Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method and a communication device. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a first reference signal; channel estimation is performed according to the first reference signal and first auxiliary information, the first auxiliary information corresponds to second auxiliary information, the second auxiliary information is used for assisting channel estimation corresponding to a second reference signal, the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal; or the first reference signal is an uplink reference signal, and the second reference signal is a downlink reference signal. According to the invention, the channel estimation performance can be improved, and the signaling overhead is saved.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 506,714, filed June 7, 2023, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, entitled “A method and apparatus of pairing multiple users in a very large MIMO system,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0003] In wireless communication systems, to achieve functions such as system synchronization, channel information feedback, and data transmission, channel estimation needs to be performed on the uplink or downlink channels.

[0004] To perform channel estimation, a reference signal can be transmitted between the receiving and transmitting devices. How to use the reference signal to perform channel estimation is a problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and a communication device. The technical solution can improve channel estimation performance.

[0006] According to a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a receiving device. The receiving device is a communication device (e.g., a base station or a UE) or a chip within the communication device. The method includes: receiving a first reference signal; performing a first channel estimation based on the first reference signal and first auxiliary information, wherein the first auxiliary information is related to the second auxiliary information, and the second channel estimation is based on the second auxiliary information and the second reference signal, wherein the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal; or the first reference signal is an uplink reference signal and the second reference signal is a downlink reference signal.

[0007] According to the above technical solution, the auxiliary information for channel estimation in uplink transmission and the auxiliary information for channel estimation in downlink transmission are corresponding. Therefore, the device (e.g., a receiving device or a transmitting device) can determine one auxiliary information based on the other auxiliary information. Compared with the scheme of determining the second auxiliary information and the first auxiliary information separately, this scheme can improve channel estimation performance and save signaling overhead.

[0008] In one possible design, the method further includes sending the second auxiliary information, wherein the second auxiliary information is determined based on the first auxiliary information.

[0009] The above technical solution allows for the determination of second auxiliary information based on first auxiliary information. Compared with the solution of determining second auxiliary information and first auxiliary information separately, this operation can improve channel estimation performance.

[0010] In one possible design, the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal.

[0011] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending the second reference signal.

[0012] In one possible design, the pattern of the second reference signal is generated based on the first auxiliary information.

[0013] In one possible design, the method further includes receiving information indicating the mode for generating the second reference signal based on the first auxiliary information.

[0014] According to the above technical solution, the receiving device can determine the mode for generating the second reference signal based on the first auxiliary information according to the instruction information.

[0015] In one possible design, the first auxiliary information is determined based on the second auxiliary information.

[0016] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending or receiving capability information, the capability information indicating a function that supports the correspondence between the first auxiliary information and the second auxiliary information.

[0017] According to a second aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a receiving device. The receiving device is a communication device (e.g., a base station or a UE) or a chip within the communication device. The method includes: receiving first auxiliary information, wherein a first channel estimation is based on a first reference signal and the first auxiliary information; determining second auxiliary information based on the first auxiliary information, wherein the second channel estimation is based on a second reference signal and the second auxiliary information; wherein the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal; or the first reference signal is an uplink reference signal and the second reference signal is a downlink reference signal.

[0018] In one possible design, the method further includes sending the second auxiliary information.

[0019] The various implementation methods of the second aspect correspond to the various implementation methods of the first aspect. The various implementation methods of the second aspect and their beneficial technical effects can be found in the descriptions of the relevant implementation methods of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0020] According to a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided for performing the methods in any possible implementation of the above aspects. Specifically, the apparatus includes units for performing the methods in any possible implementation of the above aspects.

[0021] According to the fourth aspect, another communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to memory and can be used to execute one or more instructions in the memory to implement the methods in any possible implementations of the first through seventh aspects. The memory can be an on-chip storage unit within the processor or an off-chip storage unit coupled to the memory and located outside the processor. In one possible implementation, the device further includes memory. In one possible implementation, the device further includes a communication interface to which the processor is coupled.

[0022] In one possible design, the communication device may be a transmitting device (e.g., a base station or user equipment), a chip, circuit, or processing system configured in the transmitting device, or a device that includes the transmitting device.

[0023] In one possible design, the communication device may be a receiving device (e.g., a base station or user equipment), a chip, circuit, or processing system configured in the receiving device, or a device that includes the receiving device.

[0024] According to a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to implement the methods of any possible implementation of the foregoing aspects.

[0025] According to a sixth aspect, a computer program product comprising one or more instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed by a computer, they cause a communication device to implement any possible implementation of the above aspects.

[0026] According to a seventh aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned transmitting device and the aforementioned receiving device. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the application scenario of this application; Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 is shown; Figure 3Another example of electronic device (ED) 110 and base station 170a, base station 170b and / or base station 170c is shown; Figure 4 This is an example of a channel model for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system; Figure 5 This is an example of the process by which a base station acquires channel state information (CSI). Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of the communication method 600 according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic interaction diagram of the communication method 700 applicable to embodiments of this application; Figure 8 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 This is a flowchart of Example 1; Figure 11 The unit or module in the device is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solution of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] The technical solutions in this application embodiment can be applied to multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. The technical solutions in this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication systems, new radio (NR) wireless communication systems, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, wireless local area networks (WLANs), satellite communication systems, or other evolved communication systems, such as sixth-generation (6G) wireless communication systems.

[0030] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, Figures 1 to 3Taking the communication system shown in the figure as an example, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0031] refer to Figure 1 This diagram, provided as an illustrative example and not as limiting, is a simplified schematic of a communication system. Communication system 100 includes a radio access network 120. Radio access network 120 may be a next-generation (e.g., sixth-generation, 6G, or later) radio access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) radio access network. One or more electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110j (collectively referred to as ED 110) may interconnect with each other or be connected to one or more network nodes (170a, 170b, collectively referred to as 170) within radio access network 120. Core network 130 may be part of the communication system and may depend on or be independent of the radio access technology used in communication system 100. Furthermore, communication system 100 includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0032] refer to Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 is illustrated. Generally, the communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. The purpose of the communication system 100 may be to provide content such as voice, data, video, and / or text via broadcast, multicast, and unicast. The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources (e.g., carrier spectrum bandwidth) among its constituent units. The communication system 100 may include terrestrial communication systems and / or non-terrestrial communication systems. The communication system 100 can provide a wide range of communication services and applications (e.g., earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, automated delivery and mobility, etc.). The communication system 100 can provide high availability and robustness through the joint operation of terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems. For example, integrating a non-terrestrial communication system (or components thereof) into a terrestrial communication system can create a heterogeneous network that can be considered as comprising multiple layers. Compared to traditional communication networks, heterogeneous networks can achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation, more flexible function sharing, and faster physical layer link switching between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

[0033] Terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems can be considered as subsystems of a communication system. In the example shown, communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110d (collectively referred to as ED 110), radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b, a non-terrestrial communication network 120c, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. RANs 120a and 120b include corresponding base stations (BSs) 170a and 170b, which can be collectively referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRPs) 170a and 170b. The non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes access nodes 120c, which can be collectively referred to as non-terrestrial transmit and receive points (NT-TRPs) 172.

[0034] Alternatively or additionally, any ED 110 can be used to connect to, access, or communicate with any other T-TRP 170a and 170b, NT-TRP 172, Internet 150, core network 130, PSTN 140, other network 160, or any combination thereof. In some examples, ED 110a can communicate uplink and / or downlink with T-TRP 170a via interface 190a. In some examples, ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110d can also communicate directly with each other via one or more side-channel air interfaces 190b. In some examples, ED 110d can communicate uplink and / or downlink with NT-TRP 172 via interface 190c.

[0035] Air interfaces 190a and 190b can use similar communication technologies, such as any applicable wireless access technology. For example, communication system 100 can implement one or more channel access methods in air interfaces 190a and 190b, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). Air interfaces 190a and 190b can utilize other higher-dimensional signal spaces, which may involve combinations of orthogonal and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0036] The 190c air interface enables communication between the ED 110d and one or more NT-TRP172s via a wireless link or simply via a link. In some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmission, a connection for broadcast transmission, or a connection between a group of EDs and one or more NT-TRPs for multicast transmission.

[0037] RAN 120a and RAN 120b communicate with core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c. RAN 120a and RAN 120b and / or core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by core network 130, and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RAN 120a, RAN 120b, or both. Core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) RAN 120a and RAN 120b or ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c, or both, and (ii) other networks (e.g., PSTN 140, Internet 150, and other networks 160). Additionally, some or all of ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c may include the ability to communicate with different wireless networks via different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c may communicate with a service provider or exchange (not shown) via a wired communication channel and with the Internet 150, rather than wirelessly (or also wirelessly). PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include a network of computers and subnets (intranets) or both, incorporating protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c may be multimode devices capable of operating according to multiple wireless access technologies and include multiple transceivers required to support these technologies.

[0038] refer to Figure 3This image shows another example of the ED 110 and base stations 170a, 170b, and / or 170c. The ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, automated delivery, and mobility.

[0039] Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user equipment used for wireless operation, which may include (or may be referred to as) user equipment (UE / user device), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronics device, smart book, vehicle, automobile, truck, bus, train, or IoT device, industrial equipment or apparatus of the above devices (e.g., communication module, modem, or chip), etc. Future generations of ED 110 may be referred to by other names. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs and will be referred to as T-TRP 170 below. Furthermore, as... Figure 3 As shown, NT-TRP will be referred to as NT-TRP 172 below. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be configured to be dynamically or semi-statically turned on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), turned off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or in response to one or more of connection availability and connection necessity.

[0040] ED 110 includes a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown in the figure. One, part, or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may, for example, be integrated as a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content for transmission through at least one antenna 204 or a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver is also used to demodulate data or other content received through at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals.

[0041] ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or acquired by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein, and executed by one or more processing units 210. Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, processor cache, etc.

[0042] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., connected to...). Figure 1 (Wired interface to the Internet 150). Input / output devices support interaction with users or other devices on the network. Each input / output device includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from the user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touchscreen, including network interface communication.

[0043] ED 110 also includes a processor 210 for performing various operations, including operations related to preparing for uplink transmissions to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, operations related to processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, and operations related to processing sidelink transmissions to and from another ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing for uplink transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. According to an embodiment, receiver 203 may receive downlink transmissions (possibly using receive beamforming), and processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmissions (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding signaling). Examples of signaling may be reference signals transmitted by NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 276 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction indications (e.g., beam angle information (BAI)) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting synchronization sequences, decoding, and acquiring system information. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform channel estimation, for example, using reference signals received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170.

[0044] Although not shown, processor 210 may be part of transmitter 201 and / or receiver 203. Although not shown, memory 208 may be part of processor 210.

[0045] Processor 210, and the processing components of transmitter 201 and receiver 203, may be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 210, and transmitter 201 and receiver 203, may be implemented using special-purpose circuitry such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0046] In some implementations, T-TRP 170 may be referred to by other names, such as base station, base transceiver station (BTS), wireless base station, network node, network device, network-side device, transmit / receive node, Node B, evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), femtocell, next-generation NodeB (gNB), transmission point (TP), site controller, access point (AP) or wireless router, relay station, remote radio head, ground node, ground network device or ground base station, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), radio unit (RU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. T-TRP 170 can be a macro BS, micro BS, relay node, source node, or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 may refer to the aforementioned equipment or to a component within the aforementioned equipment (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip).

[0047] In some implementations, CU (or CU control plane (CP) and CU user plane (UP)), DU, or RU may use other names. For example, in an open RAN (ORAN) system, CU can also be called open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU can also be called open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP can also be called open CU-CP (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called open CU-UP (open CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, or RU can be implemented using software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0048] In some embodiments, the various parts of T-TRP 170 may be distributed. For example, some modules of T-TRP 170 may be located remotely from the device housing the antenna of T-TRP 170 and may be coupled to the device housing the antenna via a communication link (not shown), sometimes referred to as a fronthaul, such as the Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI). Therefore, in some embodiments, the term "T-TRP 170" may also refer to modules on the network side that perform processing operations such as ED 110 location determination, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding; these modules are not necessarily part of the device housing the antenna of T-TRP 170. These modules may also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, T-TRP 170 may actually be multiple T-TRPs that work together, for example, through coordinated multicast transmissions, to serve ED 110.

[0049] T-TRP 170 includes at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown in the figure. One, part or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver. T-TRP 170 also includes a processor 260 for performing various operations, including operations related to: preparing a transmission for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing a transmission for backhaul transmission to NT-TRP 172, and processing transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing a transmission for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing received transmissions in the uplink or backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. Processor 260 can also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the contents of a synchronization signal block (SSB), generating system information, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 also generates beam direction indications, such as BAI, which can be scheduled for transmission by scheduler 253. Processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of ED 110, determining the location for deploying NT-TRP 172, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 can generate signaling, for example, for configuring one or more parameters of ED 110 and / or one or more parameters of NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by processor 260 is transmitted by transmitter 252. It should be noted that the term "signaling" used herein can also be referred to as control signaling. Dynamic signaling can be transmitted in control channels such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), while static or semi-static higher-layer signaling can be included in packets transmitted in data channels such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0050] Scheduler 253 may be coupled to processor 260. Scheduler 253 may be included within or operate separately from T-TRP 170, which may schedule uplink, downlink, and / or backlink transmissions, including issuing scheduling authorizations and / or configuring schedule-free (“configuration authorization”) resources. T-TRP 170 also includes memory 258 for storing information and data. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or acquired by T-TRP 170. For example, memory 258 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and executed by processor 260.

[0051] Although not shown, processor 260 may form part of transmitter 252 and / or receiver 254. Furthermore, although not shown, processor 260 may implement scheduler 253. Although not shown, memory 258 may form part of processor 260.

[0052] The processor 260, scheduler 253, and processing components of transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 260, scheduler 253, and processing components of transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry such as FPGA, GPU, or ASIC.

[0053] The NT-TRP 172 is illustrated using only a drone as an example. The NT-TRP 172 can be implemented in any suitable non-terrestrial form. Furthermore, in some implementations, the NT-TRP 172 may be referred to by other names, such as a non-terrestrial node, a non-terrestrial network device, or a non-terrestrial base station. The NT-TRP 172 includes a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown in the figure. One, part, or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be integrated as a transceiver. The NT-TRP 172 also includes a processor 276, which performs various operations, including operations related to: preparing transmissions for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing transmissions for backhaul transmission to T-TRP 170, and processing transmissions received from T-TRP 170 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing for downlink or backhaul transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to receiving transmissions in the uplink or backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. In some embodiments, processor 276 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 276 may generate signaling, for example, to configure one or more parameters of ED 110. In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing but does not implement higher-level functions such as medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layer functions. Since this is only an example, NT-TRP 172 may generally implement higher-level functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0054] The NT-TRP 172 also includes a memory 278 for storing information and data. Although not shown, a processor 276 may form part of the transmitter 272 and / or receiver 274. Although not shown, the memory 278 may form part of the processor 276.

[0055] The processor 276 and the processing components of the transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 276 and the processing components of the transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry such as a programmed FPGA, GPU, or ASIC. In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 may actually be multiple NT-TRPs that work together, for example, through coordinated multipoint transmissions, to serve ED 110.

[0056] T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 may include other components, but these components have been omitted for clarity.

[0057] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following is a brief description of several terms used in this application.

[0058] 1) Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) MIMO technology allows antenna arrays consisting of multiple antennas to perform signal transmission and reception to meet high transmission rate requirements. The aforementioned ED 110, T-TRP 170, and / or NT-TRP use MIMO for communication via radio resource blocks. MIMO utilizes multiple antennas at the transmitting and / or receiving devices to transmit radio resource blocks via parallel radio signals. MIMO can beamform the parallel radio signals for reliable multipath transmission of radio resource blocks. MIMO can also bond parallel radio signals carrying different data to increase the data rate of radio resource blocks.

[0059] In recent years, MIMO (Massive MIMO) wireless communication systems equipped with a large number of antennas in the aforementioned T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 have received widespread attention from academia and industry. In massive MIMO systems, the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 are typically configured with more than ten antenna elements (e.g., 128 or 256) and serve dozens of ED 110s. The large number of antenna elements in the T-TRP 170 and NT-TRP 172 can significantly increase the spatial freedom of wireless communication, greatly improve transmission rate, spectral efficiency, and power efficiency, and largely eliminate inter-cell interference. The increased number of antennas allows each antenna element to be smaller and less expensive. Utilizing the spatial freedom provided by the large number of antenna elements, each T-TRP 170 and NT-TRP 172 in a cell can simultaneously communicate with multiple ED 110s in the cell on the same time-frequency resources, thereby significantly improving spectral efficiency. The numerous antenna elements of the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 also provide each user with better uplink and downlink spatial directivity, thereby reducing the transmit power of the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 and ED 110, and significantly improving power efficiency. When the number of antennas in the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 is sufficiently large, the random channels between each ED 110 and the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be nearly orthogonal, and the effects of interference and noise between the cell and the user can be eliminated. These numerous advantages make massive MIMO a promising technology for widespread applications.

[0060] A MIMO system may include a receiver connected to a receive (Rx) antenna, a transmitter connected to a transmit (Tx) antenna, and a signal processor connected to both the transmitter and receiver. Each of the Rx and Tx antennas may include multiple antennas. For example, the Rx antenna may have a ULA antenna array, in which multiple antennas are arranged in a straight line at uniform intervals. When a radio frequency (RF) signal is transmitted through the Tx antenna, the Rx antenna may receive signals reflected and returned from a forward target. The receiver may be an ED (i.e., ED 110), and the transmitter may be a T-TRP or NT-TRP (i.e., T-TRP 170 or NT-TRP 172), or the receiver may be a T-TRP or NT-TRP (i.e., T-TRP 170 or NT-TRP 172), and the transmitter may be an ED (i.e., ED 110).

[0061] refer to Figure 4This diagram, provided as an illustrative example and not as limiting, offers a simplified schematic of a communication scenario. The transmitting device is connected to four Tx antennas, x1 to x4, and the receiving device is connected to four Rx antennas, y1 to y4. A transmission channel can be formed between each Tx antenna and each Rx antenna. For example, an RF signal transmitted via x1 can be received by y2 via channel h21. An RF signal transmitted via x3 can be received by y1 via channel h13.

[0062] In the following text, the base station is used as an example of T-TRP 170 or NT-TRP 172, and the UE is used as an example of ED 110. For downlink transmission, the receiving device may be referred to as ED 110, and for uplink transmission, the receiving device may be referred to as T-TRP 170 or NT-TRP 172. For downlink transmission, the transmitting device may be referred to as T-TRP 170 or NT-TRP 172, and for uplink transmission, the transmitting device may be referred to as ED 110. However, this document does not impose any limitations on these designations.

[0063] 2) Channel estimation In MIMO systems, channel estimation is required to achieve functions such as system synchronization, channel information feedback, and data transmission. Channel estimation refers to the process of reconstructing or recovering the received signal to compensate for signal distortion caused by channel fading and noise. In channel estimation, the reference signal predicted by the transmitting and receiving devices can be used to track changes in the time and / or frequency domains of the channel, thereby reconstructing or recovering the received signal. The reference signal can also be called a pilot signal, reference sequence, etc. For ease of understanding, it is described as a reference signal below. For example, reference signals include channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), phase track reference signal (PT-RS), or cell reference signal (CRS). The reference signals listed above are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future protocols to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0064] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, CSI-RS is described in detail below through examples. CSI-RS is mainly used for downlink channel estimation corresponding to physical antenna ports. For example, a receiving device (i.e., UE) can perform channel estimation for each physical antenna port based on the CSI-RS sent by a transmitting device (i.e., base station) to feed back channel state information (CSI) based on the channel estimation results. CSI may include one or more of the following: channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and layer indicator (LI). CSI is used for downlink channel reconstruction or precoding. In some implementations, the process of the base station acquiring CSI may include: the base station sending a reference signal to the UE; the UE acquiring a CSI estimate based on the received reference signal, selecting a precoding vector from the codebook based on the CSI estimate, and feeding back the index of the precoding vector to the base station; the base station determining the reconstructed CSI value based on the index of the precoding vector. The reconstructed CSI value can be the CSI that is closest to the true CSI value that the base station can acquire.

[0065] In one implementation, the transmitting device maps a reference signal sequence to a specific physical resource and transmits the reference signal through that physical resource. Both the reference signal sequence and the physical resource are known to both the transmitting device and the receiving device receiving the reference signal. Therefore, the receiving device can perform channel estimation based on the received reference signal.

[0066] refer to Figure 5 In some implementations, the process of a base station acquiring CSI may include: the base station sending a reference signal to the UE; the UE acquiring a CSI estimate based on the received reference signal, selecting a precoding vector from the codebook based on the CSI estimate, and feeding back the index of the precoding vector to the base station; and the base station determining the reconstructed CSI value by combining the index of the precoding vector. The reconstructed CSI value can be the CSI that is closest to the true CSI value that the base station can acquire.

[0067] The reference signal transmission process described below can be performed by either the base station or the UE. The channel measurement process can be performed by the UE when the base station transmits the reference signal, or by the base station when the UE transmits the reference signal. For ease of description, the means of transmitting the reference signal is hereinafter referred to as the transmitting means, and the means of measuring the channel based on the reference signal is hereinafter referred to as the receiving means.

[0068] 3) Antenna port An antenna port, also simply called a port, is a transmitting antenna that is identified by the receiver, or a transmitting antenna that can be distinguished in the spatial domain. Each virtual antenna can be configured with one antenna port, and each virtual antenna can be a weighted combination of multiple physical antennas. Each antenna port can correspond to a reference signal port.

[0069] 4) Quasi-co-location (QCL) If the large-scale properties (or channel characteristics) of a channel transmitting a symbol on one antenna port can be inferred from the channel transmitting a symbol on another antenna port, then the two antenna ports are said to be quasi-co-located.

[0070] Large-scale attributes (or channel characteristics) may include one or more of the following: delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average delay, average gain, and spatial RX parameters. For example, spatial RX parameters may include angle of arrival (AOA), average AOA, AOA spread, angle of departure (AOD), average AOD, AOD spread, RX antenna spatial correlation parameters, Tx antenna spatial correlation parameters, transmit beam, receive beam, resource identifier, etc.

[0071] The angles mentioned above can be decomposition values ​​of different dimensions, or combinations of decomposition values ​​of different dimensions. The two antenna ports mentioned above can be antenna ports with different antenna port numbers, and / or antenna ports with the same antenna port number transmitting or receiving information in different time-domain and / or frequency-domain and / or code-domain resources, and / or antenna ports with different antenna port numbers transmitting or receiving information in different time-domain and / or frequency-domain and / or code-domain resources. For example, resource identifiers can include CSI-RS resource identifiers, SRS resource identifiers, synchronization signal / synchronization block resource identifiers, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) resource identifiers, or resource identifiers of preamble sequences transmitted on the physical random access channel (PRACH).

[0072] 5) Auxiliary Information The auxiliary information indicates the relationship between different channels. Specifically, the receiving device receives a reference signal and performs channel estimation based on the reference signal to obtain a first channel coefficient corresponding to a first channel; the receiving device can obtain a second channel coefficient corresponding to a second channel based on the first channel coefficient and the auxiliary information, wherein the auxiliary information indicates the relationship between the first channel and the second channel. According to the above technical solution, the receiving device can obtain the second channel coefficient based on the first channel coefficient and the auxiliary information, therefore the transmitting device does not need a reference signal to perform channel estimation to obtain the second channel coefficient.

[0073] Channel coefficients represent one or more values ​​of the channel matrix. For example, a receiving device performs channel estimation based on a reference signal and determines the matrix of a first channel based on the channel estimation result; the values ​​of the matrix of the first channel can be called the first channel coefficients.

[0074] In some embodiments, auxiliary information may include matrix-based information, vector-based information, tensor-based information, and manifold information.

[0075] As mentioned above, auxiliary information and the coefficients of one channel can be used to obtain the coefficients of another channel. Therefore, how to use auxiliary information in uplink and downlink transmissions becomes a problem that needs to be solved.

[0076] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a method for solving the problem. Specifically, the auxiliary information for channel estimation in uplink transmission and the auxiliary information for channel estimation in downlink transmission are corresponding, so the device can determine one auxiliary information based on the other auxiliary information. Compared with a scheme that determines the second auxiliary information and the first auxiliary information separately, this scheme can improve channel estimation performance and save signaling overhead.

[0077] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0078] refer to Figure 6 This diagram illustrates a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of this application. The communication method 600 can be applied to... Figure 1 The communication system 100 shown is shown.

[0079] In S610, the receiving device receives the first reference signal.

[0080] Accordingly, the transmitting device transmits a first reference signal.

[0081] In S620, the receiving device performs a first channel estimation based on a first reference signal and first auxiliary information, the first auxiliary information being related to second auxiliary information, and the second channel estimation being based on the second auxiliary information and the second reference signal.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal. In this implementation, the first channel estimate represents the downlink channel estimate, and the second channel estimate represents the uplink channel estimate.

[0083] In another possible implementation, the first reference signal is an uplink reference signal, and the second reference signal is a downlink reference signal. In this implementation, the first channel estimate represents the uplink channel estimate, and the second channel estimate represents the downlink channel estimate.

[0084] In this application, "first channel estimation" is used for distinction only and does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. Similarly, "second channel estimation" in this application is also used for distinction only and does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0085] The first auxiliary information and the second auxiliary information are related, so the apparatus (e.g., a receiving apparatus or a transmitting apparatus) can determine the first auxiliary information based on the second auxiliary information, or determine the second auxiliary information based on the first auxiliary information. In other words, auxiliary information used for channel estimation in downlink transmission can be reused for channel estimation in uplink transmission, or auxiliary information used for channel estimation in uplink transmission can be reused for channel estimation in downlink transmission.

[0086] The device (e.g., a receiving device or a transmitting device) can be designed to determine the first auxiliary information based on the second auxiliary information in any of the following ways.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the receiving device determines the first auxiliary information based on the second auxiliary information.

[0088] Specifically, for example, the transmitting device transmits second auxiliary information, and correspondingly, the receiving device receives the second auxiliary information, and the receiving device determines the first auxiliary information based on the received second auxiliary information.

[0089] In another possible implementation, the transmitting device determines the first auxiliary information based on the second auxiliary information. Furthermore, the transmitting device transmits the first auxiliary information, and correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first auxiliary information.

[0090] Specifically, for example, the transmitting device determines the second auxiliary information on its own, and determines the first auxiliary information based on the second auxiliary information; then the transmitting device transmits the first auxiliary information, and correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first auxiliary information.

[0091] In another possible implementation, the other devices determine the first auxiliary information based on the second auxiliary information. Additionally, the other devices send the first auxiliary information, and correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first auxiliary information.

[0092] Specifically, for example, the transmitting device sends second auxiliary information, and correspondingly, other devices receive the second auxiliary information, and the other devices determine first auxiliary information based on the received second auxiliary information; then, the other devices send the first auxiliary information, and correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first auxiliary information.

[0093] The device (e.g., a receiving device or a transmitting device) can determine the second auxiliary information based on the first auxiliary information in accordance with the above-described implementation. Further details will not be elaborated upon here.

[0094] According to the above technical solution, the auxiliary information used for channel estimation in uplink transmission and the auxiliary information used for channel estimation in downlink transmission are corresponding. Therefore, a device (e.g., a receiving device or a transmitting device) can determine one auxiliary information based on the other auxiliary information. This solution can improve channel estimation performance and save signaling overhead.

[0095] The following is a detailed implementation of this application.

[0096] Case 1: The first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal. For example, the first reference signal is CSI-RS, and the second reference signal is SRS.

[0097] In this case, the receiving device is the UE, and the transmitting device is the base station.

[0098] The first auxiliary information is used to assist in channel estimation corresponding to the first reference signal, and the second auxiliary information is used to assist in channel estimation corresponding to the second reference signal. This can be interpreted as: the first auxiliary information is used for downlink transmission, and the second auxiliary information is used for uplink transmission.

[0099] In some embodiments, the receiving device determines first auxiliary information. The receiving device then performs channel estimation based on the first reference signal and the first auxiliary information.

[0100] In one possible implementation, the receiving device receives the first auxiliary information. For example, the transmitting device transmits the first auxiliary information, and the receiving device receives the first auxiliary information.

[0101] In this implementation, for example, the receiving device sends second auxiliary information, which is determined based on the first auxiliary information. Specifically, the first auxiliary information corresponds to the second auxiliary information, so the receiving device can determine the second auxiliary information based on the received first auxiliary information, and the receiving device sends the second auxiliary information. Correspondingly, the sending device can receive the second auxiliary information.

[0102] Alternatively, for example, the receiving device transmits a second reference signal. Correspondingly, the transmitting device receives the second reference signal, and the transmitting device can perform channel estimation based on the second reference signal and the second auxiliary information.

[0103] For example, a pattern for generating a second reference signal can be generated based on the first auxiliary information. Specifically, the first auxiliary information corresponds to the second auxiliary information, so the receiving device can generate a pattern for generating a second reference signal based on the first auxiliary information.

[0104] The receiving device can independently determine the mode for generating the second reference signal based on the first auxiliary information. Alternatively, the receiving device can determine the mode for generating the second reference signal based on the first auxiliary information based on indication information. For example, the receiving device receives information indicating the mode for generating the second reference signal based on the first auxiliary information, and in response to this information, the receiving device generates the mode for generating the second reference signal based on the first auxiliary information.

[0105] In another possible implementation, the receiving device determines the first auxiliary information itself. For example, the receiving device determines the first auxiliary information based on the second auxiliary information.

[0106] In some embodiments, the receiving device transmits / receives capability information indicating whether a function is supported for processing the correspondence between first and second auxiliary information. Correspondence refers to the correspondence between the first and second auxiliary information.

[0107] For example, the receiving device transmits capability information, the transmitting device receives the capability information, and based on the capability information, the transmitting device transmits information indicating the mode for generating the second reference signal based on the first auxiliary information.

[0108] For example, the receiving device sends capability information, the sending device receives the capability information, and based on the capability information, the sending device determines the second auxiliary information based on the first auxiliary information.

[0109] For example, the receiving device receives capability information, the transmitting device transmits capability information, and based on the capability information, the receiving device determines the second auxiliary information based on the first auxiliary information.

[0110] Case 2: The first reference signal is an uplink reference signal, and the second reference signal is a downlink reference signal. For example, the first reference signal is SRS, and the second reference signal is CSI-RS.

[0111] In this case, the receiving device is the base station, and the transmitting device is the UE.

[0112] The first auxiliary information is used to assist in channel estimation corresponding to the first reference signal, and the second auxiliary information is used to assist in channel estimation corresponding to the second reference signal. This can be interpreted as: the first auxiliary information is used for uplink transmission, and the second auxiliary information is used for downlink transmission.

[0113] In some embodiments, the receiving device determines first auxiliary information. This embodiment can refer to Case 1, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0114] In some embodiments, the receiving device receives / transmits capability information, which indicates whether a function is supported for processing the correspondence between the first auxiliary information and the second auxiliary information. This embodiment can refer to Case 1, which will not be elaborated upon further for the sake of brevity.

[0115] The following is combined Figure 7 A detailed example is provided for illustration.

[0116] refer to Figure 7 This diagram illustrates a schematic interactive representation of a communication method 700 applicable to embodiments of this application. In method 700, the receiving device is a UE, the transmitting device is a base station, the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal. Method 700 may include the following steps.

[0117] In some embodiments, method 700 includes S710.

[0118] In S710, the base station sends the first auxiliary information.

[0119] Accordingly, the UE receives the first auxiliary information.

[0120] The first auxiliary information is used for downlink transmission; that is, the first auxiliary information is used to assist in channel estimation corresponding to the downlink reference signal.

[0121] In S720, the base station sends downlink reference signals.

[0122] Accordingly, the UE receives a downlink reference signal. For example, the downlink reference signal is CSI-RS.

[0123] In S730, the UE performs channel estimation based on the first auxiliary information and the downlink reference signal.

[0124] For example, the UE performs channel estimation (i.e., first channel estimation) based on the downlink reference signal to obtain the first channel coefficients corresponding to the first channel; the UE can obtain the second channel coefficients corresponding to the second channel based on the first channel coefficients and the first auxiliary information, wherein the first auxiliary information indicates the relationship between the first channel and the second channel.

[0125] In some embodiments, method 700 includes steps S740 to S760.

[0126] In S740, the UE transmits capability information.

[0127] The capability information indicates whether a function is supported for processing the correspondence between the first auxiliary information and the second auxiliary information.

[0128] Accordingly, the base station receives capability information. Based on the capability information, the base station obtains corresponding first and second auxiliary information. For example, the base station can obtain auxiliary information for the downlink Rx antenna port / RF chain that can be reused for the uplink Tx antenna port / RF chain.

[0129] In S750, the UE sends an uplink reference signal.

[0130] Accordingly, the base station receives an uplink reference signal. For example, the uplink reference signal is an SRS. In some embodiments, a pattern for the uplink reference signal can be generated based on first auxiliary information.

[0131] In S760, the base station performs channel estimation based on the second auxiliary information and the uplink reference signal, wherein the second auxiliary information is determined based on the first auxiliary information.

[0132] That is, the base station performs a second channel estimation based on the second auxiliary information and the uplink reference signal.

[0133] In the embodiments of this application, "and / or" describes the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates an "OR" relationship between related objects. "At least one" refers to one or more. "At least one of A and B" is similar to "A and / or B" in describing the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, at least one of A and B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0134] The above combination Figures 6 to 7 The method according to embodiments of this application is described in detail below. Figures 8 to 9 The apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application is described in detail. The description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, further details are omitted here.

[0135] The above combination Figures 6 to 7 The communication method according to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below. Figures 8 to 9 The transmitting apparatus and receiving apparatus according to embodiments of this application are described in detail.

[0136] refer to Figure 8The diagram illustrates a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 800 includes a transceiver unit 810 and a processing unit 820. The transceiver unit 810 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing unit 810 is used to perform data processing. The transceiver unit 810 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0137] In some embodiments, the communication device 800 may further include a storage unit. The storage unit may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 820 may read the instructions and / or data from the storage unit to enable the communication device to implement the method embodiments described above.

[0138] The communication device 800 can be used to perform the actions performed by the transmitting device in the above method embodiments. In this case, the communication device 800 can be the transmitting device or a component that can be configured in the transmitting device. The transceiver unit 810 is used to perform the receiving / transmitting related operations on the transmitting device side in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 820 is used to perform the processing related operations on the transmitting device side in the above method embodiments.

[0139] Alternatively, the communication device 800 can be used to perform the actions performed by the receiving device in the above method embodiments. In this case, the communication device 800 can be a receiving device or a component that can be configured in the receiving device. The transceiver unit 810 is used to perform the receiving / transmitting related operations on the receiving device side in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 820 is used to perform the processing related operations on the receiving device side in the above method embodiments.

[0140] In one design, the communication device 800 is used to perform the actions performed by the receiving device in the above method embodiments.

[0141] In one implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is used to receive a first reference signal; the processing unit 820 is used to perform a first channel estimation based on the first reference signal and first auxiliary information, wherein the first auxiliary information is related to the second auxiliary information, and the second channel estimation is based on the second reference signal and the second auxiliary information, wherein the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal; or the first reference signal is an uplink reference signal and the second reference signal is a downlink reference signal.

[0142] The communication device 800 can implement the embodiments of this application. Figure 6 The receiving device and Figure 7 The steps or procedures performed by the UE in the communication device 800. Figure 6 The receiving device and Figure 7 The unit is the one that executes the method in the UE. Additionally, each unit in the communication device 800 and the other operations and / or functions described above are used to implement... Figures 6 to 7The corresponding process in the text.

[0143] In another design, the communication device 800 is used to perform the actions performed by the sending device in the above method embodiments.

[0144] In one implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is used to receive first auxiliary information, and the first channel estimation is based on a first reference signal and the first auxiliary information; the processing unit 820 is used to determine second auxiliary information based on the first auxiliary information, and the second channel estimation is based on a second reference signal and the second auxiliary information, wherein the first reference signal is a downlink reference signal and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal; or the first reference signal is an uplink reference signal and the second reference signal is a downlink reference signal.

[0145] The communication device 800 can implement the embodiments of this application. Figure 6 The transmitting device and Figure 7 The steps or processes performed by the base station in the communication device 800. Figure 6 The transmitting device and Figure 7 The base station in the communication device 800 is a unit that executes the method. Furthermore, each unit in the communication device 800 and the other operations and / or functions described above are used to implement... Figures 6 to 7 The corresponding process in the text.

[0146] The specific processes by which each unit performs the corresponding steps described above are detailed in the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, these will not be repeated here.

[0147] refer to Figure 9 The diagram illustrates a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 900 includes a processor 910. The processor 910 is coupled to a memory 920. The memory 920 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 910 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 920, thus performing the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0148] In some embodiments, the communication device 900 includes one or more processors 910.

[0149] In one example, such as Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 may also include a memory 920.

[0150] In some embodiments, the communication device 900 may include one or more memories 920.

[0151] In one example, the memory 920 may be integrated with the processor 910 or set up separately from the processor 910.

[0152] In one example, such as Figure 9As shown, the communication device 900 may further include a transceiver 930, wherein the transceiver 930 is used to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 910 may be used to control the transceiver 930 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0153] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 is used to perform the operations performed by the transmitting device in the above method embodiments.

[0154] For example, processor 910 can be used to perform processing-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the above method embodiments, and transceiver 930 can be used to perform receiving / transmitting-related operations performed by the transmitting device in the above method embodiments.

[0155] In another embodiment, the communication device 900 is used to perform the operations performed by the receiving device in the above method embodiments.

[0156] For example, processor 910 can be used to perform processing-related operations performed by the receiving device in the above method embodiments, and transceiver 930 can be used to perform receiving / transmitting-related operations performed by the receiving device in the above method embodiments.

[0157] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions for implementing the method executed by the transmitting device or the receiving device in the above method embodiments.

[0158] For example, when a computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method executed by the transmitting device or the receiving device in the above method embodiments.

[0159] This application also provides a computer program product including instructions. When the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer implements the method executed by the transmitting device or the receiving device in the above method embodiments.

[0160] This application also provides a communication system. The communication system includes the transmitting device and receiving device described in the above embodiments.

[0161] The explanation and beneficial effects of any of the communication devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above. Further details are omitted here.

[0162] The processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU). The processor can also be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or another programmable logic device, discrete gate, transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or the processor can be any conventional processor.

[0163] The memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, and may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM can include a variety of forms, such as the following: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double-rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous interconnected dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DR RAM).

[0164] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, another programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0165] It should also be noted that the memory described in this specification is intended to include, but is not limited to, these memories and any other suitable types of memory.

[0166] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and methods of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this specification can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but it should not be considered that the implementations exceed the scope of this application.

[0167] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the detailed operation of the above-described apparatus and units can be found in the corresponding processes of the above method embodiments. Further elaboration is not required here.

[0168] In the several embodiments provided in this application, the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described apparatus embodiments are merely examples. For example, dividing into units is only a logical functional division and may be other divisions in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be merged or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not performed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or described may be implemented through some interface. Indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be implemented in electronic, mechanical or other forms.

[0169] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to implement the solution provided in this application, depending on actual needs.

[0170] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of this application can be integrated into one unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0171] All or part of the above embodiments can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When an embodiment is implemented using software, all or part of the embodiment can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of them generate a process or function according to the embodiments of this application. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or another programmable device. For example, a computer can be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc. Computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transferred from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, and microwave, etc.) means. A computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device integrating one or more available media, such as a server or data center. Available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), semiconductor media (e.g., SSDs), etc. For example, the available media can include, but are not limited to, any media that can store program code, such as USB flash drives, external hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0172] The above description is merely some specific implementations of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any variations or substitutions that are readily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application are within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims and the specification.

[0173] Methods and apparatus for pairing multiple users in a massive MIMO system Abbreviations

[0174] Background Information MIMO and MU-MIMO MIMO systems are widely used in modern wireless systems to improve system capacity and bandwidth efficiency by utilizing the spatial diversity between antenna ports. For example, on a given subcarrier or RE, by One Tx antenna port and A transceiver consisting of Rx antenna ports × MIMO channel, denoted as × Complex matrix . × MIMO channels can be decomposed using SVD: ,in, yes × Square orthogonal matrix (such that) ), yes × Square orthogonal matrix (such that) ), yes × A rectangular diagonal matrix. The rank does not exceed and The smaller one between them, i.e. According to SVD, if the transmitter applies a precoding matrix... The receiver uses a reception matrix. ,but × MIMO channels will become Several independent and parallel (orthogonal) sub-channels are shown below:

[0175] Each subchannel has a scaled channel response ( ),Right now The i-th diagonal element (singular value, Accordingly, the SNR on the i-th sub-channel is defined as... In wireless systems, only subchannels with an SNR higher than a threshold are considered valid subchannels for transmission. The remaining (or surviving) valid subchannels are called MIMO streams.

[0176] This SNR-based truncation scheme converts standard SVD into rank-reduced SVD by discarding sub-channels with SNR below one or more thresholds: (Reduced SVD), where, yes × Orthogonal matrix ( ), yes × Orthogonal matrix ( ), yes × A square diagonal matrix. MIMO stream count is When the transmitter applies a precoding matrix The corresponding receiver uses a reception matrix. hour, × The MIMO channel will become:

[0177] at this time, yes × Diagonal matrix.

[0178] Mathematically speaking, the precoding matrix at the transmitter and the receiving matrix at the receiver Through MIMO channel A linear transformation is applied to these remaining sub-channels to coordinate the entire MIMO channel. Its MIMO gain or spatial diversity gain is calculated using the synthesized SNR. This is attributed to the inherent spatial diversity of the MIMO channel between the transmitter and receiver, which is dependent on the wireless environment. Empirically, wireless channels in complex environments such as city centers tend to have a higher MIMO stream number than in simpler environments because tall buildings provide more spatial diversity through greater reflectivity.

[0179] To achieve higher MIMO gain, wireless systems increase the number of antenna ports, i.e. and This will increase the upper limit of the number of MIMO streams, because However, in reality, Compared to its upper limit Much smaller. In this context, MU-MIMO is proposed: more than one MIMO channel will be controlled by a common precoder. Multiplexing. Assume two MIMO channels on the same RE. and If they are very different, it is likely that a common precoder can be found to reuse the two channels; however, assuming two MIMO channels on the same RE... and If they are nearly identical, it is unlikely that a common precoder can be found to reuse the two channels.

[0180] From a mathematical perspective, this common precoder With pre-encoder and Related. Through The two precoders are concatenated into one, where, yes × Matrix. Their common precoder is ,in, yes × Matrix. If and If they are orthogonal, then Approaching the identity matrix, This means that the transmitter can continue to use the UE-1 precoder matrix. and UE-2 precoder matrix This allows for simultaneous reuse on this RE without MAI occurring. If and If they are the same, then Approaching a singular matrix (non-invertible), therefore no common precoder is available. These two UEs cannot be paired together. Most real-world scenarios fall into these two extreme examples. It is neither an identity matrix nor a singular matrix. The transmitter must compute a common precoder for all possible combinations and then find the optimal common precoder. However, this is an NP-hard problem. Suppose a transmitter has 200 candidate receivers. Theoretically, this transmitter must compute a common precoder for different receiver combinations. Different common precoder An exhaustive search is performed during the computation. Furthermore, to increase... To approach the level of an identity matrix and pair more receivers, we typically make This prompts wireless systems to use more antenna ports between the transmitter and receiver, or more accurately, a higher MIMO antenna port ratio. ).

[0181] After calculating the common precoder The transmitter then multiplies the signal it sends by the common precoder.

[0182] MU-MIMO Engineering Trade-offs In wireless systems, MU-MIMO is typically used in deep learning systems where the BS is the transmitter and the UE is the receiver. Multiple UEs' MIMO channels communicate through a common precoder. Pair them up to reuse them on the same RE (frequency) and the same time duration (timing).

[0183] To achieve high throughput and system efficiency, modern MU-MIMO systems have a large number of antenna ports over a wide bandwidth. For example, in a (6G) T-MIMO system, the BS is expected to have 1024 antenna ports, while the UE has 32 antenna ports over a 500 MHz bandwidth. The UE's MIMO channel becomes a three-dimensional tensor ( × × ).

[0184] Key Trade-off 1: DL / UL Channel Reciprocity Assumption Although MU-MIMO pairing is implemented on the DL channel between a BS and multiple UEs, it is impractical for each associated UE to report or feedback its DL channel estimate to the BS because this would result in significant UL feedback overhead due to the large dimensionality of T-MIMO channels. In TDD systems, it is assumed that the DL channel between a BS and a UE can approximate the UL channel between the BS and the UE. In 4G and 5G-NR systems, the SRS UL channel is designated for UL channel measurement or estimation for this purpose. The SRS UL channel is shared by multiple UEs. These UEs transmit their own SRS reference signals at the SRS pilot position, allowing the BS to estimate their UL MIMO channels individually. In 5G-NR, sharing is achieved by coding and multiplexing the modulated signals.

[0185] Key Trade-off 2: Implementation of random or quasi-random MU pairings As mentioned earlier, MU pairing is an NP-hard problem. Theoretically, the optimal pairing is the result of an exhaustive search (computation) of all possible combinations of candidate UEs (from 2 to all). However, this involves matrices... The computation of the pseudo-inverse is too long for real-time signal processing over one or several TTIs. In particular, when... More than hundreds or even thousands, and when paired with 10 or 20 UEs, the matrix The pseudo-inverse may be computationally prohibited for most hardware implementations within a few TTIs. Due to complexity and latency constraints, exhaustive computation to search for the optimal pairing is rarely possible in practical implementations. Instead, a given number of paired UEs are randomly or quasi-randomly selected from a large candidate pool, and the process is first performed... Then, the common precoder matrix is ​​calculated. Empirically, the location of candidate UEs can be considered during selection. For example, empirical selection algorithms might favor paired UEs that are geographically distant from each other, as these UEs are more likely to have orthogonal MIMO channels. The number of paired UEs, for instance, is simply determined based on experience or hardware limitations.

[0186] Strictly speaking, the trade-off does not achieve pairing, but only leads to reversibility. Calculate the precoder matrix .

[0187] Assistance information for LTE and 5G-NR RS 3GPP introduced the concept of Quasi-Colocation (QCL) in LTE and 5G-NR to assist UEs in channel estimation, frequency offset error estimation, and synchronization processes. For example, if the UE knows that the radio channel corresponding to two different antenna ports is QCL in terms of Doppler shift, the UE can determine the Doppler shift of one antenna port and then apply the result to both antenna ports for channel estimation. This avoids the UE calculating the Doppler shift of each antenna port separately.

[0188] Antenna ports can be used for the transmission of physical channels or signals. Antenna ports can be defined such that the channel transmitting one symbol on an antenna port can be inferred from the channel transmitting another symbol on the same antenna port. Different antenna ports can correspond to different reference signals, which can be used for channel estimation and processing of physical channels transmitted on the same antenna port. Antenna ports corresponding to different reference signals can be located in the same location or in different locations. Due to differences in location, distance from the UE, signal path, etc., each channel of a signal from an antenna port at a different location can have substantially different scale properties. However, if the distance between antenna ports at different locations is not large, the ports may still have similar scale properties. It can be assumed that these antenna ports have the same scale properties. They are called quasi-co-located. Two antenna ports can be quasi-co-located if the scale properties of the channel transmitting one symbol on one antenna port can be inferred from the scale properties of the channel transmitting one symbol on another antenna port.

[0189] 5G NR supports multi-antenna transmission, beamforming, and simultaneous transmission from multiple geographically separated sites (CoMP). In this context, the channels associated with different antenna ports of the UE may even differ in terms of radio channel attributes, and QCL antenna ports may be geographically separated. Therefore, QCL information is actually an auxiliary information for channel estimation, which utilizes the commonalities in channel attributes among different antenna ports.

[0190] Non-uniform pilot placement mode Both the 5G-NR SRS UL channel and CSI-RS DL channel employ a uniform pilot placement pattern, partly because it is one of the safest methods to ensure channel estimation performance, especially when there is little prior knowledge about the current channel, and partly because they are easy to describe, normalize, and align (configurate) across transceivers. However, uniform pilot placement is one of the least efficient patterns. Its density must be designed for statistically worst-case scenarios, which is rare in practice. In other words, in most real-world situations, the uniform pilot placement pattern specified in the 5G-NR standard may also be over-designed.

[0191] In 5G-NR, the average density of its uniform pilot placement pattern is approximately 7% to 17% of its radio resources used for pilots or reference signals. For example, each RB (consisting of 12 REs) has one reference signal, resulting in a pilot overhead of 8.33% (approximately 1 / 12). If the same uniform density were used in TMIMO, the overhead would be too large to handle. At the very least, these UEs at the edge would not be able to report large CSIs.

[0192] Technical solutions of existing technologies Wireless channel properties that may be common across antenna ports include Doppler spread / frequency shift, average delay, delay spread, average gain, and spatial receiver parameters. These properties are referred to as "mass-scale properties." A brief definition of each property is given below. • Doppler Shift: Doppler shift is the frequency shift of a radio signal relative to the movement of the receiver. For example, if a gNB transmits a radio signal at frequency "X", but the receiver (UE) is moving away from the gNB, the same radio signal will have a frequency of "Y" when it reaches the UE due to the distance. This phenomenon is called Doppler shift. A real-life example is the sound emitted when a high-speed train approaches and quickly moves away from a person standing on a platform; this is called the Doppler shift of sound waves.

[0193] • Doppler spread: Doppler spread, also known as fading rate, is the difference between the signal frequency at Tx and Rx relative to time. For example, the rate at which the sound of a train changes over time is called Doppler spread.

[0194] • Average delay: When a signal is transmitted from multiple antennas, it is reflected through multiple paths by surrounding clutter before reaching the receiver. In a multipath scenario, the average time required for the receiver to receive all multipath components is called the average delay.

[0195] • Delay spread: The difference between the arrival time of the earliest effective multipath component (i.e., usually the line of sight (LOS) component) and the arrival time of the last multipath component is called delay spread.

[0196] • Spatial receiver parameters: Spatial receiver parameters refer to the beamforming properties of downlink received signals, such as the UE's main angle of arrival and average angle of arrival.

[0197] • The table below mentions 5G NR QCL types.

[0198]

[0199] Large-scale channel properties can include one or more of the following: average delay, delay spread, Doppler shift, Doppler spread, and average gain. Average delay can include first-order statistics of the channel's time properties. Delay spread can include second-order statistics of the channel's time properties. Doppler shift can include first-order statistics of the channel's frequency properties. Doppler spread can include second-order statistics of the channel's frequency properties. Average gain can include first-order statistics of the channel's amplitude properties. Large-scale properties estimated at the antenna port of the reference signal can be used to parameterize the channel estimator and compensate for possible time and frequency errors when deriving channel state information (CSI) feedback or performing demodulation.

[0200] Disadvantages of existing technology Auxiliary information for LTE and 5G-NR RS, such as QCL The main drawback is that it only utilizes the commonalities of different antenna ports, without taking advantage of the correlations between them, which can help improve the accuracy of channel estimation based on a reference signal.

[0201] The focus of this invention is to define new channel reciprocity for auxiliary information used in channel estimation for UL and DL RS. This new channel reciprocity information for auxiliary information used in channel estimation can be exchanged between the BS and UE.

[0202] Key points of the invention New channel correspondence / reciprocity for channel estimation auxiliary information used in UL RS and DL RS • Correspondence means that channel estimation auxiliary information used for DL ​​Rx antenna / RF chains can be reused for UL Tx antenna / RF chains. Based on this correspondence, gNB and UE can use a unified configuration / indication to assist in channel estimation for DL ​​RS and UL RS. • When the gNB has the capability to correspond to channel information for auxiliary information • The UE can assume that the auxiliary information on the UL Rx side can be reused for channel estimation of the DL RS on the corresponding DL Tx chain. • Correspondence can be a new UE capability • When the UE reports the channel correspondence capability of auxiliary information • The gNB can instruct the UE to reuse auxiliary information from the DL Rx side to generate the UL RS mode. Alternatively, the gNB can apply the auxiliary information from the DL Rx side to the channel estimation of the UL RS on the corresponding UL Tx chain. This invention can be used to solve the channel estimation problem in T-MIMO systems with a large number of transmit and receive antenna ports and a large bandwidth. The same method can also be applied to ordinary MIMO systems (e.g., 5G MIMO systems) and even single-antenna systems.

[0203] Through this invention, the system will exhibit the following characteristics: Auxiliary information is needed for channel estimation, which is obtained from prior knowledge of the channel state of the target environment.

[0204] Based on the auxiliary information proposed in this approach, the accuracy of channel estimation will be improved. The auxiliary information used for channel estimation cloud also enables one or more pilot patterns that are sparser than one or more traditional pilot patterns (5G NR pilot design), and can be non-uniformly distributed along time-frequency-spatial resources.

[0205] Through this invention, the system will exhibit the following characteristics: Example 1 Detailed description of the embodiments Channel estimation auxiliary information can be ● Reciprocity or correspondence of auxiliary information used for UL RS and DL RS ● The reciprocity of auxiliary information is an assumption that if auxiliary information used for downlink transmission RS ports and receive RF chains can also be used for uplink transmission RS ports and receive RF chains, then this assumption is used.

[0206] ●Example: The auxiliary information used for UL Tx and DL Rx is reciprocal.

[0207] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of Example 1.

[0208] The methods described herein are executed by a device or apparatus, for example, by a processor of a device or apparatus that executes instructions stored in memory. The instructions, when executed, cause the device or apparatus to perform these methods.

[0209] The options and embodiments described herein can be combined in different arrangements. Furthermore, although the invention has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, various modifications and combinations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing description and drawings are to be considered merely as illustrations of some embodiments of the invention, and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents.

[0210] 6G system architecture 6G basic module structure One or more steps of the methods in the embodiments provided herein can be derived from... Figure 11 The corresponding unit or module is executed. Figure 11 Units or modules in devices such as ED 110, T-TRP 170, or NT-TRP 172 are illustrated. For example, signals may be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module. Signals may be received by a receiving unit or receiving module. Signals may be processed by a processing unit or processing module. Other steps may be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) module or a machine learning (ML) module. The corresponding units or modules may be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices executing software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of these units or modules may be integrated circuits, such as programmed FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs. It should be understood that if these modules are implemented by a processor using software, these modules may be retrieved by the processor, in whole or in part, individually or collectively, for processing, in one or more instances, and these modules themselves may include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0211] Further details regarding ED 110, T-TRP 170, and NT-TRP 172 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these details are omitted herein.

[0212] [1] A non-exhaustive list of possible units or possible configurable parameters or MIMO systems in some embodiments includes: [2] panel: Each element of an antenna group, antenna array, or antenna subarray can independently control its Tx or Rx beam.

[0213] [3] Beam:A beam is formed by performing amplitude and / or phase weighting on data transmitted or received at least one antenna port, or it can be formed using other methods, such as adjusting relevant parameters of the antenna elements. A beam may include a Tx beam and / or an Rx beam. The transmit beam indicates the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after the signal is transmitted through the antenna. The receive beam indicates the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space of the wireless signal received from the antenna. Beam information may be a beam identifier, or an antenna port identifier, or a CSI-RS resource identifier, or an SSB resource identifier, or an SRS resource identifier, or other reference signal resource identifier.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive the first reference signal; A first channel estimation is performed based on the first reference signal and the first auxiliary information, wherein the first auxiliary information is related to the second auxiliary information, and the second channel estimation is based on the second reference signal and the second auxiliary information; The first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal; or The first reference signal is an uplink reference signal, and the second reference signal is a downlink reference signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the second auxiliary information, wherein the second auxiliary information is determined based on the first auxiliary information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the second reference signal.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The pattern of the second reference signal is generated based on the first auxiliary information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive information for indicating the mode for generating the second reference signal based on the first auxiliary information.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information is determined based on the second auxiliary information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending or receiving capability information, the capability information indicating a function that supports the correspondence between the first auxiliary information and the second auxiliary information.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive first auxiliary information, and the first channel estimation is based on the first reference signal and the first auxiliary information; The second auxiliary information is determined based on the first auxiliary information, and the second channel estimation is based on the second reference signal and the second auxiliary information, wherein, The first reference signal is a downlink reference signal, and the second reference signal is an uplink reference signal; or The first reference signal is an uplink reference signal, and the second reference signal is a downlink reference signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the second auxiliary information.

11. An apparatus, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute one or more instructions stored in a memory to cause the apparatus to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or 9 to 10.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, The device includes the memory.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The device includes a communication interface for inputting and / or outputting information.

14. An apparatus, characterized in that, The apparatus includes functions or units for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or for performing the method according to any one of claims 9 to 10.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It includes one or more instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or the method according to any one of claims 9 to 10.

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