Communication method and communication device

Abstract

Provided are a communication method and a communication device, in the method, a first device can determine a frequency domain position of a reference signal and a transmitting antenna port according to a channel noise constraint condition, so that the position of the reference signal has a certain regularity, and the indication overhead of the reference signal is reduced. The first device indicates the frequency domain position of the reference signal and the transmitting antenna port to the second device, thereby being beneficial to reducing the detection reference signal overhead of channel estimation, reducing the time delay of measurement and improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

Description

Communication method and communication device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, with the substantial increase in antenna size and physical port numbers in terminal and network devices, the reference signal overhead for channel estimation has also increased significantly. Therefore, how to reduce the reference signal overhead in channel estimation is a problem worthy of attention.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device. The position of the reference signal designed by the method has a certain regularity, which is conducive to reducing the indication overhead of the reference signal; thereby, it is conducive to reducing the detection reference signal overhead of channel estimation, reducing the measurement delay and improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is performed by a first device. The first device may be a network device, a component of a network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logic module that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. The first device determines the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of a reference signal based on a channel noise constraint. The first device sends first indication information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of a reference signal.

[0006] In this method, the first device can determine the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal based on channel noise constraints, ensuring that the reference signal position has a certain regularity, which is beneficial for reducing the reference signal indication overhead. By indicating the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal, the first device can reduce the sounding reference signal overhead for channel estimation, reduce measurement latency, and improve channel estimation accuracy.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the channel noise constraint condition includes a reference signal selection criterion based on minimizing channel noise. Optionally, the channel noise constraint condition also includes a termination threshold that satisfies a minimum signal-to-noise ratio.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the channel noise constraint condition is associated with at least one or more of the following parameters: the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the receiving signal-to-noise ratio.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first device determines the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal based on the constraint conditions of the channel noise. For example, the first device may determine the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal based on one or more parameters such as the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the received signal-to-noise ratio.

[0010] In the above method, the first device can specifically determine the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the parameter signal that meets the conditions based on the parameters associated with the specific channel noise constraint conditions, so that the position of the reference signal has a certain regularity, which is conducive to reducing the indication overhead of the reference signal.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain position of the reference signal is partially continuous in the system bandwidth or in a partial bandwidth BWP allocated to the terminal device, and the transmit antenna ports of the reference signal are partially continuous in the set consisting of all transmit antenna ports.

[0012] In this method, the positions of reference signals have a certain regularity, which helps reduce the reference signal indication overhead. For example, the frequency domain positions of the reference signals are partially continuous within the system bandwidth (assuming that some frequency domain positions within the system bandwidth do not have reference signals configured, while other continuous frequency domain positions do). Alternatively, the transmit antenna ports of the reference signals are partially continuous within the set of all transmit antenna ports (assuming that some antenna ports do not have reference signals configured, while other consecutive antenna ports do).

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the same transmitting antenna port.

[0014] In a possible implementation, some frequency domain positions of the reference signal correspond to the same transmitting antenna port.

[0015] In the above method, the antenna ports and frequency domain positions have a certain regularity, which helps reduce the indication overhead of the reference signal. For example, assuming that each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the same numbered transmit antenna port, the antenna ports and frequency domain positions are regular; or, if some frequency domain positions of the reference signal correspond to the same numbered transmit antenna port, the antenna ports and frequency domain positions can be considered regular.

[0016] In an implementation manner in which the first device sends the first indication information, the first device sends the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix to the second device. The first matrix includes a portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth, a portion of the transmit antenna ports, and all receive antenna ports, and the portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth and the portion of the transmit antenna ports are determined based on minimizing channel noise and the third matrix; the column vector of the second matrix includes the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal, and the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal are determined based on the channel noise constraint and the first matrix; the third matrix is ​​a two-dimensional matrix including all transmit antenna ports, all receive antenna ports, and all frequency domain positions, and the column vector of the third matrix includes a combination of transmit antenna ports, all receive antenna ports, and all frequency domain positions.

[0017] In this method, the first device indicates to the second device the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix, thereby indicating the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal, which is beneficial to reducing the indication overhead of the reference signal.

[0018] In an implementation manner in which the first device sends the first indication information, the first device sends a rule of a reference signal pattern to the second device.

[0019] In this method, the first device can directly indicate the rules of the reference signal pattern to the second device, so that the second device can determine the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal according to the rules of the reference signal pattern, which is conducive to reducing the indication overhead of the reference signal.

[0020] In an implementation of a rule for a first device to send a reference signal pattern to a second device, the rule for the reference signal pattern includes one or more of the following: the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmitting antenna port, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern, the number of frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, and the number of transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern.

[0021] In an embodiment of a rule for the first device to send a reference signal pattern to the second device, the rule for the reference signal pattern includes the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmitting antenna port, and / or the index of other reference signal positions in the reference signal pattern.

[0022] In the above method, the first device only needs to indicate to the second device the sequence number of the reference signal pattern used when sending the reference signal or the rule for forming the reference signal pattern, which is conducive to reducing the indication overhead of the reference signal.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes a position of a frequency domain subcarrier and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port.

[0024] In an implementation manner in which the first device sends the first indication information, the first device sends to the second device a combination of the frequency domain positions and the positions of the transmitting antenna ports corresponding to the indices of the column vectors of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix; or, sends all the frequency domain positions and all the transmitting antenna ports corresponding to the indices of the column vectors of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix.

[0025] In the above method, if the reference signal pattern is irregular in shape, the first device may instruct the second device to transmit only the irregular reference signal, which increases the indication overhead but reduces the resources used to transmit the reference signal. Alternatively, the first device may instruct the second device to transmit all reference signals (regular), which helps reduce the indication overhead but increases the resources used to transmit the reference signal.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the first device sends second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate a frequency domain position or index where a reference signal is not sent, and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port where a reference signal is not sent.

[0027] In this method, if the reference signal pattern is irregular in shape, the first device may indicate a regular reference signal pattern to the second device, and indicate a few positions or indices where reference signals are not sent, which is beneficial for reducing reference signal indication overhead.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the first apparatus transmits a reference signal via a transmitting antenna port at a frequency domain location. Alternatively, the first apparatus receives a reference signal transmitted via a transmitting antenna port at a frequency domain location.

[0029] In this method, the first device may be a network device or a terminal device. Since the first device knows the frequency domain position where the reference signal is sent, the first device can receive or send the reference signal at the corresponding position, which is beneficial to reducing air interface overhead.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first device may select a first initial column vector from the third matrix that satisfies the trace of the maximized antenna port-frequency domain orthogonal basis matrix. The first device sequentially selects column vectors from the third matrix that satisfy the channel noise constraint, and merges each selected column vector with the first initial column vector to obtain a fourth matrix, wherein the column vector dimension of the fourth matrix satisfies the preset maximum expected number of carriers and the number of transmitting antenna ports. The first device determines the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port position corresponding to the index of each column vector of the fourth matrix in the third matrix; merges the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port, and all receiving antenna ports to obtain the first matrix. The first device sequentially selects column vectors from the first matrix that minimize the channel noise, and merges each selected column vector with the fourth matrix to obtain a second matrix, wherein the column vector dimension of the second matrix satisfies the rank of the third matrix and satisfies the channel noise constraint.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the first device determines the transmitting antenna ports and frequency domain positions that satisfy preset reference signal pattern constraints, and a plurality of column vectors corresponding to all receiving antenna ports to form a first matrix; the preset reference signal pattern constraints include one or more of the following: the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers, the maximum number of transmitting antenna ports, and the maximum number of frequency domain subcarriers. The first device selects a second initial column vector from the first matrix that satisfies the trace of the maximized antenna port-frequency domain orthogonal basis matrix; sequentially selects column vectors that satisfy the channel noise constraint from the first matrix, and merges each selected column vector with the second initial column vector to obtain a second matrix, wherein the column vector dimension of the second matrix satisfies the rank of the third matrix and satisfies the channel noise constraint.

[0032] In the above method, the first device can specifically perform matrix simplification and derivation based on the channel matrix to determine the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal, which is beneficial to reducing the detection reference signal overhead of channel estimation, reducing the measurement delay and improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0033] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is performed by a second device. The second device may be a terminal device, a component of a terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The second device receives first indication information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of a reference signal. The second device determines the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal based on the first indication information; the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal are associated with the channel noise constraint condition.

[0034] In this method, the second device can determine the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal based on the first indication information, which is beneficial to reducing the detection reference signal overhead of channel estimation, reducing the measurement delay and improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the channel noise constraint condition includes a reference signal selection criterion based on minimizing channel noise. Optionally, the channel noise constraint condition also includes a termination threshold that satisfies a minimum signal-to-noise ratio.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the channel noise constraint condition is associated with at least one or more of the following parameters: the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the receiving signal-to-noise ratio.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain position of the reference signal is partially continuous in the system bandwidth or in a partial bandwidth BWP allocated to the terminal device, and the transmit antenna ports of the reference signal are partially continuous in the set consisting of all transmit antenna ports.

[0038] In this method, the positions of the reference signals have a certain regularity, which is beneficial to reducing the indication overhead of the reference signals.

[0039] In a possible implementation manner, each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the same transmitting antenna port.

[0040] In a possible implementation, some frequency domain positions of the reference signal correspond to the same transmitting antenna port.

[0041] In the above method, the antenna ports and frequency domain positions have certain regularity, which is beneficial to reducing the indication overhead of the reference signal.

[0042] In an embodiment in which the second device receives the first indication information, the second device receives the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix. The first matrix includes a portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth, a portion of the transmit antenna ports, and all receive antenna ports, and the portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth and the portion of the transmit antenna ports are determined based on minimizing channel noise and the third matrix; the column vector of the second matrix includes the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal, and the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal are determined based on the channel noise constraint and the first matrix; the third matrix is ​​a two-dimensional matrix including all transmit antenna ports, all receive antenna ports, and all frequency domain positions, and the column vector of the third matrix includes a combination of transmit antenna ports, all receive antenna ports, and all frequency domain positions.

[0043] In this method, the second device can determine the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal based on the index of the column vector of the second matrix indicated by the first device in the first matrix or the third matrix, which is beneficial to reducing the detection reference signal overhead of channel estimation, reducing the measurement delay and improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0044] In an embodiment in which the second device receives the first indication information, the second device receives a rule of a reference signal pattern.

[0045] In an implementation of the rule for the second device to receive the reference signal pattern, the rule for the reference signal pattern includes one or more of the following: the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmitting antenna port, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern, the number of frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, and the number of transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern.

[0046] In an embodiment of a rule for the second device to receive a reference signal pattern, the rule for the reference signal pattern includes the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and transmit antenna port, and / or the index of other reference signal positions in the reference signal pattern.

[0047] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes a position of a frequency domain subcarrier and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port.

[0048] In an embodiment in which the second device receives the first indication information, the second device receives a combination of frequency domain positions and transmitting antenna ports corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix; or, receives all frequency domain positions and all transmitting antenna ports corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix.

[0049] In the above method, if the reference signal pattern is irregular in shape, the first device may instruct the second device to transmit only the irregular reference signal, which increases the indication overhead but reduces the resources used to transmit the reference signal. Alternatively, the first device may instruct the second device to transmit all reference signals (regular), which helps reduce the indication overhead but increases the resources used to transmit the reference signal.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the second device receives second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate a frequency domain position or index where a reference signal is not sent, and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port where a reference signal is not sent.

[0051] In this method, if the reference signal pattern is irregular in shape, the first device can indicate a regular reference signal pattern to the second device, and indicate a small number of positions or indexes where reference signals are not sent, so that the second device can send reference signals only at some positions and antenna ports according to the indication, which is beneficial to reducing the resources used to send reference signals.

[0052] In a possible implementation manner, the second device receives a reference signal sent through a transmitting antenna port at a frequency domain location; or sends a reference signal through a transmitting antenna port at a frequency domain location.

[0053] In this method, the second device can be a terminal device or a network device. Since the second device knows the frequency domain position where the reference signal is sent, the second device can receive or send the reference signal at the corresponding position, which is beneficial to reducing air interface overhead.

[0054] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device, a device of a network device, or a device capable of being used in conjunction with a network device. In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a functional module, which may be implemented as a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a communication unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to determine a frequency domain location and a transmit antenna port of a reference signal based on a channel noise constraint. The communication unit is configured to send first indication information indicating the frequency domain location and transmit antenna port of the reference signal.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the channel noise constraint condition includes a reference signal selection criterion based on minimizing channel noise. Optionally, the channel noise constraint condition also includes a termination threshold that satisfies a minimum signal-to-noise ratio.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the channel noise constraint condition is associated with at least one or more of the following parameters: the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the receiving signal-to-noise ratio.

[0058] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used to determine the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal based on the channel noise constraint condition, including: determining the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal based on one or more parameters such as the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the received signal-to-noise ratio.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain position of the reference signal is partially continuous in the system bandwidth or in a partial bandwidth BWP allocated to the terminal device, and the transmit antenna ports of the reference signal are partially continuous in the set consisting of all transmit antenna ports.

[0060] In a possible implementation manner, each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the same transmitting antenna port.

[0061] In a possible implementation, some frequency domain positions of the reference signal correspond to the same transmitting antenna port.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the communication unit is used to send the first indication information, including: sending the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix to the second device. The first matrix includes part of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth, part of the transmitting antenna ports and all the receiving antenna ports, and the part of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth and the part of the transmitting antenna ports are determined based on minimizing channel noise and the third matrix; the column vector of the second matrix includes the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal, and the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal are determined based on the channel noise constraint and the first matrix; the third matrix is ​​a two-dimensional matrix including all transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions, and the column vector of the third matrix includes a combination of transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions.

[0063] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is configured to send the first indication information, including: a rule for sending a reference signal pattern to the second device.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the rules of the reference signal pattern include one or more of the following: the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmitting antenna port, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern, the number of frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, and the number of transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern.

[0065] In a possible implementation, the rule of the reference signal pattern includes the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmit antenna port, and / or the index of other reference signal positions in the reference signal pattern.

[0066] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes a position of a frequency domain subcarrier and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port.

[0067] In one possible embodiment, the communication unit is used to send first indication information, including: sending a combination of frequency domain positions and transmitting antenna port positions corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix; or, sending all frequency domain positions and all transmitting antenna ports corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix.

[0068] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is further configured to send second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate a frequency domain position or index where a reference signal is not sent, and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port where a reference signal is not sent.

[0069] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is further configured to send a reference signal through a transmitting antenna port at a frequency domain location; or receive a reference signal sent through a transmitting antenna port at a frequency domain location.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to:

[0071] Selecting a first initial column vector from the third matrix that satisfies the trace of the maximized antenna port-frequency domain orthogonal basis matrix;

[0072] Selecting column vectors that satisfy the channel noise constraint condition from the third matrix in sequence, and merging each selected column vector with the first initial column vector to obtain a fourth matrix, where the column vector dimension of the fourth matrix satisfies a preset maximum expected number of carriers and number of transmit antenna ports;

[0073] Determine a frequency domain position and a transmitting antenna port position corresponding to an index of each column vector of the fourth matrix in the third matrix;

[0074] Combine the frequency domain position and the transmit antenna port, as well as all receive antenna ports, to obtain a first matrix;

[0075] Column vectors that minimize channel noise are selected from the first matrix in sequence, and each selected column vector is merged with the fourth matrix to obtain a second matrix, where the column vector dimension of the second matrix satisfies the rank of the third matrix and satisfies the channel noise constraint.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to:

[0077] Determining transmit antenna ports and frequency domain positions that satisfy preset reference signal pattern constraints, and a plurality of column vectors corresponding to all receive antenna ports to form a first matrix; the preset reference signal pattern constraints include one or more of the following: a spacing between transmit antenna ports, a spacing between frequency domain subcarriers, a maximum number of transmit antenna ports, and a maximum number of frequency domain subcarriers;

[0078] Selecting a second initial column vector from the first matrix that satisfies the trace of the maximized antenna port-frequency domain orthogonal basis matrix;

[0079] Column vectors that satisfy the channel noise constraint are selected from the first matrix in sequence, and each selected column vector is merged with the second initial column vector to obtain a second matrix, where the column vector dimension of the second matrix satisfies the rank of the third matrix and satisfies the channel noise constraint.

[0080] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device, a device of a network device, or a device capable of being used in conjunction with a network device. In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a functional module, which may be implemented as a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0081] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a communication unit and a processing unit. The communication unit is configured to receive first indication information indicating a frequency domain position and a transmit antenna port of a reference signal. The processing unit is configured to determine the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal based on the first indication information; the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal are associated with a channel noise constraint.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the channel noise constraint condition includes a reference signal selection criterion based on minimizing channel noise. Optionally, the channel noise constraint condition also includes a termination threshold that satisfies a minimum signal-to-noise ratio.

[0083] In one possible implementation, the channel noise constraint condition is associated with at least one or more of the following parameters: the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the receiving signal-to-noise ratio.

[0084] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain position of the reference signal is partially continuous in the system bandwidth or in a partial bandwidth BWP allocated to the terminal device, and the transmit antenna ports of the reference signal are partially continuous in the set consisting of all transmit antenna ports.

[0085] In a possible implementation manner, each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the same transmitting antenna port.

[0086] In a possible implementation, some frequency domain positions of the reference signal correspond to the same transmitting antenna port.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the communication unit is configured to receive first indication information, including: receiving an index of a column vector of a second matrix in a first matrix or a third matrix. The first matrix includes a portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth, a portion of the transmit antenna ports, and all receive antenna ports, and the portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth and the portion of the transmit antenna ports are determined based on minimizing channel noise and the third matrix; the column vector of the second matrix includes the frequency domain positions and transmit antenna ports of a reference signal, and the frequency domain positions and transmit antenna ports of the reference signal are determined based on channel noise constraints and the first matrix; the third matrix is ​​a two-dimensional matrix including all transmit antenna ports, all receive antenna ports, and all frequency domain positions, and the column vector of the third matrix includes a combination of transmit antenna ports, all receive antenna ports, and all frequency domain positions.

[0088] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is configured to receive the first indication information, including: a rule for receiving a reference signal pattern.

[0089] In one possible implementation, the rules of the reference signal pattern include one or more of the following: the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmitting antenna port, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern, the number of frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, and the number of transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern.

[0090] In a possible implementation, the rule of the reference signal pattern includes the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmit antenna port, and / or the index of other reference signal positions in the reference signal pattern.

[0091] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes a position of a frequency domain subcarrier and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port.

[0092] In one possible embodiment, the communication unit is used to receive first indication information, including: receiving a combination of frequency domain positions and transmitting antenna ports corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix; or, receiving all frequency domain positions and all transmitting antenna ports corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix.

[0093] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is further configured to receive second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate a frequency domain position or index where a reference signal is not sent, and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port where a reference signal is not sent.

[0094] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is further configured to receive a reference signal sent through a transmitting antenna port at a frequency domain location; or to send a reference signal through a transmitting antenna port at a frequency domain location.

[0095] With respect to the third aspect or the fourth aspect, as an example, the processing unit may be a processor, and the communication unit may be a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or a communication interface. It is understood that when the communication device is a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device), the communication unit may be a transceiver in the communication device, for example, implemented by an antenna, a feeder, and a codec in the communication device, or, if the communication device is a chip provided in the device, the processing unit may be a processing circuit, a logic circuit, etc. of the chip, and the communication unit may be an input / output interface of the chip, such as an input / output circuit, a pin, etc.

[0096] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a processor configured to execute instructions; optionally, the communication device further comprising a memory configured to store the instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the processor, the communication device implements the method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect. Optionally, the processor and the memory are coupled.

[0097] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides another communication device, comprising: a processor configured to execute instructions; optionally, the communication device further comprising a memory configured to store the instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the processor, the communication device implements the method of the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect. Optionally, the processor and the memory are coupled.

[0098] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes multiple devices or equipment in the above-mentioned third to sixth aspects, so that the devices or equipment execute the methods in the first and second aspects, as well as any possible implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0099] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method of the first aspect and the second aspect, as well as any possible implementation of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0100] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip system comprising a processor and an interface, and optionally, a memory, for implementing the method of the first and second aspects, as well as any possible implementation of the first and second aspects. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0101] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to execute the method of the first aspect and the second aspect, as well as any possible implementation of the first aspect and the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0102] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0103] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a channel sounding reference signal design scheme for a channel subspace;

[0104] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a channel sounding reference signal pattern;

[0105] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0106] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a reference signal pattern;

[0107] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a candidate reference signal pattern;

[0108] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a first apparatus provided by the present application for determining a reference signal pattern according to a channel matrix and a channel noise constraint condition;

[0109] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a first device provided by the present application obtaining a second matrix;

[0110] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a first apparatus provided in the present application for determining a reference signal pattern according to preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions and channel noise constraint conditions;

[0111] FIG10a is a schematic diagram of a rule of a reference signal pattern provided by the present application;

[0112] FIG10b is a schematic diagram of another reference signal pattern rule provided by the present application;

[0113] FIG11a is a schematic diagram of a combination of a frequency domain position and a position of a transmitting antenna port provided by the present application;

[0114] FIG11b is a schematic diagram of another combination of frequency domain positions and transmit antenna port positions provided by the present application;

[0115] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the present application providing a method for indicating the positions of frequency domain subcarriers and indexes of transmit antenna ports;

[0116] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of first indication information and second indication information provided by the present application;

[0117] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a process of determining a reference signal pattern by a second apparatus and sending the reference signal pattern and a reference signal to a first apparatus according to the present application;

[0118] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a simulation of a reference signal pattern carried by 16 resource blocks provided in the present application;

[0119] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a simulation of downlink spectrum efficiency of a reference signal carried by 16 resource blocks provided by the present application;

[0120] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of a simulation of a reference signal pattern carried by 32 resource blocks provided in the present application;

[0121] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a simulation of downlink spectrum efficiency of a reference signal carried by 32 resource blocks provided by the present application;

[0122] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of a simulation of a fixed reference signal pattern provided by the present application;

[0123] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0124] FIG21 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0125] In the embodiments of this application, " / " can indicate that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" can be used to describe the existence of three relationships between associated objects. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exists simultaneously, or B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. To facilitate the description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the words "first" and "second" may be used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish between technical features with the same or similar functions. The words "first" and "second" do not limit the number or order of execution, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different. In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner for easier understanding.

[0126] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0127] In order to reduce the reference signal overhead of channel estimation, the present application provides a communication method, which can significantly reduce the reference signal overhead of channel estimation under large-scale antennas.

[0128] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 1. For example, the communication system includes a network device and a terminal device.

[0129] Among them, the communication system of the present application may include but is not limited to communication systems of various radio access technologies (RAT), for example, it may be: a narrowband Internet of Things system (NB-IoT), an LTE communication system, or a 5G (or new radio, NR) communication system, or a transition system between an LTE communication system and a 5G communication system, which may also be called a 4.5G communication system, and of course it may also be a future communication system, such as the sixth generation (6G) or even the seventh generation (7G) system. The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of the communication network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0130] Among them, terminal devices, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., refer to devices that provide voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, handheld devices and in-vehicle devices with wireless connection capabilities. Currently, some examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, drones, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, terminal devices in 5G networks, terminal devices in future evolved PLMN networks, or terminal devices in future communication systems.

[0131] The network device of the present application refers to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network, and may also be referred to as a base station. For example, some examples of RAN nodes include: a gNB, a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., a home evolved NodeB, or a home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), or a wireless fidelity (Wifi) access point (AP), a satellite in a satellite communication system, a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a wearable device, a drone, or a device in an Internet of Vehicles (e.g., vehicle to everything (V2X)), or a communication device in device to device (D2D) communication. In addition, in a network structure, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU) node, a distributed unit (DU) node, or a RAN device including a CU node and a DU node. The RAN device including the CU node and the DU node splits the protocol layer of the eNB in ​​the long term evolution (LTE) system, places the functions of some protocol layers under central control in the CU, and distributes the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. In some deployments of network devices, the CU can also be divided into a CU-control plane (CP) and a CU-user plane (UP), etc. In other deployments of network devices, the network device can also be an antenna unit (RU), etc. In some other deployments of network devices, the network device can also be an open radio access network (ORAN) architecture, etc. This application does not limit the specific type of network device.For example, when the network device is an ORAN architecture, the network device shown in the embodiment of the present application may be an access network device in the ORAN, or a module in the access network device. In the ORAN system, CU may also be referred to as open (O)-CU, DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-DU may also be referred to as O-CU-DU, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU.

[0132] It should be noted that:

[0133] "Sending" and "receiving" in the embodiments of the present application indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending configuration information to a terminal device" can be understood as the destination end of the configuration information being the terminal device, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving configuration information from a network device" can be understood as the source end of the configuration information being the network device, which can include direct receiving from the network device through the air interface, and also includes indirect receiving from the network device through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0134] In other words, sending and receiving can be performed between devices, for example, between a network device and a terminal device, or can be performed within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, wiring or interface.

[0135] It is understandable that information may be processed between the source and destination of information transmission, such as coding, modulation, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated.

[0136] In the embodiments of the present application, "indication" may include direct indication and indirect indication, and may also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by a certain information (such as the indication information described below) is called information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated; it is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance, for example, the indication of specific information can be achieved with the help of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (such as predefined by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The present application does not limit the specific method of indication. It is understandable that, for the sender of the indication information, the indication information can be used to indicate the information to be indicated, and for the receiver of the indication information, the indication information can be used to determine the information to be indicated.

[0137] 1. To facilitate understanding, the definitions of relevant terms involved in this application are introduced in detail below.

[0138] 1. Multiple-in-multi-out (MIMO) channel estimation:

[0139] Due to frequency-selective fading and Doppler shift, reference signals are required for channel estimation. For example, in 6G application scenarios, the size of device antennas has increased significantly. With the substantial increase in physical ports, the reference signal overhead for channel estimation has also increased significantly. For example, the uplink reference signal scale for a single-user 6G MIMO system may include at least 32 antenna ports and 16 frequency domain resource blocks (RBs), which will occupy a large amount of air interface resources and frequency domain resources.

[0140] 2. Channel sounding reference signal design in channel subspace:

[0141] For example, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a channel sounding reference signal design scheme for a channel subspace. The main idea of ​​this scheme is to convert the channel matrix into a vector and splice it into a matrix across multiple transmission time intervals (TTIs). The sparse channel sounding reference signal (SRS) is found through singular value decomposition (SVD) and QR decomposition. The channel sounding reference signal design scheme for the channel subspace shown in Figure 2 may include the following steps:

[0142] Step 1: Convert the three-dimensional matrix / tensor of the transmit antenna port, receive antenna port, and frequency domain subcarrier into a one-dimensional vector H re The one-dimensional vector H re The length of is NMP, N is the number of receiving antenna ports, M is the number of transmitting antenna ports, and P is the number of frequency domain subcarriers. Among them, for uplink transmission, the transmitting antenna port refers to the antenna port of the terminal device (UE port), and the receiving antenna port refers to the antenna port of the network device (BS port); conversely, for downlink transmission, the transmitting antenna port refers to the antenna port of the network device (BS port), and the receiving antenna port refers to the antenna port of the terminal device (UE port). In this application, uplink transmission is described as an example, and it can be that the network device converts the three-dimensional matrix into a one-dimensional vector, or it can be that the terminal device converts the three-dimensional matrix into a one-dimensional vector.

[0143] Step 2: Using the channel information of multiple TTIs, transform the one-dimensional vectors H of multiple TTIs into re The channel matrix H is spliced ​​into multiple transmission time intervals multi , the channel matrix H multi It is a matrix of T*NMP, where T is the number of TTIs.

[0144] Step 3: Decompose the channel matrix of multiple transmission time intervals in step 2 (that is, the channel matrix H multi Perform SVD decomposition to obtain the kernel matrix G and the basis matrix VK. The kernel matrix G is a T*R2 matrix, where R2 is the rank of the basis matrix. The basis matrix VK is an R2*NMP matrix.

[0145] Step 4: Use QR decomposition to determine the orthogonal basis matrix V sub , the sequence corresponding to each row of the orthogonal basis matrix is ​​the position of the SRS resource in the frequency domain and antenna port. sub It is a matrix of R2*R2.

[0146] Step 5: For uplink transmission, the terminal device sends a reference signal at the decomposed SRS resource location, and the network device uses the basis matrix to restore the entire channel matrix H est .

[0147] The SRS reference signal pattern generated based on the above design scheme is shown in Figure 3. The locations of the reference signals in the SRS reference signal pattern are sparse. For example, the multiple points in Figure 3 represent the locations of multiple reference signals. Among them, the indexes of the frequency domain subcarriers corresponding to the three reference signal positions represented by points A, B, and C can be regarded as the same, and it is only necessary to indicate the position of the antenna port to indicate the reference signal position. However, the index of the frequency domain subcarrier corresponding to the reference signal position represented by point D is quite different from that of points A, B, and C, so it is necessary to indicate the frequency domain position and the position of the antenna port separately, which greatly increases the indication overhead. In addition, the inconsistent number of transmitting antenna ports on the frequency domain subcarriers may cause the problem of excessively high peak to average power ratio (PAPR).

[0148] 3. Channel restoration under noisy channel conditions:

[0149] For example, under noise-free channel conditions, the reference signal pattern determined by decomposing the channel matrix is ​​similar to the reference signal pattern determined without decomposition (e.g., an arbitrarily selected reference signal pattern). That is, under noise-free channel conditions, the reference signal pattern of the reference signal can be arbitrary. Therefore, channel noise is the key factor affecting the reference signal pattern. For example, formula (1) represents the channel recovery formula under noisy channel conditions:

[0150] By processing formula (1), the noise term can be derived as NVK sub -1 *VK. Among them, H est represents the channel estimation matrix, H ob Represents the observation matrix (the observation matrix is ​​the channel matrix that the receiver can directly measure after the transmitter sends the reference signal. The observation matrix includes the orthogonal basis matrix V sub Each row corresponds to the frequency domain and the position of the transmit antenna port and the receive antenna port in the channel matrix), V sub represents an orthogonal basis matrix (columns are linearly independent, and discrete matrices can be represented by orthogonal basis matrices), VK represents the basis matrix (carries large-scale information of the channel, such as the angle of arrival, the angle of transmission, time delay, etc.), S represents the noise matrix, H represents the noise-free channel matrix, and G represents the kernel matrix, which is the channel coefficient matrix that varies with time.

[0151] Based on the derivation in formula (1), it can be seen that minimizing the channel noise can make the restored actual channel more accurate. For example, minimizing the channel noise can be equivalent to minimizing the trace of the channel matrix (the trace of the noise matrix represents the noise power). Therefore, formula (2) represents the result of deducing the minimized channel noise:

[0152] Among them, E{} represents the mean, trace() represents the trace of the matrix, σ 2 represents the noise power of the channel (e.g., the variance of the noise). For example, if the channel noise satisfies the distribution of Gaussian white noise, the variance of the noise is constant. Therefore, the reference signal selection criterion based on minimizing the channel noise satisfies formula (3): minσ 2 trace(V sub -1 V sub -H ) (3)

[0153] 2. Communication method provided by this application:

[0154] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application. The communication method is applied to the communication system shown in FIG1 . For example, the communication method can be implemented by interaction between a first device and a second device. Optionally, when the first device is a network device, the second device can be a terminal device; or, when the first device is a terminal device, the second device can be a network device. The communication method includes the following steps:

[0155] S101, a first device determines a frequency domain position and a transmitting antenna port of a reference signal according to a channel noise constraint condition.

[0156] Among them, the channel noise constraint condition includes a reference signal selection criterion based on minimizing channel noise and a termination threshold that meets the minimum signal-to-noise ratio. For example, according to the previous description of minimizing channel noise, the reference signal selection criterion based on minimizing channel noise in this application may include minimizing channel noise power, that is, minimizing the trace of the channel matrix. Among them, the channel noise constraint condition is associated with at least one or more of the following parameters: the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the received signal-to-noise ratio. For example, the first device determines the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal according to the channel noise constraint condition, which may be that the first device determines the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal according to one or more of the parameters such as the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the received signal-to-noise ratio.

[0157] For example, the channel noise constraint is related to the channel power, noise power, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) during the entire channel restoration process. H , formula (5) represents the noise power P after channel restoration N , formula (6) represents the SNR after channel restoration. H =E{trace(HH H )}=SPP TX (4) P N =σ 2 trace(V sub -1 V sub -H ) (5)

[0158] Where N represents the number of receiving antennas, P represents the number of frequency domain subcarriers, and P TX represents the power at the transmitting end, σ 2 Represents the noise power of the channel, SNR H Indicates the original SNR of the channel.

[0159] For example, if the communication system has a minimum receiving SNR threshold SNR tar , then the termination threshold that satisfies the minimum signal-to-noise ratio is shown in formula (7):

[0160] Among them, different channel SNRs can correspond to different termination thresholds that meet the minimum signal-to-noise ratio. For example, according to formula (7), if SNR H =20dB, then the termination threshold that satisfies the minimum signal-to-noise ratio is trace(V sub -1 V sub -H )≤1024*192*4=7.86×10 5 If SNR H =30dB, then the termination threshold that satisfies the minimum signal-to-noise ratio is trace(V sub -1 V sub -H )≤1024*192*4*10=7.86×10 6 .

[0161] Optionally, the channel noise constraint condition can be as shown in formula (3), that is, the channel noise constraint condition is to minimize the channel noise without considering the lowest receiving SNR threshold SNR tar .

[0162] The frequency domain position of the reference signal indicates the location of the frequency domain resource used by the reference signal. For example, the frequency domain resource can be divided into multiple frequency domain subcarriers, and the reference signal transmitter can use one or more frequency domain subcarriers in the frequency domain to transmit the reference signal. The reference signal transmit antenna port indicates the location or index of the air interface resource used by the reference signal. For example, the reference signal transmitter can include multiple transmit antenna ports, and the reference signal transmitter can use one or more transmit antenna ports to transmit the reference signal.

[0163] Optionally, the frequency domain position of the reference signal is partially continuous on the system bandwidth or on a portion of the bandwidth (bandwidth part, BWP) allocated to the terminal device, and the transmit antenna port of the reference signal is partially continuous in the set consisting of all transmit antenna ports. The system bandwidth refers to the maximum spectrum bandwidth used for data transmission in the entire cell, and BWP refers to a subset of the system bandwidth, that is, a partial bandwidth. For example, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a reference signal pattern. Some frequency domain positions on the system bandwidth in Figure 5 are not designed with reference signals (as shown in the circular area in Figure 5), while other continuous frequency domain positions are designed with reference signals (as shown in the gray box area in Figure 5), that is, the frequency domain position of the reference signal is partially continuous on the system bandwidth. For another example, among all the transmit antenna ports in Figure 5, there are some antenna ports that are not designed with reference signals (as shown in the circular area in Figure 5), while other consecutively numbered antenna ports are designed with reference signals (as shown in the gray box area in Figure 5), that is, the transmit antenna ports of the reference signal are partially continuous in the set consisting of all transmit antenna ports.

[0164] Optionally, each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the same transmit antenna port, or some frequency domain positions of the reference signal correspond to the same transmit antenna port. For example, if each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the same numbered transmit antenna port, then the antenna port and frequency domain positions are regular; or if some frequency domain positions of the reference signal correspond to the same numbered transmit antenna ports, then the antenna port and frequency domain positions can be considered regular.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the first device may decompose the channel matrix, derive the channel noise constraint, and based on the decomposition of the channel matrix, obtain a candidate reference signal pattern. For example, FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a candidate reference signal pattern, FIG6 includes three reference signal patterns, each reference signal pattern includes the frequency domain position of the reference signal (such as the resource block on the vertical axis of FIG6 ) and the position or index of the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal (such as the resource block on the horizontal axis of FIG6 ). Based on the channel noise constraint, the first device may select a reference signal pattern that meets the channel noise constraint from the three reference signal patterns, thereby determining the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal. For example, the first device determines the normalized channel noise based on the reference signal pattern. If the normalized channel noise is less than or equal to the noise threshold The frequency domain subcarriers and antenna ports in the reference signal pattern that are less than the noise threshold are determined as the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal. Alternatively, if the normalized channel noise is greater than the noise threshold, the first device may adjust the channel noise constraint (for example, by increasing the number of transmit antenna ports or the number of subcarriers) until the normalized channel noise is less than or equal to the noise threshold.

[0166] S102: The first device sends first indication information to the second device, where the first indication information is used to indicate a frequency domain position and a transmitting antenna port of a reference signal.

[0167] The first device may indicate to the second device, through the first indication information, the frequency domain position and the transmit antenna port for sending the reference signal. For example, the first indication information includes the index of the reference signal pattern. Correspondingly, the second device receives the index of the reference signal pattern and may determine the frequency domain position and the transmit antenna port for sending the reference signal. For another example, the first indication information includes the frequency domain position of the reference signal and the index of the transmit antenna port. Correspondingly, the second device receives the frequency domain position of the reference signal and the index of the transmit antenna port and may determine the frequency domain position and the transmit antenna port for sending the reference signal.

[0168] 3. The specific process of S101 is described in detail below.

[0169] Example 1: The first device decomposes the channel matrix and iterates based on the channel noise constraint to determine an orthogonal basis matrix that meets the channel noise constraint. The column vectors in the orthogonal basis matrix represent the frequency domain position of the reference signal and the transmitting antenna port.

[0170] For example, FIG7 is a flowchart of a first apparatus provided by the present application for determining a reference signal pattern according to a channel matrix and a channel noise constraint condition, including the following steps:

[0171] S201: The first device determines a first initial column vector from a third matrix.

[0172] Among them, the third matrix is ​​a three-dimensional matrix including all transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions. For example, the third matrix is ​​expressed as VK, and VK is a matrix of R2*NMP. Among them, R2 is the rank of VK, N represents the number of receiving antenna ports, M is the number of transmitting antenna ports, and P represents the number of frequency domain subcarriers in the entire system bandwidth or partial bandwidth BWP. Among them, the source of VK can refer to the corresponding descriptions in steps 1 to 3 in Figure 2, that is, the third matrix is ​​determined by the first device based on the three-dimensional matrix / tensor of the transmitting antenna port, the receiving antenna port and the frequency domain subcarrier.

[0173] Optionally, the first device may randomly select a column vector from the third matrix as the first initial column vector, where the first initial column vector is a column vector including the index of the transmitting antenna port and the position of the frequency domain subcarrier.

[0174] Optionally, the first device may select a column vector from the third matrix that satisfies the trace of the maximized antenna port-frequency domain orthogonal basis matrix as the first initial column vector. For example, the first device may select the first initial column vector based on the constraint condition shown in formula (8): maxσ 2 trace(V sub H V sub ) (8)

[0175] Among them, formula (8) corresponds to when V sub When is a vector, the transformation of formula (3) represents maximizing the trace of the antenna port-frequency domain orthogonal basis matrix, which also means minimizing the channel noise.

[0176] S202, the first device sequentially selects column vectors that meet the channel noise constraint condition from the third matrix, and merges the column vector selected each time with the first initial column vector to obtain a fourth matrix.

[0177] The column vector dimension of the fourth matrix satisfies the preset maximum expected number of carriers and number of transmit antenna ports. For example, the fourth matrix is ​​represented by V sub ′,V sub ′ column vector has the dimension R3*R2 (e.g. V sub ′=C R3×R2 ), R3 represents the maximum expected number of carriers and transmitting antenna ports, and R3≤R2; C represents the column vector of the fourth matrix.

[0178] For example, the channel noise constraint is as shown in formula (3), and the preset maximum expected number of carriers and the number of transmitting antenna ports are R3. Then, the first device can search for a column vector that satisfies formula (3) from the third matrix VK and iterate. Each search can obtain a column vector (denoted as New column), and the column vector is merged with the matrix obtained in the previous iteration again, as shown in formula (9):

[0179] Where t represents the current number of iterations, Represents the matrix obtained in the previous iteration. If the iteration reaches V sub ′=C R3×R2 , the first device stops iterating and completes the initial search.

[0180] S203: The first device determines the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port position corresponding to the index of each column vector of the fourth matrix in the third matrix.

[0181] The first device may determine the index of each column vector of the fourth matrix in the third matrix based on the search result in S202. For example, multiple column vectors of the fourth matrix correspond to multiple index values ​​in the third matrix (for example, the first column of the fourth matrix corresponds to the second column of the third matrix, the second column corresponds to the fourth column of the third matrix, etc.), then the first device may select the corresponding column vector from the third matrix, thereby obtaining the frequency domain position and the transmit antenna port position included in each column vector.

[0182] S204, the first device combines the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port, as well as all receiving antenna ports, to obtain a first matrix.

[0183] S205, the first device sequentially selects column vectors that minimize channel noise from the first matrix, and merges the column vectors selected each time with the fourth matrix to obtain a second matrix.

[0184] The first device can reconstruct a new orthogonal basis matrix according to the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port determined in S203, that is, the first matrix VK sub The second matrix V sub =C R2×R2 The column vector dimension of satisfies the rank R2 of the third matrix and satisfies the channel noise constraint. It can be understood that the column vector of the second matrix includes the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal, that is, the second matrix corresponds to the reference signal pattern.

[0185] For example, FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a first device provided in the present application obtaining a second matrix. Wherein, VK includes a transmitting antenna port, a receiving antenna port, and a frequency domain subcarrier. Specifically, there are a total of M transmitting antenna ports in VK, 1,…,m,…,M represents all transmitting antenna ports from the 1st to the Mth; there are a total of N receiving antenna ports, 1,…,n,…,N represents all receiving antenna ports from the 1st to the Nth; there are a total of P frequency domain subcarriers, 1,…,p,…,P represents all frequency domain subcarriers from the 1st to the Pth. It can also be deduced from FIG8 that all transmitting antenna ports from the 1st to the Mth can correspond to the 1st receiving antenna port and the 1st frequency domain subcarrier, and so on, all transmitting antenna ports from the 1st to the Mth correspond to the nth receiving antenna port and the 1st frequency domain subcarrier, and so on, all transmitting antenna ports from the 1st to the Mth correspond to the Nth receiving antenna port and the 1st frequency domain subcarrier. Optionally, similar corresponding relationships exist for other receiving antenna ports and frequency domain subcarriers, which will not be repeated here. Among them, a column vector of VK represents the resources corresponding to the mth transmitting antenna port, the nth receiving antenna port, and the pth frequency domain subcarrier.

[0186] For example, assuming that the first device determines that transmit antenna port 1 and frequency domain subcarrier 1 are unavailable according to the preset maximum expected number of carriers and transmit antenna ports during the matrix search process, it searches for a column vector that satisfies formula (3) in the entire VK and iterates until it reaches VK. sub ′=C R3×R2 . Further, the first device is based on V sub ′=C R3×R2 Reconstruct VK by the index of the transmitting antenna port and frequency domain subcarrier corresponding to each column vector in VK sub , as shown in Figure 8 (for example, VK sub The column vector corresponding to the transmitting antenna port 1 and the frequency domain subcarrier 1 is not included in the first device. sub Continue matrix search and iteration to finally determine the second matrix V sub =C R2×R2 .

[0187] Optionally, the present application may not consider the channel noise constraint when determining the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal. sub Continuing the matrix search and iteration, we can consider minimizing the channel noise formula, that is, the first device is the entire VK sub Search for a column vector that satisfies formula (3) and iterate until it reaches V sub =C R2×R2 Alternatively, the first device is based on VK subWhen continuing the matrix search and iteration, the column vector that does not satisfy formula (7) can also be used as V sub The column vector in .

[0188] Example 2: The first device determines a first matrix based on a preset reference signal pattern constraint, and iterates based on a channel noise constraint to determine an orthogonal basis matrix that satisfies the channel noise constraint, wherein the column vectors in the orthogonal basis matrix represent the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal.

[0189] For example, FIG9 is a flowchart of a first apparatus provided in the present application for determining a reference signal pattern according to preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions and channel noise constraint conditions, including the following steps:

[0190] S301, a first device determines a transmitting antenna port and a frequency domain position that meet a preset reference signal pattern restriction condition, and a plurality of column vectors corresponding to all receiving antenna ports to form a first matrix.

[0191] Among them, the preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions include one or more of the following: the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers, the maximum number of transmitting antenna ports, and the maximum number of frequency domain subcarriers. For example, assume that the preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions include: the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports S1=2, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers S2=1, the maximum number of transmitting antenna ports N1=3, and the maximum number of frequency domain subcarriers N2=2. The first device determines a plurality of candidate reference signal patterns based on the preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions, such as the plurality of reference signal patterns shown in Figure 6. It can be understood that the transmitting antenna ports and frequency domain positions that meet the preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions, and the plurality of column vectors corresponding to all receiving antenna ports constitute the first matrix VK sub , that is, multiple reference signal patterns correspond to the first matrix VK sub .

[0192] S302: The first device determines a second initial column vector from the first matrix.

[0193] Optionally, the first device may randomly select a column vector from the first matrix as the second initial column vector, where the second initial column vector is a column vector including the index of the transmitting antenna port and the position of the frequency domain subcarrier.

[0194] Optionally, the first device may select a column vector from the first matrix that satisfies the trace of the antenna port-frequency domain orthogonal basis matrix as the second initial column vector. For example, the first device may select the second initial column vector based on the constraint condition shown in formula (8), that is, select the second initial column vector that minimizes channel noise.

[0195] S303, the first device sequentially selects column vectors that meet the channel noise constraint condition from the first matrix, and merges the column vector selected each time with the second initial column vector to obtain a second matrix.

[0196] For example, the first device may select a reference signal pattern that satisfies the channel noise constraint condition from a plurality of reference signal patterns as shown in FIG6 , based on the channel noise constraint condition, thereby determining the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal. Optionally, if the normalized channel noise corresponding to the reference signal pattern is greater than the noise threshold, the first device may adjust the channel noise constraint condition (for example, increase the number of transmitting antenna ports or the number of subcarriers) until the normalized channel noise corresponding to the reference signal pattern is less than or equal to the noise threshold. Optionally, the first device sequentially selects column vectors that satisfy the channel noise constraint condition from the first matrix and merges the column vector with the matrix obtained in the previous iteration again, which may also be performed with reference to formula (9).

[0197] 4. The specific process of S102 is described in detail below.

[0198] Example 1: The first device sends indexes of different reference signal patterns, or a combination of an index and an offset of a reference signal pattern to the second device.

[0199] For example, the first device adopts the preset reference signal pattern and optimized iterative method described in Example 3 of the third part of the previous text to determine the second matrix, and the first device sends the index of the reference signal pattern corresponding to the second matrix to the second device. For example, the indexes of the three candidate reference signal patterns shown in Figure 6 are pattern 1, pattern 2 and pattern 3 respectively. If pattern 1 meets the channel noise constraint condition, the first device can send pattern 1 to the second device; correspondingly, the second device can obtain the corresponding reference signal pattern according to the index. It can be understood that in this example one, the first device only needs a small amount of indication overhead to indicate the index of the reference signal pattern (for example, the indication overhead is much smaller than the overhead of indicating the reference signal position).

[0200] For another example, the first device sends the index and offset combination of reference signal pattern 1 to the second device. Pattern 2 can be considered as a pattern obtained by shifting pattern 1 by offset 1 with a frequency domain of 0 and a spatial domain of 2, and pattern 3 can be considered as a pattern obtained by shifting pattern 1 by offset 2 with a frequency domain of 1 and a spatial domain of 1. If the first device sends the index and offset 1 of reference signal pattern 1 to the second device, the second device can determine that the reference signal pattern is pattern 2. Optionally, the three patterns in Figure 6 can also be considered as different patterns (for example, not obtained by shifting by offset).

[0201] Example 2: Rules for a first device to send a reference signal pattern to a second device.

[0202] In one possible implementation, the rules of the reference signal pattern may include one or more of the following: the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmitting antenna port, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern, the number of frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, and the number of transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern.

[0203] For example, Figure 10a is a schematic diagram of a rule of a reference signal pattern provided by the present application. The rule of the reference signal pattern includes the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmit antenna port, the interval of the frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, the interval of the transmit antenna port of the reference signal pattern, the number of frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, and the number of transmit antenna ports of the reference signal pattern. Correspondingly, the second device receives the rule of the reference signal pattern and can restore the reference signal pattern shown in Figure 10a according to the rule, thereby determining the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port for sending the reference signal. Optionally, if the first device only indicates the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmit antenna port, the number of frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, and the number of transmit antenna ports of the reference signal pattern, the second device can also restore the reference signal pattern to determine the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port for sending the reference signal.

[0204] In another possible implementation, the rule of the reference signal pattern includes the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmit antenna port, and / or the indexes of other reference signal positions in the reference signal pattern.

[0205] For example, Figure 10b is a schematic diagram of another reference signal pattern rule provided in this application. The reference signal pattern rule includes the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and transmit antenna port, and the indexes of other reference signal positions in the reference signal pattern (as shown in positions 3, 6, 8, 9, and 12 in Figure 10b). This indication method is applicable to indicating irregular reference signal patterns.

[0206] It can be understood that the first device in this second example only needs a small amount of indication overhead to indicate the rule of the reference signal pattern (for example, the indication overhead is much smaller than the overhead of directly indicating the reference signal position).

[0207] Example 3: The first indication information includes the position of the frequency domain subcarrier and / or the index of the transmitting antenna port.

[0208] For example, the first device determines the second matrix using the matrix decomposition iteration method described in Example 2 of the third part above, and the first device can send the position of the frequency domain subcarrier and / or the index of the antenna port to the second device.

[0209] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes an index of a column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix. For example, N represents the number of receive antenna ports, M represents the number of transmit antenna ports, P represents the number of frequency domain subcarriers, and the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix satisfies formula (10):

[0210] Wherein, p represents the index of the pth frequency domain subcarrier, m represents the index of the mth transmitting antenna port, and n represents the index of the nth receiving antenna port.

[0211] In one possible implementation, the first device sends a frequency domain position and a transmit antenna port position combination corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix to the second device. For example, FIG11a is a schematic diagram of a frequency domain position and a transmit antenna port position combination provided in the present application. The first device can indicate the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port position combination of each reference signal to the second device, for example, indicating the position combination of frequency domain subcarrier 1 and transmit antenna port 1, the position combination of frequency domain subcarrier 3 and transmit antenna port 10, etc., as shown in FIG11a.

[0212] In another possible implementation, the first device sends all frequency domain positions and all transmitting antenna ports corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix to the second device. For example, Figure 11b is a schematic diagram of another frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port indication provided by the present application. The first device can indicate the frequency domain positions and transmitting antenna port positions of all reference signals to the second device, for example, indicating the positions of frequency domain subcarriers 1, 3, 5 and transmitting antenna ports 1, 4, 7, 10, and then the second device sends reference signals at all possible combination positions, as shown in Figure 11b. It can be understood that in the reference signal pattern shown in Figure 11b, each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the transmitting antenna port with the same number, then the reference signal pattern determined by the first device is regular, and the reference signal pattern indicated to the second device is also regular.

[0213] It is understandable that in the above two implementations, the first device needs to directly indicate the reference signal position combination, for example, indicating the reference signal frequency domain position and the transmit antenna port position combination, and the indication overhead will increase compared to the indication overhead in Examples 1 and 2. However, since the position combination for transmitting the reference signal is directly indicated, it is beneficial for the second device to clearly send the reference signal at the corresponding position combination, and for the first device to clearly receive the reference signal at the corresponding position combination, which is beneficial to improving transmission performance.

[0214] Example 4: The first device indicates the positions of the frequency domain subcarriers to the second device and sends the index of the antenna port.

[0215] For example, Figure 12 is a schematic diagram provided by the present application that separately indicates the location of frequency domain subcarriers and the index of transmit antenna ports. The first device indicates the location of frequency domain subcarriers and the index of transmit antenna ports to the second device through two different control signalings. Correspondingly, the second device combines the frequency domain location and transmit antenna port based on the control signaling to determine the location for transmitting reference signals, thereby transmitting reference signals to the first device at the corresponding locations of all reference signals.

[0216] Optionally, the second device may not correspond to a regular reference signal pattern after combining the indicated frequency domain subcarrier position and the index of the transmitting antenna port. For example, the reference pattern rule determined by the first device is shown on the left side of Figure 12. Some frequency domain positions for sending reference signals in the reference signal pattern correspond to transmitting antenna ports with the same number. For example, frequency domain subcarriers 1 and 3 correspond to transmitting antenna ports 1, 4, and 10, while frequency domain subcarriers 1 and 5 correspond to transmitting antenna ports 4, 7, and 10. Then, the reference signal pattern is partially regular, and the reference signal pattern indicated by the first device to the second device is also partially regular. However, the second device can complete the unindicated frequency domain positions and transmitting antenna ports to obtain a regular reference signal pattern (as shown on the right side of Figure 12), and send the reference signal at the position of the completed regular reference signal pattern. It can be understood that in Example 4, more resources are used to send reference signals (for example, the reference signals are sent at the positions of the regular reference signal pattern), but the corresponding indication overhead is reduced (there is no need to indicate multiple position combinations, but instead indicate the positions of the frequency domain subcarriers and the indexes of the transmitting antenna ports respectively, and then the second device arranges and combines this information).

[0217] In one possible implementation, the first device may send second indication information to the second device. The second indication information is used to indicate the frequency domain position or index where the reference signal is not sent, and / or the index of the transmitting antenna port where the reference signal is not sent. For example, FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the first indication information and the second indication information provided by the present application. The reference signal pattern designed by the first device may not correspond to a regular reference signal pattern (as shown on the left side of FIG13 ), then the first device may indicate the position of the frequency domain subcarrier and the index of the transmitting antenna port to the second device respectively, and may indicate the frequency domain position or index where the reference signal is not sent, and / or the index of the transmitting antenna port where the reference signal is not sent to the second device, as shown on the right side of FIG13 . Optionally, if the reference signal pattern indicated by the first indication information is very sparse (that is, the position where the reference signal is sent is a subset of a regular pattern and the position is relatively small), the second indication information is used to indicate the frequency domain position or index where the reference signal is sent, and / or the index of the transmitting antenna port where the reference signal is sent. For example, assuming that the left side of Figure 13 only contains frequency domain subcarrier 1 and transmit antenna port 1, as well as frequency domain subcarrier 3 and transmit antenna port 4, the reference signal pattern is very sparse. The second indication information is then used to indicate the frequency domain subcarrier 1 and transmit antenna port 1, as well as the frequency domain subcarrier 3 and transmit antenna port 4, where the reference signal is transmitted. It will be appreciated that in this embodiment, only a small amount of control signaling (second indication information) is required to accurately indicate the locations of the few reference signals to be transmitted (or not transmitted), thereby reducing the resources required to transmit the reference signals.

[0218] 5. When the first device is a network device and the second device is a terminal device, it is assumed that the second device determines a reference signal pattern and sends the reference signal pattern and the reference signal to the first device.

[0219] Example 1: Assume that the first device performs channel matrix decomposition to obtain a third matrix and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and sends the third matrix and SNR to the second device, so that the second device can determine a reference signal pattern based on the third matrix and SNR.

[0220] For example, FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a process provided by the present application in which a second device determines a reference signal pattern and sends the reference signal pattern and a reference signal to a first device. The process is implemented by interaction between the first device and the second device, and includes the following steps:

[0221] S401: The first device performs channel matrix decomposition to obtain a third matrix and a signal-to-noise ratio, and sends the third matrix and the signal-to-noise ratio to the second device.

[0222] For example, the first device may decompose the channel matrix to obtain a third matrix VK including all transmit antenna ports, all receive antenna ports, and all frequency domain positions. The first device may also determine the SNR according to formula (6). The first device may then send the third matrix VK and the SNR to the second device.

[0223] S402: The second device determines a reference signal pattern according to the third matrix and the signal-to-noise ratio.

[0224] For example, the second device can determine the reference signal pattern (that is, determine the frequency domain position and transmitting antenna port of the reference signal) by itself based on the third matrix and SNR through the method for determining the reference signal pattern described in the embodiments of Figure 7 or Figure 9. For the specific implementation method, please refer to the corresponding description in the previous text and will not be repeated here.

[0225] S403: The second device sends first indication information to the first device.

[0226] For example, the second device may send indexes of different reference signal patterns, or rules for sending reference signal patterns, etc. to the first device. For specific implementations, please refer to the descriptions in the various examples in Part 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0227] S404: The second apparatus sends reference signals to the first apparatus at corresponding frequency domain positions and transmit antenna ports of all reference signals according to the reference signal pattern.

[0228] For example, the reference signal pattern determined by the second device is shown in Figure 10a. The second device can send reference signals at all possible combinations of frequency domain subcarriers 1, 3, and 5 and transmit antenna ports 1, 4, 7, and 10 corresponding to the reference signal pattern, that is, at all gray positions shown in Figure 10a.

[0229] Example 2: Assume that the second device performs channel matrix decomposition to obtain a third matrix and a signal-to-noise ratio SNR, and determines a reference signal pattern based on the third matrix and the SNR.

[0230] Unlike Example 1 shown in FIG14 , in Example 2, the second device can perform channel matrix decomposition to obtain a third matrix and a signal-to-noise ratio. That is, the second device can independently decompose the channel matrix to obtain a third matrix VK including all transmit antenna ports, all receive antenna ports, and all frequency domain positions. The second device can also determine the SNR according to formula (6). Therefore, the first device may not send the third matrix and the signal-to-noise ratio to the second device.

[0231] Optionally, the other steps in Example 2 are the same as those in Example 1. For example, Example 2 also includes S402-S404. For the specific implementation, please refer to the corresponding description in Example 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0232] 6. The performance of the communication method provided in this application is analyzed below.

[0233] For example, Table 1 is a link simulation parameter table corresponding to the communication method provided in this application. In this application, the 10G-UMA-NLOS channel model is assumed to be adopted, and the simulation scenario is configured with reference to Table 1. It should be noted that the reference signal for the following simulation analysis is SRS as an example.

[0234] Table 1: Link simulation parameters

[0235] For example, Figure 15 is a simulation diagram of a reference signal pattern carried by 16 resource blocks based on minimum noise design provided by the present application. Under the simulation conditions shown in Table 1 and the 10G-UMA-NLOS channel, the reference signal pattern obtained by the communication method provided by the present application through channel matrix decomposition and noise minimization design is shown in Figure 15. Assuming that the number of frequency domain resource blocks is 16 RBs, it can be seen from Figure 15 that when the channel noise constraint condition is not limited, the distribution of the reference signal pattern obtained by QR decomposition in the frequency domain and antenna port is irregular and disordered, while the reference signal pattern designed by the communication method of the present application requires fewer RE resources in the frequency domain and antenna port, and is more regular (basically located in the dotted area of ​​​​Figure 15).

[0236] For example, Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a simulation of the downlink spectrum efficiency of a reference signal carried by 16 resource blocks provided by this application. The downlink spectrum efficiency is proportional to the accuracy of the uplink channel estimation. Assuming the number of frequency domain resource blocks is 16 RBs, Figure 16 shows that the reference signal pattern designed by the communication method of this application becomes more regular, while the loss in downlink spectrum efficiency does not exceed 1%.

[0237] For example, Figure 17 is a simulation diagram of a reference signal pattern carried by 32 resource blocks provided by this application, and Figure 18 is a simulation diagram of the downlink spectrum efficiency of a reference signal carried by 32 resource blocks provided by this application. Assuming that the number of frequency domain resource blocks is 32 RBs, according to the comparison between Figure 17 and Figure 15, and the comparison between Figure 18 and Figure 16, even if the frequency domain bandwidth is doubled, the reference signal pattern designed by this application is still relatively regular, and the downlink frequency domain efficiency loss is very low.

[0238] For example, Figure 19 is a simulation diagram of a fixed reference signal pattern provided by the present application. Among them, the preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions corresponding to pattern 1 include: the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports S1=2, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers S2=1, the maximum number of transmitting antenna ports N1=4, and the maximum number of frequency domain subcarriers N2=1. Similarly, the preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions corresponding to pattern 2 include: S1=1, S2=15, N1=1, N2=5; the preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions corresponding to pattern 3 include: S1=4, S2=5, N1=4, N2=2. According to Figure 19, compared with the method without limiting the channel noise constraint conditions, the reference signal pattern designed in this application is regular. For example, in pattern 1, multiple transmitting antenna ports are evenly distributed on one subcarrier; in pattern 2, multiple frequency domain subcarriers are evenly distributed on one transmitting antenna port; and in pattern 3, multiple frequency domain subcarriers and transmitting antenna ports are evenly distributed.

[0239] For example, Table 2 is a table of downlink spectrum efficiency for a fixed reference signal pattern provided in this application. Assuming the number of frequency domain resource blocks is 16 RBs, Table 2 shows the reference signal patterns designed based on different preset reference signal pattern constraints provided in this application, and the channel normalized mean square error and downlink average spectrum efficiency obtained after using the reference signal pattern under the unrestricted channel noise constraint conditions for channel estimation.

[0240] Table 2: Downlink spectrum efficiency of fixed reference signal patterns

[0241] As can be seen from Table 2, the reference signal patterns designed based on different preset reference signal pattern constraints provided in this application have substantially the same downlink average spectrum efficiency as the reference signal patterns without limiting the channel noise constraint.

[0242] In order to realize the various functions in the method provided by the present application, the device or equipment provided by the present application may include a hardware structure and / or a software module, and realize the above-mentioned various functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether a certain function among the above-mentioned functions is executed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. The division of modules in the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, the various functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processor, or they can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0243] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application. The device may include a module corresponding to the method / operation / step / action described in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 14. The module may be implemented as a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0244] The apparatus 2000 includes a communication unit 2001 and a processing unit 2002, and is configured to implement the methods executed by the various devices in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0245] In one possible implementation, the apparatus is a network device, or is located in a network device. Specifically, the processing unit 2002 is configured to determine a frequency domain location and a transmit antenna port of a reference signal based on a channel noise constraint. The communication unit 2001 is configured to send first indication information, where the first indication information is configured to indicate the frequency domain location and transmit antenna port of the reference signal.

[0246] The specific execution process of the communication unit 2001 and the processing unit 2002 in this embodiment can refer to the description of the steps performed by the first device in the method embodiment above, as well as the corresponding description in the invention content, and will not be repeated here. The communication method implemented by this device can determine the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal according to the channel noise constraint condition, so that the position of the reference signal has a certain regularity; it is conducive to reducing the indication overhead of the reference signal. By indicating the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal, the first device is conducive to reducing the sounding reference signal overhead of channel estimation, reducing the measurement delay and improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0247] In another possible implementation, the apparatus is a terminal device, or is located in a terminal device. Specifically, the communication unit 2001 is configured to receive first indication information, where the first indication information is configured to indicate a frequency domain position and a transmit antenna port of a reference signal. The processing unit is configured to determine the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal based on the first indication information, where the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal are associated with a channel noise constraint.

[0248] The specific execution process of the communication unit 2001 and the processing unit 2002 in this embodiment can refer to the description of the steps performed by the second device in the method embodiment above, as well as the corresponding description in the invention content, and will not be repeated here. The communication method implemented by this device can determine the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal based on the first indication information, which is beneficial to reducing the sounding reference signal overhead of channel estimation, reducing measurement delay and improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0249] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided by the present application, which is used to implement the communication methods in the above-mentioned method embodiments. It can be understood that the communication device 2100 includes necessary forms such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, which are appropriately configured together to perform the methods in the present application. For example, the communication device 2100 can be a RAN node, a terminal, a core network device or other network device, or a component (such as a chip) in these devices, used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. The communication device 2100 includes one or more processors 2101. The processor 2101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a RAN node, terminal, or chip, etc.), execute software programs, and process software program data.

[0250] Optionally, the processor 2101 may include a program 2102 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which may be executed on the processor 2101 to enable the communication device 2100 to perform the method described in the previous embodiment. In another possible design, the communication device 2100 includes a circuit (not shown in FIG. 21 ) that is used to implement the functions of the first device or the second device in the previous embodiment.

[0251] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may include one or more memories 2103 storing a program 2104 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions). The program 2104 may be executed on the processor 2101 to enable the communication device 2100 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0252] Optionally, processor 2101 and / or memory 2103 may include AI modules 2105 and 2106, which are used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​module may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module may include a real-time information processing (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module may be a near-real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0253] Optionally, the communication device 2100 further includes a transceiver 2107 and an antenna 2108. The transceiver 2107 and the antenna 2108 can implement transceiver functions, such as communicating with other devices via a transmission medium, so that the communication device 2100 can communicate with other devices.

[0254] In one possible implementation, the apparatus is a network device or is located in a network device. Specifically, the processor 2101 is configured to determine the frequency domain location and transmit antenna port of a reference signal based on a channel noise constraint. The transceiver 2107 and antenna 2108 are further configured to transmit first indication information indicating the frequency domain location and transmit antenna port of the reference signal.

[0255] The specific execution process of the communication device 2100 in this embodiment can refer to the description of the steps performed by the first device in the method embodiment above, as well as the corresponding description in the invention content, and will not be repeated here. The communication method implemented by the device can determine the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal according to the channel noise constraint condition, so that the position of the reference signal has a certain regularity; it is conducive to reducing the indication overhead of the reference signal. By indicating the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal, the first device is conducive to reducing the sounding reference signal overhead of channel estimation, reducing the measurement delay and improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0256] In one possible implementation, the apparatus is a terminal device, or is located in a terminal device. Specifically, the transceiver 2107 and the antenna 2108 are configured to receive first indication information indicating a frequency domain location and transmit antenna port of a reference signal. The processor 2101 is configured to determine the frequency domain location and transmit antenna port of the reference signal based on the first indication information; the frequency domain location and transmit antenna port of the reference signal are associated with channel noise constraints.

[0257] The specific execution process of the communication device 2100 in this embodiment can refer to the description of the steps performed by the second device in the method embodiment above, as well as the corresponding description in the invention summary, and will not be repeated here. The communication method implemented by this device can determine the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal based on the first indication information, which is beneficial to reducing the sounding reference signal overhead of channel estimation, reducing measurement delay and improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0258] In this application, a processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in this application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in this application may be directly executed by a hardware processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0259] In the present application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the present application may also be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0260] The present application provides another communication device, which includes a processor and an interface. Optionally, it also includes a memory, the processor is coupled to the memory, and the processor is configured to read and execute computer instructions stored in the memory to implement the communication method in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 14.

[0261] The present application provides a communication system, which includes one or more of the various devices in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 14.

[0262] The present application provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a program or instruction. When the program or instruction is executed on a computer, the computer executes the communication method in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 14.

[0263] The present application provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes instructions. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the communication method in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 14.

[0264] The present application provides a chip or chip system, which includes at least one processor and an interface, the interface and the at least one processor are interconnected by lines, and the at least one processor is used to run computer programs or instructions to execute the communication method in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 14.

[0265] The interface in the chip may be an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit.

[0266] The chip system may be a system on chip (SOC) or a baseband chip, wherein the baseband chip may include a processor, a channel encoder, a digital signal processor, a modem, an interface module, and the like.

[0267] In one implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory, in which instructions are stored. The memory may be a storage unit within the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc., or a storage unit of the chip (e.g., a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0268] The technical solutions provided in this application can be implemented in whole or in part through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in this application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a terminal device, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium.

[0269] In this application, under the premise that there is no logical contradiction, the various embodiments may reference each other, for example, the methods and / or terms between method embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments and method embodiments may reference each other.

[0270] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: According to the channel noise constraint condition, determine the frequency domain position and transmit antenna port of the reference signal; Send first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a frequency domain position and a sending antenna port of the reference signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The channel noise constraint condition includes a reference signal selection criterion based on minimizing channel noise.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The channel noise constraint condition also includes a termination threshold that satisfies a minimum signal-to-noise ratio.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The channel noise constraint condition is at least associated with one or more of the following parameters: the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the receiving signal-to-noise ratio.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The frequency domain position of the reference signal is partially continuous on the system bandwidth or on the partial bandwidth BWP allocated to the terminal device, and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal is partially continuous in the set composed of all transmitting antenna ports.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the same transmitting antenna port.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Some frequency domain positions of the reference signal correspond to the same transmitting antenna port.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The sending of the first indication information includes: Send the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix; The first matrix includes a portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth, a portion of the transmitting antenna ports and all the receiving antenna ports, and the portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth and the portion of the transmitting antenna ports are determined according to minimizing the channel noise and the third matrix; The column vector of the second matrix includes the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal, and the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal are determined according to the channel noise constraint condition and the first matrix; The third matrix is ​​a two-dimensional matrix including all transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions, and the column vector of the third matrix includes a combination of transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The sending of the first indication information includes: Rules for sending reference signal patterns.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The rules of the reference signal pattern include one or more of the following: the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmitting antenna port, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern, the number of frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, and the number of transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The rule of the reference signal pattern includes the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmit antenna port, and / or the index of other reference signal positions in the reference signal pattern.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The first indication information includes the position of the frequency domain subcarrier and / or the index of the transmitting antenna port.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The sending of the first indication information includes: Send a combination of a frequency domain position and a position of a transmitting antenna port corresponding to an index of a column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix; Alternatively, all frequency domain positions and all transmit antenna ports corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix are sent; The first matrix includes a portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth, a portion of the transmitting antenna ports and all the receiving antenna ports, and the portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth and the portion of the transmitting antenna ports are determined according to minimizing the channel noise and the third matrix; The column vector of the second matrix includes the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal, and the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal are determined according to the channel noise constraint condition and the first matrix; The third matrix is ​​a two-dimensional matrix including all transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions, and the column vector of the third matrix includes a combination of transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate a frequency domain position or index where a reference signal is not sent, and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port where a reference signal is not sent.

15. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending the reference signal through the transmitting antenna port at the frequency domain position; Alternatively, the reference signal sent through the transmitting antenna port is received at the frequency domain position.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Selecting a first initial column vector from the third matrix that satisfies the trace of the maximized antenna port-frequency domain orthogonal basis matrix; Selecting column vectors satisfying the channel noise constraint condition from the third matrix in sequence, and merging the column vectors selected each time with the first initial column vector to obtain a fourth matrix, wherein the column vector dimension of the fourth matrix satisfies a preset maximum expected number of carriers and number of transmitting antenna ports; Determine a frequency domain position and a transmitting antenna port position corresponding to an index of each column vector of the fourth matrix in the third matrix; The frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port and all receiving antenna ports are combined to obtain a first matrix; Selecting column vectors that minimize channel noise from the first matrix in turn, and merging each selected column vector with the fourth matrix to obtain a second matrix, wherein the column vector dimension of the second matrix satisfies the rank of the third matrix and satisfies the channel noise constraint.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine the transmitting antenna ports and frequency domain positions that meet the preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions, and multiple column vectors corresponding to all receiving antenna ports to form a first matrix; the preset reference signal pattern restriction conditions include one or more of the following: the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers, the maximum number of the transmitting antenna ports, and the maximum number of the frequency domain subcarriers; Selecting a second initial column vector from the first matrix that satisfies the trace of the maximum antenna port-frequency domain orthogonal basis matrix; Select column vectors that satisfy the channel noise constraint condition from the first matrix in turn, and merge the column vector selected each time with the second initial column vector to obtain a second matrix, wherein the column vector dimension of the second matrix satisfies the rank of the third matrix and satisfies the channel noise constraint condition.

18. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a frequency domain position and a transmitting antenna port of a reference signal; The frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal are determined according to the first indication information; the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal are associated with a channel noise constraint condition.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The channel noise constraint condition includes a reference signal selection criterion based on minimizing channel noise.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The channel noise constraint condition also includes a termination threshold that satisfies a minimum signal-to-noise ratio.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, characterized in that The channel noise constraint condition is associated with at least one or more of the following parameters: the number of receiving antennas, the number of frequency domain subcarriers, the power of the transmitting end, the noise power of the channel, and the lower limit of the receiving signal-to-noise ratio.

22. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The frequency domain position of the reference signal is partially continuous on the system bandwidth or on the partial bandwidth BWP allocated to the terminal device, and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal is partially continuous in the set composed of all transmitting antenna ports.

23. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that Each frequency domain position of the reference signal corresponds to the same transmitting antenna port.

24. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that Some frequency domain positions of the reference signal correspond to the same transmitting antenna port.

25. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 24, characterized in that The receiving first indication information comprises: Receive the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix; The first matrix includes a portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth, a portion of the transmitting antenna ports and all the receiving antenna ports, and the portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth and the portion of the transmitting antenna ports are determined according to minimizing the channel noise and the third matrix; The column vector of the second matrix includes the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal, and the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal are determined according to the channel noise constraint condition and the first matrix; The third matrix is ​​a two-dimensional matrix including all transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions, and the column vector of the third matrix includes a combination of transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions.

26. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 24, characterized in that The receiving first indication information comprises: Rules for receiving reference signal patterns.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The rules of the reference signal pattern include one or more of the following: the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmitting antenna port, the spacing of the frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, the spacing of the transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern, the number of frequency domain subcarriers of the reference signal pattern, and the number of transmitting antenna ports of the reference signal pattern.

28. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The rule of the reference signal pattern includes the first position of the reference signal pattern on the frequency domain subcarrier and the transmit antenna port, and / or the index of other reference signal positions in the reference signal pattern.

29. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 24, characterized in that The first indication information includes the position of the frequency domain subcarrier and / or the index of the transmitting antenna port.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that The receiving first indication information comprises: Receive a combination of a frequency domain position and a transmitting antenna port corresponding to an index of a column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix; Alternatively, receiving all frequency domain positions and all transmit antenna ports corresponding to the index of the column vector of the second matrix in the first matrix or the third matrix; The first matrix includes a portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth, a portion of the transmitting antenna ports and all the receiving antenna ports, and the portion of the frequency domain positions of the system bandwidth and the portion of the transmitting antenna ports are determined according to minimizing the channel noise and the third matrix; The column vector of the second matrix includes the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal, and the frequency domain position and the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal are determined according to the channel noise constraint condition and the first matrix; The third matrix is ​​a two-dimensional matrix including all transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions, and the column vector of the third matrix includes a combination of transmitting antenna ports, all receiving antenna ports and all frequency domain positions.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second indication information is received, where the second indication information is used to indicate a frequency domain position or index where a reference signal is not sent, and / or an index of a transmitting antenna port where a reference signal is not sent.

32. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving, at the frequency domain position, the reference signal sent through the transmit antenna port; Alternatively, the reference signal is sent through the transmitting antenna port at the frequency domain position.

33. A communication device, characterized in that: It comprises a communication unit and a processing unit, wherein the communication unit and the processing unit are used to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17 or 18 to 32.

34. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 or 18 to 32.

35. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a first device and / or a second device, wherein the first device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, and the second device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 18 to 32.

36. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 or 18 to 32.

37. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system includes a processor and an interface, and the processor is used to execute a computer program so that the chip system implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17 or 18 to 32.

38. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 or 18 to 32.

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