Communication method and communication device

Abstract

Provided are a communication method and a communication device, applied to a first communication device, the method comprising: receiving configuration information, the configuration information configuring a report channel quality indicator (CQI) index, the CQI index indicating at least one CQI; receiving a first reference signal, wherein the first reference signal corresponds to P antenna ports; performing a first CQI calculation based on the first reference signal, wherein the first CQI calculation is one of the at least one CQI; wherein the first CQI calculation is associated with a first antenna port group or a first part of antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device. According to the embodiment of the invention, the first communication device can obtain the CQI corresponding to the antenna port group with the number of antenna ports smaller than the total number of antenna ports through the first reference signal, and the CQI is used for the second communication device to judge the channel condition, so that the second communication device can send the data corresponding to the antenna port group. The complexity of receiving and processing the data by the first communication device is reduced, and the communication performance is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] Downlink peak transmission rate is a crucial indicator of communication performance, referring to the maximum data transmission rate a terminal can receive. With the evolution of communication systems, demands on downlink peak transmission rates have increased; for example, this rate needs to be improved to 1.6 Gbps. To meet this requirement, receivers with more antennas, such as 8R receivers (receivers with eight receiving antennas), can be used. Compared to 4R receivers, 8R receivers can significantly improve the downlink throughput for individual users in a cell and increase coverage for users at the cell edge. However, when performing high-flow data transmissions (e.g., more than four streams), traditional 8R receiver solutions are characterized by high implementation difficulty and computational complexity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication method and a communication device that can reduce the processing complexity of the receiving device and improve the performance of data transmission.

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a receiving device (first communication device). Unless otherwise specified, the term "receiving device" in this application can refer to the receiving device itself (e.g., network device, terminal device), a component in the receiving device (e.g., processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the receiving device.

[0005] The method includes: receiving configuration information for configuring a channel quality indicator (CQI) index, the CQI index indicating at least one CQI; receiving a first reference signal corresponding to P antenna ports, where P is a positive integer; performing a first CQI calculation based on the first reference signal, the first CQI being calculated as one of the at least one CQI; wherein the first CQI calculation is associated with a first antenna port group corresponding to the first communication device, or the first CQI calculation is associated with a first portion of antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device.

[0006] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the CQI corresponding to the antenna port group whose number of antenna ports is less than the total number of antenna ports through the first reference signal, and report it to the second communication device. The second communication device can then determine the channel conditions, thereby enabling the second communication device to send the data corresponding to the antenna port group. This reduces the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data and improves communication performance.

[0007] In some implementations of the first aspect, for the first CQI calculation, the signal symbols corresponding to the P antenna ports are equivalent to the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) signals corresponding to the v layers, where v is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0008] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna ports is used to receive the PDSCH signals corresponding to the v1 layers among the v layers, and the PDSCH signals corresponding to the v1 layers are transmitted through the P antenna ports.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can be enabled to send the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layer of the first antenna port group, thereby reducing the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data and improving communication performance.

[0010] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first communication device corresponds to a second antenna port group or the first communication device corresponds to a second part of the antenna ports. The second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna ports is used to receive signals corresponding to v2 layers in the v layers. The PDSCH signals corresponding to the v2 layers are transmitted through the P antenna ports.

[0011] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can be enabled to send the PDSCH signals corresponding to the v2 layers of the second antenna port group, reducing the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data and improving the efficiency of signal processing.

[0012] In some implementations of the first aspect, a second CQI calculation is performed based on the first reference signal, the second CQI calculation being associated with the second antenna port group or the second portion of the antenna ports.

[0013] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the CQI corresponding to different antenna port groups through the first reference signal and report it to the second communication device. The second communication device can then determine the channel conditions corresponding to different antenna port groups, thereby enabling the second communication device to send data corresponding to different antenna port groups. This reduces the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data and improves communication performance.

[0014] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first antenna port group corresponds to a first portion of antenna ports, the second antenna port group corresponds to a second portion of antenna ports, and the second portion of antenna ports are antenna ports other than the first antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device.

[0015] In some implementations of the first aspect, the second antenna port group or the second portion of the antenna ports is associated with the first codeword.

[0016] Optionally, the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is associated with the first codeword.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can be enabled to send the PDSCH signal corresponding to the first codeword of the second antenna port group, thereby reducing the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data and improving the efficiency of signal processing.

[0018] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first antenna port group or the first portion of the antenna ports is associated with the second codeword.

[0019] Optionally, the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layer is associated with the second codeword.

[0020] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can be enabled to send the PDSCH signal corresponding to the second codeword of the first antenna port group, thereby reducing the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data and improving the efficiency of signal processing.

[0021] In some implementations of the first aspect, a first portion of the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is associated with a first codeword, and a second portion of the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is associated with a second codeword.

[0022] In some implementations of the first aspect, a first portion of the PDSCH signal in the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layers is associated with the first codeword, and a second portion of the PDSCH signal in the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layers is associated with the second codeword.

[0023] In some implementations of the first aspect, a second precoding matrix indicator PMI is determined based on a first portion of the reference signal in the first reference signal, the first portion of the reference signal including the reference signal received by the second antenna port group or the second portion of the antenna port, the second PMI indicating a second precoding matrix, the second precoding matrix being used to precode the signal symbols corresponding to the first codeword, the first codeword corresponding to the v2 layer; and the second CQI calculation is performed based on the second PMI.

[0024] In some implementations of the first aspect, a first precoding matrix indicator PMI is determined based on a second portion of the reference signal in the first reference signal, the second portion of the reference signal including the reference signal received by the first antenna port group or the first portion of the antenna port, the first PMI indicating the first precoding matrix, the first precoding matrix being used to precode the signal symbol corresponding to the second codeword, the second codeword corresponding to the v1 layer; and the first CQI calculation is performed based on the first PMI.

[0025] In some implementations of the first aspect, at least one of a first channel state information (CSI) and a second CSI is transmitted, wherein the first CSI includes the first CQI and the second CSI includes the second CQI.

[0026] In some implementations of the first aspect, transmitting at least one of the first channel state information (CSI) and the second CSI includes: transmitting the first CSI and the second CSI when it is determined that the third transmission layer number is greater than a preset value; and transmitting the first CSI or the second CSI when it is determined that the third transmission layer number is less than or equal to the preset value; wherein the third transmission layer number is obtained by measuring all antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device.

[0027] Based on the above scheme, by using the relationship between the third transmission layer number and the preset value, the CSI corresponding to different antenna port groups can be flexibly reported, thereby improving the efficiency of signal processing.

[0028] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first CSI further includes at least one of a first precoding matrix indicator (PMI) and a first rank indicator (RI); wherein the first PMI indicates a first precoding matrix used for precoding signal symbols corresponding to a second codeword, the second codeword corresponding to a v1 layer, and the first RI indicates a first transmission layer number less than or equal to v1.

[0029] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the CQI, PMI and / or RI corresponding to the antenna port group whose number of antenna ports is less than the total number of antenna ports through the first reference signal. This information is used by the second communication device to determine the channel conditions, thereby enabling the second communication device to send the data corresponding to the antenna port group, reducing the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data.

[0030] In some implementations of the first aspect, the second CSI further includes at least one of a second PMI and a second RI; wherein the second PMI indicates a second precoding matrix for precoding signal symbols corresponding to a first codeword, the first codeword corresponding to v2 layers, and the second RI indicates a second transmission layer number less than or equal to v2.

[0031] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the CQI, PMI and / or RI corresponding to different antenna port groups through the first reference signal, which is used by the second communication device to determine the channel conditions, thereby enabling the second communication device to send the data corresponding to the antenna port group, reducing the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data.

[0032] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first CSI or the second CSI further includes a third PMI, which indicates a third precoding matrix, wherein row v1 of the third precoding matrix is ​​used for precoding the signal symbol corresponding to the second codeword, the second codeword corresponding to the v1 layer, and row v2 of the third precoding matrix is ​​used for precoding the signal symbol corresponding to the first codeword, the first codeword corresponding to the v2 layer.

[0033] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending first indication information indicating the capability of the first communication device, the capability of the first communication device being that the first communication device includes a first antenna port group and a second antenna port group, or the first indication information indicating the number of antenna groups included in the first communication device, the first antenna port group corresponding to a first CQI calculation, and the second antenna port group corresponding to a second CQI calculation.

[0034] Based on the above scheme, by transmitting the capability of the first communication device, the second communication device is enabled to determine whether to transmit data signals corresponding to different antenna port groups based on this capability, thereby improving the flexibility of data transmission.

[0035] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving second indication information, the second indication information indicating the antenna port corresponding to the first antenna port group, or the second indication information indicating the first portion of the antenna ports.

[0036] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a transmitting device (second communication device). Unless otherwise specified, the term "transmitting device" in this application can refer to the transmitting device itself (e.g., network device, terminal device), a component in the transmitting device (e.g., processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the transmitting device.

[0037] The method includes: sending configuration information for configuring a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) index, the CQI index indicating at least one CQI; sending a first reference signal corresponding to P antenna ports, where P is a positive integer; receiving a first CQI calculated based on the first CQI, the first CQI being calculated as one of the at least one CQI; and sending a data signal to a first communication device based on the first CQI; wherein the first CQI is associated with a first antenna port group corresponding to the first communication device, or the first CQI is associated with a first portion of antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device.

[0038] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can receive the CQI corresponding to an antenna port group whose number of antenna ports is less than the total number of antenna ports, which can be obtained through the first reference signal. Thus, the second communication device can send the data corresponding to the antenna port group, reducing the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data and improving communication performance.

[0039] In some implementations of the second aspect, for the first CQI calculation, the signal symbols corresponding to the P antenna ports are equivalent to the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) signals corresponding to the v layers, where v is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0040] In some implementations of the second aspect, the data signal includes the PDSCH signal corresponding to layer v1 of the v layers, and the PDSCH signal corresponding to layer v1 is transmitted through the P antenna ports; the PDSCH signal corresponding to layer v1 corresponds to the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna ports.

[0041] In some implementations of the second aspect, the data signal includes the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers of the v layers, and the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is transmitted through the P antenna ports; the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers corresponds to the second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna ports.

[0042] In some implementations of the second aspect, a second CQI is received, which is calculated based on the first reference signal, and the second CQI calculation is associated with the second antenna port group or the second portion of the antenna port of the first communication device.

[0043] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first antenna port group corresponds to a first part of the antenna ports, the second antenna port group corresponds to a second part of the antenna ports, and the second part of the antenna ports are the antenna ports of the first communication device other than the first antenna ports.

[0044] In some implementations of the second aspect, the second antenna port group or the second portion of the antenna ports is associated with the first codeword.

[0045] Optionally, the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is associated with the first codeword.

[0046] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first antenna port group or the first portion of the antenna ports is associated with the second codeword.

[0047] Optionally, the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layer is associated with the second codeword.

[0048] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first part of the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is associated with the first codeword, and the second part of the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is associated with the second codeword.

[0049] In some implementations of the second aspect, a first portion of the PDSCH signal in the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layers is associated with the first codeword, and a second portion of the PDSCH signal in the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layers is associated with the second codeword.

[0050] In some implementations of the second aspect, at least one of a first channel state information (CSI) and a second CSI is received, wherein the first CQI is included in the first CSI and the second CQI is included in the second CSI.

[0051] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first CSI further includes at least one of a first precoding matrix indicator (PMI) and a first rank indicator (RI); wherein the first PMI indicates a first precoding matrix used for precoding signal symbols corresponding to a second codeword, the second codeword corresponding to a v1 layer, and the first RI indicates a first transmission layer number less than or equal to v1.

[0052] In some implementations of the second aspect, the second CSI further includes at least one of a second PMI and a second RI; wherein the second PMI indicates a second precoding matrix for precoding signal symbols corresponding to a first codeword, the first codeword corresponding to v2 layers, and the second RI indicates a second transmission layer number less than or equal to v2.

[0053] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first CSI or the second CSI further includes a third PMI, which indicates a third precoding matrix. The v1 row of the third precoding matrix is ​​used for precoding the signal symbol corresponding to the second codeword, which corresponds to the v1 layer. The v2 row of the third precoding matrix is ​​used for precoding the signal symbol corresponding to the first codeword, which corresponds to the v2 layer.

[0054] In some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving first indication information indicating the capability of the first communication device, the capability of the first communication device being that the first communication device includes a first antenna port group and a second antenna port group, or the first indication information indicating the number of antenna groups included in the first communication device, the first antenna port group corresponding to a first CQI calculation, and the second antenna port group corresponding to a second CQI calculation.

[0055] Based on the above scheme, by receiving the capability of the first communication device, the second communication device can determine whether to send data signals corresponding to different antenna port groups respectively, thereby improving the flexibility of data transmission.

[0056] In some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending second indication information to the first communication device, the second indication information indicating the antenna port corresponding to the first antenna port group, or the second indication information indicating the first portion of the antenna ports.

[0057] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is configured to receive configuration information for configuring a Report Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) index, the CQI index indicating at least one CQI. The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first reference signal corresponding to P antenna ports, where P is a positive integer. The processing unit is configured to perform a first CQI calculation based on the first reference signal, the first CQI being calculated as one of the at least one CQI. The first CQI calculation is associated with a first antenna port group corresponding to the first communication device, or the first CQI calculation is associated with a first portion of antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device.

[0058] In some implementations of the third aspect, for the first CQI calculation, the signal symbols corresponding to the P antenna ports are equivalent to the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) signals corresponding to the v layers, where v is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0059] In some implementations of the third aspect, the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna ports is used to receive the PDSCH signals corresponding to the v1 layers among the v layers, and the PDSCH signals corresponding to the v1 layers are transmitted through the P antenna ports.

[0060] In some implementations of the third aspect, the first communication device corresponds to a second antenna port group or the first communication device corresponds to a second part of the antenna ports. The second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna ports is used to receive signals corresponding to v2 layers in the v layers. The PDSCH signals corresponding to the v2 layers are transmitted through the P antenna ports.

[0061] In some implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is further configured to perform a second CQI calculation based on the first reference signal, the second CQI calculation being associated with the second antenna port group or the second portion of the antenna ports.

[0062] The first antenna port group and the second antenna port group are described with reference to the first aspect.

[0063] The correspondence between the first antenna port group and / or the second antenna port group and the codewords and layers is described in the first aspect.

[0064] In some implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: determine a second precoding matrix indicator PMI based on a first portion of the reference signal in the first reference signal, the first portion of the reference signal including the reference signal received by the second antenna port group or the second portion of the antenna port, the second PMI indicating a second precoding matrix, the second precoding matrix being used to precode the signal symbol corresponding to the first codeword, the first codeword corresponding to the v2 layer; and perform the second CQI calculation based on the second PMI.

[0065] In some implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: determine a first precoding matrix indicator PMI based on a second part of the reference signal in the first reference signal, the second part of the reference signal including the reference signal received by the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna port, the first PMI indicating a first precoding matrix, the first precoding matrix being used to precode the signal symbol corresponding to the second codeword, the second codeword corresponding to the v1 layer; and perform the first CQI calculation based on the first PMI.

[0066] In some implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: transmit at least one of a first channel state information (CSI) and a second CSI, wherein the first CSI includes the first CQI and the second CSI includes the second CQI.

[0067] In some implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is specifically used to: transmit the first CSI and the second CSI when it is determined that the third transmission layer number is greater than a preset value; and transmit the first CSI or the second CSI when it is determined that the third transmission layer number is less than or equal to the preset value; wherein the third transmission layer number is obtained by measuring all antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device.

[0068] The contents of the first CSI and the second CSI can be referred to the description in the first aspect of the implementation.

[0069] In some implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive first indication information, the first indication information indicating the antenna port corresponding to the first antenna port group, or the first indication information indicating the first part of the antenna ports.

[0070] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is configured to: transmit configuration information for configuring a CQI index, the CQI index indicating at least one CQI; transmit a first reference signal corresponding to P antenna ports, where P is a positive integer; and receive a first CQI calculated based on the first CQI, the first CQI being calculated as one of the at least one CQI. The processing unit is configured to: transmit a data signal to a first communication device based on the first CQI; wherein the first CQI is associated with a first antenna port group corresponding to the first communication device, or the first CQI is associated with a first portion of antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device.

[0071] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, for the first CQI calculation, the signal symbols corresponding to the P antenna ports are equivalent to the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) signals corresponding to the v layers, where v is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0072] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the data signal includes the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layer among the v layers, and the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layer is transmitted through the P antenna ports; the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layer corresponds to the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna ports.

[0073] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the data signal includes the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers of the v layers, and the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is transmitted through the P antenna ports; the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers corresponds to the second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna ports.

[0074] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to receive a second CQI, which is calculated based on the first reference signal, and the second CQI calculation is associated with the second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna port of the first communication device.

[0075] The first antenna port group and the second antenna port group are described with reference to the first aspect.

[0076] The correspondence between the first antenna port group and / or the second antenna port group and the codewords and layers is described in the first aspect.

[0077] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive at least one of a first channel state information (CSI) and a second CSI, wherein the first CQI is included in the first CSI and the second CQI is included in the second CSI.

[0078] The contents of the first and second CSIs are as described in the first aspect.

[0079] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information indicating the capability of the first communication device, the capability of the first communication device being that the first communication device includes a first antenna port group and a second antenna port group, or the first indication information indicating the number of antenna groups included in the first communication device, the first antenna port group corresponding to a first CQI calculation, and the second antenna port group corresponding to a second CQI calculation.

[0080] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send first indication information to the first communication device, the first indication information indicating the antenna port corresponding to the first antenna port group, or the first indication information indicating the first part of the antenna ports.

[0081] Fifthly, a communication apparatus is provided for performing the method provided by any of the above aspects or their implementations. Specifically, the apparatus may include units and / or modules for performing the method provided by any of the above aspects or their implementations, such as processing units and / or transceiver units.

[0082] In one implementation, the device is either a transmitting device or a receiving device. When the device is a transmitting device or a receiving device, the transceiver unit can be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a communication interface; the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver is a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface is an input / output circuit.

[0083] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a transmitting or receiving device. When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a transmitting or receiving device, the transceiver unit can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; the processing unit can be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0084] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory for storing a program; and at least one processor for executing the computer program or instructions stored in the memory to perform the method provided in any of the foregoing aspects or their implementations.

[0085] In one implementation, the device is either a transmitting device or a receiving device.

[0086] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a transmitting or receiving device.

[0087] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the at least one processor is configured to obtain a computer program or instructions stored in a memory via the communication interface to execute the method provided in any of the foregoing aspects or their implementations. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0088] In one implementation, the device further includes the memory.

[0089] Eighthly, a processor is provided for executing the methods provided in the above aspects.

[0090] Unless otherwise specified, or if it does not contradict its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, the transmission and acquisition / reception operations involved in the processor can be understood as processor output and reception, input and other operations, or as transmission and reception operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas. This application does not limit them in this regard.

[0091] Ninthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores program code for execution by a device, the program code including methods for performing any of the foregoing aspects or their implementations.

[0092] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method provided in any of the foregoing aspects or their implementations.

[0093] Eleventhly, a chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in memory through the communication interface and executes the methods provided in any of the above aspects or their implementations. The communication interface can be implemented in hardware or software.

[0094] Optionally, as one implementation, the chip also includes a memory that stores computer programs or instructions. The processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor is used to perform the methods provided by any of the above aspects or their implementations.

[0095] When the method provided in this application is executed by a chip, this application does not limit the specific number of chips implementing the method; for example, it can be executed by one chip or by multiple chips. Furthermore, when multiple chips execute the method, the chip manufacturers are not limited; they can be from the same manufacturer or different manufacturers.

[0096] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program is provided that, when run on a computer, causes the methods provided by any of the foregoing aspects or their implementations to be executed.

[0097] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least one of the transmitting end device (second communication device) or receiving end device (first communication device) described above.

[0098] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of aspects five through thirteen and any of their implementations can be referenced to aspects one through two or any of their implementations. Attached Figure Description

[0099] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system to which it applies.

[0100] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the signal processing flow.

[0101] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a codeword-to-layer mapping.

[0102] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 400 provided in this application.

[0103] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an 8R receiver provided in this application.

[0104] Figure 6 and Figure 7 A schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0105] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0106] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), 5th Generation (5G) system, or New Radio (NR) or other evolved communication systems.

[0107] The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to machine-type communication (MTC), long-term evolution-machine (LTE-M) communication, device-to-device (D2D) networks, machine-to-machine (M2M) networks, Internet of Things (IoT) networks, or other networks. IoT networks, for example, can include vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks. The communication methods in V2X systems are collectively referred to as vehicle-to-X (V2X), where X can represent anything. For example, V2X can include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as sixth-generation mobile communication systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0108] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system may also include an Internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one wireless access network device (such as...). Figure 1 110a and 110b in the above), may also include at least one terminal (such as Figure 1(Referring to 120a-120j in the original text). Terminals connect wirelessly to the wireless access network (WLAN) equipment, which in turn connects to the core network via wireless or wired connections. The core network equipment and the WLAN equipment can be independent physical devices, or they can integrate the functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the WLAN equipment onto the same physical device. Alternatively, a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of both the core network equipment and the WLAN equipment. Terminals and WLAN equipment can be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 This is just an illustration; the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless repeaters and wireless backhaul devices. Figure 1 It is not shown in the middle.

[0109] Radio access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system; it can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, for example, it can be a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also perform the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU performs the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Wireless access network equipment can be macro base stations (such as...) Figure 1 110a in the text), can also be a micro base station or an indoor station (such as... Figure 1110b) in the text can also be a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the wireless access network equipment. For ease of description, the following description uses a base station as an example of a wireless access network device.

[0110] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-thing communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the terminals.

[0111] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0112] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 1 The helicopter or drone 120i can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol; in this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 The 110a and 110b in the text can be referred to as communication devices with base station functions. Figure 1 The 120a-120j in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0113] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. This application does not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0114] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0115] For ease of understanding, combined with Figure 2 This section describes the signal processing at the physical layer before it is transmitted.

[0116] like Figure 2 As shown, the transmitting device can process codewords from higher layers in the physical channel. The codeword can be encoded bits (e.g., channel-coded). The codeword is scrambled to generate scrambled bits, which are then modulated to obtain a modulation symbol. This modulation symbol is then mapped to multiple layers through layer mapping. The layer-mapped modulation symbol is precoded to obtain a precoded signal. The precoded signal is then mapped to multiple REs through resource element (RE) mapping. These REs are subsequently OFDM modulated and transmitted through the antenna port.

[0117] Based on the above processing, the transmitting device can send downlink signals to one or more terminal devices through multiple antennas, and the terminal device can send uplink signals to the same network device or different network devices through multiple antennas.

[0118] To facilitate understanding of the solutions in the embodiments of this application, relevant concepts are explained.

[0119] 1. Sounding reference signal (SRS)

[0120] SRS is a reference signal sent by a terminal.

[0121] In NR systems, network devices can use SRS to obtain uplink channel information. For Time Division Duplexing (TDD) systems, downlink channel information can also be obtained by measuring SRS, taking advantage of channel heterogeneity.

[0122] In addition to obtaining uplink (downlink) channel information, network devices can also use SRS for uplink beam management, including beam training and beam switching.

[0123] 2. Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS)

[0124] Unlike the omnidirectional CRS signal and the DMRS signal, which is transmitted only during data transmission, the CSI-RS signal offers a more efficient way to acquire CSI and supports more antenna ports. NR further considers network frequency band deployment for high-frequency band support and more flexible CSI-RS configuration for various applications. CSI-RS in NR is mainly used for the following purposes.

[0125] (1) Obtain channel state information. Used for scheduling, link adaptation, and MIMO-related transmission settings.

[0126] (2) Beam management. The acquisition of beamforming weights on the terminal and base station sides is used to support the beam management process.

[0127] (3) Precise time-frequency tracking. This is achieved by setting a tracking reference signal (TRS).

[0128] (4) Mobility Management. The measurement requirements related to the mobility management of the terminal are met by acquiring and tracking the CSI-RS signals of the local cell and neighboring cells.

[0129] (5) Rate matching. Rate matching at the resource element (RE) level of the data channel can be achieved by setting up zero-power CSI-RS.

[0130] The CSI-RS used for channel state information acquisition supports link adaptation and scheduling to obtain channel state information. To support CSI feedback similar to Class A (non-precoded CSI-RS) and Class B (beamforming CSI-RS), one or more CSI-RS resource sets can be configured for the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Each CSI-RS resource set contains one or more CSI-RS resources, and each CSI-RS resource can be configured with a maximum of 32 ports, which can be mapped onto one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols.

[0131] 3. Antenna port

[0132] An antenna port, also simply called a port, refers to a transmitting antenna that can be identified by the receiving device, or a spatially distinguishable transmitting antenna. Each virtual antenna can be configured with one antenna port, and each virtual antenna can be a weighted combination of multiple physical antennas. Each antenna port can correspond to a reference signal port.

[0133] Each antenna port has corresponding time-frequency resources and a reference signal (e.g., SRS). The time-frequency resources corresponding to different antenna ports can be the same or different. The reference signal transmitted by the base station through antenna port A can be used by the terminal to estimate the characteristics of the wireless channel from antenna port A to the terminal. The characteristics of the wireless channel can be used by the terminal to estimate the physical channel transmitted through antenna port A, or to determine information such as the modulation order and code rate during data transmission.

[0134] Existing standards and protocols only support each SRS resource including There are 12 SRS ports. Each SRS port corresponds to a specific time-frequency resource, and ideally, the SRS ports are orthogonal. Each SRS port corresponds to either the terminal's physical antenna or a virtual antenna.

[0135] It should be understood that different antenna ports within an SRS resource can occupy the exact same time-domain resources, multiplexing them through frequency division (e.g., occupying different subcarriers) or code division (e.g., using different ZC sequences or different cyclic shifts of the same sequence). There is a correspondence between the reference signal resource and the reference signal; how this correspondence is specifically addressed can be found in existing standards. Furthermore, in some scenarios, the reference signal resource and the reference signal can be equivalent.

[0136] 4. Time-domain resources and frequency-domain resources

[0137] Data or information can be carried using time-frequency resources.

[0138] In the frequency domain, time-frequency resources can include one or more frequency domain units. A frequency domain unit can be a resource element (RE), a resource block (RB), a subchannel, a resource pool, a bandwidth, a bandwidth part (BWP), a carrier, a channel, or an interlaced RB, etc.

[0139] 5. Channel State Information (CSI)

[0140] During the process of a signal traveling from the transmitter to the receiver through a wireless channel, it may experience scattering, reflection, and energy attenuation with distance, resulting in fading. In addition, the signal may also be interfered with by other signals at the receiver, thus affecting signal reception. The characteristics of signal attenuation and interference can be characterized by CSI.

[0141] Specifically, CSI can include information such as rank indicator (RI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and channel quality indicator (CQI).

[0142] 6. CSI Reporting

[0143] The receiving device performs channel measurements based on the CSI-RS sent by the transmitting device and feeds back the measurement results; this is called CSI reporting. Each time the receiving device reports a measurement result, the transmitting device needs to send at least one reference signal.

[0144] The protocol specifies three methods for CSI-RS distribution and CSI reporting: "non-periodic distribution + non-periodic reporting", "periodic distribution + periodic reporting", and "periodic distribution + non-periodic reporting".

[0145] In the "aperiodic transmission + aperiodic reporting" method, the transmitting device configures the CSI-RS resources and the CSI feedback format in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling. When a measurement needs to be triggered, the transmitting device sends a DCI (Direct Instruction Message) instructing the receiving device on the CSI-RS resources and CSI feedback format to be used for the measurement. Based on the DCI instruction, the receiving device performs the measurement using the specified CSI-RS resources and provides feedback using the specified CSI feedback format.

[0146] In the "periodic transmission + periodic reporting" approach, the transmitting device configures CSI-RS resources and CSI feedback resources in the RRC signaling. These resources are periodic, with the period and offset predefined in the configuration. The transmitting device periodically transmits CSI-RS at the agreed-upon periodic times, and the receiving device periodically feeds back the measurement results at the agreed-upon periodic times.

[0147] In the "periodic transmission + non-periodic reporting" model, the transmitting device configures CSI-RS resources and the CSI feedback format in the RRC signaling. When a measurement needs to be triggered, the transmitting device sends a DCI (Distributed Information Center) indicating to the receiving device the CSI feedback format to be used for this measurement. Based on the DCI instruction, the receiving device uses the specified CSI feedback format to provide feedback.

[0148] The difference between "aperiodic delivery + aperiodic reporting" and "periodic delivery + aperiodic reporting" lies in the timing of the data transmission. "Aperiodic delivery" specifies the CSI-RS resources used for the current measurement; the transmitting device only reports a result temporarily after the receiving device has reported it. "Periodic delivery," on the other hand, accumulates sufficient measurement results before reporting them when requested by the transmitting device. "Periodic reporting" is typically used for baseline measurements, while "aperiodic reporting" is usually used for supplementary measurements specific to certain features. For example, in downlink coordinated multi-point transmission (DLCOMP), periodic CSI is typically used for baseline measurements of the serving cell / serving transmission and reception point (TRP), while aperiodic CSI serves as a supplement for coordinated measurements.

[0149] 7. Channel Quality Indicator (CQI)

[0150] CQI is mainly used for selecting the order of the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) in the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), adaptive weighting, and adjusting the aggregation level of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The rate configuration at the transmitter is achieved through the MCS index value. The MCS uses the factors affecting the communication rate as columns and the MCS index as rows to form a rate table, as shown in Table 1.

[0151] Table 1

[0152]

[0153] Each MCS index corresponds to a physical transmission rate under a set of parameters. Specifically, the receiver feeds back channel quality, which is quantized into a sequence from 0 to 15 and defined as CQI. Different CQIs indicate different coding schemes, including QPSK, 16QAM, and 64QAM. The higher the coding scheme (QPSK < 16QAM < 64QAM), the better the channel conditions required for signal transmission, which determines the MCS used for PDSCH transmission.

[0154] 8. Rank Indicator RI

[0155] In a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) scheme, the rank of the antenna matrix is ​​N, indicating that there are N parallel and effective data streams. The UE recommends the base station to use the transmission rank (or layer) for downlink transmission, which is determined based on the RI (Rank Indicator). Through the UE-recommended RI and PMI, the base station can flexibly adjust the downlink transmission configuration to adapt to the needs of different channel environments. For example, under favorable channel conditions, the transmission rank and layer can be increased to improve spectrum utilization and transmission rate; while under poor channel conditions, the transmission rank and layer can be reduced to ensure transmission reliability and stability.

[0156] 9. Precoding Matrix Indicator PMI

[0157] PMI can be used to indicate the precoding matrix. The precoding matrix is, for example, a precoding matrix determined by the receiving device (e.g., a terminal) based on the channel matrix of each frequency domain unit (e.g., sub-band). The channel matrix can be determined by the receiving device through methods such as channel estimation or based on channel reciprocity; the specific method for determining the channel matrix is ​​not limited.

[0158] The precoding matrix determined by the receiving device can be referred to as the precoding matrix to be fed back, or the precoding matrix to be reported. The receiving device can indicate the precoding matrix to be fed back through the PMI, so that the transmitting device can recover the precoding matrix based on the PMI. The precoding matrix recovered by the transmitting device based on the PMI is the same as or approximately the precoding matrix to be fed back.

[0159] In one possible implementation, the receiving device measures the channel matrix H of each sub-band based on the reference signal, and then calculates the channel matrix H or the covariance matrix HH of each sub-band. H Singular value decomposition (SVD) is performed to determine the precoding matrix to be fed back for each subband.

[0160] Taking the channel matrix H as an example, after performing SVD on the channel matrix H, we can obtain:

[0161] H = UDV H

[0162] Among them, U and V H V is a unitary matrix; D is a diagonal matrix, and its non-zero elements (i.e., the elements on the diagonal) are the singular values ​​of the channel matrix H. These singular values ​​are usually arranged in descending order. The right unitary matrix V... H The conjugate transpose V is the ideal precoding matrix. In other words, the ideal precoding matrix is ​​the precoding matrix calculated based on the channel matrix H. Subsequently, the receiving device can determine a precoding matrix that approximates the ideal precoding matrix for each sub-band, i.e., the precoding matrix to be fed back for each sub-band, and feed back the precoding matrix to be fed back for each sub-band to the transmitting device through the PMI. Thus, the transmitting device determines the precoding matrix that approximates the ideal precoding matrix for each sub-band based on the PMI, and determines the precoding matrix adapted to the channel for precoding the signal to be transmitted.

[0163] Therefore, the closer the precoding matrix determined by the transmitting device based on the PMI is to the ideal precoding matrix, the better it adapts to the channel conditions, thereby improving the signal reception quality. In other words, the receiving device aims to determine a precoding matrix that most closely approximates the ideal precoding matrix and instruct the transmitting device to do so.

[0164] In this application, the precoding matrix corresponding to a frequency domain cell can refer to the precoding matrix fed back from that frequency domain cell, such as the precoding matrix used for channel measurement and feedback based on a reference signal on that frequency domain cell. The precoding matrix corresponding to a frequency domain cell can be used to precode data subsequently transmitted through that frequency domain cell. The precoding matrix corresponding to a frequency domain cell can also be simply referred to as the precoding matrix of that frequency domain cell.

[0165] 10. Codebook

[0166] To simplify implementation complexity, the precoding matrix can be selected from a predefined set of matrices (or vectors), which is called a codebook. For example, one type of codebook is shown in Table 2.

[0167] Table 2

[0168]

[0169] For example, when the RI indicates the layer number is 1 and the codebook index is 1, the precoding matrix is:

[0170] 11. Codeword (CW) to Layer mapping

[0171] MIMO systems can provide spatial multiplexing capabilities through multiple antennas, thereby simultaneously transmitting multiple data streams, which are also referred to as spatial layers. During MIMO signal processing, CW-to-layer mapping maps or allocates the modulation symbol sequence to different spatial layers according to preset rules for transmission. 3GPP 38.211 defines the CW-to-Layer mapping method, where the downlink codeword has a maximum of only 2 characters, and the uplink codeword has only 1 character; the downlink can have a maximum of 8 layers, and the uplink can have a maximum of 4 layers.

[0172] If the number of data streams (rank) corresponding to the receiving device is less than or equal to 4, the sending device can use 1 codeword for encoding. If the number of data streams corresponding to the receiving device is greater than 4, it will use 2 codewords for encoding.

[0173] Encoded modulation symbol sequence According to the rules shown in Table 3, the symbols are mapped onto v spatial layers to form a multi-way symbol sequence. in, This indicates the length of the modulation symbol sequence corresponding to the codeword. This represents the length of the symbol sequence after mapping for each of the v spatial layers.

[0174] Table 3

[0175]

[0176]

[0177] As shown in Table 3, for a scenario with two codewords, each codeword maps to approximately half of the spatial layer. For a single codeword, the corresponding modulation symbol sequence... It maps to the corresponding multiple spatial layers sequentially in a polling manner.

[0178] Figure 3 The image shows a CW-to-Layer mapping method under spatial multiplexing.

[0179] like Figure 3 As shown, the dimension of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) can be 4×1, that is, when the number of transmit antennas is 4 and the number of transmission layers is 1, the codeword CW0 is mapped to layer 1 through layer mapping. The modulated symbol after layer mapping is precoded to obtain the precoded signal, which is then transmitted through antenna ports P0 to P3.

[0180] When the MIMO dimension is 4×2, codewords CW0 and CW1 are mapped to layer1 and layer2 respectively through layer mapping. The modulated symbols after layer mapping are precoded to obtain the precoded signal, which is then transmitted through antenna ports P0 to P3.

[0181] When the MIMO dimension is 4×3, the codeword CW0 is mapped to layer 1 through layer mapping, and the codeword CW1 is mapped to layer 2 and layer 3 through layer mapping. The modulated symbols after layer mapping are precoded to obtain the precoded signal, which is then transmitted through antenna ports P0 to P3.

[0182] When the MIMO dimension is 4×4, the codeword CW0 is mapped to layer 1 and layer 2 through layer mapping, and the codeword CW1 is mapped to layer 3 and layer 4 through layer mapping. The modulated symbols after layer mapping are precoded to obtain the precoded signal, which is then transmitted through antenna ports P0 to P3.

[0183] Multi-antenna MIMO technology, by configuring multiple transmit and receive antennas at both the transmitting and receiving ends, can simultaneously transmit multiple data streams through spatial multiplexing, thereby significantly increasing the system transmission rate. With continuous advancements in multi-antenna technology, the number of antennas supported by terminal devices will further increase, such as 8 receive antennas. Simultaneously, the maximum number of transport streams (or spatial layers) rank that a single user can support will also increase to 8. Terminal devices can also be referred to as 8R receivers. Compared to 4R receivers, 8R receivers can significantly improve the downlink throughput of a single user in a cell and increase the coverage area for users at the cell edge. Furthermore, 8R receivers are one of the main methods for enabling quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) schemes of 256QAM and higher within a certain signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) range.

[0184] When performing high-flow transmission (e.g., more than 4 streams), the computational complexity of a traditional 8R receiver is related to the number of receiving antennas and the number of ranks at the terminal. Especially when using a nonlinear receiver, the complexity increases exponentially with the number of streams. In other words, the traditional 8R receiver scheme is characterized by high implementation difficulty and computational complexity. One feasible solution is to split the 8R receiver into two 4R receivers, with each 4R receiver handling signal reception and processing separately. This effectively reuses existing 4R receivers to approximate the functionality of the 8R receiver. This solution has lower implementation complexity and is highly feasible. However, the current receiver cannot determine which data streams each 4R receiver needs to process, which may affect the efficiency of channel condition estimation and data transmission performance.

[0185] In view of this, this application provides a communication method and a communication device to improve the performance of data transmission.

[0186] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points are made:

[0187] In the following description, "antenna" and "antenna port" are sometimes used interchangeably, and their meanings are consistent unless the distinction is emphasized. An antenna port can be understood as a transmitting antenna that is recognized by the receiving device, or a spatially distinguishable transmitting antenna. One antenna port is configured for each virtual antenna, and each virtual antenna can be a weighted combination of multiple physical antennas. Each antenna port can correspond to a reference signal port.

[0188] In this application, "predefined" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device (e.g., including receiving device and / or transmitting device). This application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in a protocol. "Protocol" can refer to standard protocols in the field of communications, such as LTE protocol, NR protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0189] In this application, the terms "information," "signal," and "channel" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and their meanings are consistent unless the distinction between them is emphasized. Similarly, the terms "of," "corresponding (relevant)," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and their meanings are consistent unless the distinction between them is emphasized.

[0190] In this application, the terms "reporting" and "feedback" are often used interchangeably, but those skilled in the art will understand their meanings. For terminal devices, both reporting CSI and feeding back CSI can essentially be sending CSI, for example, via the physical uplink channel. Therefore, unless the distinction is emphasized, their intended meanings are consistent.

[0191] In this application, "at least one" may mean "one or more". For example, CSI includes at least one of PMI, RI and CQI, which may mean that CSI includes one or more of PMI, RI and CQI. That is, CSI may include only PMI, or CSI may include only RI, or CSI may include only CQI, or CSI may include only PMI and RI, or CSI may include only PMI and CQI, or CSI may include only RI and CQI, or CSI may include PMI, RI and CQI, or CSI may include other information besides PMI, RI and CQI listed above.

[0192] This application involves transformations of matrices and / or vectors. The superscript T denotes transpose, such as A... T This represents the transpose of matrix (or vector) A; the superscript H indicates the conjugate transpose, such as A H This represents the conjugate transpose of matrix (or vector) A. For the sake of brevity, explanations of similar or identical cases are omitted below.

[0193] In the embodiments shown below, the terms "first," "second," etc., are merely for distinguishing different objects and should not constitute any limitation on this application. For example, distinguishing different CSI, CQI, PMI, etc.

[0194] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of the communication method 400 provided in this application. The communication method of this application will be described below using the interaction between a first communication device (receiving device) and a second communication device (sending device) as an example. It should be understood that, unless otherwise specified, "receiving device" can refer to the receiving device itself, or it can refer to a device that enables the receiving device to perform this function.

[0195] Similarly, "sending device" can refer to the sending device itself, or it can refer to a device that enables the sending device to perform this function. The receiving device can be a terminal device or a network device; the sending device can be a network device or a terminal device.

[0196] This method may include the following steps.

[0197] S410, the second communication device sends configuration information to the first communication device; correspondingly, the first communication device receives configuration information from the second communication device.

[0198] This configuration information is used to configure the reported CQI indexes. Specifically, it involves reporting one or more CQI indices from a set of multiple CQI indices. These multiple CQI indices indicate different modulation and coding strategies.

[0199] For example, multiple CQI indices may include some or all of the indices 0 to 15 in Table 1. The modulation and coding strategies indicated by multiple CQI indices refer to the contents of the rows corresponding to indices 0 to 15 in Table 1 above.

[0200] That is, the second communication device configures the first communication device to provide feedback on the channel quality. Here, the channel quality is quantized into indices 0 to 15 in Table 1 and defined as CQI. Different CQIs indicate different modulation and coding schemes, such as QPSK, 16QAM and 64QAM.

[0201] S420, the second communication device sends a first reference signal to the first communication device; correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first reference signal from the second communication device.

[0202] For example, the first communication device may be a terminal device, or a chip (or chip system) or circuit of the terminal device; the second communication device may be a network device, or a chip (or chip system) or circuit of the network device, without limitation.

[0203] The first reference signal can be a reference signal used for channel estimation or channel sounding, such as for measuring parameters like reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), SINR, CQI, RI, and PMI. The following explanation uses CSI-RS as an example of the first reference signal.

[0204] The first reference signal corresponds to P antenna ports, or in other words, the first reference signal includes reference signals on P antenna ports. It should be understood that the time-frequency resources used by the reference signals on the P antenna ports may be different, or the time-frequency resources of the reference signals on the P antenna ports may be the same but the code resources may be different. The second communication device can indicate the time-frequency resources occupied by the CSI-RS, so that the first communication device can determine the antenna port corresponding to the CSI-RS through the time-frequency resources occupied by the CSI-RS.

[0205] S430, the first communication device performs a first CQI calculation based on the first reference signal.

[0206] Alternatively, the first communication device determines or calculates the first CQI based on the first reference signal.

[0207] For example, the first CQI is calculated and associated with a first antenna port group of the first communication device, or the first CQI is associated with a first portion of the antenna ports of the first communication device. Alternatively, the first CQI is obtained based on a first reference signal measurement of the antenna ports corresponding to the first antenna port group, or the first CQI is obtained based on a first reference signal measurement of the first portion of the antenna ports; or the first CQI indicates channel quality, which is the channel quality of the antenna ports corresponding to the first antenna port group, or the channel quality of the channel corresponding to the first portion of the antenna ports.

[0208] The “first antenna port group of the first communication device” can be understood as an antenna port group configured by the first communication device, which may include at least one antenna port corresponding to the first communication device.

[0209] In this application, "antenna port group" may also be referred to as "antenna port set", "part of antenna ports", "a group of antenna ports", "part of UE receiving antennas", "a group of UE receiving antennas", "a group of receiving antennas", "part of receiving antennas", "part of receiving antenna ports", "a group of receiving antenna ports", etc.

[0210] For example, the first communication device may correspond to multiple antenna port groups, each of the multiple antenna port groups including at least one antenna port, and the antenna ports included in each antenna port group do not overlap, or in other words, each antenna port group is associated with different antenna ports of the first communication device. The multiple antenna port groups include the first antenna port group.

[0211] For example, the first communication device is an 8R receiver, such as Figure 5 As shown (including antennas 0 to 7, corresponding to antenna ports 0 to 7 respectively), the first communication device can correspond to antenna port group 0 (an example of the first antenna port group) and antenna port group 1, with antenna port group 0 and antenna port group 1 respectively corresponding to the four antenna ports of the first communication device. For example, antenna port group 0 corresponds to antenna ports 0 to 3 (or an example of the first part of the antenna ports), and antenna port group 1 corresponds to antenna ports 4 to 7.

[0212] In other words, antenna port group 0 and antenna port group 1 are the antenna port groups corresponding to the first communication device, where antenna port group 0 and antenna port group 1 can respectively correspond to sub-receiver 1 and sub-receiver 2 of the first communication device, such as... Figure 5 As shown, or in other words, sub-receiver 1 includes the antenna port corresponding to antenna port group 0; sub-receiver 2 includes the antenna port corresponding to antenna port group 1.

[0213] Optionally, for the first CQI calculation, the first communication device may assume that the signal symbols of the P antenna ports are equivalent to the data (e.g., PDSCH) signals corresponding to the v layers; or that the signal symbols of the P antenna ports are equivalent to the data signals corresponding to the v layers; or that the signal symbols transmitted through the P antenna ports correspond to the data signals corresponding to the v layers.

[0214] For example, for the first CQI calculation, the first communication device assumes that the PDSCH signals corresponding to the v layers of the antenna ports in the antenna port set [1000,…,1000+v-1] will generate signals equivalent to the symbol signals transmitted by the antenna ports [3000,…,3000+p-1] (an example of P antenna ports), as shown in Equations (1) and (2):

[0215]

[0216]

[0217] Among them, [y (3000) (i)…y (3000+p-1) (i)] T This represents the symbol signal transmitted through P antenna ports. and This represents the PDSCH signals corresponding to v layers. Let v1+v2=v represent the length of the mapped symbol sequence for each of the v layers. W1(i) and W2(i) are the precoding matrices, which can be found in the first and second precoding matrices below.

[0218] Optionally, the first communication device may assume the PDSCH signals of v layers ( and The energy per resource element (EPRE) is the same as the EPRE of CSI-RS.

[0219] In this application, "layer" can also be replaced with "transport layer", "space layer", "stream", "data stream", etc., without limitation.

[0220] For example, the data signals of layer v1 out of the v layers can be received by the antenna ports corresponding to the first antenna port group, or by the first portion of the antenna ports. In other words, the first antenna port group (corresponding antenna ports) or the first portion of the antenna ports is associated with layer v1, that is, the first antenna port group (corresponding antenna ports) or the first portion of the antenna ports is used to receive the data signals corresponding to layer v1. v is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and v1 is a positive integer less than v.

[0221] Optionally, the data signals corresponding to the v1 layers are associated with codeword (CW)0 (an example of the second codeword). Alternatively, the data signals of the v1 layers are the data signals obtained after layer mapping of the modulation symbols (signal symbols) corresponding to CW0, such as... Figure 5 As shown in (a). For example, the modulation symbol corresponding to CW0 is mapped to the v1 layers through layer mapping; the modulation symbol after layer mapping is precoded to obtain the precoded data signal, that is, the data signal corresponding to the v1 layers.

[0222] In other words, in the above scheme, the first CQI is associated with the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna ports. This first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna port group is used to receive data signals of layer v1, and the data signals of layer v1 are associated with CW0. Further, it can be seen that the first CQI is associated with CW0, and the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna ports is associated with CW0. Alternatively, taking antenna port group 0 (an example of the first antenna port group) corresponding to the four antenna ports of the first communication device as an example, for the first CQI corresponding to CW0, the first communication device can assume that the corresponding PDSCH signals for layer v1 transmitted on the pantenna ports of the CSI-RS resource would be received by antenna group 0 with 4 UE antenna ports.

[0223] Alternatively, the first part of the data signal corresponding to each of the v1 layers is associated with CW0; the data signal corresponding to each of the v1 layers may also include a second part of the data signal, which is associated with CW1 (an example of the first codeword). In other words, the modulation symbol corresponding to CW0 is mapped to the first part of the v1 layers through layer mapping; the mapped modulation symbol is then pre-coded to obtain the first part of the data signal corresponding to each of the v1 layers, or the data signal corresponding to the first part of the v1 layers; similarly, the modulation symbol corresponding to CW1 is mapped to obtain the second part of the data signal corresponding to each of the v1 layers.

[0224] For example, performing a first CQI calculation based on the first reference signal may include: determining a first PMI based on a first portion of the reference signal in the first reference signal, and performing the first CQI calculation based on the first PMI.

[0225] For example, the first communication device can perform channel estimation based on the first part of the reference signal to obtain a channel matrix, and obtain a first PMI and / or a first RI based on the channel matrix, and perform the first CQI calculation through the first PMI and / or the first RI. The specific implementation of performing the first CQI calculation through the PMI, or in other words, calculating the CQI through the PMI, can be found in the relevant description in section 5.2.2.5 of protocol TS 38.214.

[0226] The first reference signal can be a first reference signal received by the antenna port corresponding to the first antenna port group, or a first reference signal received by the first part of the antenna ports. That is, the first PMI corresponds to the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna, or in other words, the first PMI calculation corresponds to the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna. The first PMI indicates the first precoding matrix. Optionally, the first precoding matrix can be used to precode the modulation symbol corresponding to CW0, that is, the first PMI corresponds to CW0 (an example of the second codeword).

[0227] It is understandable that the first PMI here can refer to the broadband PMI, for example, the first precoding matrix is ​​the precoding matrix corresponding to the broadband; or, the first PMI can include the subband PMI, that is, the first precoding matrix includes the precoding matrix corresponding to the subband, without limiting the frequency domain resource unit corresponding to the precoding matrix.

[0228] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the CQI corresponding to the antenna port group whose number of antenna ports is less than the total number of antenna ports through the first reference signal, and report it to the second communication device. The second communication device can then determine the channel conditions, thereby enabling the second communication device to send the data corresponding to the antenna port group. This reduces the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data and improves communication performance.

[0229] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0230] S440, the first communication device performs a second CQI calculation based on the first reference signal.

[0231] For example, the second CQI is calculated and associated with the second antenna port group corresponding to the first communication device, or the first CQI is associated with a second portion of the antenna ports of the first communication device. Alternatively, the second CQI is obtained based on a first reference signal measurement of the antenna ports corresponding to the second antenna port group, or the second CQI is obtained based on a first reference signal measurement of the second portion of the antenna ports.

[0232] For example, the second antenna port group is the aforementioned antenna port group 1, which corresponds to antenna ports 3 to 7, or the second part of the antenna ports includes antenna ports 3 to 7.

[0233] Optionally, the second antenna port group (corresponding antenna ports) or the second portion of the antenna ports is used to receive data signals from v2 layers out of v layers. In other words, the second antenna port group or the second portion of the antenna ports of the first communication device is associated with v2 layers. v2 is a positive integer less than v.

[0234] That is, the sub-receiver 1 (corresponding to the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna port) of the first communication device detects (receives) and processes the data signals of layer v1; the sub-receiver 2 detects (receives) and processes the data signals corresponding to layer v2, thereby effectively reducing the processing complexity of the first communication device.

[0235] Optionally, the second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna ports is associated with CW1 (an example of the first codeword).

[0236] Furthermore, CW1 can be associated with the data signals corresponding to the v2 layers. In other words, the data signals corresponding to the v2 layers are the data signals obtained after layer mapping of the modulation symbols (signal symbols) corresponding to CW1, such as... Figure 5 As shown in (a). For example, the modulation symbol corresponding to CW1 is mapped to v2 layers through layer mapping; the modulation symbol after layer mapping is precoded to obtain the precoded data signal, that is, the data signal corresponding to v2 layers.

[0237] In other words, in the above scheme, the second CQI is associated with the second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna ports, which is used to receive data signals of v2 layers, and the data signals of v2 layers are associated with CW1. Furthermore, the second CQI is associated with CW1. Alternatively, taking antenna port group 1 (an example of the second antenna port group) corresponding to the four antenna ports of the first communication device as an example, for the second CQI corresponding to CW1, the first communication device can assume that the corresponding PDSCH signals for v2 layers transmitted on the P antenna ports of the CSI-RS resource would be received by antenna group 1 with 4 UE antenna ports.

[0238] Optionally, the first part of the data signal corresponding to the v2 layers is associated with CW0; the data signal corresponding to the v2 layers also includes a second part of the data signal, which is associated with CW1 (an example of the first codeword). Alternatively, the modulation symbol corresponding to CW0 is mapped to the first part of the v2 layers through layer mapping. The mapped modulation symbol is then pre-coded to obtain the pre-coded data signal, i.e., the first part of the data signal corresponding to the v2 layers or the data signal corresponding to the first part of the v2 layers. Similarly, the modulation symbol corresponding to CW1 is mapped to obtain the second part of the data signal corresponding to the v2 layers.

[0239] In other words, in one implementation, the modulation symbol corresponding to CW0 is mapped to the first part of layers v1 and the first part of layers v2 after layer mapping; the layer-mapped modulation symbol is pre-coded to obtain the first part of the data signal corresponding to layers v1 and v2; the modulation symbol corresponding to CW1 is mapped to the second part of layers v1 and the second part of layers v2 after layer mapping; the layer-mapped modulation symbol is pre-coded to obtain the second part of the data signal corresponding to layers v1 and v2, as follows. Figure 5 As shown in (b). Optionally, in this implementation, after the second communication device receives the data signals corresponding to layers v1 and v2, it rearranges the data for each layer, so that the data signal corresponding to CW0 is received by the first antenna port, and the data signal corresponding to CW1 is received by the second antenna port. Figure 5 As shown in (b).

[0240] For example, performing a second CQI calculation based on the first reference signal may include: determining a second PMI based on a second portion of the reference signal in the first reference signal, and performing the second CQI calculation based on the second PMI.

[0241] For example, the first communication device can perform channel estimation based on the second part of the reference signal to obtain a channel matrix, and obtain a second PMI and / or a second RI based on the channel matrix, and perform the second CQI calculation through the second PMI and / or the second RI. The specific implementation of CQI calculation through PMI, or in other words, CQI calculation through PMI, can be found in the relevant description in section 5.2.2.5 of protocol TS38.214.

[0242] The second reference signal can be either the first reference signal received by the antenna port corresponding to the second antenna port group, or the first reference signal received by the antenna port of the second part, meaning the second PMI corresponds to the second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna, or in other words, the second PMI calculation corresponds to the second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna; the second PMI indicates the second precoding matrix. Optionally, the second precoding matrix can be used to precode the modulation symbol corresponding to CW1, meaning the second PMI corresponds to CW1 (an example of the first codeword).

[0243] Optionally, in the process of determining the first precoding matrix and the second precoding matrix, the first precoding matrix and the second precoding matrix can be jointly determined using interactive information.

[0244] For example, Where H1 and H2 represent the channel matrix, W1 and W2 represent the first precoding matrix and the second precoding matrix, and SI() represents the signal-to-dryness ratio.

[0245] It should be understood that the antenna ports of the first communication device corresponding to the different antenna port groups mentioned above, the first part of the antenna ports or the second part of the antenna ports can be predefined by the protocol or configured by configuration information. That is, the first communication device and the second communication device can know the antenna ports corresponding to each antenna port group in advance without signaling interaction.

[0246] Alternatively, the antenna ports corresponding to the antenna port groups can also be indicated by the second communication device. That is, the second communication device determines the different antenna port groups corresponding to the first communication device, as well as the antenna ports corresponding to different antenna groups, the first part of the antenna ports or the second part of the antenna ports, and instructs them to the first communication device through indication information.

[0247] For example, the second communication device can determine the antenna port corresponding to the first antenna port group based on the correlation of the channel corresponding to the antenna (antenna port). Assuming the first communication device is an 8R receiver, the second communication device can determine the antenna port corresponding to the first antenna port group based on the correlation of the channel. Determine antenna i, and according to Identify four antennas with strong channel correlation corresponding to antenna i. These four antennas can correspond to one 4R receiver, and the other four antennas can correspond to another 4R receiver; or, these four antennas can correspond to the first antenna port group, and the other four antennas can correspond to the second antenna port group. Here, H represents the channel matrix, which can be obtained based on the uplink reference signal, such as SRS.

[0248] For example, the second communication device divides the antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device into different antenna port groups according to the antenna port index and the index classification rules. The method by which the second communication device determines the antenna port groups is not limited.

[0249] Optionally, the first communication device sends indication information #1 (an example of the first indication information) to the second communication device. Indication information #1 indicates that the first communication device includes multiple antenna port groups (e.g., a first antenna port group and a second antenna port group), or that the first communication device has a corresponding number of antenna port groups, or that the first communication device can receive data signals through multiple antenna port groups. This indication information #1 can also be referred to as the capability information of the first communication device, or in other words, the indication information #1 indicates the capability of the first communication device, which is the content indicated by the indication information #1.

[0250] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can obtain the CQI corresponding to different antenna port groups through the first reference signal and report it to the second communication device. The second communication device can then determine the channel conditions corresponding to different antenna port groups, thereby enabling the second communication device to send data corresponding to different antenna port groups. This reduces the complexity of the first communication device receiving and processing the data and improves communication performance.

[0251] Optionally, in S450, the first communication device sends first information to the second communication device; correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first information from the first communication device.

[0252] The first information may be channel state information (e.g., CSI), and specifically, the first information may include at least one CSI.

[0253] For example, the at least one CSI includes a first CSI.

[0254] The first CSI may include a first CQI, which refers to the description in S430. The first CSI may also include at least one of a first RMI and a first RI, wherein the first PMI refers to the description in S430.

[0255] The first RI can be used to indicate the first transmission layer number, which corresponds to the first antenna port group or the first portion of the antenna ports. In other words, the first transmission layer number can be obtained based on the first reference signal received by the first antenna port group or the first portion of the antennas. For example, channel estimation can be performed by measuring the first reference signal received by the first antenna port group or the first portion of the antennas, and the first transmission layer number can be determined based on the channel matrix obtained from the channel estimation. Specific determination methods can refer to existing methods for measuring RI based on CSI-RS. Optionally, the first transmission layer number is less than or equal to v1.

[0256] Optionally, the at least one CSI may also include a second CSI.

[0257] The second CSI may include a second CQI, which refers to the description in S440; the second CSI may also include at least one of a second RMI and a second RI, wherein the second PMI refers to the description in S440.

[0258] The second RI can be used to indicate a second transmission layer number, which corresponds to a second antenna port group or a second portion of the antenna ports. Alternatively, the second transmission layer number can be obtained based on a first reference signal received from the second antenna port group or the second portion of the antenna ports. Optionally, the second transmission layer number is less than or equal to v2.

[0259] That is, the first communication device can report multiple CSIs (e.g., first CSI and second CSI) for different antenna port groups. Each CSI corresponds to one antenna port group of the first communication device (e.g., the first CSI corresponds to the first antenna port group, and the second CSI corresponds to the second antenna port group), and each CSI includes at least one of CQI, PMI, and RI corresponding to an antenna port group. It is understood that since there is a correspondence between the antenna port group corresponding to the first communication device and the codeword (e.g., CW0, CW1) and the transport layer, there is also a correspondence between each CSI and the codeword and the transport layer. For example, the first CSI may correspond to layers CW1 and / or v1. For simplicity, these correspondences are not listed here.

[0260] Optionally, the first communication device may report the third CSI simultaneously with the first and second CSIs. The third CSI corresponds to all antenna ports of the first communication device and may be associated with one or two codewords, or in other words, the third CSI is associated with one or two codewords, and these one or two codewords correspond to all antenna ports of the first communication device. When the second communication device performs data transmission, it can determine whether to transmit one codeword (e.g., one codeword associated with the third CSI) or two codewords (e.g., the codeword associated with the first CSI and the codeword associated with the second CSI) based on the first, second, and third CSIs.

[0261] Optionally, the first communication device may first determine the third transmission layer number, and then determine whether to report the first CSI and the second CSI based on the third transmission layer number, that is, determine whether to report multiple CSIs corresponding to multiple antenna port groups. The third transmission layer number is determined based on the first reference signal received by all antenna ports, or in other words, the third transmission layer number is the total number of transmission layers.

[0262] For example, the first communication device determines whether to report the first CSI and the second CSI based on the relationship between the third transmission layer number and a preset value. For instance, when the first communication device is an 8R receiver, the preset value can be 4.

[0263] For example, if the third transmission layer number is greater than a preset value, then the first CSI and the second CSI are reported. That is, two CSIs are reported, each corresponding to a different antenna port group. These two antenna port groups correspond to different codewords. For the specific correspondence, please refer to the description above.

[0264] If the third transmission layer number is less than or equal to a preset value, then the first CSI or the second CSI is reported. That is, one CSI is reported, which is the CSI corresponding to one of the two antenna port groups. This antenna port group corresponds to one codeword. For the specific correspondence, please refer to the description above.

[0265] Optionally, if the third transmission layer number is less than or equal to a preset value, a third CSI is reported. That is, a CSI is reported, which corresponds to all antenna ports of the first communication device and is associated with a codeword, or in other words, the third CSI is associated with a codeword, which corresponds to all antenna ports of the first communication device, thus supporting CSI reporting mode fallback.

[0266] Optionally, if the third transmission layer number is less than or equal to a preset value, both the first CSI, the second CSI, and the third CSI are reported simultaneously. That is, the CSI corresponding to one of the two antenna port groups is reported, where each antenna port group corresponds to a codeword; simultaneously, the CSIs (third CSI) corresponding to all antenna ports are reported, where each third CSI is associated with a codeword that corresponds to all antenna ports. When the second communication device transmits data, it can determine, based on the first CSI, the second CSI, or the third CSI, whether to receive data corresponding to a codeword through one antenna port group or through all antenna ports.

[0267] The aforementioned first information can be carried on a physical uplink channel, such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), without limitation.

[0268] Optionally, the first information (e.g., including the first CSI and the second CSI) can be reported via a PUCCH or PUSCH; or, the first CSI and the second CSI can also be reported via a PUCCH or PUSCH respectively. The reporting rules can be predefined, such as the second communication device pre-configuring for the first communication device, or the second communication device sending an instruction to the first communication device, without limitation.

[0269] Optionally, the first information may also include a fourth CSI, which may report the content reported by the first CSI and the second CSI. For example, the fourth CSI may include a third PMI, which indicates a third precoding matrix. For example, the third precoding matrix may be represented as W, where W = [W1W2]. The first v1 columns of the third precoding matrix constitute the first precoding matrix, and the first v2 columns of the third precoding matrix constitute the second precoding matrix. There is no limitation on the specific form in which W represents the first and second precoding matrices. For example, the aforementioned columns may be replaced with rows.

[0270] It should be understood that the first communication device can determine which content to report based on the CSI report configuration of the second communication device. The CSI report configuration mainly specifies the CSI resource configuration associated with the CSI report, the frequency domain configuration of the CSI report (including the CSI report frequency band and whether PMI / CQI reporting is wideband or subband), the time domain behavior of the CSI report (including periodic, semi-persistent, and aperiodic), and the CSI-related indicators reported by the first communication device (e.g., may also include CRI, SSBRI, LI, L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, etc.).

[0271] Optionally, in S460, the second communication device sends a data signal to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the data signal.

[0272] For example, if the first information includes the first CSI, the second communication device determines the channel conditions based on the first CSI and sends the data signal corresponding to the first antenna port group (the codeword and layer corresponding to the first antenna port group) based on the channel conditions.

[0273] For example, the second communication device can map the modulation symbol corresponding to CW0 (the codeword corresponding to the first antenna port group) to the first transmission layer in v1 layers through layer mapping. The number of the first transmission layers is the first transmission layer number. The modulation symbol after layer mapping is precoded through the first precoding matrix to obtain the PDSCH signal corresponding to the first transmission layer. The PDSCH signal corresponding to the first transmission layer is transmitted through P antenna ports. Here, CW0 corresponds to the modulation and coding strategy indicated by the first CQI in the first CSI. Optionally, the first transmission layer number is determined according to the first RI in the first CSI, and the first precoding matrix can be determined according to the first PMI in the first CSI.

[0274] Optionally, the second communication device determines at least one of the first transmission layer number and the first precoding matrix based on the uplink reference signal of different antenna port groups, such as SRS.

[0275] For example, the second communication device determines at least one of the first transmission layer number and the first precoding matrix based on the SRS corresponding to the first SRS port group. The first SRS port group corresponds to the first antenna port group. The correspondence between the first SRS port group and the codeword and layer can be referred to the correspondence between the first antenna port group and the codeword and layer, and will not be repeated here.

[0276] Optionally, if the first information includes the second CSI, the second communication device determines the channel conditions based on the second CSI and sends the data signal corresponding to the second antenna port group (the codeword and layer corresponding to the second antenna port group) according to the channel conditions.

[0277] For example, the second communication device can map the modulation symbol corresponding to CW1 (the codeword corresponding to the second antenna port group) to the second transmission layer in v2 layers through layer mapping. The number of the second transmission layers is the second transmission layer number. The modulation symbol after layer mapping is precoded through the second precoding matrix to obtain the PDSCH signal corresponding to the second transmission layer. The PDSCH signal corresponding to the second transmission layer is transmitted through P antenna ports. Here, CW1 corresponds to the modulation and coding strategy indicated by the second CQI in the second CSI. Optionally, the second transmission layer number is determined according to the second RI in the second CSI, and the second precoding matrix can be determined according to the second PMI in the second CSI.

[0278] Optionally, the second communication device determines at least one of the second transmission layer number and the second precoding matrix based on the uplink reference signal of different antenna port groups, such as SRS.

[0279] For example, the second communication device determines at least one of the second transmission layer number and the second precoding matrix based on the SRS corresponding to the second SRS port group. The second SRS port group corresponds to the second antenna port group. The correspondence between the second SRS port group and the codeword and layer can be referred to the correspondence between the second antenna port group and the codeword and layer, and will not be repeated here.

[0280] That is, the first antenna port group and the second antenna port group can also be regarded as the terminal antenna port group corresponding to the first SRS port group and the terminal antenna port group corresponding to the second SRS port group. In this case, the first part of the antenna ports can be regarded as the antenna ports corresponding to the first SRS port group, and the second part of the antenna ports is the antenna ports corresponding to the second SRS port group. In other words, the "xth antenna port group" or "xth part of the antenna ports" involved in this application can be replaced with "xth SRS port group / antenna port group corresponding to the xth SRS port group" or "antenna port corresponding to the xth SRS port group".

[0281] Optionally, if the first information includes a first CSI, a second CSI, and a third CSI (refer to the description in S450), the second communication device determines, based on the channel conditions, to transmit a data signal corresponding to one or two codewords. The two codewords may correspond to the first antenna port group and the second antenna port group, respectively, and the one codeword may correspond to all antenna ports of the first communication device. For example, if the transmission layer number indicated by the third CSI is less than a preset value, but the channel conditions corresponding to the third CSI are better than the channel conditions indicated by the first and second CSIs, then the data signal corresponding to the one codeword can be transmitted.

[0282] Furthermore, the precoding matrices determined by the feedback from the first PMI and the second PMI can be directly used for downlink data transmission, i.e., as the first and second precoding matrices. Alternatively, they can be processed by beamforming methods, such as zero forcing (ZF), regularized zero-forcing (RZF), minimum mean-squared error (MMSE), and signal-to-leakage-and-noise ratio (SLNR), to obtain the final first and second precoding matrices used for downlink data transmission, without limitation.

[0283] For example, the second communication device determines the first precoding matrix and the second precoding matrix based on the first PMI and the second PMI in the following way: [W1W2]=[V1V2]·([V1V2]) H ·[V1V2]+αI) -1 Where V1 and V2 represent the precoding matrices determined based on the first PMI and the second PMI, respectively, and W1 and W2 represent the first precoding matrix and the second precoding matrix, respectively. α is a positive real number, and I represents the identity matrix.

[0284] If the second communication device sends a data signal based on the first CSI and the second CSI, the corresponding signal received by the first communication device can be represented as:

[0285]

[0286] That is, Y1 = H1W1X1 + H1W2X2 + n1, Y2 = H2W1X1 + H2W2X2 + n2.

[0287] Where Y = [Y1Y2] T The received signal vector, H = [H1H2] TLet W = [W1W2] be the channel matrix obtained through estimation, where W1 and W2 are the first and second precoding matrices, respectively, and n is the measured noise and interference.

[0288] It should be understood that in this application, during downlink transmission, the transmitting device can be a network device or a chip configured in a network device, and the receiving device can be a terminal device or a chip configured in a terminal device. The reference signal can be a reference signal used for downlink channel measurement, such as a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). The terminal device can perform CSI measurement based on the received CSI-RS and feed back the downlink channel CSI to the network device.

[0289] In uplink transmission, the transmitting device can be a terminal device or a chip configured in a terminal device, and the receiving device can be a network device or a chip configured in a network device. The reference signal can be a reference signal used for uplink channel measurement, such as a sounding reference signal (SRS). The network device can perform CSI measurement based on the received SRS and indicate the uplink channel CSI to the terminal device.

[0290] The types of reference signals listed above are merely illustrative examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of using other reference signals to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0291] It is understood that the steps in the above figures are merely illustrative and are not intended to be strictly limited. Furthermore, the sequence numbers of the processes described above do not imply a specific order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0292] It is also understood that some optional features in the various embodiments of this application may not depend on other features in some scenarios, or may be combined with other features in some scenarios, without limitation.

[0293] It is also understood that the methods and operations implemented by the receiving device (first communication device) or the sending device (second communication device) in the above-described method embodiments can also be implemented by components of the device (e.g., chips or circuits), without limitation.

[0294] The above text combined Figures 1 to 5 The present application provides a detailed description of the method embodiments. The following section, in conjunction with... Figure 6 and Figure 7 This describes an embodiment of the apparatus described in this application. It will be understood that, in order to achieve the functions described in the above embodiments, Figure 6 and Figure 7The apparatus includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform various functions. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. It is understood that the technical features described in the above method embodiments are also applicable to the following apparatus embodiments.

[0295] Figure 6 and Figure 7 The diagram illustrates the possible structures of apparatuses provided for embodiments of this application. These apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the transmitting or receiving devices in the above method embodiments, and thus also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0296] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of the communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 As shown, the device 1000 may include a communication unit 1010 and a processing unit 1020. The communication unit 1010 can communicate with the outside world, and the processing unit 1020 is used for data processing. The communication unit 1010 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver unit.

[0297] In one possible design, the device 1000 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the receiving device (first communication device) in the above method embodiments, wherein the processing unit 1020 is used to perform processing-related operations of the receiving device in the above method embodiments, and the communication unit 1010 is used to perform transmission-related operations of the receiving device in the above method embodiments.

[0298] In another possible design, the device 1000 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the transmitting device (second communication device) in the above method embodiments, wherein the communication unit 1010 is used to perform the transmission-related operations of the transmitting device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1020 is used to perform the processing-related operations of the transmitting device in the above method embodiments.

[0299] It is understood that the device 1000 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 1000 may specifically be the transmitting end device in the above embodiments, used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the transmitting end device in the above method embodiments; or, the device 1000 may specifically be the receiving end device in the above embodiments, used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the receiving end device in the above method embodiments. To avoid repetition, further details are omitted here.

[0300] The apparatus 1000 of each of the above-described schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the transmitting device in the above-described method, or the apparatus 1000 of each of the above-described schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the receiving device in the above-described method. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the communication unit can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the transmitting unit in the communication unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the communication unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as processing units, can be replaced by a processor, respectively executing the transmission and reception operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0301] Furthermore, the aforementioned communication unit can also be a transceiver circuit (e.g., it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit can be a processing circuit. In embodiments of this application, Figure 6 The device mentioned can be the receiving or transmitting device in the foregoing embodiments, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on a chip (SoC). The communication unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. No limitations are imposed here.

[0302] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 1100 includes a processor 1110 and a transceiver 1120. The processor 1110 and the transceiver 1120 communicate with each other through an internal connection path. The processor 1110 is used to execute instructions to control the transceiver 1120 to transmit and / or receive signals.

[0303] Optionally, the device 1100 may further include a memory 1130, which communicates with the processor 1110 and the transceiver 1120 via an internal connection path. The memory 1130 stores instructions, and the processor 1110 can execute the instructions stored in the memory 1130. In one possible implementation, the device 1100 is used to implement the various processes and steps corresponding to the receiving device (first communication device) in the above method embodiments. In another possible implementation, the device 1100 is used to implement the various processes and steps corresponding to the transmitting device (second communication device) in the above method embodiments.

[0304] Optionally, the memory 1130 may be integrated into the processor 1110.

[0305] In one possible scenario, device 1100 includes at least one processor with integrated memory, and other memory besides the memory integrated on the processor.

[0306] It is understood that the device 1100 can specifically be the transmitting or receiving device in the above embodiments, or it can be a chip or a chip system. Correspondingly, the transceiver 1120 can be the transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited here. Specifically, the device 1100 can be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the transmitting or receiving device in the above method embodiments.

[0307] Optionally, the memory 1130 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. The memory may include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 1110 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 1110 executes instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1110 is used to perform the various steps and / or processes of the method embodiments corresponding to the transmitting or receiving devices described above.

[0308] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The steps of the method in conjunction with the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as execution by the hardware processor, or as a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0309] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, digital signal processing (DSP), ASIC, field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The processor in the embodiments of this application can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0310] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be 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), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0311] Optionally, the memory (e.g., 1130) in this embodiment may be integrated into the processor (e.g., 1110).

[0312] In addition, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the operations and / or processes performed by the receiving device (first communication device) or the sending device (second communication device) in the various method embodiments of this application to be executed.

[0313] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code or instructions. When the computer program code or instructions are run on a computer, the operations and / or processes performed by the receiving end device (first communication device) or the sending end device (second communication device) in the various method embodiments of this application are executed.

[0314] Furthermore, this application also provides a chip including a processor. A memory for storing a computer program is provided independently of the chip, and the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, such that operations and / or processes performed by a receiving device (first communication device) or a transmitting device (second communication device) in any method embodiment are performed.

[0315] Furthermore, the chip may also include a communication interface. The communication interface may be an input / output interface or an interface circuit, etc. Furthermore, the chip may also include a memory.

[0316] In addition, this application also provides a communication system, including the transmitting end device and the receiving end device in the embodiments of this application.

[0317] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0318] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. 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 merely a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the displayed or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0319] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the 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 cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0320] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, the method includes: Receive configuration information, the configuration information being used to configure a Report Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) index, the CQI index indicating at least one CQI; Receive a first reference signal, which corresponds to P antenna ports, where P is a positive integer; A first CQI is calculated based on the first reference signal, wherein the first CQI is calculated as one of the at least one CQI; Wherein, the first CQI calculation is associated with the first antenna port group corresponding to the first communication device, or the first CQI calculation is associated with the first part of the antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, For the first CQI calculation, the signal symbols corresponding to the P antenna ports are equivalent to the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) signals corresponding to the v layers, where v is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna ports is used to receive the PDSCH signals corresponding to the v1 layers among the v layers, and the PDSCH signals corresponding to the v1 layers are transmitted through the P antenna ports.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first communication device corresponds to the second antenna port group or the first communication device corresponds to the second part of the antenna ports. The second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna ports is used to receive the signals corresponding to v2 layers in the v layers. The PDSCH signals corresponding to the v2 layers are transmitted through the P antenna ports.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second CQI calculation is performed based on the first reference signal, and the second CQI calculation is associated with the second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna ports.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The first antenna port group corresponds to the first part of the antenna ports, and the second antenna port group corresponds to the second part of the antenna ports. The second part of the antenna ports are the antenna ports of the first communication device other than the first antenna ports.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, The second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna ports is associated with the first codeword.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The PDSCH signals corresponding to the v2 layers are associated with the first codeword.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna ports is associated with the second codeword.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The PDSCH signals corresponding to the v1 layers are associated with the second codeword.

11. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, The first part of the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is associated with the first codeword, and the second part of the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v2 layers is associated with the second codeword.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first part of the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layers is associated with the first codeword, and the second part of the PDSCH signal corresponding to the v1 layers is associated with the second codeword.

13. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 12, characterized in that, The second CQI calculation based on the first reference signal includes: The second precoding matrix indicator PMI is determined based on the first part of the reference signal in the first reference signal. The first part of the reference signal includes the reference signal received by the second antenna port group or the second part of the antenna port. The second PMI indicates the second precoding matrix. The second precoding matrix is ​​used to precode the signal symbol corresponding to the first codeword. The first codeword corresponds to the v2 layers. The second CQI is calculated based on the second PMI.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The calculation of the first CQI based on the first reference signal includes: A first precoding matrix indicator PMI is determined based on a second part of the reference signal in the first reference signal. The second part of the reference signal includes the reference signal received by the first antenna port group or the first part of the antenna port. The first PMI indicates the first precoding matrix. The first precoding matrix is ​​used to precode the signal symbol corresponding to the second codeword. The second codeword corresponds to the v1 layers. The first CQI is calculated based on the first PMI.

15. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send at least one of a first channel state information (CSI) and a second CSI, wherein the first CSI includes the first CQI and the second CSI includes the second CQI.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The transmission of at least one of the first channel state information (CSI) and the second CSI includes: If it is determined that the third transport layer number is greater than a preset value, the first CSI and the second CSI are sent. If it is determined that the third transport layer number is less than or equal to the preset value, the first CSI or the second CSI is sent. The third transmission layer number is obtained by measuring all antenna ports corresponding to the first communication device.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The first CSI further includes at least one of a first precoding matrix indicator (PMI) and a first rank indicator (RI); Wherein, the first PMI indicates the first precoding matrix, the first precoding matrix is ​​used to precode the signal symbols corresponding to the second codeword, the second codeword corresponds to the v1 layers, the first RI indicates the first transmission layer number, the first transmission layer number is less than or equal to v1.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that, The second CSI also includes at least one of the second PMI and the second RI; Wherein, the second PMI indicates the second precoding matrix, which is used to precode the signal symbols corresponding to the first codeword, the first codeword corresponds to the v2 layers, and the second RI indicates the second transmission layer number, which is less than or equal to v2.

19. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The first CSI or the second CSI further includes a third PMI, the third PMI indicating a third precoding matrix, the v1 row of the third precoding matrix being used for precoding the signal symbol corresponding to the second codeword, the second codeword corresponding to the v1 layers, and the v2 row of the third precoding matrix being used for precoding the signal symbol corresponding to the first codeword, the first codeword corresponding to the v2 layers.

20. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first indication message, the first indication message indicating the capability of the first communication device, the capability of the first communication device being that the first communication device includes a first antenna port group and a second antenna port group, or the first indication message indicating the number of antenna groups included in the first communication device, the first antenna port group corresponding to the first CQI calculation, and the second antenna port group corresponding to the second CQI calculation.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second indication information, which indicates the antenna port corresponding to the first antenna port group, or the second indication information indicates the first part of the antenna ports.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes one or more processors, said one or more processors being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory, such that the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 21 is performed.

23. A chip or chip system, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing a computer program, and the processor for executing the computer program stored in the memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 21 to be performed.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program, which, when run, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 21 to be performed.

Images