Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method, the method is executed by a terminal device, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining a first corresponding relation, the first corresponding relation indicates a corresponding relation between N CDM groups and L sub-paths, L is greater than or equal to N, and L and N are positive integers; first indication information is received, the first indication information is used for indicating a first CDM group, the first CDM group belongs to the N CDM groups, and the first CDM group is a CDM group which does not transmit data; and based on the first CDM group and the first corresponding relationship, data transmission is not performed on the time-frequency resource mapped by a first sub-path, and the first sub-path is a sub-path corresponding to the first CDM group. Based on the technical scheme, the overhead of the indication signaling can be saved, and the throughput gain of the MIMO system is further realized.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In multi-user-multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) scenarios, the base station communicates with multiple terminals simultaneously. Before demodulating data based on the received demodulation reference signal (DMRS), terminal #1 needs to perform rate matching. Specifically, in addition to knowing its own DMRS port, terminal #1 typically needs to know the DMRS ports of other terminals being co-scheduled. Based on its own and other co-scheduled terminals' DMRS ports and the corresponding resource mapping information, it determines which resource elements (REs) are occupied in the current transmission time slot, i.e., which REs will not transmit its data. If terminal #1 cannot obtain this information, its data will conflict with the DMRS of other terminals in terms of time-frequency resources, affecting the DMRS estimation accuracy of other terminals and the decoding performance of terminal #1.

[0003] To address the DMRS rate matching problem across multiple terminals, the standard provides an explicit signaling indication method. The base station can indicate to terminal #1 the code division multipexing (CDM) group information corresponding to the DMRS ports of terminal #1 and other co-scheduled terminals within the current transmission time slot. This CDM group information can be used to determine which REs (Relays) are occupied by the DMRS ports of terminal #1 and other co-scheduled terminals within the current transmission time slot. However, in this indication method, the indication signaling accompanies the DMRS port indication information, and its overhead increases dramatically with the number of ports or port combinations.

[0004] Therefore, how to reduce the signaling overhead of DMRS rate matching has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method that can reduce the signaling overhead of DMRS rate matching indication.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a component of the terminal device (such as a chip or circuit). There is no limitation on this. For ease of description, the following explanation will take execution by a terminal device as an example.

[0007] The method may include: obtaining a first correspondence, which indicates the correspondence between N code division multiplexing (CDM) groups and L sub-paths, where L ≥ N and L and N are both positive integers; receiving first indication information, which indicates a first CDM group, which belongs to the N CDM groups and is a CDM group that does not transmit data; and based on the first CDM group and the first correspondence, not transmitting data on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path, or on the time-frequency resources mapped by the antenna port corresponding to the first sub-path, where the first sub-path is the sub-path corresponding to the first CDM group.

[0008] In this application, the time-frequency resources corresponding to each of the N CDM groups do not overlap.

[0009] The first CDM group belongs to N CDM groups, which can be understood as the first CDM group being one or more of the N CDM groups.

[0010] It should be understood that the first CDM group can also be understood as the CDM group occupied by DMRS.

[0011] In this context, the terminal device does not transmit data on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first subpath. This can be understood as the terminal device not receiving or sending data on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first subpath.

[0012] In the technical solution of this application, the terminal device obtains a first correspondence relationship, then receives indication information indicating a first CDM group, and based on the first CDM group and the first correspondence relationship, determines the sub-path corresponding to the first CDM group, and does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped to the sub-path or the antenna port corresponding to the sub-path. Based on this technical solution, it is possible to provide a solution suitable for future communication networks (e.g., sixth generation (6G)). th This invention relates to a rate matching indication method for DMRS in data transmission in MIMO (6G) communication networks. This method can save the overhead of indication signaling and further improve the throughput gain of MIMO systems.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L subpaths, including any one of the following: the first correspondence includes a one-to-one correspondence between L ports and the L subpaths, wherein the L ports are the ports corresponding to the N CDM groups; the first correspondence includes a correspondence between the N CDM groups and L ports, wherein the L ports are one-to-one correspondences with the L subpaths; the first correspondence includes a correspondence between the L subpaths and M time-frequency resources, wherein the M time-frequency resources are the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the number of time-frequency resources corresponding to each of the N CDM groups is the same; or, the number of time-frequency resources corresponding to at least two of the N CDM groups is different.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the non-transmission of data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path includes: non-transmission of data transmission on all time-frequency resources of the port corresponding to the first sub-path; or, non-transmission of data transmission on the first time-frequency resource of the port corresponding to the first sub-path, wherein the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource mapped by the first sub-path.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group and / or the number of the first CDM groups.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first instruction information is the identification information of the first CDM group.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, obtaining the first correspondence includes: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the first correspondence.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second instruction information is the identification information of the first correspondence.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the L sub-paths are determined based on a correlation threshold and / or a power threshold.

[0021] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a component of the terminal device (such as a chip or circuit). There is no limitation on this. For ease of description, the following explanation will take execution by a terminal device as an example.

[0022] The method may include: receiving third indication information, which indicates X sub-paths, each corresponding to one of X ports; and, according to the third indication information, not transmitting data on the time-frequency resources corresponding to the X ports; wherein X is a positive integer.

[0023] In the technical solution of this application, the terminal device receives third indication information and does not transmit data on the time-frequency resources of the X ports corresponding to the X sub-paths indicated by the third indication information. Based on the above technical solution, a rate matching indication method for DMRS in data transmission suitable for future communication networks (e.g., 6G networks) can be provided. This indication method can save the overhead of indication signaling and further realize the throughput gain of the MIMO system.

[0024] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the X sub-paths are determined based on perceptual information.

[0025] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the third instruction information is carried in higher-level signaling.

[0026] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the third instruction information is configured semi-statically or periodically. Based on the above technical solution, semi-static or long-period RM configuration methods can be achieved, further reducing the DMRSRM configuration overhead.

[0027] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device (such as a chip or circuit). There is no limitation on this. For ease of description, the following explanation will take execution by a network device as an example.

[0028] The method may include: determining a first correspondence, the first correspondence indicating the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths, where L≥N and L and N are both positive integers; sending first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first CDM group, the first CDM group belonging to the N CDM groups, the first CDM group being a CDM group that does not transmit data, wherein the first CDM group and the first correspondence are used to determine a first sub-path, the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path not transmitting data, or it may be that no data is transmitted on the time-frequency resources mapped to the antenna port corresponding to the first sub-path, the first sub-path being the sub-path corresponding to the first CDM group.

[0029] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths, including any one of the following: the first correspondence includes a one-to-one correspondence between L ports and the L sub-paths, where the L ports are the ports corresponding to the N CDM groups; the first correspondence includes a correspondence between the N CDM groups and L ports, where the L ports and the L sub-paths are in a one-to-one correspondence; the first correspondence includes a correspondence between the L sub-paths and M time-frequency resources, where the M time-frequency resources are the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups.

[0030] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the number of time-frequency resources corresponding to each of the N CDM groups is the same; or, the number of time-frequency resources corresponding to at least two of the N CDM groups is different.

[0031] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the time-frequency resources of the first sub-path are not used for data transmission, including:

[0032] All time-frequency resources of the port corresponding to the first sub-path are not transmitted; or, the first time-frequency resource of the port corresponding to the first sub-path is not transmitted, and the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource mapped by the first sub-path.

[0033] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group and / or the number of the first CDM groups.

[0034] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first instruction information is the identification information of the first CDM group.

[0035] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: sending second indication information, which is used to indicate the first correspondence.

[0036] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second indication information is the identification information of the first correspondence.

[0037] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the L sub-paths are determined based on a correlation threshold and / or a power threshold.

[0038] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device (such as a chip or circuit). There is no limitation on this. For ease of description, the following explanation will take execution by a network device as an example.

[0039] The method may include: sending third indication information, which indicates X sub-paths, each of which corresponds to one of X ports, and the time-frequency resources corresponding to the X ports are not used for data transmission; where X is a positive integer.

[0040] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the X sub-paths are determined based on perceptual information.

[0041] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the third instruction information is carried in higher-level signaling.

[0042] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the third instruction information is semi-statically configured or periodically configured.

[0043] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit configured to obtain a first correspondence, the first correspondence indicating a correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths, where L≥N and L and N are both positive integers; a transceiver unit configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first CDM group, the first CDM group belonging to the N CDM groups, the first CDM group being a CDM group that does not transmit data; the processing unit configured to, based on the first CDM group and the first correspondence, not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path, or alternatively, not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by the antenna port corresponding to the first sub-path, the first sub-path being the sub-path corresponding to the first CDM group.

[0044] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L subpaths, including any one of the following: the first correspondence includes a one-to-one correspondence between L ports and the L subpaths, where the L ports are the ports corresponding to the N CDM groups; the first correspondence includes a correspondence between the N CDM groups and L ports, where the L ports and the L subpaths are in a one-to-one correspondence; the first correspondence includes a correspondence between the L subpaths and M time-frequency resources, where the M time-frequency resources are the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups.

[0045] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the number of time-frequency resources corresponding to each of the N CDM groups is the same; or, the number of time-frequency resources corresponding to at least two of the N CDM groups is different.

[0046] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the non-transmission of data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path includes: non-transmission of data transmission on all time-frequency resources of the port corresponding to the first sub-path; or, non-transmission of data transmission on the first time-frequency resource of the port corresponding to the first sub-path, wherein the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource mapped by the first sub-path.

[0047] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group and / or the number of the first CDM groups.

[0048] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first instruction information is the identification information of the first CDM group.

[0049] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: receive second indication information, which is used to indicate the first correspondence.

[0050] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the second instruction information is the identification information of the first correspondence.

[0051] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the L sub-paths are determined based on a correlation threshold and / or a power threshold.

[0052] A sixth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a transceiver unit for receiving third indication information, the third indication information indicating X sub-paths, the X sub-paths corresponding one-to-one with X ports; and a processing unit for, according to the third indication information, not transmitting data on the time-frequency resources corresponding to the X ports; wherein X is a positive integer.

[0053] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the X sub-paths are determined based on perceptual information.

[0054] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the third instruction information is carried in higher-level signaling.

[0055] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the third instruction information is semi-statically configured or periodically configured.

[0056] A seventh aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a processing unit configured to determine a first correspondence, the first correspondence indicating a correspondence between N CDM groups and L subpaths, where L ≥ N, and L and N are both positive integers; and a transceiver unit configured to transmit first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first CDM group belonging to the N CDM groups, the first CDM group being a CDM group that does not transmit data, wherein the first CDM group and the first correspondence are used to determine a first subpath, the time-frequency resources mapped by the first subpath are not transmitted, and the first subpath is the subpath corresponding to the first CDM group.

[0057] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in certain implementations of the seventh aspect, the first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L subpaths, including any one of the following: the first correspondence includes a one-to-one correspondence between L ports and the L subpaths, wherein the L ports are the ports corresponding to the N CDM groups; the first correspondence includes a correspondence between the N CDM groups and L ports, wherein the L ports are one-to-one with the L subpaths; the first correspondence includes a correspondence between the L subpaths and M time-frequency resources, wherein the M time-frequency resources are the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups.

[0058] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the number of time-frequency resources corresponding to each of the N CDM groups is the same; or, the number of time-frequency resources corresponding to at least two of the N CDM groups is different.

[0059] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the time-frequency resources of the first sub-path are not transmitted, including: all time-frequency resources of the port corresponding to the first sub-path are not transmitted; or, the first time-frequency resource of the port corresponding to the first sub-path is not transmitted, and the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource mapped by the first sub-path.

[0060] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group and / or the number of the first CDM groups.

[0061] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the first instruction information is the identification information of the first CDM group.

[0062] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the first correspondence.

[0063] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the second indication information is the identification information of the first correspondence.

[0064] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the L sub-paths are determined based on a correlation threshold and / or a power threshold.

[0065] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit for transmitting third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate X sub-paths, the X sub-paths corresponding one-to-one with X ports, the time-frequency resources corresponding to the X ports not being used for data transmission; wherein X is a positive integer.

[0066] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the X sub-paths are determined based on perceptual information.

[0067] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the third instruction information is carried in higher-level signaling.

[0068] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the third instruction information is semi-statically configured or periodically configured.

[0069] A ninth aspect provides a communication apparatus for performing the methods provided in the first or second aspect. Specifically, the apparatus may include units and / or modules for performing the methods in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof and the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof, such as processing units and / or communication units.

[0070] In one implementation, the device is a terminal device. When the device is a terminal device, the communication unit can be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0071] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a terminal device. When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a terminal device, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0072] A tenth aspect provides a communication apparatus for performing the methods provided in the third or fourth aspect. Specifically, the apparatus may include units and / or modules for performing the methods in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof and the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof, such as processing units and / or communication units.

[0073] In one implementation, the device is a network device. When the device is a network device, the communication unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface; the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0074] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a network device. When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a network device, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0075] Eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided, the device comprising: at least one processor coupled to at least one memory, the at least one memory for storing computer programs or instructions, and the at least one processor for calling and running the computer programs or instructions from the at least one memory, such that the communication device performs the methods of the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof and the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0076] In one implementation, the device is a terminal device.

[0077] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a receiving device.

[0078] In a twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, the device comprising: at least one processor coupled to at least one memory, the at least one memory for storing computer programs or instructions, and the at least one processor for calling and running the computer programs or instructions from the at least one memory, such that the communication device performs the methods of the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof and the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0079] In one implementation, the device is a network device.

[0080] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in network equipment.

[0081] In a thirteenth aspect, a processor is provided for performing the methods provided in the foregoing aspects.

[0082] Unless otherwise specified, or if it does not contradict its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, the transmission and acquisition / reception operations involved in the processor can be understood as processor output and reception, input and other operations, or as transmission and reception operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas. This application does not limit them in this regard.

[0083] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores program code for execution by a device, the program code including methods for performing the first, second, third, or fourth aspects described above and any possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects.

[0084] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects described above, as well as any possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects.

[0085] In a sixteenth aspect, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, the processor reading instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executing the methods in any of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects and any possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects.

[0086] Optionally, as one implementation, the chip also includes a memory storing computer programs or instructions. The processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor is used to execute the methods in any of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects and any possible implementations of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects.

[0087] In a seventeenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the communication apparatus shown in the eleventh and twelfth aspects.

[0088] For descriptions and beneficial effects of aspects three through seventeen, please refer to the descriptions and beneficial effects of aspects one and two above. Attached Figure Description

[0089] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 100 applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0090] Figure 2 The diagrams for two configuration types of DMRS are shown.

[0091] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0092] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the time-frequency resources corresponding to different CDM groups.

[0093] Figure 5 This is another schematic diagram of the time-frequency resources corresponding to different CDM groups.

[0094] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0095] Figure 7 This is another schematic diagram of the time-frequency resources corresponding to different CDM groups.

[0096] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 800 provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0097] Figure 9 This is another schematic diagram of the time-frequency resources corresponding to different CDM groups.

[0098] Figure 10 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1000 provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0099] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of the communication device 1100 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0100] Figure 12 A schematic block diagram of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0101] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0102] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, and LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as 6th generation (6G) mobile communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0103] In this embodiment of the application, the network device can be any device with wireless transceiver capabilities. This equipment includes, but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP), wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. It can also be a gNB in ​​a 5G system, such as NR, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), or a distributed unit (DU), or a base station in a next-generation communication 6G system.

[0104] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distribution unit (DU). The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some of the gNB's functions, and the DU implements others. For example, the CU handles non-real-time protocols and services, implementing radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functions. The DU handles physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functions. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and active antenna-related functions. Since RRC layer information ultimately becomes PHY layer information, or is derived from PHY layer information, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can be considered to be sent by the DU, or by both the DU and AAU. It is understood that network devices can be devices that include one or more of the following: CU nodes, DU nodes, and AAU nodes. In addition, the CU can be classified as a network device in the radioaccess network (RAN) or as a network device in the core network (CN), and this application does not limit this.

[0105] Network equipment provides services to cells. Terminal devices communicate with cells through transmission resources (e.g., frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) allocated by the network equipment. The cell can belong to a macro base station (e.g., macro eNB or macro gNB) or to a base station corresponding to a small cell. Small cells can include: metrocell, microcell, pico cell, femto cell, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage area and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0106] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user apparatus.

[0107] Terminal devices can be devices that provide voice / data connectivity to users, such as handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, etc. Currently, some examples of terminals include: mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities (such as laptops, PDAs, etc.), mobile internet devices (MIDs), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). PDA (Power Assistant), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks or terminal devices in future public land mobile networks (PLMNs), etc.

[0108] Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large sizes, and the ability to perform complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses. They also include devices focused on a specific application function that require the use of other devices, such as smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0109] Furthermore, terminal devices can also be terminal devices within an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is a crucial component of future information technology development, its main technical characteristic being the connection of objects to networks via communication technologies, thereby achieving intelligent networks that enable human-machine and machine-to-machine interconnection. IoT technology can achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and low terminal power consumption through technologies such as narrowband (NB) technology.

[0110] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 100 applicable to embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 100 may include at least one network device, such as Figure 1 The network device 110 shown, the wireless communication system 100 may also include at least one terminal device, such as Figure 1 The terminal devices 120 and 130 are shown. Both the network device and the terminal device can be configured with multiple antennas, and the network device and the terminal device can communicate using multi-antenna technology. The terminal devices can communicate directly with each other.

[0111] In this system, when the network device and the terminal device communicate, the network device can manage at least one cell, and there can be at least one terminal device in a cell. Optionally, the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 form a single-cell communication system, and without loss of generality, the cell is referred to as cell #1. The network device 110 can be a network device in cell #1, or the network device 110 can serve a terminal device (e.g., terminal device 120) in cell #1.

[0112] It should be noted that a residential area can be understood as the area within the wireless signal coverage of network devices.

[0113] Understandable. Figure 1 This is a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding. The wireless communication system 100 may also include other network devices or other terminal devices. Figure 1 The embodiments of this application are not shown in the diagram. They can be applied to any communication scenario involving communication between network devices and terminal devices. For example, they can be applied to both downlink and uplink communication. In downlink communication, the network device acts as the sender, and the terminal device acts as the receiver; the network device can send downlink reference signals and downlink data to the terminal device. In uplink communication, the terminal device acts as the sender, and the network device acts as the receiver; the terminal device can send uplink reference signals and uplink data to the network device.

[0114] The following points should be noted regarding this application:

[0115] (1) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include receiving directly from YY through the air interface or receiving indirectly from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0116] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0117] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0118] (2) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (as described below, the instruction information) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction can be implemented by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be instructed; for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0119] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terminology involved in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below.

[0120] 1. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology

[0121] MIMO technology utilizes spatial resources to enable signals to achieve array gain, multiplexing and diversity gain, and interference cancellation gain in space without increasing system bandwidth, thereby significantly improving the capacity and spectral efficiency of communication systems. For example, in LTE systems, multiple antennas at the transmitting and receiving ends can support up to eight layers of transmission, effectively increasing system capacity.

[0122] 2. Time and frequency resources

[0123] In this embodiment, data or information can be carried using time-frequency resources. These time-frequency resources can include resources in the time domain and resources in the frequency domain. Specifically, in the time domain, time-frequency resources can include one or more time-domain units (also referred to as time units, time cells, etc.); in the frequency domain, time-frequency resources can include one or more frequency-domain units.

[0124] In the time domain, the smallest granularity is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol; in the frequency domain, the smallest granularity is a subcarrier. A time-frequency resource consisting of an OFDM symbol and a subcarrier is called a resource element (RE). The RE is the smallest unit of signal transmission, and the physical layer uses the RE as the basic unit when performing resource mapping.

[0125] A time-domain unit can be a symbol or several OFDM symbols, a slot, a mini-slot, or a subframe. A slot can consist of 7 or 14 symbols; a mini-slot can include at least one symbol (e.g., 2, 7, or 14 symbols, or any number of symbols less than or equal to 14); the duration of a subframe in the time domain can be 1 millisecond (ms).

[0126] A frequency domain unit can be a resource block (RB), a subcarrier, a resource block group (RBG), a predefined subband, a precoding resource block group (PRG), a bandwidth part (BWP), a carrier, or a serving cell. It should be understood that the sizes of the time-domain and frequency-domain units listed above are merely for ease of understanding of the scheme in this application and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0127] 3. Reference signal (RS)

[0128] The reference signal can also be called a pilot, reference sequence, or reference signal. In this application, the reference signal can be a reference signal used for channel measurement and channel estimation. The reference signal is distributed across different REs in the time-frequency two-dimensional space within the OFDM symbol, and has known amplitude and phase. In a MIMO system, each transmit antenna (virtual antenna or physical antenna) has an independent data channel. Based on the known RS signal, the receiver performs channel estimation for each transmit antenna and reconstructs the transmitted data accordingly. The current standard has defined various reference signals, such as cell-specific reference signals (CRS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS), and sounding reference signals (SRS). DMRS is used for channel estimation of data channels (e.g., physical uplink share channel (PUSCH) and physical downlink share channel (PDSCH)) or control channels (e.g., physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)), thereby enabling the detection and demodulation of data on the corresponding channels. CSI-RS is used for channel information measurement and for reporting information such as channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and rank indicator (RI). SRS is used to measure the uplink channel and can estimate the downlink channel based on the uplink channel, thereby determining the precoding matrix for downlink transmission.

[0129] It should be understood that the reference signals listed above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future agreements to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0130] 4. Antenna port

[0131] An antenna port, or simply a port, can include a transmit port (or transmitting port) and a receive port. A transmit port can be understood as a virtual antenna recognized by the receiving device, a transmitting antenna recognized by the receiving end, or a spatially distinguishable transmitting antenna. This transmit port can also be called the port for the precoded reference signal. The reference signal of each transmit port can be transmitted through one or more frequency domain units. One antenna port can be configured for each virtual antenna, and each virtual antenna can be a weighted combination of multiple physical antennas. A receive port can be understood as the receiving antenna of the receiving device. For example, in downlink transmission, the receive port can refer to the receiving antenna of the terminal device.

[0132] Depending on the signal it carries, antenna ports can be divided into reference signal antenna ports (or reference signal ports, pilot ports) and data antenna ports (simply referred to as data ports). Reference signal ports may include, but are not limited to, DMRS ports, CSI-RS ports, etc.

[0133] 5. Perception-assisted communication

[0134] Sensing fusion, as one of the potential key technologies for next-generation mobile communication systems, has become a research hotspot. Acquiring sensing signals can enhance wireless communication performance in certain aspects, while simultaneously improving the performance of traditional sensing services using wireless communication systems. For example, based on the assumptions of sensing-assisted communication characteristics in next-generation communication systems, MIMO systems can potentially achieve more efficient data acquisition based on sensing parameters, independent of traditional CSI acquisition mechanisms.

[0135] The most basic sensing parameters include multipath parameters, such as multipath angle, time delay, power, polarization, Doppler, and phase information. Performance enhancements can be achieved by fully utilizing these parameters through practical MIMO algorithms. The potential gains may manifest in two aspects:

[0136] On the one hand, it saves on the resource overhead of channel acquisition and data demodulation reference signals.

[0137] On the other hand, it simplifies the CSI acquisition and data transmission process, alleviating problems such as large transmission delay and high configuration mechanism complexity caused by the CSI acquisition process and RRC+DCI pilot configuration.

[0138] 6. Rate matching (RM)

[0139] To avoid mutual interference between the reference signal and data affecting channel estimation and data demodulation performance, the location of the reference signal mapping needs to be avoided by the transmitter when mapping data, thus ensuring that the data and reference signal are mapped to different time-frequency resources. Correspondingly, the receiver needs to know which time-frequency resources within its own system are not transmitting data, so that these resources can be avoided during data demodulation for correct data decoding.

[0140] MIMO technology is one of the key technologies for 5G communication and future communication. When using MIMO to transmit data, the receiving device can perform channel estimation based on the received reference signal (e.g., DMRS) and then demodulate the data. The following explanation uses DMRS as an example to illustrate the number of ports for the reference signal currently supported by the protocol and the rate matching method.

[0141] Figure 2 Two configuration types of DMRS patterns are shown. Figure 2 Each square in the diagram can be considered as a RE. Figure 2 (a) is a schematic diagram of a Type 1 DMRS pattern, which uses a comb + cyclic shift multiplexing method and supports a maximum of 8 DMRS quadrature ports, namely 1000, 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006 and 1007. Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram of the Type 2 DMRS pattern, which uses frequency division multiplexing + time-frequency domain code division multiplexing and supports a maximum of 12 DMRS quadrature ports. The 12 DMRS quadrature ports are 1000, 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006, 1007, 1008, 1009, 1010, and 1011. It can be seen that the Type 1 and Type 2 DMRS patterns are configured with "dual symbols" (symbols corresponding to numbers 2 and 3), and the DMRS ports occupy a total of 24 REs in each RB. The main difference between the two types of DMRS patterns lies in the number of CDM groups supported. Among them, REs with different fill patterns represent different CDM groups. Specifically, the Type 1 DMRS pattern supports 2 CDM groups, and the 8 DMRS ports belong to 2 CDM groups (i.e., CDM group 0 and CDM group 1). CDM group 0 includes 1000, 1001, 1004, and 1005; CDM group 1 includes 1002, 1003, 1006, and 1007. Type 2 DMRS patterns support 3 CDM groups, with 12 DMRS ports belonging to 3 CDM groups (CDM group 0, CDM group 1, and CDM group 2). CDM group 0 includes 1000, 1001, 1006, and 1007; CDM group 1 includes 1002, 1003, 1008, and 1009; and CDM group 2 includes 1004, 1005, 1010, and 1011.

[0142] In actual data transmission, the base station assigns DMRS ports to each UE and indicates these DMRS ports to the UE. Based on the indicated port information and DMRS pattern, the UE can determine the location of its assigned DMRS resource. This DMRS port indication can be achieved through the port indication field of the downlink control information (DCI). For example, this field and its corresponding port allocation results are shown in Table 1. Table 1 only shows a portion of the port allocation results; the complete table can be found in existing protocols. For example, if the DCI port indication field indicates 2, then based on Table 1, the row with a value of 2 is found, determining that the DMRS ports assigned to the UE are ports 1000 and 1001. It should be understood that 0, 1, 2, 3…8 in Table 1 represent DMRS ports 1000, 1001, 1002, 1003…1008, respectively.

[0143] Table 1

[0144]

[0145] In multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) scenarios, the base station communicates with multiple UEs simultaneously. When a UE performs data demodulation based on DMRS, rate matching is required. Specifically, UE#1, in addition to its own DMRS port, typically needs to know the DMRS port information of other co-scheduled UEs to determine which REs (Relays) are occupied by DMRS in the current transmission time slot and will not transmit its own data. If UE#1 cannot obtain this information, its data will conflict with the DMRS of other UEs in terms of time-frequency resources, affecting the DMRS estimation accuracy of other UEs and the decoding performance of UE#1 itself.

[0146] To enable the UE to know which DMRS time-frequency resources are not transmitting data, two rate matching methods are provided in the existing system.

[0147] The first method is the implicit indication method used in LTE:

[0148] In LTE, the rate matching problem of MU-MIMO can be solved by ensuring that the DMRS of the scheduling port is multiplexed through CDM. In this case, all UEs' DMRS are multiplexed to the same RE through CDM, thus avoiding the DMRS rate matching problem. It should be noted that under this scheme, there is no need for indication information to indicate the RE occupied by the DMRS.

[0149] The second method is the display indication method used in 5G NR:

[0150] In 5G NR, to fully leverage the advantages of MU-MIMO, the standard has adopted a design that supports 12 maximum orthogonal ports (i.e., Figure 2 (b) Design of the corresponding DMRS pattern). In order to solve the rate matching problem for multiple users, the NR standard adopts an explicit signaling indication method. For example, the value of num of CDM groups without data in Table 1 indicates the CDM group information occupied by all ports in the current transmission time slot of the system (because the order of CDM groups is agreed in the protocol, so knowing the number of CDM groups without data is the same as knowing which CDM groups they are, that is, knowing the CDM group number). That is, it indicates the potential DMRS mapping resources, so that users can know the location of potential DMRS and then perform data demodulation in other locations. Here, 1 represents CDM group 0, 2 represents CDM group 0 and CDM group 1, and 3 represents CDM group 0, CDM group 1 and CDM group 2.

[0151] However, both rate matching methods mentioned above have drawbacks: for the implicit indication method, MU-MIMO can only support a maximum of 4 orthogonal ports, which cannot meet the data transmission requirements of future communication systems. For the explicit indication method, the standard has adopted a design that allows MU-MIMO to support a maximum of 12 orthogonal ports. However, in the explicit indication method, the RM indication is sent along with the DMRS port indication information, and its overhead increases dramatically with the increase in the number of ports or the number of port combinations.

[0152] Based on this, this application aims to provide a communication method that can reduce the signaling overhead of DMRS rate matching indication.

[0153] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0154] Figure 3 A schematic flowchart of a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the method includes at least the following steps.

[0155] S310, the terminal device obtains the first correspondence.

[0156] The first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths. In this application, the time-frequency resources corresponding to each of the N CDM groups do not overlap.

[0157] It should be understood that "sub-path" can be replaced by "sub-path cluster", "path", "path", "path cluster", etc., and "correspondence relationship" can also be replaced by "mapping relationship", "association relationship", etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this. For the sake of simplicity, it will not be elaborated further below.

[0158] Specifically, the first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths, which can include the following cases.

[0159] Case 1: The first correspondence includes a one-to-one correspondence between L ports and L sub-paths, where the L ports are the ports corresponding to the N CDM groups.

[0160] Specifically, L ports correspond to N CDM groups. In this case, the first correspondence includes a one-to-one correspondence between L ports and L subpaths. It can be understood that the first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L subpaths.

[0161] Case 2: The first correspondence includes the correspondence between N CDM groups and L ports, with a one-to-one correspondence between the L ports and L sub-paths.

[0162] Specifically, there is a one-to-one correspondence between L ports and L sub-paths. In this case, the first correspondence includes the correspondence between N CDM groups and L ports. It can be understood that the first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths.

[0163] Case 3: The first correspondence includes the correspondence between L sub-paths and M time-frequency resources, where the M time-frequency resources are the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups.

[0164] Specifically, M time-frequency resources correspond to N CDM groups. In this case, the first correspondence includes the correspondence between L sub-paths and M time-frequency resources. It can be understood that the first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths.

[0165] Case 4: The first correspondence includes the correspondence between N CDM groups and M time-frequency resources, where the M time-frequency resources are the time-frequency resources mapped by the L sub-paths.

[0166] Specifically, M time-frequency resources are time-frequency resources mapped to L sub-paths. In this case, the first correspondence includes the correspondence between N CDM groups and M time-frequency resources. It can be understood that the first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths.

[0167] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, the terminal device obtains the first correspondence relationship by means of direct or indirect instruction from the network device.

[0168] Optionally, in one possible implementation, before step S310, the method may further include: the network device sending second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information being used to indicate the first correspondence, and correspondingly, the terminal device receiving the second indication information.

[0169] The second indication information is used to indicate the first correspondence, and may include the following two methods.

[0170] Method 1:

[0171] The second instruction information directly indicates the first correspondence. For example, the second instruction information can be in the form of text or a table to directly indicate the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths.

[0172] For example, the second instruction information can be in the form of a table.

[0173] For example, with N=3 and L=4, as shown in Table 2, the second indication information directly indicates the correspondence between the identifiers of the 3 CDM groups and the identifiers of the 4 sub-paths in the form of a table.

[0174] Table 2

[0175] CDM Group Identification Sub-diameter marking 0 0 1 1,2 2 3

[0176] It should be understood that the CDM group corresponding to identifier 0 can be called CDM group 0, the CDM group corresponding to identifier 1 can be called CDM group 1, and the CDM group corresponding to identifier 2 can be called CDM group 2. Correspondingly, the sub-path corresponding to identifier 0 can also be called sub-path 0, the sub-path corresponding to identifier 1 can also be called sub-path 1, ..., and the sub-path corresponding to identifier 3 can also be called sub-path 3. For simplicity, this will not be elaborated further below.

[0177] As can be seen from Table 2, CDM group 0 corresponds to sub-diameter 0, CDM group 1 corresponds to sub-diameter 1 and sub-diameter 2, and CDM group 2 corresponds to sub-diameter 3.

[0178] It should be understood that the above are merely illustrative examples and this application does not impose any limitations on them.

[0179] Method 2:

[0180] The second instruction information indirectly indicates the first correspondence.

[0181] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the second indication information may be the identification information of the first correspondence.

[0182] Specifically, the terminal device can obtain multiple correspondences through a predefined protocol method. That is, the terminal device locally stores multiple correspondences, and these multiple correspondences include the first correspondence. The terminal device receives second indication information, which can be the identification information of the first correspondence. After receiving the second indication information (i.e., the identification information of the first correspondence), the terminal device obtains the first correspondence from the multiple correspondences stored locally based on the identification information of the first correspondence.

[0183] The “identification information of the first correspondence” can also be replaced with the “index of the first correspondence”. For example, if the first correspondence is in tabular form, the second indication information can be the index of the table. It should be understood that this application does not limit this.

[0184] S320, the network device sends a first instruction message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first instruction message accordingly.

[0185] Specifically, the first indication information is used to indicate the first CDM group, which belongs to N CDM groups, and the first CDM group is a CDM group that does not transmit data, or the first CDM group is a CDM group occupied by DMRS.

[0186] The first CDM group belongs to N CDM groups, which can be understood as the first CDM group being one or more of the N CDM groups.

[0187] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the first indication information is the identification information of the first CDM group.

[0188] In this implementation, after receiving the identification information of the first CDM group, the terminal device selects the CDM group corresponding to the identification information of the first CDM group from N CDM groups.

[0189] For example, referring to Table 2 above, when the first indication information is the identification information of CDM group 0 (for example, the first indication information is identification 0), after receiving identification 0, the terminal device selects CDM group 0 corresponding to identification 0 from N CDM groups. In this case, the first CDM group only includes CDM group 0.

[0190] For example, continuing with Table 2 above, when the first indication information is the identification information of CDM group 0 and the identification information of CDM group 1 (for example, the first indication information includes identification 0 and identification 1), after receiving identification 0 and identification 1, the terminal device selects CDM group 0 and CDM group 1, which correspond to identification 0 and identification 1 respectively, from N CDM groups. In this case, the first CDM group may include CDM group 0 and CDM group 1.

[0191] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group.

[0192] Specifically, the value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group. It can be understood that the value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of one or more CDM groups included in the first CDM group, or it can be understood that the value of the first indication information corresponds to the identifier of one or more CDM groups included in the first CDM group, as shown in Table 3 below.

[0193] In this application, the term "identifier" can be understood as identification information. The terms "identifier information" and "identifier" can be used interchangeably.

[0194] Table 3

[0195] The value of the first instruction information CDM Group Identification 00 0 01 1 10 2 11 3,4

[0196] As shown in Table 3, when the value of the first indication information is “00”, it corresponds to CDM with identifier 0, i.e., CDM group 0; when the value of the first indication information is “01”, it corresponds to CDM with identifier 1, i.e., CDM group 1; when the value of the first indication information is “10”, it corresponds to CDM with identifier 2, i.e., CDM group 2; when the value of the first indication information is “11”, it corresponds to CDM with identifiers 3 and 4, i.e., CDM group 3 and CDM group 4.

[0197] Furthermore, after receiving the first instruction information, the terminal device selects the CDM group corresponding to the value of the first instruction information from the N CDM groups according to the value of the first instruction information.

[0198] For example, as shown in Table 3, when the value of the first indication information is "00", after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device selects CDM group 0 from N CDM groups that corresponds to the value of the first indication information (e.g., 00). In this case, the first CDM group only includes CDM group 0.

[0199] For example, when the value of the first indication information is "01", after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device selects CDM group 1 from N CDM groups that corresponds to the value of the first indication information (e.g., 01). In this case, the first CDM group only includes CDM group 1.

[0200] For example, when the value of the first indication information is "10", after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device selects CDM group 2 from N CDM groups that corresponds to the value of the first indication information (e.g., 10). In this case, the first CDM group only includes CDM group 2.

[0201] For example, when the value of the first indication information is "11", after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device selects CDM group 3 and CDM group 4 from N CDM groups that correspond to the value of the first indication information (e.g., 11). In this case, the first CDM group may include CDM group 3 and CDM group 4.

[0202] It should be understood that the above are merely examples and this application does not impose any limitations on them.

[0203] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the value of the first indication information is related to the number of the first CDM groups.

[0204] Specifically, the value of the first indication information is related to the number of the first CDM groups. This can be understood as the value of the first indication information corresponding to the number of CDM groups included in the first CDM group. The correspondence between the value of the first indication information and the number of the first CDM groups is shown in Table 4.

[0205] Table 4

[0206] The value of the first instruction information Number of CDM groups 1 1 2 2 3 3

[0207] For example, when the value of the first indication information is "1", the number of CDM groups indicated by the first indication information is 1. At this time, the terminal device can be informed of which CDM group among the N CDM groups to select through a predefined method of the protocol, or additional indication information, such as indication information #A, can be used to inform the terminal device of which CDM group among the N CDM groups to select.

[0208] For example, in one possible implementation, when the value of the first indication information is "1", the terminal device, after receiving the first indication information, can select CDM group 0 from N CDM groups according to a predefined method in the protocol. In this case, the first CDM group only includes CDM group 0. Alternatively, the network device can also send indication information #A to the terminal device, which indicates CDM group 0. For example, the indication information #A is the identifier of CDM group 0.

[0209] For example, when the value of the first indication information is "2", the number of CDM groups indicated by the first indication information is 2. At this time, the terminal device can be informed of which two CDM groups out of N CDM groups to select through a predefined method of the protocol, or it can be informed of which two CDM groups out of N CDM groups to select through additional indication information, such as indication information #B.

[0210] For example, in one possible implementation, when the value of the first indication information is "2", after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device can select CDM group 0 and CDM group 1 from N CDM groups according to a predefined method in the protocol. In this case, the first CDM group can include CDM group 0 and CDM group 1. Alternatively, the network device can also send indication information #B to the terminal device. This indication information #B is used to indicate CDM group 0 and CDM group 1. For example, the indication information #B is an identifier for CDM group 0 and CDM group 1.

[0211] For example, when the value of the first indication information is "3", the number of CDM groups indicated by the first indication information is 3. At this time, the terminal device can be informed of which three CDM groups out of N CDM groups to select through a predefined method of the protocol, or it can be informed of which three CDM groups out of N CDM groups to select through additional indication information, such as indication information #C.

[0212] For example, in one possible implementation, when the value of the first indication information is "3", the terminal device, after receiving the first indication information, can select CDM group 0, CDM group 1, and CDM group 2 from N CDM groups according to a predefined method in the protocol. In this case, the first CDM group can include CDM group 0, CDM group 1, and CDM group 2. Alternatively, the network device can also send indication information #C to the terminal device. This indication information #C is used to indicate CDM group 0, CDM group 1, and CDM group 2. For example, the indication information #C is an identifier for CDM group 0, CDM group 1, and CDM group 2.

[0213] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group and the number of the first CDM groups.

[0214] Specifically, the value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group and the number of the first CDM groups. This can be understood as the value of the first indication information corresponding to the identifier and number of CDM groups included in the first CDM group. In other words, the value of the first indication information can correspond to the number of CDM groups, and simultaneously, the value of the first indication information can also correspond to the identifier of a CDM group.

[0215] Table 5

[0216] The value of the first instruction information CDM Group Identification 1 0 2 0,1 3 0,1,2

[0217] As shown in Table 3, when the value of the first indication information is "1", the corresponding CDM with the identifier 0 is CDM group 0; when the value of the first indication information is "2", the corresponding CDM group with the identifier 0 and the CDM group with the identifier 1 are CDM group 0 and CDM group 1; when the value of the first indication information is "3", the corresponding CDM group with the identifier 0, the CDM group with the identifier 1 and the CDM group with the identifier 2 are CDM group 0, CDM group 1 and CDM group 2.

[0218] For example, when the value of the first indication information is "1", after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device selects CDM group 0 from N CDM groups that corresponds to the first indication information (value is 1). In this case, the first CDM group includes 1 CDM group, namely CDM group 0.

[0219] For example, when the value of the first indication information is "2", after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device selects CDM group 0 and CDM group 1 corresponding to the first indication information (value 2) from N CDM groups. In this case, the first CDM group may include two CDM groups, namely CDM group 0 and CDM group 1.

[0220] For example, when the value of the first indication information is "3", after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device selects CDM group 0, CDM group 1 and CDM group 2 corresponding to the first indication information (value 3) from N CDM groups. In this case, the first CDM group may include 3 CDM groups, namely CDM group 0, CDM group 1 and CDM group 2.

[0221] It should be understood that the above examples are merely illustrative and this application does not impose any limitations on them.

[0222] S330, the terminal device does not transmit data on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path based on the first CDM group and the first correspondence relationship, wherein the first sub-path is the sub-path corresponding to the first CDM group.

[0223] Specifically, in step S320, the terminal device determines a first CDN group from N CDM groups according to the first indication information, wherein the first CDM group is a CDM group that does not transmit data. Subsequently, the terminal device determines a first sub-path corresponding to the first CDM group based on the first CDM group and the first correspondence relationship. Further, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path.

[0224] It should be understood that the terminal device does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first subpath, which can be interpreted as the terminal device not receiving or sending data on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first subpath.

[0225] Where the terminal device does not transmit data on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path, it can include the following two cases:

[0226] In the first scenario, the terminal device does not transmit data on any time-frequency resources of the port corresponding to the first sub-path. Here, the port can refer to the DMRS port. For ease of description, the port will be used to replace the DMRS port in the following text.

[0227] Scenario 2: The terminal device does not transmit data on the first time-frequency resource of the port corresponding to the first sub-path, where the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource mapped by the first sub-path.

[0228] For example, with N=3 and L=5, Table 6 shows the correspondence between the identifiers of the CDM group and the identifiers of the sub-paths.

[0229] Table 6

[0230] CDM Group Identification Sub-diameter marking 0 0 1 1,2,3 2 4

[0231] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device determines that the first CDM group is CDM group 0 based on the first indication information, it further determines that the sub-path corresponding to CDM group 0 is sub-path 0 based on the first correspondence between CDM group 0 and the first correspondence. Then, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped to sub-path 0.

[0232] In this implementation, corresponding to scenario one above, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on any time-frequency resources of the port corresponding to sub-path 0. Corresponding to scenario two above, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by sub-path 0 on the port corresponding to sub-path 0.

[0233] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device determines that the first CDM group is CDM group 1 based on the first indication information, it further determines that the sub-paths corresponding to CDM group 1 are sub-paths 1 to 3 based on the first correspondence between CDM group 1 and the first correspondence. Then, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by sub-paths 1 to 3.

[0234] In this implementation, corresponding to scenario one above, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on any time-frequency resources of the ports corresponding to sub-paths 1 to 3. Corresponding to scenario two above, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on the ports corresponding to sub-paths 1 to 3, nor on the time-frequency resources mapped by sub-paths 1 to 3.

[0235] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device determines that the first CDM group is CDM group 2 based on the first indication information, it further determines that the sub-path corresponding to CDM group 2 is sub-path 4 based on the correspondence between CDM group 2 and the first correspondence. Then, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by sub-path 4.

[0236] In this implementation, corresponding to scenario one above, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on any time-frequency resources of the port corresponding to sub-path 4. Corresponding to scenario two above, the terminal device does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by sub-path 4 on the port corresponding to sub-path 4.

[0237] It should be noted that in this application, the time-frequency resources corresponding to each of the N CDM groups do not overlap. That is to say, the N CDM groups correspond to different time-frequency resources. There are two possible cases where the N CDM groups correspond to different time-frequency resources.

[0238] Scenario 1: At least two of the N CDM groups mentioned above correspond to different numbers of time-frequency resources; that is, the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups are not uniformly distributed. For example... Figure 4As shown, the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 0 is 1 RE, the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 1 is 3 RE, and the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 2 is 2 RE.

[0239] Scenario 2: As mentioned above, the number of time-frequency resources corresponding to each of the N CDMs is the same. That is to say, the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups are uniformly distributed, or the DMRS pattern is relatively regular. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 0 are 2 REs, the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 1 are 2 REs, and the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 2 are 2 REs.

[0240] It should be noted that in scenario two, since the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups are evenly distributed, the first indication information can directly indicate the number of CDM groups. The terminal device can then determine the first CDM group based on the first indication information and the predefined protocol method. This scenario will be described in detail in the following embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0241] It should also be noted that, in this application, before the network device sends the second indication information to the terminal device, the network device determines L sub-paths based on the correlation threshold and / or power threshold. Furthermore, the network device determines the first correspondence, that is, the correspondence between the L sub-paths and the N CDM groups.

[0242] For example, in one possible implementation, the L subpaths mentioned above can be determined based on a correlation threshold. For instance, the network device can determine the L subpaths corresponding to the paired port (i.e., the DMRS port) according to the following formula (1).

[0243]

[0244] Among them, V i The feature information representing the i-th root path, such as the feature vector, V j The feature information representing the j-th root path, such as the eigenvector, c LX1 Let L represent the set of sub-paths of size L×1, and Δ represent the correlation threshold. For ease of description, the i-th sub-path will be referred to as sub-path i and the j-th sub-path as sub-path j in the following description.

[0245] Combining formula (1), when the correlation between sub-path i and sub-path j is less than the correlation threshold, sub-path i and sub-path j are selected as the sub-paths corresponding to the port, that is, sub-path i is included among the L sub-paths.

[0246] Conversely, when the correlation between sub-path i and sub-path j is greater than or equal to the correlation threshold, one of sub-path i and sub-path j is selected as the sub-path corresponding to the port, that is, sub-path i or sub-path j is included in the L sub-paths; or, sub-path i and sub-path j are not selected as the sub-paths corresponding to the port, that is, sub-path i and sub-path j are not included in the L sub-paths.

[0247] It should be understood that the correlation mentioned above can be replaced by indicators such as "similarity" or "cosine similarity" that reflect the degree of similarity or correlation between different sub-paths, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0248] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the L sub-paths mentioned above can be determined based on a power threshold. For example, the network device can determine the L sub-paths according to the following formula (2).

[0249]

[0250] Among them, Power i P represents the power value of sub-diameter i. benchmark c represents the power value of the main diameter. LX1 This represents a sub-path set of size LX1, where xdB represents the power threshold.

[0251] It should be understood that the main diameter can be understood as the sub-diameter with the largest power value, or it can be understood as the sub-diameter with the largest power intensity; this application does not limit it in this respect.

[0252] Combining formula (2), when the ratio of the power value of sub-diameter i to the power value of the main diameter is greater than the power threshold, sub-diameter i is selected as the sub-diameter corresponding to the port, that is, sub-diameter i is included among the L sub-diameters.

[0253] Conversely, if the ratio of the power value of sub-path i to the power value of the main path is less than or equal to the power threshold, sub-path i is not selected as the corresponding sub-path for the port, that is, sub-path i is not included among the L sub-paths.

[0254] It should be understood that the power mentioned above can be replaced by indicators that reflect the power intensity characteristics of the sub-diameter, such as "amplitude" or "energy," and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0255] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the L sub-paths mentioned above can also be determined based on both a correlation threshold and a power threshold.

[0256] It should be understood that the aforementioned correlation threshold and power threshold are determined through negotiation between the network device and the terminal device. Specifically, the correlation threshold and power threshold can be determined by the network device and indicated to the terminal, or determined by the terminal device and fed back to the network device. Furthermore, the correlation threshold and power threshold related information can be periodically indicated or fed back, or it can be triggered on demand. Further, the correlation threshold and power threshold related information can be transmitted in the control channel or data channel via dynamic signaling or semi-static signaling, respectively. This application does not impose restrictions on the signaling form or bearer design for the mutual negotiation and interaction.

[0257] It should also be understood that, in addition to determining the L sub-paths corresponding to a port based on correlation thresholds and / or power thresholds, network devices may also use other methods, which are not limited in this application.

[0258] Based on the above technical solution, a rate matching indication method for DMRS in data transmission applicable to future communication networks (such as 6G networks) can be provided. This indication method can save the overhead of indication signaling and further realize the throughput gain of MIMO systems.

[0259] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 provided in another embodiment of this application. It should be noted that... Figure 6 The method 600 shown corresponds to case one described above, that is to say, in Figure 6 In the method 600 shown, the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups are not uniformly distributed. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the method includes at least the following steps.

[0260] S610, the network device determines L sub-paths corresponding to L ports.

[0261] Among them, L ports correspond one-to-one with L sub-paths. The network device determines the L sub-paths corresponding to the L ports based on the correlation threshold and / or power threshold. It should be noted that the method for the network device to determine the L sub-paths can be as described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0262] S620, network devices determine the first correspondence.

[0263] The first correspondence indicates the correspondence between L sub-paths and N CDM groups. For a detailed description of the first correspondence indicating L sub-paths and N CDM groups, please refer to the previous text, which will not be repeated here.

[0264] It should be noted that network devices can determine the correspondence between L sub-paths and N CDM groups based on whether at least one of the power difference, delay difference, and Doppler difference of the L sub-paths meets a threshold condition.

[0265] For example, in one possible implementation, if the power value difference among the O sub-paths out of the L sub-paths is less than a power threshold, then the O sub-paths can correspond to the same CDM group. Conversely, if the power value difference among the O sub-paths out of the L sub-paths is greater than or equal to the power threshold, then the O sub-paths can correspond to different CDM groups.

[0266] For example, in one possible implementation, if the difference in delay values ​​among the O sub-paths out of the L sub-paths is less than a delay value threshold, then the O sub-paths can correspond to the same CDM group. Conversely, if the difference in delay values ​​among the O sub-paths out of the L sub-paths is greater than or equal to the delay value threshold, then the O sub-paths can correspond to different CDM groups.

[0267] For example, in one possible implementation, if the Doppler value difference among the O sub-paths out of the L sub-paths is less than the Doppler value threshold, then the O sub-paths can correspond to the same CDM group. Conversely, if the Doppler value difference among the O sub-paths out of the L sub-paths is greater than or equal to the Doppler threshold, then the O sub-paths can correspond to different CDM groups.

[0268] It should be noted that O≤L. In the extreme case, when O=L, it can be understood that one CDM group corresponds to one sub-path. In other words, the ports corresponding to L sub-paths all adopt frequency division multiplexing.

[0269] For example, with N=4 and L=7, the first correspondence is the correspondence between the identifier of the CDM group and the identifier of the sub-path.

[0270] Table 7

[0271] CDM Group Identification Sub-diameter marking 0 0 1 1-3 2 4 3 5,6

[0272] As shown in Table 7, CDM group 0 corresponds to sub-diameter 0, CDM group 1 corresponds to sub-diameters 1 to 3, CDM group 2 corresponds to sub-diameter 4, and CDM group 3 corresponds to sub-diameters 5 and 6.

[0273] It should be noted that the time-frequency resources corresponding to these four CDM groups are not uniformly distributed, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 0 is RE0, the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 1 is RE1 to RE3, the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 2 is RE4, and the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 3 is RE5 and RE6.

[0274] It should be understood that Table 7 and Figure 7 This is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation.

[0275] S630, the network device sends a second instruction message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the second instruction message accordingly.

[0276] The second indication information is used to directly or indirectly indicate the first correspondence. The terminal device determines the first correspondence based on the received second indication information. A detailed description of the second indication information can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0277] S640, the network device sends a first instruction message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first instruction message accordingly.

[0278] Specifically, the first indication information is used to indicate the first CDM group, wherein the first CDM group is a CDM group that does not transmit data, and the first CDM group is one or more of N CDM groups.

[0279] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the first indication information can be the identification information of the first CDM group. A detailed description of the first indication information being the identification information of the first CDM group can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0280] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group and / or the number of first CDM groups. A detailed description of the relationship between the first indication information and the identifier of the first CDM group and / or the number of first CDM groups can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0281] S650, the terminal device determines the first sub-path according to the first CDM group and the first correspondence, and does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path.

[0282] For example, referring to Table 7, taking CDM group 1 and CDM group 2 as examples, the terminal device determines the sub-path corresponding to CDM group 1 as sub-path 1 to sub-path 3 and the sub-path corresponding to CDM group 2 as 4 according to the first CDM group and the first correspondence.

[0283] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the terminal device learns that the sub-paths and REs are in a one-to-one correspondence according to a predefined method in the protocol, that is, sub-paths 1 to 3 correspond to REs 1 to REs 3, and sub-path 4 corresponds to RE 4, such as... Figure 7 As shown.

[0284] Optionally, in one possible implementation, before or after step S650, the method may further include: the network device sending indication information #1 to the terminal device, the indication information #1 indicating the correspondence between N CDM groups and M time-frequency resources, where M≥N, and M and N are both positive integers.

[0285] like Figure 7As shown, the terminal device can determine the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 0 as RE0, the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 1 as RE1 to RE3, the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 2 as RE4, and the time-frequency resource corresponding to CDM group 3 as RE5 and RE6 based on the instruction information #1.

[0286] For example, referring to Table 7, taking CDM group 1 and CDM group 2 as examples, the terminal device determines the sub-path corresponding to CDM group 1 as sub-path 1 to sub-path 3 and the sub-path corresponding to CDM group 2 as 4 according to the first CDM group and the first correspondence.

[0287] Furthermore, based on instruction information #1, the terminal device determines that the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 1 are RE1 to RE3, and the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 2 are RE4. That is to say, the terminal device determines that sub-path 1 to sub-path 3 correspond to RE1 to RE3, and sub-path 4 corresponds to RE4.

[0288] Therefore, the terminal device does not transmit data on RE1 to RE4. For example, if the terminal device includes UE1 and UE2, then UE1 will not transmit data on its corresponding time-frequency resources RE1 to RE4, nor will it transmit data on the time-frequency resource RE4 corresponding to UE2.

[0289] Based on the above technical solution, a rate matching indication method for DMRS in data transmission applicable to future communication networks (such as 6G networks) can be provided. This indication method can save the overhead of indication signaling and further realize the throughput gain of MIMO systems.

[0290] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 800 provided in another embodiment of this application. It should be noted that... Figure 8 The method 800 shown corresponds to case two described above, that is to say, in Figure 8 In the method 800 shown, the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups are uniformly distributed. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the method includes at least the following steps.

[0291] S810, the network device determines L sub-paths corresponding to L ports.

[0292] Step S810 is similar to step S610, and will not be described in detail here.

[0293] S820, network devices determine the first correspondence.

[0294] The first correspondence indicates the correspondence between L sub-paths and N CDM groups. For a detailed description of the first correspondence indicating L sub-paths and N CDM groups, please refer to the previous text, which will not be repeated here.

[0295] For example, as shown in Table 7, taking N=4 and L=7 as an example, the first correspondence is the correspondence between the identifier of the CDM group and the identifier of the sub-path.

[0296] It should be noted that the time-frequency resources corresponding to the four CDM groups described in Table 7 are uniformly distributed, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 0 are RE0 and RE1, the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 1 are RE2 and RE3, the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 2 are RE4 and RE5, and the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 3 are RE6 and RE7.

[0297] It should be understood that Figure 8 For illustrative purposes only, each of the four CDM groups can have three REs corresponding to its time-frequency resources. This application does not impose any limit on the number of REs corresponding to each CDM group.

[0298] S830, the network device sends a second instruction message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the second instruction message accordingly.

[0299] Step S830 is similar to step S630, and will not be described in detail here.

[0300] S840, the network device sends a first instruction message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first instruction message accordingly.

[0301] Unlike the previous text, due to Figure 8 In the embodiment shown, the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups are uniformly distributed. In this case, the first indication information can be related to the number of CDM groups.

[0302] For example, when the first indication information is "1", the number of corresponding CDM groups is 1. At this time, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device determines that the first CDM group is CDM group 0.

[0303] For example, when the first indication information is "2", the number of corresponding CDM groups is 2. At this time, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device determines that the first CDM group is CDM group 0 and CDM group 1.

[0304] For example, when the first indication information is "3", the number of corresponding CDM groups is 3. At this time, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device determines that the first CDM group is CDM group 0, CDM group 1 and CDM group 3.

[0305] It should be understood that the above are merely examples and this application does not impose any limitations.

[0306] S850, the terminal device determines the first sub-path according to the first CDM group and the first correspondence, and does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path.

[0307] For example, referring to Table 7, taking CDM group 1 and CDM group 2 as examples, the terminal device determines the sub-path corresponding to CDM group 1 as sub-path 1 to sub-path 3 and the sub-path corresponding to CDM group 2 as 4 according to the first CDM group and the first correspondence.

[0308] Furthermore, such as Figure 9 As shown, since the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups are uniformly distributed, the terminal device can directly determine that the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 1 are RE2 and RE3, and the time-frequency resources corresponding to CDM group 2 are RE4 and RE5. That is to say, the terminal device determines that sub-paths 1 to 3 correspond to RE2 and RE3, and sub-path 4 corresponds to RE4 and RE5.

[0309] Therefore, the terminal device does not transmit data on RE2 to RE5. For example, if the terminal device includes UE1 and UE2, then UE1 will not transmit data on its corresponding time-frequency resources RE2 and RE3, nor will it transmit data on the time-frequency resources RE4 and RE5 corresponding to UE2.

[0310] Based on the above technical solution, a rate matching indication method for DMRS in data transmission applicable to future communication networks (such as 6G networks) can be provided. This indication method can save the overhead of indication signaling and further realize the throughput gain of MIMO systems.

[0311] Figure 10 A schematic flowchart of a communication method 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown below. Figure 10 As shown, the method may include at least the following steps.

[0312] S1010, the network device sends third instruction information to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the third instruction information accordingly.

[0313] Specifically, this third indication information is used to indicate X subpaths, where each of the X subpaths corresponds one-to-one with X ports, and X is a positive integer. It should be noted that the X subpaths can be understood as all subpaths sensed by the base station in a given environment, or the X ports can be understood as all ports sensed by the base station in a given environment. Here, "port" can be understood as a DMRS port.

[0314] In this embodiment, the X subpaths can be determined by the network device based on sensing information or measurement information. For example, the network device may obtain subpath information corresponding to all ports in the environment based on sensing information or long-term measurement information.

[0315] It should be understood that sub-path information may include the number of sub-paths, the port corresponding to the sub-path, the identifier of the sub-path, the time and frequency resources mapped by the sub-path, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0316] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the X sub-paths can be determined not only based on perceived information but also based on a reference signal, for example, the reference signal could be CSI-RS.

[0317] S1020, the terminal device, according to the third instruction information, does not perform data transmission on the time-frequency resources corresponding to the X ports.

[0318] Specifically, "no data transmission on the time-frequency resources corresponding to the X ports" can be understood as no data transmission on all time-frequency resources corresponding to the X ports. In detail, after receiving the third indication information, the terminal device determines X sub-paths based on the third indication information, and further, no data transmission is performed on the X ports corresponding to the X sub-paths.

[0319] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned third indication information is carried in higher-layer signaling. For example, the third indication information can be carried in RRC signaling.

[0320] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the third instruction information mentioned above is semi-statically configured or periodically configured.

[0321] Specifically, this third indication information may not be displayed in real time as the MU configuration status changes, and the configuration cycle is relatively long.

[0322] Optionally, the terminal device may update the third indication information based on changes in the surrounding environment.

[0323] Alternatively, the terminal device may request to switch the signaling format of the third indication information based on its service status, such as a decrease in the number of paired flows.

[0324] Alternatively, the terminal device may also request the determination of subpath information based on its service status, such as a decrease in the number of paired streams, such as power thresholds, correlation thresholds, and thresholds.

[0325] It is important to note that the pilot scheme needs to be determined before performing steps S1010 and S1020. The pilot scheme refers to the configuration method of the DMRS.

[0326] Based on the above technical solution, a rate matching (RM) indication method for DMRS in data transmission suitable for future communication networks (e.g., 6G networks) can be provided. This indication method can save the overhead of indication signaling and further improve the throughput gain of MIMO systems. Furthermore, it can achieve semi-static or long-period RM configuration, further reducing the DMRS RM configuration overhead.

[0327] The communication method provided in this application has been described in detail above. The communication device provided in this application is described below. In one possible implementation, the device is used to implement the steps or processes corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiments. In another possible implementation, the device is used to implement the steps or processes corresponding to the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0328] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of the communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 11 As shown, the device 1100 may include a communication unit 1110 and a processing unit 1120. The communication unit 1110 can communicate with the outside world, and the processing unit 1120 is used for data processing. The communication unit 1110 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver unit.

[0329] In one possible design, the device 1100 can implement the steps or processes performed by the network device corresponding to those in the above method embodiments, wherein the processing unit 1120 is used to perform processing-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiments, and the communication unit 1110 is used to perform transmission-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0330] In another possible design, the device 1100 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, wherein the communication unit 1110 is used to perform the receiving-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1120 is used to perform the processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0331] It should be understood that the device 1100 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 1100 may specifically be a network device in the above embodiments, used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the network device in the above method embodiments; or, the device 1100 may specifically be a terminal device in the above embodiments, used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiments. To avoid repetition, further details are omitted here.

[0332] The apparatus 1100 of each of the above-described solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the network device in the above-described method, or the apparatus 1100 of each of the above-described solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the terminal device in the above-described method. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, a communication unit can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the sending unit in the communication unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the communication unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as processing units, can be replaced by a processor, respectively executing the transmission and reception operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0333] Furthermore, the aforementioned communication unit can also be a transceiver circuit (e.g., it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit can be a processing circuit. In embodiments of this application, Figure 11 The device mentioned can be the terminal device or network device in the foregoing embodiments, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on a chip (SoC). The communication unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. No limitations are imposed here.

[0334] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 1200 includes a processor 1210 and a transceiver 1220. The processor 1210 and the transceiver 1220 communicate with each other through an internal connection path. The processor 1210 is used to execute instructions to control the transceiver 1220 to transmit and / or receive signals.

[0335] Optionally, the device 1200 may further include a memory 1230, which communicates with the processor 1210 and the transceiver 1220 via an internal connection path. The memory 1230 stores instructions, and the processor 1210 can execute the instructions stored in the memory 1230. In one possible implementation, the device 1200 is used to implement the various processes and steps corresponding to the network device in the above method embodiments. In another possible implementation, the device 1200 is used to implement the various processes and steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0336] It should be understood that the device 1200 can specifically be a network device or terminal device in the above embodiments, or it can be a chip or chip system. Correspondingly, the transceiver 1220 can be the transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited here. Specifically, the device 1200 can be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the network device or terminal device in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1230 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 1210 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 1210 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1210 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the network device or terminal device.

[0337] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0338] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, digital signal processing (DSP), ASIC, field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The processor in the embodiments of this application can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0339] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0340] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0341] In addition, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause operations and / or processes performed by a network device or a terminal device in the various method embodiments of this application to be executed.

[0342] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code or instructions. When the computer program code or instructions are run on a computer, the operations and / or processes performed by network devices or terminal devices in the various method embodiments of this application are executed.

[0343] Furthermore, this application also provides a chip including a processor. A memory for storing a computer program is provided independently of the chip, and the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, such that operations and / or processes performed by a network device or terminal device in any method embodiment are performed.

[0344] Furthermore, the chip may also include a communication interface. The communication interface may be an input / output interface or an interface circuit, etc. Furthermore, the chip may also include a memory.

[0345] In addition, this application also provides a communication system, including the network device and terminal device in the embodiments of this application.

[0346] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0347] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0348] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0349] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0350] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0351] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0352] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0353] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Obtain the first correspondence, which indicates the correspondence between N code division multiplexing (CDM) groups and L subpaths, where L ≥ N and L and N are both positive integers; Receive first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate a first CDM group, the first CDM group belongs to the N CDM groups, and the first CDM group is a CDM group that does not transmit data; Based on the first CDM group and the first correspondence, no data transmission is performed on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path, where the first sub-path is the sub-path corresponding to the first CDM group.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths, including any one of the following: The first correspondence includes a one-to-one correspondence between L ports and the L sub-paths, where the L ports are the ports corresponding to the N CDM groups; The first correspondence includes the correspondence between the N CDM groups and the L ports, with each of the L ports corresponding one-to-one with one of the L sub-paths; The first correspondence includes the correspondence between the L sub-paths and the M time-frequency resources, where the M time-frequency resources are the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The number of time-frequency resources corresponding to each of the N CDM groups is the same; or, The number of time-frequency resources corresponding to at least two of the N CDM groups is different.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The statement that no data transmission is performed on the time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path includes: No data transmission is performed on any time-frequency resources of the port corresponding to the first sub-path; or... No data transmission is performed on the first time-frequency resource of the port corresponding to the first sub-path, where the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource mapped by the first sub-path.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The value of the first indication information is related to the identifier of the first CDM group and / or the number of the first CDM groups.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first indication information is the identification information of the first CDM group.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Obtaining the first correspondence includes: Receive second indication information, which is used to indicate the first correspondence.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second indication information is the identification information of the first correspondence.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The L sub-paths are determined based on correlation thresholds and / or power thresholds.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate X sub-paths, the X sub-paths corresponding one-to-one with X ports; According to the third indication information, no data transmission is performed on the time-frequency resources corresponding to the X ports; Where X is a positive integer.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The X sub-paths are determined based on sensory information.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The third instruction information is carried in higher-level signaling.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The third indication information is either semi-static or periodically configured.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Determine the first correspondence, which indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths, where L≥N and L and N are both positive integers; Send a first indication message, which indicates a first CDM group, which belongs to the N CDM groups, and is a CDM group that does not transmit data. The first CDM group and the first correspondence are used to determine the first sub-path. The time-frequency resources mapped by the first sub-path do not transmit data. The first sub-path is the sub-path corresponding to the first CDM group.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first correspondence indicates the correspondence between N CDM groups and L sub-paths, including any one of the following: The first correspondence includes a one-to-one correspondence between L ports and the L sub-paths, where the L ports are the ports corresponding to the N CDM groups; The first correspondence includes the correspondence between the N CDM groups and the L ports, with each of the L ports corresponding one-to-one with one of the L sub-paths; The first correspondence includes the correspondence between the L sub-paths and the M time-frequency resources, where the M time-frequency resources are the time-frequency resources corresponding to the N CDM groups.

16. A communication method, characterized in that, include: A third indication message is sent, which indicates X sub-paths, each corresponding to one of X ports. The time-frequency resources corresponding to the X ports are not used for data transmission. Where X is a positive integer.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor, the processor being configured to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 16 by executing a computer program or instructions, or by using logic circuitry.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes logic circuitry and input / output interfaces, the input / output interfaces being used to input and / or output signals, and the logic circuitry being used to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 16 to be performed.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 16 to be performed.

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