0014] Among them, the first DCI includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the time offset value of the time-domain resource in the first time-frequency resource. The second way belongs to the aperiodic or fully dynamic resource indication method.

[0015] Exemplarily, the first indication information can be the information of the newly added Group-SRS-request field in DCI0_1 and DCI 1_1 in the first DCI; the Group-SRS-request field is used to indicate the time offset value and frequency-domain resource of the time-domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

[0016] Based on the above solution, at least two terminal devices in the same terminal device group can send a reference signal once on the first time-frequency resource through the first DCI.

[0017] The third method: Send a second DCI to at least two terminal devices. The second DCI includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to activate the configured first time-frequency resource. Here, the second DCI is different from the first DCI.

[0018] The fourth method: Send media access control element (MAC-CE) signaling to at least two terminal devices. The MAC-CE signaling includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to activate the configured first time-frequency resource. The third method and the fourth method belong to semi-static resource indication methods.

[0019] Among them, the first time-frequency resource in the third method and the fourth method can be configured in the following way: Send a second RRC signaling to at least two terminal devices, and the second RRC signaling is used to configure the first time-frequency resource.

[0020] Based on the above solution, any one of the four methods can be used to indicate that at least two terminal devices both send reference signals on the first time-frequency resource, reducing the resources occupied when sending reference signals and improving resource utilization.

[0021] It should be noted that any one of the four methods of sending the first indication information to at least two terminal devices can be triggered according to the first feedback situation of at least two terminal devices for the first data information. Specifically, it can be: Send the first data information to at least two terminal devices; when the first feedback information received from at least two terminal devices for the first data information meets the first feedback condition, send the first indication information to at least two terminal devices.

[0022] In a feasible implementation manner, the first feedback condition can be: the number of first acknowledgement (ACK) in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to the first quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of the first ACK in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to the first ratio threshold.

[0023] Among them, the number of first ACK in the first feedback information being greater than or equal to the first quantity threshold means that: within the time window, the number of first ACK in the multiple first feedback information received is greater than the first quantity threshold.

[0024] The ratio of the first ACK in the first feedback information being greater than or equal to the first ratio threshold means that the ratio of the number of first ACKs received within the time window to the number of multiple first feedback information received within the time window (i.e., the number of all first feedback information received within the time window) is greater than the first ratio threshold.

[0025] In another feasible implementation, the first feedback condition may also be that the number of first negative acknowledgments (NACKs) in the first feedback information is less than the second quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of the first NACKs in the first feedback information is less than the second ratio threshold.

[0026] Among them, the number of first NACKs in the first feedback information being less than the second quantity threshold means that the number of first NACKs in the multiple first feedback information received within the time window is less than the second quantity threshold.

[0027] The ratio of the first NACKs in the first feedback information being less than the second ratio threshold means that the ratio of the number of first NACKs received within the time window to the number of multiple first feedback information received within the time window is less than the second quantity threshold.

[0028] Based on the above solution, considering the current channel quality situation, it is possible to decide whether to send the first indication information according to the feedback situations of at least two terminal devices for the first data information. When the first feedback information meets the first feedback condition, the first indication information is sent, improving the timeliness and reliability of sending the first indication information.

[0029] In a feasible implementation, after receiving reference signals from at least two terminal devices on the first time-frequency resource, it further includes: sending second data information to at least two terminal devices; receiving second feedback information from at least two terminal devices for the second data information; sending a second indication information to at least two terminal devices when the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition; the second indication information indicates the second time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send reference signals; receiving reference signals from at least two terminal devices on the second time-frequency resource.

[0030] In a feasible implementation, when the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition, a third RRC signaling is sent to at least two terminal devices, and the second indication information is included in the third RRC signaling. Among them, the period value of the time domain resource in the second time-frequency resource indicated by the second indication information is less than the period value of the time domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

[0031] In a feasible implementation manner, after receiving reference signals from at least two terminal devices on a first time-frequency resource, the method further includes: sending second data information to the at least two terminal devices; receiving second feedback information from the at least two terminal devices regarding the second data information; sending third indication information to the at least two terminal devices when the second feedback information meets a second feedback condition; receiving reference signals sent by the at least two terminal devices on the first time-frequency resource and a third time-frequency resource; wherein, the third indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device sends a reference signal on a corresponding third time-frequency resource, and the third time-frequency resources used by the at least two terminal devices to send reference signals are different.

[0032] In a feasible implementation manner, when the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition, send a third DCI to the at least two terminal devices. Wherein, the third DCI includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to activate a configured third time-frequency resource.

[0033] It should be noted that different time-frequency resources used by different terminal devices to send reference signals (SRS) are per-UE SRS resources; the same time-frequency resources used by a group of terminal devices (i.e., a terminal device group) or multiple terminal devices to send reference signals are Group SRS resources. Then, the aforementioned first time-frequency resource and second time-frequency resource are both different Group SRS resources; the third time-frequency resource is a per-UE SRS resource.

[0034] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by any one of the above at least two terminal devices. The second aspect is explained by taking a specific terminal device as the first terminal device, and it can also be executed by a component of the first terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: receiving first indication information from a network device, the first indication information indicating a first time-frequency resource for a terminal device group to send a reference signal, the reference signal being used to determine the channel quality, and the first terminal device belonging to the terminal device group; sending a reference signal on the first time-frequency resource.

[0035] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving first indication information from a network device can be achieved through the following steps: receiving first radio resource control (RRC) signaling from the network device, the first RRC signaling including the first indication information, and the first indication information indicating the first time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send a reference signal in each period.

[0036] In a feasible implementation manner, the first RRC signaling includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the starting position and period value of the time-domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

[0037] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving the first indication information from a network device may be achieved through the following steps: receiving the first downlink control information DCI from the network device, where the first DCI includes the first indication information.

[0038] In a feasible implementation manner, the first DCI includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates a time offset value of a time domain resource in a first time-frequency resource.

[0039] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving the first indication information from a network device may be achieved through the following steps: receiving the second DCI from the network device, where the second DCI includes the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to activate a configured first time-frequency resource.

[0040] In a feasible implementation manner, the first time-frequency resource may be configured through the following steps:

[0041] Receiving a second RRC instruction from the network device, where the second RRC instruction is used to configure the first time-frequency resource.

[0042] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving the first indication information from a network device may be achieved through the following steps: receiving first data information from the network device; sending a first feedback information for the first data information to the network device; receiving the first indication information from the network device, where the first indication information is sent when the first feedback information meets a first feedback condition.

[0043] In a feasible implementation manner, the number of first determination information ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of the first ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first ratio threshold.

[0044] In a feasible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving second data information from the network device; sending a second feedback information for the second data information to the network device; receiving a second indication information from the network device, where the second indication information is sent when the second feedback information meets a second feedback condition; the second indication information indicates a second time-frequency resource for a terminal device group to send a reference signal; and sending a reference signal to the network device on the second time-frequency resource.

[0045] In a feasible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving second data information from a network device; sending second feedback information regarding the second data information to the network device; receiving third indication information from the network device, and sending a reference signal on a first time-frequency resource and a third time-frequency resource, where the third indication information is sent when the second feedback information meets a second feedback condition; the third indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device sends a reference signal on a corresponding third time-frequency resource, and the third time-frequency resources used by at least two terminal devices to send reference signals are different.

[0046] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, and the method includes the following steps: sending third data information to at least two terminal devices; receiving third feedback information from the network device regarding the third data information; based on the third feedback information, sending indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the indication information is used to indicate that at least two terminal devices send reference signals on corresponding time-frequency resources; receiving reference signals sent by at least two terminal devices; and at least two terminal devices belong to a terminal device group.

[0047] In a feasible implementation manner, based on the third feedback information, sending indication information to at least two terminal devices is implemented by: when the third feedback information meets a third feedback condition, sending fourth indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the fourth indication information indicates a fourth time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send a reference signal in each period.

[0048] In a feasible implementation manner, sending the fourth indication information to at least two terminal devices can be implemented by: sending a fourth RRC signaling to at least two terminal devices, where the fourth RRC signaling includes the fourth indication information.

[0049] In a feasible implementation manner, based on the third feedback information, sending indication information to at least two terminal devices is implemented by: when the third feedback information meets a third feedback condition, sending fifth indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that a terminal device in the terminal device group sends a reference signal on a corresponding sixth time-frequency resource.

[0050] In a feasible implementation manner, sending the fifth indication information to at least two terminal devices can be implemented by: when the third feedback information meets a third feedback condition, sending a fourth DCI to at least two terminal devices, where the fourth DCI includes the fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to activate a configured sixth time-frequency resource.

[0051] In a feasible implementation manner, based on the third feedback information, sending indication information to at least two terminal devices is implemented as follows: when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, send the sixth indication information to at least two terminal devices, and the sixth indication information is used to instruct at least two terminal devices to send reference signals on the seventh time-frequency resource.

[0052] In a feasible implementation manner, sending the sixth indication information to at least two terminal devices can be implemented as follows: when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, the fifth DCI can be sent to at least two terminal devices, the fifth DCI includes the sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information can be a field of the pattern added in the fifth DCI.

[0053] Exemplarily, the number of at least two terminal devices can be 2, namely the first terminal device and the second terminal device respectively. Among them, the communication method provided in the third aspect can be applied to a network device, such as a base station; or, the communication method provided in the third aspect can be applied to a terminal device that does not belong to the terminal device group.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by any one of the above at least two terminal devices. Taking one of the terminal devices as the first terminal device as an example for explanation in the fourth aspect, it can also be executed by a component of the first terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), and can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: receiving the third data information from the network device; sending the third feedback information for the third data information to the network device (or a terminal device that does not belong to the terminal device group); receiving the indication information from the network device, where the indication information is used to instruct at least two terminal devices to send reference signals on the corresponding time-frequency resource; sending reference signals to the network device on the corresponding time-frequency resource.

[0055] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving the indication information from the network device is implemented as follows: receiving the fourth indication information from the network device, where the fourth indication information indicates the fourth time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send reference signals in each period; the fourth indication information is sent by the network device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition.

[0056] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving the fourth indication information from the network device is implemented as follows: receiving the fourth RRC signaling from the network device, where the fourth RRC signaling includes the fourth indication information.

[0057] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving the indication information from the network device is implemented as follows: receiving the fifth indication information from the network device, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the terminal devices in the terminal device group send reference signals on corresponding sixth time-frequency resources; the fifth indication information is sent by the network device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition.

[0058] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving the fifth indication information from the network device is implemented as follows: receiving the fourth DCI from the network device, where the fourth DCI includes the fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to activate the configured sixth time-frequency resources.

[0059] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving the indication information from the network device is implemented as follows: receiving the sixth indication information from the network device, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate that at least two terminal devices send reference signals on the seventh time-frequency resources; the sixth indication information is sent by the network device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition.

[0060] In a feasible implementation manner, receiving the sixth indication information from the network device is implemented as follows: receiving the fifth DCI from the network device, where the fifth DCI includes the sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information is a field of the added pattern in the fifth DCI.

[0061] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the communication device includes: a sending unit, configured to send first indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the first indication information indicates first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals, and the reference signals are used to determine the channel quality, and the at least two terminal devices belong to the terminal device group; a receiving unit, configured to receive the reference signals from the at least two terminal devices on the first time-frequency resources.

[0062] In a feasible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to send first radio resource control (RRC) signaling to at least two terminal devices, where the first RRC signaling includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals in each period.

[0063] In a feasible implementation manner, the first indication information indicates the starting position and the period value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resources.

[0064] In a feasible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to send first downlink control information (DCI) to at least two terminal devices, and the first DCI includes the first indication information.

[0065] In a feasible implementation, the first indication information indicates the time offset value of the time-domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

[0066] In a feasible implementation, the sending unit is specifically configured to send a second DCI to at least two terminal devices, where the second DCI includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to activate the configured first time-frequency resource.

[0067] In a feasible implementation, the sending unit is further configured to send a second RRC signaling to at least two terminal devices, and the second RRC signaling is used to configure the first time-frequency resource.

[0068] In a feasible implementation, the sending unit is specifically configured to send first data information to at least two terminal devices; the sending unit is specifically configured to send the first indication information to at least two terminal devices when the first feedback information received from at least two terminal devices for the first data information meets the first feedback condition.

[0069] In a feasible implementation, the first feedback condition is that the number of first determination information ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, and / or the proportion of first ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first proportion threshold.

[0070] Optionally, the communication device provided in the fifth aspect may further include a storage unit, and the storage unit may be used to store instructions and / or data. The receiving unit and the sending unit may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device implements the communication method of the first aspect.

[0071] In a feasible implementation, the communication device may be a network device, or may also be a module or chip applied to the network device. The communication device may also be a terminal device, or may also be a module or chip applied to the terminal device, and the terminal device does not belong to the terminal device group.

[0072] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device in the fifth aspect may refer to the technical effects of the communication method in the first aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0073] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the communication device includes: a receiving unit, configured to receive first indication information from a network device, where the first indication information indicates a first time-frequency resource for a terminal device group to send a reference signal, and the reference signal is used to determine a channel quality, and the first terminal device belongs to the terminal device group; a sending unit, configured to send the reference signal on the first time-frequency resource.

[0074] In a feasible implementation manner, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling from a network device. The first RRC signaling includes first indication information, and the first indication information indicates first time-frequency resources for a terminal device group to transmit reference signals in each period.

[0075] In a feasible implementation manner, the first indication information indicates the starting position and period value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resources.

[0076] In a feasible implementation manner, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive a first Downlink Control Information (DCI) from a network device. The first DCI includes first indication information.

[0077] In a feasible implementation manner, the first indication information indicates the time offset value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resources.

[0078] In a feasible implementation manner, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive a second DCI from a network device. The second DCI includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to activate the configured first time-frequency resources.

[0079] In a feasible implementation manner, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second RRC instruction from a network device, and the second RRC instruction is used to configure the first time-frequency resources.

[0080] In a feasible implementation manner, the receiving unit is further configured to receive first data information from a network device; the sending unit is further configured to send first feedback information for the first data information to the network device; the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive first indication information from the network device, and the first indication information is sent when the first feedback information meets a first feedback condition.

[0081] In a feasible implementation manner, the first feedback condition is that the number of first determination information ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, and / or the proportion of first ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first proportion threshold.

[0082] Optionally, the communication device provided in the sixth aspect may further include a storage unit, and the storage unit may be used to store instructions and / or data. The receiving unit and the sending unit may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device implements the communication method in the second aspect.

[0083] In a feasible implementation manner, the communication device may be any one of at least two terminal devices, or may also be a module or chip applied to the terminal device. The terminal device may be, for example, a first terminal device.

[0084] In addition, for the technical effects of the communication device in the sixth aspect, reference may be made to the technical effects of the communication method in the second aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0085] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a sending unit configured to send third data information to at least two terminal devices; a receiving unit configured to receive third feedback information from a network device for the third data information; the sending unit is further configured to send indication information to at least two terminal devices based on the third feedback information, where the indication information is used to instruct the at least two terminal devices to send reference signals on corresponding time-frequency resources; the receiving unit is further configured to receive the reference signals sent by the at least two terminal devices; the at least two terminal devices belong to a terminal device group.

[0086] In a feasible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to, when the third feedback information meets a third feedback condition, send fourth indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the fourth indication information indicates fourth time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals in each period.

[0087] In a feasible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to send a fourth RRC signaling to at least two terminal devices, where the fourth RRC signaling includes the fourth indication information.

[0088] In a feasible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to, when the third feedback information meets a third feedback condition, send fifth indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the fifth indication information is used to instruct the terminal devices in the terminal device group to send reference signals on corresponding sixth time-frequency resources.

[0089] In a feasible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to, when the third feedback information meets a third feedback condition, send a fourth DCI to at least two terminal devices, where the fourth DCI includes the fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to activate configured sixth time-frequency resources.

[0090] In a feasible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to, when the third feedback information meets a third feedback condition, send sixth indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the sixth indication information is used to instruct the at least two terminal devices to send reference signals on seventh time-frequency resources.

[0091] In a feasible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to, when the third feedback information meets a third feedback condition, send a fifth DCI to at least two terminal devices, where the fifth DCI includes the sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information is a field of a pattern added in the fifth DCI.

[0092] Optionally, the communication device provided in the seventh aspect may further include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The receiving unit and the sending unit can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit, so that the communication device implements the communication method of the third aspect.

[0093] In a feasible implementation, the communication device may be a network device, or a module or chip applied to the network device. The communication device may also be a terminal device, or a module or chip applied to the terminal device; the terminal device does not belong to the terminal device group.

[0094] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device in the seventh aspect can refer to the technical effects of the communication method in the third aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0095] In the eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a receiving unit, configured to receive third data information from a network device (or a terminal device that does not belong to the terminal device group); a sending unit, configured to send third feedback information for the third data information to the network device; the receiving unit is further configured to receive indication information from the network device, where the indication information is used to indicate at least two terminal devices to send reference signals on corresponding time-frequency resources; the sending unit is further configured to send reference signals to the network device on the corresponding time-frequency resources.

[0096] In a feasible implementation, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive fourth indication information from the network device, where the fourth indication information indicates fourth time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals in each period; the fourth indication information is sent by the network device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition.

[0097] In a feasible implementation, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive a fourth RRC signaling from the network device, where the fourth RRC signaling includes the fourth indication information.

[0098] In a feasible implementation, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive fifth indication information from the network device, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate a terminal device in the terminal device group to send a reference signal on corresponding sixth time-frequency resources; the fifth indication information is sent by the network device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition.

[0099] In a feasible implementation, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive a fourth DCI from the network device, where the fourth DCI includes the fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to activate the configured sixth time-frequency resources.

[0100] In a feasible implementation manner, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive sixth indication information from a network device, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate that at least two terminal devices send reference signals on a seventh time-frequency resource; the sixth indication information is sent by the network device when third feedback information meets a third feedback condition.

[0101] In a feasible implementation manner, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive a fifth DCI from a network device, where the fifth DCI includes sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information is a field of a pattern added in the fifth DCI.

[0102] Optionally, the communication device provided in the eighth aspect may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The receiving unit and the sending unit may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device implements the communication method in the fourth aspect.

[0103] In a feasible implementation manner, the communication device may be any one of at least two terminal devices, or may be a module or a chip applied to the terminal device, and the terminal device may be, for example, a first terminal device.

[0104] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device in the eighth aspect may refer to the technical effects of the communication method in the fourth aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0105] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor, where the processor is coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory to implement the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner in the first aspect, or to implement the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation manner in the third aspect.

[0106] In a possible implementation manner, the device further includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0107] In a possible implementation manner, there is one or more processors, and / or one or more memories.

[0108] In a possible implementation manner, the memory may be integrated with the processor or separately provided from the processor.

[0109] In a possible implementation manner, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0110] In an implementation manner, the device is a network device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0111] In another implementation, the device is a chip in the first communication device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0112] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to implement the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner in the second aspect, or to implement the method in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation manner in the fourth aspect.

[0113] In a possible implementation manner, the device further includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0114] In a possible implementation manner, the processor is one or more, and / or the memory is one or more.

[0115] In a possible implementation manner, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory is separately provided from the processor.

[0116] In a possible implementation manner, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0117] In one implementation, the device is a terminal device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0118] In another implementation, the device is a chip in the second communication device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0119] In an eleventh aspect, a processor is provided, including: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is used to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method in any of the above aspects or any possible implementation manner in any of the above aspects.

[0120] In the specific implementation process, the above-mentioned processor may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits, etc. The input signal received by the input circuit may be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver. The signal output by the output circuit may be output to, for example but not limited to, a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times respectively. The present application does not limit the specific implementation manners of the processor and various circuits.

[0121] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, including a device for executing the method in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect, and / or a device for executing the method in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the second aspect; or, including a device for executing the method in the third aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the third aspect, and / or a device for executing the method in the fourth aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the fourth aspect.

[0122] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (which may also be referred to as code or instruction), and when the computer program is run, it causes a computer to execute the method in any one of the above aspects or any one of the possible implementation manners of any one of the aspects.

[0123] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (which may also be referred to as code or instruction), and when the computer program runs on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the method in any one of the above aspects or any one of the possible implementation manners of any one of the aspects.

[0124] In a fifteenth aspect, a chip is provided, including a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, so that a communication device installed with the chip executes the method in any one of the above aspects or any one of the possible implementation manners of any one of the aspects.

[0125] In a sixteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes an interface and a processor. The interface is used for sending and / or receiving signals, so that the processor executes the method in any one of the above aspects or any one of the possible implementation manners of any one of the aspects. Description of the Drawings

[0126] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0127] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0128] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0129] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0130] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a scenario for indicating time-frequency resources in a communication method provided by yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0131] Figure 6Schematic diagram of a scenario for indicating time-frequency resources in another communication method provided by this application;

[0132] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of a time window in a communication method provided by another embodiment of this application;

[0133] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of a scenario for time-frequency resource configuration in a communication method provided by another embodiment of this application;

[0134] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0135] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by another embodiment of this application;

[0136] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided by another embodiment of this application;

[0137] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided by another embodiment of this application. Detailed implementation manners

[0138] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application.

[0139] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B may represent A or B; the "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. These three situations, where A and B may be singular or plural. And, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality of" means two or more than two. "At least one (item)" or its similar expression below refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (item) or plural items (items). For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c may represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, c may be single or multiple. In addition, for the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art can understand that the words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit to be different.

[0140] In the method embodiments of the present application, the magnitude of the serial numbers does not indicate the order of execution. The order of execution should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not impose any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0141] It can be understood that in the present application, descriptions such as "in the case of...", "if...", "when...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably. Moreover, these descriptions all refer to corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, not to limit time, nor require a judgment action during implementation, nor imply other limitations.

[0142] It can be understood that in the present application, "greater than or equal to" can be replaced by "greater than", and correspondingly, "less than" can also be replaced by "less than or equal to".

[0143] It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can, in some scenarios, be implemented independently without relying on other features, such as the current solution they are based on, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. In some scenarios, they can also be combined with other features according to requirements. Correspondingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application can also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be elaborated here.

[0144] In the present application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the present application, in each embodiment, as well as in each implementation manner / implementation method / realization method in each embodiment, if there is no special specification and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments, as well as between each implementation manner / implementation method / realization method in each embodiment, are consistent and can be mutually referred to. The technical features in different embodiments, as well as in each implementation manner / implementation method / realization method in each embodiment, can be combined according to their internal logical relationship to form new embodiments, implementation manners, implementation methods, or realization methods. The following implementation manners of the present application do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0145] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems, New Radio (NR), and other possible future mobile communication systems, etc.

[0146] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the system 100 includes at least two terminal devices (for example, Figure 1The first terminal device 110 and the second terminal device 120 shown) and at least one communication device (for example, the communication device can be a terminal device or a network device, Figure 1 and the network device 130 is taken as an example). The first terminal device 110 and the second terminal device 120 can communicate with the network device 130 through a wireless connection. It should be understood that, Figure 1 the system shown may further include more terminal devices and network devices.

[0147] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, also known as user equipment (UE), terminal, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), terminal device, wireless device, etc., is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a tactile terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a whole vehicle, or a vehicle-mounted module, an on-board unit (OBU), a vehicle-mounted chip, a vehicle machine module, a telematics box (T-box), a roadside unit (RSU), and so on.

[0148] The network device in the embodiments of this application, such as network device 130, refers to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network, and can also be referred to as a base station or an access network device. For example, the network device can be an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access point (AP) in a WiFi system, a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in other future-evolved communication systems, etc.

[0149] In a possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes cooperate to assist a terminal device in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement some functions of a base station. For example, an RAN node (i.e., the network device in this application) can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), the DU, or the RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, the CU can also be called an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be called an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be called an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be called an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be called an O-RU. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), the DU, and the RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. It should be understood that this application does not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the network device.

[0150] First, some terms or concepts involved in this application will be briefly introduced below.

[0151] Beamforming, also known as beam shaping and spatial domain filtering, is a signal processing technology that uses a sensor array to send and receive signals directionally. The beamforming technology improves the signal strength and reliability by adjusting the directivity of the antenna array to concentrate the wireless signal in a specific direction for transmission or reception.

[0152] LBT (Listen Before Talk) is a radio communication technology used to avoid channel access conflicts. In the LBT technology, the sender will first listen to its radio environment to detect whether the channel is idle. If the channel is busy, the sender will wait until the channel is idle before transmitting, thus avoiding channel access conflicts and achieving channel spectrum sharing.

[0153] Unicast is a traditional point-to-point communication method, that is, one sender corresponds to one receiver. In this way, the sender sends data packets to a unique receiving device on the network.

[0154] Multicast is a one-to-many communication method, that is, one sender corresponds to multiple receivers. Multicast allows a piece of data to be sent to multiple users at the same time, and these users can be located in different geographical locations.

[0155] Compared with the traditional uplink and downlink between the base station and the user equipment, Sidelink refers to the direct communication between devices.

[0156] In the current technology, in Figure 1 In the system 100 shown, each of at least two terminal devices can send a reference signal to the network device, and the network device can perform beamforming and estimate (measure) the channel quality based on these reference signals to improve the communication quality with the terminal devices. However, as the number of terminal devices increases, the number of antennas of the network device will also increase accordingly, which will result in more reference signals to be sent and received, thus occupying a large amount of wireless resources, namely time-frequency resources. When the resources occupied by the reference signal are too much, the resources available for data transmission will decrease, which may lead to a slowdown in data transmission speed or a decline in service quality, thus affecting the performance and efficiency of the entire system. Therefore, how to reduce the time-frequency resources occupied by the reference signal is an urgent problem to be solved currently.

[0157] In view of this, a communication method provided in this application, in which the network device can send first indication information to at least two terminal devices, the first indication information indicates the first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals, at least two terminal devices belong to the terminal device group, and at least two terminal devices can send reference signals to the network device on the first time-frequency resources based on the first indication information, and the network device can receive the reference signals on the first time-frequency resources to perform beamforming and channel quality estimation based on the reference signals. Since at least two terminal devices send reference signals on the same first time-frequency resources, the time-frequency resources occupied by the reference signals are reduced, and the problem that the time-frequency resources occupied by the reference signals are too much in the current technology is solved, and more time-frequency resources can be used for data transmission, improving the data transmission speed and service quality.

[0158] The method provided in this application can be applied to scenarios where a network device communicates directly with at least two terminal devices, such as in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenario; it can also be applied to scenarios where terminal devices communicate directly with at least two terminal devices, such as in the sidelink scenario in V2X or the relay scenario between terminal devices. In the V2X scenario, for example, a network device can send a reference signal to at least two terminal devices (i.e., in-vehicle terminals on vehicles); the reference signal can be a sounding reference signal (SRS); then the communication device in this application can be the device that receives the reference signal, i.e., the network device. In the sidelink scenario in V2X, for example, a terminal device (i.e., in-vehicle terminal on a vehicle) can also send a reference signal to at least two terminal devices (in-vehicle terminals on vehicles), and the reference signal can be a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS); then, the communication device in this application can be the device that receives the reference signal, i.e., the terminal device.

[0159] Figure 2 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of this application. The communication method may include S201 and S202. Hereinafter, taking the device that receives the reference signal (such as a network device or a terminal device) as the communication device, and the number of at least two terminal devices that send the reference signal being two, with the two terminal devices being the first terminal device and the second terminal device respectively, the steps in this communication method will be explained.

[0160] S201. The communication device sends first indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the first indication information from the communication device. The second terminal device receives the first indication information from the communication device.

[0161] Among them, the first indication information indicates the first time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send the reference signal; the reference signal is used to determine the channel quality and can also be used for beamforming; the terminal device group includes multiple terminal devices, and the first terminal device and the second terminal device belong to the terminal device group.

[0162] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of terminal device groups may be at least one; the distances between multiple terminal devices in the same terminal device group may be close, or the channel qualities may be similar, or the path loss values are less than a certain threshold. That the first terminal device and the second terminal device belong to a terminal device group means that the first terminal device and the second terminal device belong to the same terminal device group, that is, the first terminal device and the second terminal device receive the same piece of information on the same time-frequency resource; the first terminal device and the second terminal device may be all the terminal devices in the same terminal device group; the first terminal device and the second terminal device may also be some of the terminal devices in the same terminal device group.

[0163] Among them, the terminal device group may be determined by the communication device.

[0164] Exemplarily, the communication device may obtain the location information of multiple terminal devices in the area covered by its own signal through technologies such as the global positioning system (GPS), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Bluetooth, calculate the distances between the multiple terminal devices based on the location information, and divide the terminal devices with close locations into the same group according to the distances and a preset distance threshold to obtain at least one group of terminal devices, and use each group of terminal devices as a terminal device group.

[0165] In the embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device and the second terminal device may be instructed to periodically send reference signals on the corresponding first time-frequency resource by sending a first indication message; of course, the first terminal device and the second terminal device may also be instructed to send a reference signal once on the first time-frequency resource by sending a first indication message. The first indication message may be carried in a radio resource control (RRC) signaling and sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the first indication message may also be carried in downlink control information (DCI). Among them, the first indication message carried in the RRC signaling is different from the first indication message carried in the DCI, but both can indicate the first time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send reference signals.

[0166] Exemplarily, if the reference signal is SRS, then the first indication message may be understood as indicating the Group-SRS time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send SRS, simply referred to as the Group-SRS resource.

[0167] In an embodiment of the present application, the first time-frequency resource may be an unlicensed band, a licensed band, and / or a dedicated band. Before using the unlicensed band for transmission, it is necessary to meet the requirements of local regulations and perform channel access, such as LBT. The first time-frequency resource includes time-domain resources and frequency-domain resources. Among them, the time-domain resources may include at least one frame, at least one sub-frame, at least one slot, at least one mini-slot, at least one time unit, or at least one time-domain symbol, etc. The frequency-domain resources may include at least one carrier, at least one component carrier (CC), at least one bandwidth part (BWP), at least one resource block group (RBG), at least one physical resource block (PPG), at least one resource block (RB), or at least one sub-carrier (SC), etc.

[0168] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device may send the first indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device in a unicast or multicast manner. Among them, sending the first indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device may be implemented by the following methods:

[0169] The first method: Send the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device and the second terminal device receive the first RRC signaling from the communication device.

[0170] The first RRC signaling includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the first time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send reference signals in each period. Among them, the frequency-domain resources of the first time-frequency resource for sending reference signals in each period may be the same or different.

[0171] In an embodiment of the present application, the first indication information is carried in the first RRC signaling, and through the first indication information, it can be indicated that the first terminal device and the second terminal device send reference signals on the first time-frequency resource corresponding to each period. The first indication information indicates the start position and the period value of the time-domain resource in the first time-frequency resource. The period value refers to the time interval between two adjacent transmissions of reference signals.

[0172] In a feasible implementation, the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resource can be configured in units of time slots. The first indication information includes two parameters, namely periodicityAndOffset-p and periodicity. Among them, periodicityAndOffset-p is used to indicate the time slot offset, and its value range is [1, 32]. Based on the time slot offset, the starting position of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resource can be determined. Periodicity is used to indicate the period value, which is represented by T SRS and its value range is [1, 2560], indicating that the minimum period is 1 time slot and the maximum period is 2560 time slots. Among them, the time slots for transmitting reference signals in the configured first time-domain resources need to satisfy the following formula (1).

[0173]

[0174] Among them, refers to the time slot number in a frame; n f is the frame number; refers to how many time slots there are in a frame.

[0175] The second method: Send the first downlink control information DCI to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the first DCI from the communication device. The second terminal device receives the first DCI from the communication device.

[0176] Among them, the first DCI includes the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal device and the second terminal device send a reference signal once on the first time-frequency resource.

[0177] In the embodiments of the present application, the first indication information is carried in the first DCI, and through the first indication information, it can be indicated that the first terminal device and the second terminal device in the terminal device group send a reference signal once on the first time-frequency resource. Among them, the first indication information indicates the time offset value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resource. The time offset value refers to the offset value in time based on the moment of receiving the first DCI.

[0178] In a feasible implementation, the reference signal may be the SRS. The time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resource may be configured in units of time slots. The first indication information may be the information of the newly added Group-SRS-request field in DCI0_1 and DCI 1_1 in the first DCI. The Group-SRS-request field is used to indicate the time offset value of the time-domain resources and the frequency-domain resources. The first terminal device and the second terminal device in the terminal device group receive the first DCI at time n. If the time offset value is represented by Offset, then the time for the first terminal device and the second terminal device to send the SRS is n + Offset.

[0179] The third method: Send a second DCI to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the second DCI from the communication device. The second terminal device receives the second DCI from the communication device.

[0180] Among them, the second DCI includes the first indication information, and the second DCI is used to activate the configured first time-frequency resource. Among them, the second DCI is different from the first DCI.

[0181] Exemplarily, the reference signal may be the SRS, and the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resource may be configured in units of time slots.

[0182] The fourth method: Send MAC-CE signaling to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the MAC-CE signaling from the communication device. The second terminal device receives the MAC-CE signaling from the communication device.

[0183] Among them, the MAC-CE signaling includes the first indication information, and the MAC-CE signaling is used to activate the configured first time-frequency resource.

[0184] In the embodiments of the present application, the first time-frequency resources configured for the first terminal device and the second terminal device in the third method and the fourth method may be configured by the second RRC signaling.

[0185] Specifically, the second RRC signaling may be sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and at least one time-frequency resource of the first terminal device and the second terminal device is configured through the second RRC signaling. The at least one time-frequency resource includes the first time-frequency resource.

[0186] For the above solutions, any one of the four methods may be adopted to indicate the first time-frequency resource used by the first terminal device and the second terminal device in the terminal device group when sending the reference signal, so that the first terminal device and the second terminal device can send the reference signal on the same first time-frequency resource, reducing the resources occupied when sending the reference signal and improving the resource utilization rate.

[0187] It should be noted that the number of terminal device groups can be multiple, and the corresponding first time-frequency resources for different terminal device groups are different; the more the number of terminal device groups, the sparser the comb resources in the frequency domain, and the fewer the number of terminal device groups, the denser the comb resources.

[0188] S202. The communication device receives reference signals from the first terminal device and the second terminal device on the first time-frequency resource. Correspondingly, the first terminal device sends a reference signal to the communication device on the first time-frequency resource. The second terminal device sends a reference signal to the communication device on the first time-frequency resource.

[0189] In the embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device and the second terminal device send reference signals on the same first time-frequency resource, which has the following advantages:

[0190] 1) Resource sharing and efficiency improvement: The first terminal device and the second terminal device sharing the first time-frequency resource can utilize the wireless spectrum more efficiently. Through reasonable allocation and scheduling, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can send reference signals on the same resource (i.e., the first time-frequency resource), thereby improving the spectrum utilization rate and system efficiency.

[0191] 2) Increased signal coverage and reliability: When both the first terminal device and the second terminal device send reference signals on the first time-frequency resource, the signal coverage range and reception reliability are enhanced, which helps to resist signal fading and interference and improves the communication stability.

[0192] 3) Diversity gain and performance improvement: When both the first terminal device and the second terminal device send reference signals on the first time-frequency resource, diversity gain can be provided. The diversity gain helps to reduce the impact of signal fading, reduce the bit error rate, and improve the communication stability.

[0193] In a feasible implementation manner, the communication device can be a network device. The network device can be, for example, a base station, and the reference signal can be an SRS signal. After receiving the reference signal, the network device can perform at least one of the following operations:

[0194] 1) Beamforming: The network device analyzes the reference signal and can understand the signal propagation direction and interference situation in the environment based on the reference signal. Based on this information, the network device can adjust the weights of its antenna array to form a beam pointing to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. In this way, the network device can send signals to the first terminal device and the second terminal device directionally, reducing signal scattering and interference, thereby improving the communication quality.

[0195] 2) Channel quality estimation: The network device can estimate the wireless channel characteristics of the environment where the first terminal device and the second terminal device are located based on the reference signal, such as multipath propagation, channel attenuation, Doppler frequency shift, etc. This helps to understand the attenuation, delay, and distortion of the signal during transmission.

[0196] 3) Uplink channel sounding: By receiving and analyzing the reference signals sent from the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the uplink channel state can be understood, and corresponding link adaptation and scheduling can be performed accordingly.

[0197] 4) Implementation of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology: Reference signals, such as SRS signals, support the application of MIMO technology. By transmitting and receiving SRS signals on multiple antennas, the network device, the first terminal device, and the second terminal device can implement advanced communication technologies such as spatial multiplexing and beamforming, thereby improving the transmission rate and spectral efficiency of the system.

[0198] 5) Dynamic resource allocation: Based on the understanding of the channel state, the network device can perform dynamic resource allocation. For example, in the uplink, the network device can dynamically allocate time-frequency resources for the first terminal device and the second terminal device according to the channel state, thereby maximizing the system throughput and user experience.

[0199] 6) Interference coordination: By analyzing the reference signal, the network device can understand the interference situation in the area where the first terminal device and the second terminal device are located, and adopt corresponding interference coordination strategies, such as power control, frequency planning, etc., to reduce interference and improve communication performance.

[0200] 7) Closed-loop spatial multiplexing: Based on the analysis of the reference signal, the network device can perform closed-loop spatial multiplexing operations, thereby optimizing the allocation and utilization of wireless resources. This is beneficial to improving spectral efficiency and system capacity.

[0201] In a feasible implementation manner, the communication device can be a terminal device, and the reference signal can be a CSI-RS. Wherein, after receiving the reference signals from the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the terminal device can perform at least one of the following operations:

[0202] 1) Channel state estimation and feedback: By receiving the reference signal, the terminal device can obtain the channel state information of the first terminal device and the second terminal device itself. This helps to estimate the channel state of the entire communication link, including channel response, multipath effect, and interference situation, etc. Based on this information, the terminal device can provide accurate channel state feedback for further link adaptation and optimization.

[0203] 2) Hierarchical gain and channel enhancement: Since the signals of the first terminal device and the second terminal device may suffer from different fading and interference, they have diversity in reference signals (such as CSI-RS) in space, time, or frequency. By jointly processing these reference signals, the terminal device can obtain more comprehensive channel information, thereby more accurately estimating the channel state and improving the channel quality.

[0204] 3) Resource allocation and scheduling optimization: Based on the received reference signals, the terminal device can more accurately understand the channel states and requirements of each terminal device. This helps to achieve dynamic resource allocation and scheduling optimization, such as adaptive modulation and coding, power control, rate matching, etc., thereby improving the system throughput and user experience.

[0205] 4) Auxiliary beamforming and signal processing: Based on the received reference signals, the terminal device can obtain channel state information in different directions. This helps to perform beamforming and signal processing operations, such as interference suppression, multi-user detection, etc., thereby improving the communication performance and reliability.

[0206] 5) Positioning assistance: Based on the received reference signals, the terminal device can perform relative positioning operations. This helps to achieve more accurate location awareness and mobility management, improving the service quality and user experience.

[0207] 6) Auxiliary beamforming and signal directional transmission: By analyzing the CSI-RS sent by other terminal devices received, the current terminal device can understand the signal direction or beam information of other terminal devices. This helps to optimize beamforming and signal directional transmission, improving the transmission quality and coverage of the signal.

[0208] A communication method provided in this application. In this method, the communication device can send first indication information to at least two terminal devices. The first indication information indicates the first time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send reference signals. The at least two terminal devices belong to the terminal device group. The at least two terminal devices can send reference signals to the communication device on the first time-frequency resource based on the first indication information. The communication device can receive the reference signals on the first time-frequency resource so as to perform beamforming and channel quality estimation based on the reference signals. Since the at least two terminal devices send reference signals on the same first time-frequency resource, the time-frequency resources occupied by the reference signals are reduced, solving the problem that the resources occupied by the reference signals are excessive in the current technology. More time-frequency resources can be used for data transmission, improving the data transmission speed and service quality.

[0209] Based on the foregoing embodiments, Figure 3It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication method may include one or more steps from S301 to S310. Hereinafter, taking the device (such as a network device or a terminal device) that receives a reference signal as a communication device, and the number of at least two terminal devices that send reference signals is two, and the two terminal devices are a first terminal device and a second terminal device as an example, each step in the communication method will be explained.

[0210] S301. The communication device sends first data information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can receive the first data information from the communication device.

[0211] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device may use multicast or unicast to send the first data information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0212] Exemplarily, the communication device may be a network device, such as a base station, and the first terminal device and the second terminal device may be vehicle-mounted terminals. Among them, for the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenario facing L4 autonomous driving, since the vehicle can only rely on its own sensors to perceive and cannot obtain information in the blind area, such as sudden pedestrian appearance and extreme weather (such as heavy rain, haze and other bad weather), the vehicle cannot obtain sufficient information through road test perception to achieve autonomous driving. Based on this, it can be considered that the base station directly sends road test perception information to the vehicle-mounted terminals on the vehicle to improve the reliability of single-vehicle perception. Among them, the first data information includes road test perception information.

[0213] Among them, considering that the requests of vehicles for road side perception information in the same physical area are the same, the base station can use multicast to send the same road side perception information to the vehicle-mounted terminals of all vehicles in the same physical area, that is, serve multiple vehicles at the same time by using multicast to improve the resource utilization efficiency.

[0214] S302. The communication device receives first feedback information from the first terminal device and the second terminal device for the first data information. Correspondingly, the first terminal device sends the first feedback information. The second terminal device sends the first feedback information.

[0215] Among them, the first feedback information may be a first ACK or a first NACK.

[0216] In the embodiment of the present application, when the first terminal device or the second terminal device receives the first data information, it will send a first ACK to the communication device, and the first ACK is used to notify the communication device that the first data information has been received. When the first terminal device or the second terminal device does not receive the first data information, it will send a first NACK to the communication device, and the first NACK is used to notify the communication device that the first data information has not been received.

[0217] S303. When the first feedback information received from the first terminal device and the second terminal device for the first data information meets the first feedback condition, the communication device sends first indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the first indication information from the communication device. The second terminal device receives the first indication information from the communication device.

[0218] In a feasible implementation, the first feedback condition may be that the number of first ACKs is greater than or equal to the first quantity threshold, and / or the proportion of first ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to the first proportion threshold.

[0219] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of first ACKs in multiple first feedback information may be counted. When the number of first ACKs is greater than or equal to the first quantity threshold, it is determined that the first feedback information for the first data information meets the first feedback condition; or, the proportion of first ACKs in multiple first feedback information is counted. When the proportion of first ACKs is greater than or equal to the first proportion threshold, it is determined that the first feedback information for the first data information meets the first feedback condition; or, the number of first ACKs in multiple first feedback information is greater than or equal to the first quantity threshold, and the proportion of first ACKs in multiple first feedback information is greater than or equal to the first proportion threshold, and it is determined that the first feedback information for the first data information meets the first feedback condition.

[0220] Wherein, the proportion of the first ACK is the ratio of the number of first ACKs to the number of multiple first feedback information received.

[0221] Optionally, the number of multiple first feedback information received refers to the number of multiple first feedback information received within a time window, and the time window is configured or pre-configured.

[0222] In a feasible implementation, the first feedback condition may also be that the number of first NACKs in the first feedback information is less than the second quantity threshold, and / or the proportion of first NACKs is less than the second proportion threshold.

[0223] In an embodiment of the present application, the number of first NACKs in multiple first feedback messages may be counted. When the number of first NACKs is less than a second quantity threshold, it is determined that the first feedback message meets the first feedback condition; or, the proportion of first NACKs in multiple first feedback messages is counted. When the proportion of first NACKs is less than a second proportion threshold, it is determined that the first feedback message meets the first feedback condition; or, the number of first NACKs in multiple first feedback messages is less than the second quantity threshold, and the proportion of first NACKs in multiple first feedback messages is less than the second proportion threshold, and it is determined that the first feedback message meets the first feedback condition. The proportion of the first NACK is the ratio of the number of first NACKs to the number of multiple first feedback messages received.

[0224] When the first feedback message meets the first feedback condition, it is determined that the resources occupied by the currently transmitted reference signal may be excessive. Based on considerations of the accuracy of measuring the channel quality and resource conservation, the first indication information may be sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device to instruct the first terminal device and the second terminal device to transmit reference signals on the same first time-frequency resource, reducing the resources occupied by transmitting the reference signal. Further, the resources consumed for measuring the channel quality are reduced.

[0225] It should be noted that the implementation process of the communication device sending the first indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device in S303 is the same as the implementation process of S201. For the specific implementation process of the communication device sending the first indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device in S303, reference may be specifically made to the specific implementation process of S201, and this embodiment of the present application will not elaborate further.

[0226] S304: The communication device receives reference signals from the first terminal device and the second terminal device on the first time-frequency resource. Correspondingly, the first terminal device transmits a reference signal to the communication device on the first time-frequency resource. The second terminal device transmits a reference signal to the communication device on the first time-frequency resource.

[0227] It should be noted that the implementation process of S304 is the same as the implementation process of S202. The specific implementation process of S304 may refer to the implementation process of S202 in the foregoing embodiments, and this embodiment of the present application will not elaborate further here.

[0228] S305: Transmit second data information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0229] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device may use multicast or unicast to transmit the second data information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0230] Exemplarily, the second data information may be perception road test information.

[0231] S306. Receive second feedback information from the first terminal device and the second terminal device for the second data information.

[0232] Wherein, the second feedback information may be a second ACK or a second NACK.

[0233] Optionally, the second feedback information is received within a time window, and the time window is configured or pre-configured.

[0234] It should be noted that after S306, S307 and S308 may be executed. Or, after S306, S309 and S310 may also be executed. Figure 3 Only the execution of S307 and S308 after S306 is shown in the figure.

[0235] S307. When the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition, send second indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the second indication information; the second terminal device receives the second indication information.

[0236] Wherein, the second indication information indicates second time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals.

[0237] In a feasible implementation manner, the second feedback condition includes: the number of second ACKs in the second feedback information is less than a third quantity threshold, and / or the proportion of second ACKs in the second feedback information is less than a third proportion threshold.

[0238] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of second ACKs in multiple second feedback information may be counted. When the number of second ACKs is less than the third quantity threshold, it is determined that the second feedback information for the second data information meets the second feedback condition; or, the proportion of second ACKs in multiple second feedback information is counted. When the proportion of second ACKs is less than the third proportion threshold, it is determined that the second feedback information for the second data information meets the second feedback condition; or, the number of second ACKs in multiple second feedback information is less than the third quantity threshold, and the proportion of second ACKs in multiple second feedback information is less than the third proportion threshold, it is determined that the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition. The proportion of the second ACK is the ratio of the number of second ACKs to the number of multiple second feedback information received.

[0239] Exemplarily, the ratio of the number of second ACKs to the number of multiple second feedback information received may be: the ratio of the number of second ACKs received within the time window to the total number of second feedback information received within the time window.

[0240] In another feasible implementation manner, the second feedback condition includes: the number of second NACKs in the second feedback information is greater than or equal to a fourth quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of second NACKs in the second feedback information is greater than or equal to a fourth ratio threshold.

[0241] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of second NACKs in multiple second feedback information can be counted. When the number of second NACKs is greater than or equal to the fourth quantity threshold, it is determined that the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition; or, the ratio of second NACKs in multiple second feedback information is counted. When the ratio of second NACKs is greater than or equal to the fourth ratio threshold, it is determined that the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition; or, the number of second NACKs in multiple second feedback information is greater than or equal to the fourth quantity threshold, and the ratio of second NACKs in multiple second feedback information is greater than or equal to the fourth ratio threshold, and it is determined that the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition. The ratio of second NACKs is the ratio of the number of second NACKs to the number of multiple second feedback information received.

[0242] Exemplarily, the ratio of the number of second NACKs to the number of multiple second feedback information received can be: the ratio of the number of second NACKs received within a time window to the total number of second feedback information received within that time window.

[0243] Among them, in the case where the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition, sending the second indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device can be implemented in the following manner:

[0244] In a feasible implementation manner, in the case where the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition, indicating that the time-frequency resources used to send the reference signal may be too few, a third RRC signaling can be sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The third RRC signaling includes the second indication information. Among them, the period value of the time domain resource in the second time-frequency resource indicated by the second indication information is less than the period value of the time domain resource in the first time-frequency resource. That is to say, the time interval between two adjacent transmissions of the reference signal under the second time-frequency resource is less than the time interval between two adjacent transmissions of the reference signal under the first time-frequency resource. It can also be understood that the second time-frequency resource is configured with a higher density than the first time-frequency resource.

[0245] Based on the above solution, in order to ensure the accuracy of channel quality measurement, in the case where the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition, by sending the third RRC signaling to the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can send reference signals on the same second time-frequency resource, reducing the resources occupied by the reference signal and ensuring the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0246] S308. Receive reference signals from the first terminal device and the second terminal device on the second time-frequency resource.

[0247] In the embodiment of the present application, on the second time-frequency resource, receive the reference signals sent by the first terminal device and the second terminal device on the same second time-frequency resource.

[0248] S309. When the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition, send third indication information to at least two terminal devices.

[0249] Among them, the third indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device sends a reference signal on the corresponding third time-frequency resource, and the third time-frequency resources used by at least two terminal devices to send reference signals are different.

[0250] In a feasible implementation manner, when the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition, it indicates that the time-frequency resource used to send the reference signal may be too small, and the third DCI can be sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Among them, the third DCI includes the third indication information, and the third indication information is used to activate the configured third time-frequency resource.

[0251] After the first terminal device receives the third DCI, the first terminal device can send reference signals on both the indicated first time-frequency resource and the third time-frequency resource corresponding to the first terminal device; after the second terminal device receives the third DCI, the second terminal device can send reference signals on both the indicated first time-frequency resource and the third time-frequency resource corresponding to the second terminal device. Among them, the third time-frequency resource corresponding to the first terminal device is different from the third time-frequency resource corresponding to the second terminal device.

[0252] Based on the above solution, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can send reference signals on the common first time-frequency resource and can also send reference signals on their respective third time-frequency resources. Since the time-frequency resources used by the first terminal device and the second terminal device to send reference signals have a common part, while saving resources, the accuracy of channel measurement is ensured.

[0253] S310. Receive the reference signals sent by the first terminal device and the second terminal device on the first time-frequency resource and the third time-frequency resource.

[0254] It should be noted that the different time-frequency resources used by different terminal devices to send sounding reference signals (SRS) are per-UE SRS resources, which can also be referred to as UE-specific SRS; the same time-frequency resources used by a group of terminal devices (i.e., a terminal device group) or multiple terminal devices to send reference signals are Group SRS resources. Then, the aforementioned first time-frequency resource and second time-frequency resource are both different Group SRS resources; the third time-frequency resource is per-UE SRS resource.

[0255] In a communication method provided by this application, since the first terminal device and the second terminal device send reference signals on the same first time-frequency resource, the time-frequency resources occupied by the reference signals are reduced, solving the problem that the resources occupied by the reference signals are excessive in the current technology. More time-frequency resources can be used for data transmission, improving the data transmission speed and service quality. Moreover, when the second feedback information meets the second feedback condition, the time-frequency resources occupied by the first terminal device and the second terminal device when sending reference signals are adjusted, ensuring the accuracy of channel measurement while saving the time-frequency resources occupied by the reference signals.

[0256] Regarding the time-frequency resources of the terminal device group, fixed time-frequency resources indicated by a fixed period are adopted. If the channel qualities of the terminal devices within the terminal device group are all very stable, there may be a waste phenomenon in the time-frequency resources indicated by the fixed period. To flexibly indicate reasonable time-frequency resources, avoid resource waste, and improve the accuracy of determining the channel quality, this application also provides a communication method. Figure 4 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of this application. This communication method may include S401 to S404. Hereinafter, taking the device (such as a network device or a terminal device) that receives the reference signal as the communication device, and the number of at least two terminal devices that send the reference signal is two, and the two terminal devices are the first terminal device and the second terminal device as an example, each step in this communication method will be explained.

[0257] S401. The communication device sends third data information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0258] In an embodiment of this application, the communication device may send the third data information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device in a multicast or unicast manner. The third data information may be service data information.

[0259] Exemplarily, the third data information may be perception road test information.

[0260] S402. Receive third feedback information from the first terminal device and the second terminal device for the third data information. Correspondingly, the first terminal device sends the third feedback information to the communication device. The second terminal device sends the third feedback information to the communication device.

[0261] Among them, the third feedback information may be a third ACK or a third NACK.

[0262] S403. Based on the third feedback information, send indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal device and the second terminal device send reference signals on corresponding time-frequency resources;

[0263] S404. Receive the reference signals sent by the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0264] Among them, the reference signal may be an SRS or a CSI-RS.

[0265] In the embodiments of the present application, the configured time-frequency resources may be activated or deactivated based on the third feedback information through DCI. The time-frequency resources may be per UE SRS resources. Or, based on the third feedback information, the Group SRS resources are indicated by RRC. The period value of the time-domain resources in the Group SRS resources may be greater than the period value of the Group SRS resources that sent reference signals at the nearest time before the current time. Of course, the period value of the time-domain resources in the Group SRS resources may also be less than the period value of the Group SRS resources that sent reference signals at the nearest time before the current time. Or, based on the third feedback information, the time-frequency resources used to send reference signals are indicated by the pattern field in DCI, so as to indicate how the terminal device uses the time-frequency resources.

[0266] Among them, indicating the time-frequency resources used to send reference signals by the pattern field in DCI may be to indicate all or part of the time-frequency resources for sending reference signals.

[0267] In a feasible implementation manner, part of the time-frequency resources used to send reference signals may be indicated by the pattern field in DCI. For example Figure 5As shown, per UE SRS resources can be pre-configured for the terminal device through RRC. In addition, there are also DCI dynamic indication time-frequency resources. Specifically, multiple patterns can be predefined in advance. For example, pattern #1 is a way for different groups (terminal device groups) to use frequency-division resources, and pattern #2 is a way for UEs within a grouped (terminal device group) group to use frequency-division resources. The specific pattern carried in the DCI is used to determine the time-frequency resources (i.e., partial time-frequency resources) corresponding to the transmission of the reference signal for the terminal device.

[0268] In another feasible implementation, the entire time-frequency resources used for transmitting the reference signal can be indicated by the pattern field in the DCI. As Figure 6 shown, compared with Figure 5 , there are no pre-configured per UE SRS resources, and all the time-frequency resources used by the terminal device to transmit the reference signal can be dynamically indicated by the DCI.

[0269] Based on the above scheme, according to the third feedback information, the time-frequency resources used by the first terminal device and the second terminal device when transmitting the reference signal can be indicated to reasonably allocate radio resources, avoid resource waste and over-occupation, and improve the resource utilization rate and overall performance of the wireless communication system.

[0270] Among them, S403 and S404 can be implemented in the following ways:

[0271] Method 1: When the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, send the fourth indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The fourth indication information indicates the fourth time-frequency resources used by the terminal device group to transmit the reference signal in each cycle.

[0272] Among them, the third feedback condition can be that the number of third ACKs in the third feedback information is less than the fifth quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of third ACKs in the third feedback information is less than the fifth ratio threshold. Or, the third feedback condition can be that the number of third NACKs in the third feedback information is greater than or equal to the sixth quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of third NACKs in the third feedback information is greater than or equal to the sixth ratio threshold.

[0273] In the embodiments of the present application, when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, it indicates that the resources currently used for transmitting the reference signal may be too few. To further improve the accuracy of channel measurement, the fourth indication information can be sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The fourth indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal device and the second terminal device transmit the reference signal on the fourth time-frequency resources. After receiving the fourth indication information, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can both transmit the reference signal only on the fourth time-frequency resources.

[0274] Specifically, when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, a fourth RRC signaling is sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device to instruct the first terminal device and the second terminal device to periodically send reference signals on the fourth time-frequency resource; the fourth RRC signaling includes fourth indication information. For example, if the first terminal device and the second terminal device previously sent reference signals on the fifth time-frequency resource, then after the first terminal device and the second terminal device receive the fourth RRC signaling, the first terminal device and the second terminal device may both send reference signals only on the fourth time-frequency resource.

[0275] Among them, both the fourth time-frequency resource and the fifth time-domain resource may be Group SRS resources. The fourth RRC signaling can be understood as being used for updating the time-frequency resource. Specifically, the fifth time-frequency resource is updated to the fourth time-frequency resource. The period value of the time-domain resource in the fourth time-frequency resource is smaller than the period value of the time-domain resource in the fifth time-frequency resource. That is to say, the fourth time-frequency resource has a higher configured density compared to the fifth time-frequency resource.

[0276] Exemplarily, the fourth RRC may be the same as the third RRC signaling in the foregoing embodiment, the fifth time-frequency resource may be the same as the first time-frequency resource in the foregoing embodiment, and the fourth time-frequency resource may be the same as the second time-frequency resource in the foregoing embodiment.

[0277] Based on the above solution, the period value of the time-domain resource in the fourth time-frequency resource indicated by the fourth indication information is smaller than the period value of the time-domain resource in the fifth time-frequency resource, so as to increase the frequency of sending reference signals, and further increase the number of reference signals received by the communication device, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the channel quality based on the reference signal.

[0278] Method 2: When the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, a fifth indication information is sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the fifth indication information is used to instruct the terminal devices in the terminal device group to send reference signals on the corresponding sixth time-frequency resource.

[0279] In the embodiments of the present application, when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, it indicates that the resources currently used for sending reference signals may be too few. To further improve the accuracy of channel measurement, a fifth indication information may be sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the fifth indication information is used to instruct the first terminal device and the second terminal device to send reference signals on the corresponding sixth time-frequency resource.

[0280] Specifically, when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, a fourth DCI is sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Through the fourth DCI, the corresponding sixth time-frequency resource on the first terminal device and the second terminal device can be activated. For example, both the first terminal device and the second terminal device previously sent reference signals on the fifth time-frequency resource. Then, when the first terminal device and the second terminal device receive the fourth DCI, the first terminal device can send reference signals on the fifth time-frequency resource and the sixth time-frequency resource corresponding to the first terminal device; the second terminal device can send reference signals on the fifth time-frequency resource and the sixth time-frequency resource corresponding to the second terminal device. Among them, the fifth time-domain resource is a Group SRS resource, and the sixth time-frequency resource can be a per UE SRS resource.

[0281] Exemplarily, the fourth DCI can be the same as the third DCI in the foregoing embodiment, the fifth time-frequency resource can be the same as the first time-frequency resource in the foregoing embodiment, and the sixth time-frequency resource can be the same as the third time-frequency resource in the foregoing embodiment.

[0282] Based on the above solution, when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can both send reference signals on the Group SRS resource and their respective corresponding per UE SRS resources, so as to determine the channel quality according to the reference signals, improving the accuracy of determining the channel quality and saving the resources occupied by the reference signals.

[0283] Mode 3: When the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, a sixth indication information is sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The sixth indication information is used to indicate the first terminal device and the second terminal device to send reference signals on the seventh time-frequency resource.

[0284] In the embodiments of the present application, when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, it indicates that the resources currently used for sending reference signals may be too few. To further improve the accuracy of channel measurement, a sixth indication information can be sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The sixth indication information is used to indicate the first terminal device and the second terminal device to send reference signals on the seventh time-frequency resource.

[0285] Specifically, when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, a fifth DCI can be sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The fifth DCI includes sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information can be a field of a pattern added in the fifth DCI. When the first terminal device receives the fifth DCI, it can determine the corresponding seventh time-frequency resource according to the specific pattern carried in the field of the pattern, so as to send a reference signal on the seventh time-frequency resource. For example, the pattern index can indicate a Group SRS resource or a per UE SRS resource.

[0286] Exemplarily, the base station can pre-configure multiple patterns for the first terminal device and the second terminal device respectively through the fifth RRC signaling; for example, pattern #1 is a way of using resources by different groups in frequency division, that is, a Group SRS resource is used; pattern #2 is a way of using resources by the terminal devices within a grouped group in frequency division, that is, a per UE SRS resource is used. When the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, a fifth DCI can be sent to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The field of the pattern in the fifth DCI carries a target pattern. After the first terminal device and the second terminal device receive the fifth DCI, they can determine the seventh time-frequency resource corresponding to the target pattern based on the target pattern, and send a reference signal on the seventh time-frequency resource. For example, if the first terminal device and the second terminal device both sent reference signals on the fifth time-frequency resource before, then when the first terminal device and the second terminal device receive the fifth DCI, the first terminal device can send reference signals on both the fifth time-frequency resource and the time-frequency resource corresponding to the target pattern (i.e., the seventh time-frequency resource), and the second terminal device can send reference signals on both the fifth time-frequency resource and the time-frequency resource corresponding to the target pattern (i.e., the seventh time-frequency resource).

[0287] It should be noted that the above-mentioned third feedback information can be received within a predefined time window.

[0288] Such as Figure 7As shown, the base station has pre-configured periodic Group SRS resources and periodic per UE SRS resources for the first terminal device and the second terminal device; among them, the per UE SRS resources corresponding to the first terminal device and the per UE SRS resources corresponding to the second terminal device are different. Exemplarily, reference signals can be sent on the Group SRS resources periodically, but whether the configured per UE SRS resources are used can be activated or deactivated through DCI. The Group SRS resources are usually configured denser than the per UE SRS resources. Therefore, as Figure 7 shown, there are two Group SRS resources between two per UE SRS resources. The third feedback information can be received in the Figure 7 time window shown.

[0289] Among them, the start position of the time window can be the start position of the time domain resource of the first per UE SRS resource configured in Figure 7 . The end position of the time window can be the Nth time slot, or the end position of the time domain resource of the ith Group-SRS. Here, i refers to the number of Group-SRS resources between the first per UE SRS resource and the second per UE SRS resource.

[0290] Exemplarily, as Figure 7 shown, the third feedback information corresponding to the third data information sent can be counted within the shown predefined time window. When the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, a third DCI is sent to indicate the activation of the next configured per UE SRS resource.

[0291] In the embodiments of the present application, the Group-SRS resources and the per UE SRS resources can also be configured together, but in actual applications, whether the Group-SRS resources are used can be activated or deactivated through DCI.

[0292] Exemplarily, as Figure 8 shown, the base station can configure periodic Group-SRS resources and per UE SRS resources for both the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Reference signals can be sent on the per UE SRS resources periodically, but whether the configured Group-SRS resources are used can be activated or deactivated through DCI for the Group-SRS resources. Among them, as Figure 8 shown, the Group-SRS resources are configured denser, so there are multiple Group-SRS resources between the periodic per UE SRS resources.

[0293] A communication method provided by this application sends third data information to a first terminal device and a second terminal device; receives third feedback information from the first terminal device and the second terminal device regarding the third data information; based on the third feedback information, sends indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device, where the indication information is used to indicate the first terminal device and the second terminal device to send reference signals on corresponding time-frequency resources; and receives the reference signals sent by the first terminal device and the second terminal device. In this way, based on the third feedback information, the time-frequency resources for the first terminal device and the second terminal device to send reference signals can be indicated, improving the flexibility when sending reference signals, and further improving the flexibility and accuracy of determining the channel quality.

[0294] Regarding the above-mentioned multiple embodiments, it can be understood that:

[0295] (1) "Predefined" in this application generally refers to information that is defined by a standard, does not require configuration by other devices, is pre-recorded / written in the device's own hardware and / or software, or can be understood as information that cannot be changed by other devices.

[0296] For a network device: "Configuration" in this application refers to parameters or characteristics configured by an operator for the network device. For a terminal device: "Configuration" in this application refers to a network device or a server sending configuration information or value of some parameters to the terminal device through a message or signaling, or it can also be other terminal devices sending configuration information or value of some parameters to the terminal device through a message or signaling, so that the terminal device can determine communication parameters or resources during transmission according to these values or information.

[0297] "Pre-configuration" in this application is similar to "configuration". It can be a way for other devices to send parameter information or values to a network device or a terminal device; it can also be a way to define corresponding parameters or parameter values, or to write relevant parameters or values to a network device or a terminal device in advance. This application does not make any limitations in this regard. Further, these values and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0298] (2) In various embodiments of this application, if there is no special description and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships. For example, Embodiment 2 can be combined with Embodiment 1 to form a new embodiment, and Embodiment 3 can be combined with Embodiment 1 to form a new embodiment. In addition, within the same embodiment, different implementation manners or different examples can also be mutually referred to or referenced.

[0299] The method embodiments provided by the present application are described above, and the apparatus embodiments provided by the present application will be described below. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, for the content not described in detail, reference may be made to the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0300] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 9 shown, the communication apparatus 5 may include at least one of a sending unit 51 and a receiving unit 52. The sending unit 51 and the receiving unit 52 may implement corresponding communication functions. This communication may be internal communication of the communication apparatus 5 or communication between the communication apparatus 5 and other apparatuses. Optionally, the communication apparatus 5 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The sending unit 51 and the receiving unit 52 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication apparatus 5 implements the foregoing method embodiments.

[0301] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 5 may be Figure 2 and Figure 3 in the communication apparatus; wherein, the communication apparatus may be a network device, or a module or chip applied to the network device; or, the communication apparatus may also be a terminal device, or a module or chip applied to the terminal device, and the terminal device does not belong to the terminal device group. The communication apparatus 5 may be used to execute the steps or processes of the communication apparatus in the communication methods described above in Figure 2 and Figure 3 .

[0302] Specifically, the sending unit 51 is configured to send first indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the first indication information indicates first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals, and the reference signals are used to determine channel quality, and the at least two terminal devices belong to the terminal device group; the receiving unit 52 is configured to receive reference signals from the at least two terminal devices on the first time-frequency resources.

[0303] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send first Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling to at least two terminal devices, and the first RRC signaling includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals in each period.

[0304] Optionally, the first indication information indicates the start position and period value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resources.

[0305] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send first Downlink Control Information (DCI) to at least two terminal devices, and the first DCI includes the first indication information.

[0306] Optionally, the first indication information indicates a time offset value of a time domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

[0307] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send a second DCI to at least two terminal devices, where the second DCI includes first indication information for activating a configured first time-frequency resource.

[0308] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is further configured to send a second RRC signaling to at least two terminal devices, where the second RRC signaling is used to configure the first time-frequency resource.

[0309] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send first data information to at least two terminal devices; and when first feedback information from the at least two terminal devices for the first data information satisfies a first feedback condition, send first indication information to the at least two terminal devices.

[0310] Optionally, the number of first determination information ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of the first ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first ratio threshold.

[0311] In a possible design, the communication device 5 may be Figure 2 and Figure 3 any one of at least two terminal devices, such as a first terminal device, or may also be a module or chip applied to the first terminal device. The communication device 5 may be used to execute the steps or processes performed by the first terminal device in the above communication method.

[0312] Specifically, the receiving unit 52 is configured to receive first indication information from a network device, where the first indication information indicates a first time-frequency resource for a terminal device group to send a reference signal, and the reference signal is used to determine a channel quality, and the first terminal device belongs to the terminal device group; the sending unit 51 is configured to send a reference signal on the first time-frequency resource.

[0313] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling from a network device, where the first RRC signaling includes first indication information indicating a first time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send a reference signal in each period.

[0314] Optionally, the first indication information indicates a start position and a period value of a time domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

[0315] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive a first downlink control information (DCI) from a network device, where the first DCI includes first indication information.

[0316] Optionally, the first indication information indicates a time offset value of a time domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

[0317] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive a second DCI from a network device, where the second DCI includes first indication information for activating a configured first time-frequency resource.

[0318] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive a second RRC instruction from a network device, where the second RRC instruction is used to configure the first time-frequency resource.

[0319] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive first data information from a network device; the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send first feedback information for the first data information to the network device; the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive first indication information from the network device, where the first indication information is sent when the first feedback information meets a first feedback condition.

[0320] Optionally, the first feedback condition is that the number of first determination information ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, and / or the proportion of first ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first proportion threshold.

[0321] In a possible design, the communication device 5 may be Figure 4 the communication device in; where the communication device may be a network device, or a module or chip applied to the network device; or, the communication device may also be a terminal device, or a module or chip applied to the terminal device, and the terminal device does not belong to the terminal devices in the terminal device group. The communication device 5 may be used to execute the steps or processes of the communication device in the communication method described above. Figure 4 in.

[0322] Specifically, the sending unit 51 is configured to send third data information to a first terminal device and a second terminal device; the receiving unit 52 is configured to receive third feedback information from the first terminal device and the second terminal device for the third data information; the sending unit 51 is configured to send indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the third feedback information; the indication information is used to instruct the first terminal device and the second terminal device to send reference signals on corresponding time-frequency resources; the receiving unit 52 is configured to receive the reference signals sent by the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0323] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send fourth indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device when the third feedback information meets a third feedback condition, where the fourth indication information indicates fourth time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals in each period.

[0324] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send a fourth RRC signaling to the first terminal device and the second terminal device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, where the fourth RRC signaling includes fourth indication information.

[0325] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send a fifth indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the terminal devices in the terminal device group send reference signals on corresponding sixth time-frequency resources.

[0326] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send a fourth DCI to the first terminal device and the second terminal device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, where the fourth DCI includes a fifth indication information; the fifth indication information is used to activate the configured sixth time-frequency resources on the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0327] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send a sixth indication information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal device and the second terminal device send reference signals on a seventh time-frequency resource.

[0328] Optionally, the sending unit 51 is specifically configured to send a fifth DCI to the first terminal device and the second terminal device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition; the fifth DCI includes a sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information is a field of a pattern added in the fifth DCI.

[0329] In a possible design, the communication device 5 may be Figure 4 any one of at least two terminal devices, such as the first terminal device, or may also be a module or a chip applied to the first terminal device. The communication device 5 may be used to execute the steps or processes performed by the first terminal device in the communication method shown in the above Figure 4 above.

[0330] Specifically, the receiving unit 52 is configured to receive third data information from a network device (or a terminal device that does not belong to the terminal device group); send third feedback information for the third data information to the network device; the receiving unit 52 is further configured to receive indication information from the network device, where the indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal device and the second terminal device send reference signals on corresponding time-frequency resources; the sending unit 51 is configured to send reference signals on the corresponding time-frequency resources.

[0331] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive fourth indication information from a network device, where the fourth indication information indicates fourth time-frequency resources for a terminal device group to send a reference signal in each period; the fourth indication information is sent by the network device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition.

[0332] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive a fourth RRC signaling from a network device, and the fourth RRC signaling includes the fourth indication information.

[0333] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive fifth indication information from a network device, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that a terminal device in a terminal device group sends a reference signal on corresponding sixth time-frequency resources; the fifth indication information is sent by the network device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition.

[0334] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive a fourth DCI from a network device, where the fourth DCI includes the fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to activate configured sixth time-frequency resources.

[0335] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive sixth indication information from a network device, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate that at least two terminal devices send reference signals on seventh time-frequency resources; the sixth indication information is sent by the network device when the third feedback information meets the third feedback condition.

[0336] Optionally, the receiving unit 52 is specifically configured to receive a fifth DCI from a network device, where the fifth DCI includes the sixth indication information, and the sixth indication information is a field of a pattern added in the fifth DCI.

[0337] Regarding the steps or processes executed by each unit in the communication device 5, reference may specifically be made to the descriptions in the corresponding method, which will not be elaborated here. It should be understood that the "unit" in the communication device 5 may be implemented by hardware, may be implemented by software, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. For example, the "unit" may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group of processors, etc.) for executing one or more software or firmware programs, and a memory, a merged logic circuit, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. For another example, the sending unit 51 and the receiving unit 52 may be replaced by a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit).

[0338] Figure 10A schematic block diagram of another communication device 6 provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. The device 6 may be a network device or a terminal device, or may be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a network device or a terminal device to implement the above method. The device can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment, and for details, reference can be made to the description in the above method embodiment.

[0339] The device 6 may include one or more processors 61. The processor 61 may also be referred to as a processing unit and can implement certain control functions. The processor 61 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control a communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a user chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute software programs, and process data of software programs.

[0340] In an alternative design, the processor 61 may also store instructions and / or data, and the instructions and / or data can be run by the processor 61, so that the device 6 executes the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0341] In another alternative design, the device 6 may include a communication interface 62 for implementing receiving and sending functions. For example, the communication interface 62 may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, an interface circuit, or a transceiver, etc. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and sending functions may be separate or integrated together. The above transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or the above transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for signal transmission or transfer.

[0342] Optionally, the device 6 may include one or more memories 63, on which instructions may be stored, and the instructions can be run on the processor 61, so that the device 6 executes the method described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 63. Optionally, instructions and / or data may also be stored in the processor 61. The processor 61 and the memory 63 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0343] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a terminal device provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. The above communication device 5 or communication device 6 may be configured in the terminal device 7. Or, the communication device 5 or communication device 6 itself may be the terminal device. Or rather, the terminal device 7 can perform the actions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment. Optionally, for ease of description, Figure 11 only the main components of the terminal device are shown.

[0344] In a feasible implementation, the terminal device is configured to receive first indication information from a network device. The first indication information indicates first time-frequency resources for a terminal device group to transmit a reference signal, where the reference signal is used to determine the channel quality, and the first terminal device belongs to the terminal device group. The reference signal is transmitted on the first time-frequency resources.

[0345] In another feasible implementation, the terminal device 7 is configured to receive third data information from a network device; send third feedback information for the third data information to the network device; receive indication information from the network device, where the indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal device and the second terminal device transmit reference signals on corresponding time-frequency resources; the indication information is transmitted based on the third feedback information; and transmit reference signals on the corresponding time-frequency resources.

[0346] As Figure 11 shown, the terminal device 7 includes a processor, a memory, a control circuit, an antenna, and an input / output device.

[0347] The processor is mainly configured to process communication protocols and communication data, and control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. For example, it is used to support the terminal device to perform the actions described in the above method embodiments. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The control circuit is mainly configured to convert baseband signals and radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The control circuit and the antenna together can also be called a transceiver, which is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input / output device, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., is mainly used to receive data input by a user and output data to the user.

[0348] After the terminal device is powered on, the processor can read the software program in the storage unit, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be wirelessly transmitted, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and then outputs a baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the terminal device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0349] Those skilled in the art can understand that for the sake of convenience of description, Figure 11 only one memory and one processor are shown. In an actual terminal device, there may be multiple processors and memories. The memory can also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0350] For example, a processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit. The baseband processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit is mainly used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process the data of software programs. Figure 11 The processor in Figure 11 integrates the functions of a baseband processor and a central processing unit. Those skilled in the art can understand that the baseband processor and the central processing unit can also be independent processors, interconnected through technologies such as a bus. Those skilled in the art can understand that a terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network modes, a terminal device may include multiple central processing units to enhance its processing capabilities, and various components of the terminal device can be connected through various buses. The baseband processor can also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The central processing unit can also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in a storage unit in the form of a software program, and the processor executes the software program to implement the baseband processing function.

[0351] Exemplarily, in an embodiment of the present application, an antenna and a control circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as a transceiver unit 71 of the terminal device 7, and a processor with processing functions can be regarded as a processing unit 72 of the terminal device 7. As Figure 11 shown, the terminal device 7 includes a transceiver unit 71 and a processing unit 72. The transceiver unit can also be called a transceiver, a transceiver machine, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the devices used to implement the receiving function in the transceiver unit 71 can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the devices used to implement the sending function in the transceiver unit 71 can be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiver unit 71 includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. Exemplarily, the receiving unit can also be called a receiver, a receiver circuit, etc., and the sending unit can be called a transmitter, a transmitter circuit, etc.

[0352] Figure 12 It is a schematic structural diagram of a network device 8 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The above communication device 5 or communication device 6 can be configured in the network device 8. Or, the communication device 5 or communication device 6 itself can be the network device 8. Or, the network device 8 can perform the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0353] In a feasible implementation, the network device 8 is used to: send first indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the first indication information indicates first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals, the reference signals are used to determine the channel quality, and the at least two terminal devices belong to the terminal device group; receive reference signals from the at least two terminal devices on the first time-frequency resources.

[0354] In another possible implementation, the network device 8 is configured to: send third data information to at least two terminal devices; receive third feedback information from the network device for the third data information; based on the third feedback information, send indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the indication information is used to instruct the at least two terminal devices to send reference signals on corresponding time-frequency resources; receive reference signals sent by the at least two terminal devices; and the at least two terminal devices belong to a terminal device group.

[0355] As Figure 12 shown, the network device 8 may include one or more DUs 81 and one or more CUs 82. The CU 82 may communicate with the NG core (Next Generation Core Network, NC). The DU 81 may include at least one antenna 8101, at least one radio frequency unit 8102, at least one processor 8103, and at least one memory 8104. The DU 81 is mainly used for the transceiver of radio frequency signals, the conversion between radio frequency signals and baseband signals, and partial baseband processing. The CU 82 may include at least one processor 8202 and at least one memory 8203. The CU 82 and the DU 81 may communicate through an interface. Among them, the control plane (CP) interface may be Fs-C, such as F1-C, and the user plane (UP) interface may be Fs-U, such as F1-U.

[0356] The CU 82 is mainly used for baseband processing and controlling the network device 8, etc. The DU 81 and the CU 82 may be physically set together or physically separated, that is, a distributed base station. The CU 82 is the control center of the network device 8 and may also be called a processing unit, mainly used to complete the baseband processing function. For example, the CU 82 may be used to control the network device 8 to execute the operation process of indicating the time-frequency resources for sending reference signals in the above method embodiments.

[0357] Specifically, the baseband processing on the CU and the DU may be divided according to the protocol layers of the wireless network. For example, the functions of the PDCP layer and above protocol layers are set on the CU, and the protocol layers below the PDCP layer, such as the RLC layer and the MAC layer, etc., are set on the DU. Another example is that the CU implements the functions of the RRC layer and the PDCP layer, and the DU implements the functions of the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer.

[0358] In addition, optionally, the network device 8 may include one or more radio frequency units (RUs), one or more DUs, and one or more CUs. Among them, the DU may include at least one processor 8103 and at least one memory 8104, the RU may include at least one antenna 8101 and at least one radio frequency unit 8102, and the CU may include at least one processor 8202 and at least one memory 8203.

[0359] In one example, the CU 82 may be composed of one or more single boards. Multiple single boards may jointly support a radio access network with a single access indication (such as a 5G network), or may separately support radio access networks with different access systems (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 8203 and the processor 8202 may serve one or more single boards. That is to say, the memory and the processor may be separately provided on each single board. It is also possible that multiple single boards share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits may be provided on each single board. The DU 81 may be composed of one or more single boards. Multiple single boards may jointly support a radio access network with a single access indication (such as a 5G network), or may separately support radio access networks with different access systems (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 8104 and the processor 8103 may serve one or more single boards. That is to say, the memory and the processor may be separately provided on each single board. It is also possible that multiple single boards share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits may be provided on each single board.

[0360] It should be understood that Figure 12 The network device 8 shown can implement each process of the actions performed by the communication device as a network device in the foregoing method embodiments. The operations and / or functions of each module in the network device 8 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments. For details, reference may be made to the descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments. To avoid repetition, the detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0361] It should be understood that Figure 12 The network device 8 shown is only a possible architecture of the network device, and should not impose any limitation on the present application. The method provided by the present application is applicable to network devices with other architectures. For example, network devices including a CU, a DU, and an AAU, etc. The present application does not limit the specific architecture of the network device.

[0362] It should be understood that in a possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided by the present application can be completed by the integrated logic circuit in the hardware of the processor or the instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented by the execution of the hardware processor, or can be implemented by the combination of the hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. This storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and combines its hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0363] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the steps of the above method embodiments may be completed by the integrated logic circuit in the hardware of the processor or instructions in the form of software. The above processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed and completed by the hardware decoding processor, or executed and completed by a combination of the hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as a random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, register, etc. This storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and combines its hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0364] It can be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchlink dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include but not be limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0365] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code runs on a computer, it causes the computer to execute each step or process performed by the network device or the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0366] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores program code. When the program code runs on a computer, it causes the computer to execute each step or process performed by the network device or the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0367] The present application also provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface. The interface is used to send and / or receive signals, causing the processor to execute each step or process performed by the network device or the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0368] The present application also provides a communication system, which includes at least one of a network device and a terminal device.

[0369] The above device embodiments and method embodiments fully correspond. Corresponding steps are performed by corresponding modules or units. For example, a communication unit or a communication interface performs the steps of receiving or sending in the method embodiments, and other steps except sending and receiving can be performed by a processing unit or a processor.

[0370] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms and English abbreviations are all exemplary examples given for convenient description, and should not constitute any limitation to the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future protocols.

[0371] The terms "component", "module", "system", etc. used in this specification are used to represent computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, an application running on a computing device and the computing device can both be components. One or more components can reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and the components can be located on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can execute from various computer-readable storage media storing various data structures. Components can communicate, for example, through local and / or remote processes according to signals having one or more data packets (such as data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems through signals).

[0372] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or in a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled artisans may use different methods for each specific application to implement the described functions, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0373] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be based on the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments and will not be elaborated herein.

[0374] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed couplings, direct couplings, or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections of devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0375] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0376] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0377] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more integrated available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0378] If the function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical discs that can store program codes.

[0379] The above is only the specific implementation manner of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Sending first indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the first indication information indicates first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send reference signals, the reference signals being used to determine channel quality, and the at least two terminal devices belong to the terminal device group; Receiving the reference signals from the at least two terminal devices on the first time-frequency resources.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The sending the first indication information to at least two terminal devices includes: Sending first Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling to the at least two terminal devices, the first RRC signaling including the first indication information, and the first indication information indicating the first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send the reference signals in each period.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The first indication information indicates the starting position and period value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resources.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The sending the first indication information to at least two terminal devices includes: Sending first Downlink Control Information (DCI) to the at least two terminal devices, the first DCI including the first indication information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The first indication information indicates the time offset value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resources.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The sending the first indication information to at least two terminal devices includes: Sending second DCI to the at least two terminal devices, the second DCI including first indication information, and the first indication information being used to activate the configured first time-frequency resources.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein Before sending the second DCI to the at least two terminal devices, the method further includes: Sending second RRC signaling to the at least two terminal devices, the second RRC signaling being used to configure the first time-frequency resources.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The sending the first indication information to at least two terminal devices includes: Sending first data information to the at least two terminal devices; When the first feedback information received from the at least two terminal devices for the first data information satisfies a first feedback condition, sending the first indication information to the at least two terminal devices.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first feedback condition is that the number of first determination information ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of the first ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first ratio threshold.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first terminal device, the method includes: Receiving first indication information from a network device, the first indication information indicating first time-frequency resources for a terminal device group to send reference signals, the reference signals being used to determine channel quality, and the first terminal device belonging to the terminal device group; Sending the reference signals on the first time-frequency resources.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The receiving the first indication information from a network device includes: Receiving first Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling from the network device, the first RRC signaling including the first indication information, and the first indication information indicating the first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send the reference signals in each period.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first indication information indicates the starting position and period value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resources.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein The receiving the first indication information from a network device includes: Receive first downlink control information DCI from the network device, where the first DCI includes the first indication information.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first indication information indicates a time offset value of a time domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

15. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The receiving the first indication information from the network device includes: Receiving second DCI from the network device, where the second DCI includes the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to activate the configured first time-frequency resource.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein Before receiving the second DCI from the network device, the method includes: Receiving a second RRC instruction from the network device, where the second RRC instruction is used to configure the first time-frequency resource.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10-16, characterized in that, The receiving the first indication information from the network device includes: Receiving first data information from the network device; Sending first feedback information for the first data information to the network device; Receiving the first indication information from the network device, where the first indication information is sent when the first feedback information meets a first feedback condition.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first feedback condition is that the number of first determination information ACK in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of the first ACK in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first ratio threshold.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes: A sending unit, configured to send first indication information to at least two terminal devices, where the first indication information indicates a first time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send a reference signal, and the reference signal is used to determine channel quality, and the at least two terminal devices belong to the terminal device group; A receiving unit, configured to receive the reference signal from the at least two terminal devices on the first time-frequency resource.

20. The device according to claim 19, characterized in that, The sending unit is specifically configured to: Send first radio resource control RRC signaling to the at least two terminal devices, where the first RRC signaling includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates a first time-frequency resource for the terminal device group to send the reference signal in each period.

21. The device according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first indication information indicates a start position and a period value of a time domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

22. The device according to claim 19, characterized in that, The sending unit is specifically configured to: Send first downlink control information DCI to the at least two terminal devices, where the first DCI includes the first indication information.

23. The device according to claim 22, characterized in that, The first indication information indicates a time offset value of a time domain resource in the first time-frequency resource.

24. The device according to claim 19, characterized in that The sending unit is specifically configured to: Send second DCI to the at least two terminal devices, where the second DCI includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to activate the configured first time-frequency resource.

25. The device according to claim 24, characterized in that, The sending unit is further configured to send second RRC signaling to the at least two terminal devices, where the second RRC signaling is used to configure the first time-frequency resource.

26. The device according to any one of claims 19-25, characterized in that, The sending unit is specifically configured to: Send first data information to the at least two terminal devices; When the first feedback information received from the at least two terminal devices for the first data information meets the first feedback condition, send the first indication information to the at least two terminal devices.

27. The device according to claim 26, characterized in that, The first feedback condition is that the number of first confirmation information ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of the first ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first ratio threshold.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes: a receiving unit, configured to receive first indication information from a network device, where the first indication information indicates first time-frequency resources for a terminal device group to send a reference signal, and the reference signal is used to determine channel quality, and the first terminal device belongs to the terminal device group; a sending unit, configured to send the reference signal on the first time-frequency resources.

29. The device according to claim 28, characterized in that, The receiving unit is specifically configured to: receive first radio resource control (RRC) signaling from the network device, where the first RRC signaling includes the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the first time-frequency resources for the terminal device group to send the reference signal in each period.

30. The device according to claim 29, wherein, The first indication information indicates the start position and period value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resources.

31. The device according to claim 28, characterized in that, The receiving unit is specifically configured to: receive first downlink control information (DCI) from the network device, where the first DCI includes the first indication information.

32. The device according to claim 31, wherein, The first indication information indicates the time offset value of the time-domain resources in the first time-frequency resources.

33. The device according to claim 28, characterized in that, The receiving unit is specifically configured to: receive second DCI from the network device, where the second DCI includes the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to activate the configured first time-frequency resources.

34. The device according to claim 33, wherein The receiving unit is further configured to: receive a second RRC instruction from the network device, where the second RRC instruction is used to configure the first time-frequency resources.

35. The device according to any one of claims 28-34, characterized in that, The receiving unit is specifically configured to: receive first data information from the network device; send first feedback information for the first data information to the network device; receive the first indication information from the network device, where the first indication information is sent when the first feedback information meets the first feedback condition.

36. The device according to claim 35, characterized in that, The first feedback condition is that the number of first confirmation information ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, and / or the ratio of the first ACKs in the first feedback information is greater than or equal to a first ratio threshold.

37. A communication device, characterized in that, including: a processor, where the processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory is used to store programs or instructions. When the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the communication apparatus is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-9 or 10-18.

38. A computer-readable storage having computer programs or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-9 or 10-18.

39. A computer program product, characterized in that, including computer program instructions, where the computer program instructions cause the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-9 or 10-18.

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