Mapping of data blocks to antenna port groups

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable storage media for mapping data blocks to antenna port groups. In one method, a target antenna port group is determined by a first device or a second device from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and the at least one antenna port group. The target antenna port group is associated with a target data block from the at least one data block. And communicating the target data block between the first device and the second device based on the determination of the target antenna port group.

Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority and interest in UK application No. 2406540.1, filed on 10 May 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] Various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to apparatus, methods, and computer-readable storage media for mapping data blocks to groups of antenna ports. Background Technology

[0003] One of the goals of Phase 5 of NR Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) for Rel 19 New Radio (NR) is to extend Type I Channel State Information (CSI) reporting to a larger number of CSI-RS ports (e.g., up to 128). This allows for the deployment of larger antenna arrays at NR base stations (e.g., gNBs). Type I codebooks were introduced in Rel 15 NR and are widely used in commercial deployments. This is the only codebook-based CSI reporting that allows for extended ranks (e.g., up to 8). Support for ranks 5 through 8 was initially targeted at Fixed Radio Access (FWA) User Equipment (UE) and Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) in Single-User (SU)-MIMO downlink (DL) transmissions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to at least: determine a target antenna port group from the at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group, the target antenna port group being associated with a target data block from the at least one data block; and communicate with a second apparatus regarding the target data block using the target antenna port group.

[0005] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to at least: determine a target antenna port group from the at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group of a first apparatus, the target antenna port group being associated with a target data block from the at least one data block; and based on the determination, communicate with the first apparatus regarding the target data block.

[0006] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: determining a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group, the target antenna port group being associated with a target data block from at least one data block; and communicating with a second means regarding the target data block using the target antenna port group.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: determining a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group of a first device, the target antenna port group being associated with a target data block from at least one data block; and communicating with the first device regarding the target data block based on the determination.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: components for determining a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group, the target antenna port group being associated with a target data block from at least one data block; and components for communicating with a second apparatus regarding the target data block using the target antenna port group.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: means for determining a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group of a first apparatus, the target antenna port group being associated with a target data block from at least one data block; and means for communicating with the first apparatus regarding the target data block based on the determination.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method according to a third or fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1A-1B An example communication environment in which example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0014] Figure 2Signaling diagram 200 for association between data blocks and antenna port groups according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figures 3A-3C An example process for associating data blocks and antenna port groups according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0019] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0022] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0023] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiments may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment needs to include such specific features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it should be noted that those skilled in the art will recognize that such feature, structure, or characteristic can be implemented in combination with other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not.

[0024] It should be understood that although various elements may be described herein using terms such as "first," "second," etc., preceding nouns, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another, and they do not restrict the order of the nouns. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0025] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, wherein a list of two or more elements combined with “and” or “or” means at least one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0026] As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the execution step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is executed immediately after “A” occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0027] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “having,” “containing,” and / or “comprising” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0028] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as analog and / or digital circuits only), and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor(s) having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to cause a device(s) (such as a mobile phone or a server) to perform various functions), and (c) (a ...

[0029] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application (including any claims). As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers only the implementation of hardware circuitry or a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion thereof and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0030] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), 5.5G, sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a variety of communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will certainly be communication technologies and systems that embody future types of this disclosure. It should be understood that the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned systems.

[0031] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communications network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relay, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, low-power node (such as femtoseconds, picoseconds), non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment (such as satellite network equipment, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites), spacecraft network equipment, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, the Radio Access Network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at the IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion similar to the UE facing the parent node, and the DU portion of the IAB node is similar to the base station facing the next-hop IAB node.

[0032] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback facilities, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device," "communication device," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0033] As used herein, the terms “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” can refer to any resource used to perform communication, such as communication between a terminal device and a network device, including resources in the time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, code domain, or any other combination of time-domain, frequency-domain, spatial, and / or code-domain resources that enable communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated otherwise, resources in the frequency and time domains will be used as examples of transmission resources used to describe some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Note that the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0034] As mentioned above, support for rank 5 to 8 was initially targeted at FWA UEs and CPEs in SU-MIMO DL transmissions. However, more recently, non-FEW / CPE UEs (e.g., foldable devices) are increasingly likely to accommodate 6 or 8 receive antennas (also known as receive antennas) and benefit from enhanced support for more than 4 DL MIMO layers in SU-MIMO transmissions. Such terminal devices can benefit from reduced complexity if MIMO layer processing is split, for example, between two receive antenna groups (or receive antenna groups). Currently, all MIMO layers target reception on all receive or receive (RX) antennas. Enhancements can allow configuration of receive port groups for MIMO layer reception. Such enhancements can target Time Division Duplex (TDD) operation, employing channel acquisition based on Sounding Reference Signals (SRS), and CSI-based DL precoding in TDD and Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems. Enhancements can also be applied to operations that may not include SRS transmissions. In this case, the gNB can make mapping decisions based, for example, UL feedback based on CSI Reference Signals (RS).

[0035] In DL MIMO transmission, the MIMO layer can be transmitted or received from different sets of transmit antenna ports (also called transmit antenna ports) and receive antenna ports, for example, from a single transmit and receive point (TRP) or across multiple TRPs. However, the scenario of receiving the MIMO layer by different subsets of antennas located in the terminal equipment has only been considered of practical interest until now.

[0036] When the MIMO layer precodes for a specific receive antenna at the UE, the UE needs to know which antenna group the MIMO layer is targeting to allow for correct detection. Similarly, in DL MU-MIMO, when using the same time and frequency resources to send some MIMO layers to a first UE and some other layers to a second UE, each co-scheduled UE needs to be informed which physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) ports carry useful signals and which are intended for another user and are considered interference.

[0037] This disclosure provides a mapping scheme from data blocks (e.g., transport blocks or TBs) to antenna port groups. In this scheme, a first device determines a target antenna port group (e.g., an SRS port group) from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group. The target antenna port group is associated with a target data block from at least one data block. The first device uses the target antenna port group to communicate with a second device regarding the target data block.

[0038] Using the proposed scheme, at least one SRS port group (as an example of an antenna port group) at the UE can be introduced for PDSCH reception based on the configuration or indication of the association between the transport block (as an example of a data block) and the corresponding SRS port group.

[0039] In this way, data blocks can be received through different subsets of antennas located in the terminal device, thereby improving data transmission speed, improving data transmission reliability, and making better use of space resources.

[0040] Figure 1A and Figure 1B An example communication environment in which example embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented is shown. Figure 1A Communication environment 100A and Figure 1B In the communication environment 100B, the first device 110 can operate as a terminal device such as a UE. The first device 110 can communicate with the second device 120, which can operate as a network device such as a gNB.

[0041] In some example embodiments, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 may be referred to as a downlink, and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 may be referred to as an uplink. In DL, the second device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the first device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the second device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0042] It should be understood that, for the purpose of explanation, Figure 1A-1B The number and type of devices are shown without implying any limitations. For example, communication environments 100A and 100B may include any number and type of devices.

[0043] In the following description, for illustrative purposes, some example embodiments are described in which the first device 110 operates as a terminal device and the second device 120 operates as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described with respect to the terminal device may be implemented at the network device or other devices, and the operations described with respect to the network device may be implemented at the terminal device or other devices.

[0044] Communication in communication environments 100A or 100B can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or future-developed technologies.

[0045] In various example embodiments of this disclosure, multiple data blocks can be mapped to multiple antenna port groups. In some example embodiments, a data block can be a TB that corresponds to a codeword. The number of data blocks may or may not be equal to the number of antenna port groups.

[0046] In such Figure 1A In the illustrated environment 100A, a mapping of two codewords (which may correspond to two data blocks) to two SRS port groups is used in downlink transmission. In this case, the antenna port group may be a receive antenna port group, which may correspond to the SRS port group and is therefore indicated by that SRS port group or by the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status associated with that SRS port group.

[0047] In such Figure 1B In the illustrated environment 100B, codeword mapping to SRS port groups is used in uplink transmission. In this case, ports within the same group can transmit coherently, while incoherent transmission across ports in different SRS port groups is possible. An antenna port group can be a transmit antenna port group, which can be indicated by a transmit precoder matrix indicator (TPMI) associated with the SRS port group corresponding to that antenna port group.

[0048] Based on this mapping, the target antenna port group can be determined for the target data block. Then, communication between the first device 110 and the second device 120 can be established for the target data block. The following will refer to... Figures 2 to 7 Describe some example implementations.

[0049] Figure 2 Signaling diagram 200 for mapping data blocks to antenna port groups according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Signaling diagram 200 relates to... Figure 1A and 1BThe first device 110 and the second device 120 in the middle.

[0050] In operation, the first device 110 determines (205) a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group. The target antenna port group is associated with a target data block from at least one data block.

[0051] Data blocks can be implemented in TB form or in any other form. In some example embodiments, data blocks from at least one data block can correspond to codewords.

[0052] In some example embodiments, at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group is predefined. In one example, such an association may be specified in the standard or hard-coded. For example, in an option known as mapping option #1, where the data block is indicated by a codeword and the antenna port group is indicated by an SRS port group, in an example embodiment, the mapping from codeword to SRS port group may be defined in the 3GPP standard (e.g., fixed mapping), also known as codeword to SRS port group mapping.

[0053] In some example embodiments, at least one association may be indicated and / or configured by the second device 120 to the first device 110. The second device 120 may configure or indicate such an association to the first device 110 in several ways. For example, in an example embodiment referred to as mapping option #2, where data blocks are indicated by codewords and antenna port groups are indicated by SRS port groups, the codeword-to-SRS port group mapping may be dynamically indicated in the Medium Access Control (MAC) - Control Element (CE) and / or Downlink Control Information (DCI), for example, through an explicit indication of the association of at least one codeword with at least one SRS port group. Alternatively or additionally, the mapping may be dynamically indicated in the MAC CE or DCI by indicating SRS port groups with different Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states and indicating a PDSCH having at least one TCI state corresponding to one of the SRS port groups.

[0054] In another option, known as mapping option #3, a default mapping can be specified or configured in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, which may or may not have the opportunity to be overwritten in the MAC CE and / or DCI. For example, if a flag is set in the MAC CE, there is an opportunity to rewrite the mapping, and new mapping information can be sent in the DCI. All of these options as described above are supported in the 3GPP standard, and the UE (as an example of the first device 110) can, for example, be configured with (or selected) one of these options in the RRC signaling.

[0055] In NR, for high-rank MIMO transmissions with more than four layers (e.g., five to eight layers), layers can be mapped to two transport blocks or codewords, and layer-to-codeword mappings can be specified for a given transport rank. Therefore, if the UE is configured or indicated to have an association between codewords and SRS port groups (as an example of an association between data blocks and antenna port groups), the UE can determine from the applicable layer-to-codeword mappings which MIMO layer will be detected by a particular receive antenna group.

[0056] In some example embodiments, multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group can be predefined. These associations can be maintained in a set of tables, which can be specified or (pre-)defined in the 3GPP standard. For example, each table may correspond to the transmission of a certain number of layers (e.g., a certain number of codewords) and include all possible association (or mapping) options between codewords and port groups. The transmitted mapping information can refer to a set of tables in the 3GPP standard. For example, each codepoint in the table may have an index indicating an association or mapping.

[0057] In some example embodiments, the association among multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group can be predefined as default or configured as default by a second device. For example, in an embodiment where associations are maintained in a set of tables, each table may have a default codepoint (which corresponds to a default association or default mapping). In this case, it may not be necessary to explicitly indicate the default mapping in the RRC signaling.

[0058] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may send an indication to the first device 110 to activate an association among a plurality of associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group. Accordingly, the first device 110 may receive the indication. Based on the indication, the first device 110 may know to apply the association.

[0059] If the default mapping is fixed or configured in RRC signaling, it is not necessary to activate an indication of the association between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group. In this case, the new, updated mapping can be indicated via MAC CE and / or DCI. When the gNB sends new mapping information, it can send the index of the corresponding code point in the table.

[0060] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may send a capability indication to the second device 120 that one or more antenna port groups are enabled by the first device 110 to communicate with the second device 120. Correspondingly, the second device 120 may receive this capability indication. In this way, antenna port groups (e.g., SRS port groups) used for mapping to data blocks can be indicated to the second device 120 by the first device 110, for example, through this capability indication. In some other example embodiments, antenna port groups may be defined in 3GPP standards, for example, through a fixed relationship between SRS port indices and corresponding SRS port group indices.

[0061] In some example embodiments, the number of at least one data block may not be equal to the number of at least one antenna port group. For example, the number of data blocks (sometimes also called TBs or codewords) does not need to match the number of antenna port groups. For example, in the case of transmitting a smaller number of codewords, the mapping between a mismatch in the number of data blocks and antenna port groups can indicate that some antenna port groups may not be active, thereby reducing power consumption on the first device 110 side. The second device 120 may select one antenna port group instead of others based on, for example, channel conditions.

[0062] Alternatively or additionally, the mapping between a mismatched number of data blocks and antenna port groups can indicate that more than one antenna port group can process the same data block so that the first device 110 can then apply a merging step, which can be intended to enhance performance.

[0063] Alternatively or additionally, if future versions of the 3GPP standard support a larger number of data blocks, a single antenna port group can be used to handle more than one data block. This allows for greater flexibility in the association between data blocks and antenna port groups.

[0064] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group may include at least one transmit antenna port group. The at least one antenna port group may be indicated by a TPMI associated with the at least one SRS port group, and the at least one SRS port group may correspond to the at least one antenna port group. For example, in codebook-based UL transmission, an incoherent codebook may be used to indicate, via at least one TPMI indicated from the gNB to the UE, which SRS port group (as an example of a transmit antenna port group) can transmit the first of two codewords enabled by the UE. A coherent codebook may also be used to indicate one or two TPMIs, each TPMI associated with a corresponding SRS port group.

[0065] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group may include at least one receive antenna port group. This at least one antenna port group may be indicated by at least one SRS port group corresponding to it. The association between transport blocks and SRS port groups can be configured or indicated via DCI or DL ​​MAC CE.

[0066] In addition to, or as an alternative to, SRS port groups, at least one antenna port group may be indicated by at least one TCI state associated with at least one SRS port group. This association can be implemented using a unified TCI framework for the first device 110 using two TCI state indications. For example, the PDSCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port may be quasi-co-located (QCLed) with a DL RS (such as CSI-RS or Synchronization Signal Block (SSB)) associated with the first TCI state and the second TCI state. The first TCI state may be used for either the first or second SRS port group in the two SRS port groups. Therefore, the second TCI state may be used for either the second or first SRS port group in the two SRS port groups.

[0067] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may send to the first device 110 at least one of a configuration and an indication of at least one association between at least one TCI state and at least one SRS port group. Correspondingly, the first device 110 may receive at least one of the configuration or indication. For example, in an embodiment applying two TCI states and two codewords, a first TCI state for a PDSCH indication may be associated with a first codeword, such that the association between the first codeword and one SRS port group may be established by a single indicated TCI state, and a second codeword may be associated with the other SRS port group.

[0068] After determining the target antenna port group, the first device 110 uses the target antenna port group to communicate (215) with the second device regarding the target data block. This communication (215) may involve sending the target data block from the first device 110 to the second device 120 and / or receiving the target data block from the second device 120 by the first device 110.

[0069] Similarly, the second device 120 determines (210) a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group of the first device. The target antenna port group is associated with a target data block from at least one data block. The determination (210) at the second device 120 is similar to the determination (205) at the first device 110, and its details will be omitted.

[0070] Based on the determination (210), the second device 120 communicates (220) with the first device 110 regarding the target data block. The communication (220) may involve sending the target data block from the second device 120 to the first device 110 and / or receiving the target data block from the first device 110 by the second device 120. For example, in a scenario where the target data block is transmitted from the second device 120 to the first device 110, the second device 120 may perform precoding of the target data block for the target antenna port group at the first device 110 to improve transmission performance and efficiency.

[0071] The following will refer to Figures 3A to 3C The example procedures for the association between data blocks and antenna port groups are described in detail. In these examples, UE 310 operates as an example implementation of the first device 110, and gNB 320 operates as an example implementation of the second device 120. Two codewords (corresponding to two TBs, where TBs are examples of data blocks) can be mapped to antenna port groups.

[0072] Figure 3A An example process 300A is illustrated, showing the association between a data block and an antenna port group according to some example embodiments of this disclosure. For example... Figure 3A As shown, in this example, the association between at least the first transport block or codeword and an SRS port group (corresponding to an antenna port group) is accomplished via mapping option #2, for example, where dynamic mapping is indicated by DCI or MAC CE. Explicit association indications between codeword(s) and SRS port(s) are shown. Figure 3A Process 300A involves a PDSCH transmission with two codewords. In this case, a single-bit indication may be sufficient to indicate one of the two SRS port groups associated with the first codeword. The second codeword is then associated with the other (or the remaining) SRS port group.

[0073] In such Figure 3A In the illustrated procedure 300A, at 322, UE 310 sends a UE capability indication regarding the receive port group used for PDSCH reception. In some example embodiments, this capability indication instructs UE 310 to enable one or more antenna port groups for communication with gNB 320.

[0074] At 324, gNB 320 sends a trigger or activation for an SRS transmission from the first and second SRS port groups (as an example of an antenna port group). At 326, after receiving the trigger or activation, UE 310 sends an SRS transmission to gNB 320.

[0075] At 328, gNB 320 performs DL channel acquisition and PDSCH precoder calculation. At 330, gNB 320 sends a DCI or MAC CE to UE 310 with an indication of an SRS port group, which is associated with at least the first transport block / codeword.

[0076] At 332, gNB 320 sends a PDSCH transmission to UE 310. At 334, UE 310 receives the first codeword (corresponding to the target data block) from the receive antenna port corresponding to the indicated SRS port group (as an example of the target antenna port group).

[0077] Figure 3B Another example process 300B is shown, illustrating the association between a data block and an antenna port group according to some example embodiments of this disclosure.

[0078] In this example, the association between at least the first transport block / codeword and an SRS port group is accomplished via mapping option #3, for example, where the default mapping is fixed or configured in RRC signaling. No association indication between the codeword and the SRS port group is required, but new, updated mappings can be indicated via MAC-CE and / or DCI.

[0079] like Figure 3B As shown, in procedure 300B, at 342, UE 310 sends a UE capability indication regarding the receive port group used for PDSCH reception. In some example embodiments, this capability indication instructs UE 310 to enable one or more antenna port groups for communication with gNB 320.

[0080] At 344, UE 310 sends RRC configuration (the default mapping of codewords to SRS port groups is fixed or RRC configured).

[0081] At 346, gNB 320 sends a trigger or activation for an SRS transmission from the first and second SRS port groups (as an example of an antenna port group). At 348, after receiving the trigger or activation, UE 310 sends an SRS transmission to gNB 320.

[0082] At 350, gNB 320 performs DL channel acquisition and PDSCH precoder calculation. At 352, gNB 320 may send a DCI or MAC CE to UE 310 with an indication of an SRS port group, which is associated with at least the first transport block / codeword.

[0083] At 354, gNB 320 sends a PDSCH transmission to UE 310. At 356, UE 310 receives the first codeword (corresponding to the target data block phase) from the receive antenna port corresponding to the indicated SRS port group (as an example of the target antenna port group).

[0084] Figure 3C Another example process 300C is shown, illustrating the association between a data block and an antenna port group according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0085] In this example, the association between at least the first transport block / codeword and an SRS port group is accomplished via mapping option #2, where dynamic mapping is indicated by DCI or MAC CE. The association between codewords and SRS port groups is achieved by utilizing a unified TCI framework instead of explicit association indication. Each SRS port group is configured / indicated with a corresponding TCI state. PDSCH transmission is then indicated using at least one TCI state corresponding to at least one of the two SRS port groups.

[0086] In this example, a first TCI state for a PDSCH transmission indication can be specified to be associated with a first codeword, such that the association between the first codeword and one SRS port group in the SRS port group can be established by a single indicated TCI state, and a second codeword can be associated with another SRS port group.

[0087] like Figure 3C As shown, in procedure 300C, at 362, UE 310 sends a UE capability indication regarding the receive port group used for PDSCH reception. In some example embodiments, this capability indication instructs UE 310 to enable one or more antenna port groups for communication with gNB 320.

[0088] At 364, gNB 320 configures or indicates to UE 310 two SRS port groups with corresponding first and second TCI states. At 366, gNB 320 sends a trigger or activation of SRS transmission from the first and second SRS port groups (as an example of an antenna port group).

[0089] At 368, after receiving a trigger or activation, UE 310 sends an SRS transmission to gNB 320. At 370, gNB 320 performs DL channel acquisition and PDSCH precoder calculation.

[0090] At 372, gNB 320 sends a DCI or MAC CE to UE 310 with an indication of an SRS port group associated with at least a first transport block / codeword. At 374, gNB 320 sends a PDSCH transmission to UE 310.

[0091] In 376, UE 310 receives the first codeword (corresponding to the target data block) from the receive antenna port corresponding to the indicated SRS port group (as an example of the target antenna port group).

[0092] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1A and Figure 1B The angle description method of the first device 110 in the middle is 400.

[0093] In block 410, the first device 110 determines a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group. The target antenna port group is associated with a target data block from at least one data block.

[0094] In block 420, the first device 110 uses the target antenna port group to communicate with the second device for the target data block.

[0095] In some example embodiments, data blocks from at least one data block may correspond to codewords.

[0096] In some example embodiments, at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group can be predefined and / or indicated and / or configured by the second device to the first device.

[0097] In some example embodiments, multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group can be predefined.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the association among multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group can be predefined as default or predefined as default by a second device.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may receive from the second device an indication to activate an association among a plurality of associations between at least one codeword and at least one group of antenna ports.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the number of at least one data block may not be equal to the number of at least one antenna port group.

[0101] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group may include at least one receive antenna port group. At least one antenna port group may be indicated by at least one of the following: at least one probe reference signal port group corresponding to at least one antenna port group; and at least one transmission configuration indicator state associated with at least one probe reference signal port group.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may receive from the second device at least one of at least one transmission configuration indicator status and at least one associated configuration and indication of at least one probe reference signal port group.

[0103] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group may include at least one transmit antenna port group. At least one antenna port group may be indicated by a transmit precoder matrix indicator associated with at least one probe reference signal port group, the at least one probe reference signal port group corresponding to at least one antenna port group.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may send an indication to the second device of the capability of one or more antenna port groups to be enabled by the first device to communicate with the second device.

[0105] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1A and Figure 1B The second device 120 in the method of angle description 500.

[0106] In block 510, the second device 120 determines a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group of the first device. The target antenna port group is associated with a target data block from at least one data block.

[0107] In box 520, the second device 120 communicates with the first device regarding the target data block based on this determination.

[0108] In some example embodiments, data blocks from at least one data block may correspond to codewords.

[0109] In some example embodiments, at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group can be predefined and / or pre-instructed and / or configured by the second device to the first device.

[0110] In some example embodiments, multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group can be predefined.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the association among multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group can be predefined as default or configured as default by a second device.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may send an indication to the first device to activate an association among a plurality of associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the number of at least one data block may not be equal to the number of at least one antenna port group.

[0114] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group may include at least one receive antenna port group. At least one antenna port group may be indicated by at least one of the following: at least one probe reference signal port group corresponding to at least one antenna port group; and at least one transmission configuration indicator state associated with at least one probe reference signal port group.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may send to the first device at least one of at least one transmission configuration indicator status and at least one associated configuration and indication of at least one probe reference signal port group.

[0116] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group may include at least one transmit antenna port group. At least one antenna port group may be indicated by a transmit precoder matrix indicator associated with at least one probe reference signal port group, the at least one probe reference signal port group corresponding to at least one antenna port group.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may receive from the first device an indication of the capability of one or more antenna port groups to be enabled by the first device to communicate with the second device.

[0118] In some example embodiments, a first means capable of performing method 400 (e.g., Figure 1A and Figure 1B The first device 110 may include a component for performing a corresponding operation of method 400. This component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1A and Figure 1B In the first device 110.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: means for determining a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group, the target antenna port group being associated with a target data block from at least one data block; and means for communicating with the second device about the target data block using the target antenna port group.

[0120] In some example embodiments, data blocks from at least one data block correspond to codewords.

[0121] In some example embodiments, at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group is predefined and / or indicated and / or configured by the second device to the first device.

[0122] In some example embodiments, multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group are predefined.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the association among multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group is predefined as default or preconfigured as default by a second device.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for receiving from the second device an indication of activating an association among a plurality of associations between at least one codeword and at least one group of antenna ports.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the number of at least one data block is not equal to the number of at least one antenna port group.

[0126] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group includes at least one receive antenna port group, and at least one antenna port group is indicated by at least one of the following: at least one probe reference signal port group corresponding to at least one antenna port group; and at least one transmission configuration indicator state associated with at least one probe reference signal port group.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for receiving from the second device at least one of a transmission configuration indicator state and at least one associated configuration and indication of at least one probe reference signal port group.

[0128] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group includes at least one transmit antenna port group, and at least one antenna port group is indicated by a transmit precoder matrix indicator associated with at least one probe reference signal port group, the at least one probe reference signal port group corresponding to at least one antenna port group.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 also includes components for sending an indication to the second device of the capability of one or more antenna port groups to be enabled by the first device to communicate with the second device.

[0130] In some example embodiments, a second means capable of performing method 500 (e.g., Figure 1A and Figure 1B The second device 120 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 500. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1Aand Figure 1B The second device 120 in the middle.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: means for determining a target antenna port group from at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group of the first device, the target antenna port group being associated with a target data block from at least one data block; and means for communicating with the first device about the target data block based on the determination.

[0132] In some example embodiments, data blocks from at least one data block correspond to codewords.

[0133] In some example embodiments, at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group is predefined and / or indicated and / or configured by the second device to the first device.

[0134] In some example embodiments, multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group are predefined.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the association among multiple associations between at least one codeword and at least one antenna port group is predefined as default or configured as default by a second device.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes a component for sending an indication to the first device to activate an association among a plurality of associations between at least one codeword and at least one group of antenna ports.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the number of at least one data block is not equal to the number of at least one antenna port group.

[0138] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group includes at least one receive antenna port group, and at least one antenna port group is indicated by at least one of the following: at least one probe reference signal port group corresponding to at least one antenna port group; and at least one transmission configuration indicator state associated with at least one probe reference signal port group.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes a component for sending at least one of at least one transmission configuration indicator status and at least one associated configuration and indication of at least one probe reference signal port group to the first device.

[0140] In some example embodiments, at least one antenna port group includes at least one transmit antenna port group, and at least one antenna port group is indicated by a transmit precoder matrix indicator associated with at least one probe reference signal port group, the at least one probe reference signal port group corresponding to at least one antenna port group.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes a component for receiving an indication from the first device of the capability of one or more antenna port groups to be enabled by the first device to communicate with the second device.

[0142] Figure 6 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 600 can be provided to implement a communication device, for example, as... Figure 1A and Figure 1B The first device 110 or the second device 120 shown. As shown, device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to processor 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to processor 610.

[0143] Communication module 640 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

[0144] As a non-limiting example, processor 610 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 600 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-dependent on the clock of a synchronous main processor.

[0145] Memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), optical disc, laser disc, and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not persist for extended periods of power-off duration.

[0146] Computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 610. The instructions of program 630 may include instructions for performing operations / actions of some example embodiments of this disclosure. Program 630 may be stored in memory, such as ROM 624. Processor 610 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 630 into RAM 622.

[0147] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of program 630, enabling device 600 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 5 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0148] In some example embodiments, program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 600 (such as in memory 620) or other storage devices accessible by device 600. Device 600 may load program 630 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" refers to a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0149] Figure 7 An example of a computer-readable medium 700, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc, is shown. A program 630 is stored on the computer-readable medium 700.

[0150] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0151] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in a program module that executes in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to perform any of the methods described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can execute within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0152] The program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code enables the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0153] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0154] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0155] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or that all shown operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the discussion above, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated otherwise, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0156] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: A target antenna port group is determined from the at least one antenna port group based on at least one association between at least one data block and at least one antenna port group, the target antenna port group being associated with a target data block from the at least one data block; as well as The target antenna port group is used to communicate with the second device regarding the target data block.

2. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data blocks from the at least one data block correspond to codewords.

3. The first apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one association between the at least one data block and the at least one antenna port group is predefined, and / or indicated and / or configured by the second apparatus to the first apparatus.

4. The first apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of associations between the at least one codeword and the at least one antenna port group are predefined.

5. The first apparatus of claim 4, wherein the association among the plurality of associations between the at least one codeword and the at least one antenna port group is predefined as default, or configured as default by the second apparatus.

6. The first apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further enable the first apparatus to: The second device receives an instruction to activate one of the plurality of associations between the at least one codeword and the at least one antenna port group.

7. The first apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the number of the at least one data block is not equal to the number of the at least one antenna port group.

8. The first apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one antenna port group comprises at least one receive antenna port group, and the at least one antenna port group is indicated by at least one of the following: At least one detection reference signal port group corresponding to the at least one antenna port group; and At least one transmission configuration indicator state associated with the at least one probe reference signal port group.

9. The first apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further enable the first apparatus to: The second device receives at least one of the configurations and indications associated with at least one of the at least one transmission configuration indicator status and at least one of the at least one probe reference signal port group.

10. The first apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one antenna port group comprises at least one transmit antenna port group, and the at least one antenna port group is indicated by a transmit precoder matrix indicator associated with at least one probe reference signal port group, the at least one probe reference signal port group corresponding to the at least one antenna port group.

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