Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, relates to the technical field of communication, and can reduce the transmission overhead of a transmission frame and improve the communication performance on the basis of not influencing the precision of channel estimation. The method comprises the following steps: transmitting end equipment acquires a transmission frame; and sending the transmission frame to a receiving end device. Wherein the transmission frame occupies N single carrier symbols, the transmission frame comprises X reference signal blocks, the difference value of any two first time intervals is smaller than or equal to a first threshold value, and the first time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks in the X reference signal blocks; x is smaller than N, and X and N are positive integers.

Description

Communication method and device Technical Field

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

[0002] In a communication system, a transmitting device may send a transmission frame to a receiving device, and the receiving device may perform channel estimation based on a reference signal block in the transmission frame.

[0003] However, the transmission overhead of the current transmission frame is relatively large. How to reduce the transmission overhead of the transmission frame without affecting the accuracy of channel estimation has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus that can reduce the transmission overhead of transmission frames and improve communication performance without affecting the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a transmitting device. Unless otherwise specified, the "transmitting device" in this application can refer to the transmitting device itself, or a component in the transmitting device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the transmitting device. The method includes: the transmitting device obtains a transmission frame; and sends the transmission frame to the receiving device. The transmission frame occupies N single-carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and X and N are both positive integers.

[0007] Based on the first aspect, the transmitting device can determine that the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, and X is less than N. Since the first time interval is less than or equal to the first threshold, the reference signal blocks can be guaranteed to be evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, thereby reducing the number of reference signal blocks while not affecting the accuracy of channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of channel estimation. At the same time, since the number of reference signal blocks is reduced, the transmission overhead can be reduced and the communication performance can be improved.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the transmitting device sends first indication information to the receiving device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the starting time of the first reference signal block, or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block.

[0009] Based on this possible implementation, the transmitting device can dynamically determine the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block according to the actual communication scenario, which can increase flexibility and thus improve the reliability of communication; at the same time, the transmitting device sends a first indication information to the receiving device, which can enable the receiving device to determine the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block according to the first indication information, providing a feasible solution for the receiving device to determine the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block.

[0010] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a receiving device. Unless otherwise specified, the "transmitting device" in this application can refer to the transmitting device itself, a component in the transmitting device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the transmitting device. The method includes: the receiving device receives a transmission frame from the transmitting device; and performs channel estimation based on X reference signal blocks. The transmission frame occupies N single-carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and X and N are both positive integers.

[0011] Based on the second aspect, the receiving device can determine that the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, and X is less than N. Since the first time interval is less than or equal to the first threshold, the reference signal blocks can be guaranteed to be evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, thereby reducing the number of reference signal blocks without affecting the accuracy of channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of channel estimation. At the same time, since the number of reference signal blocks is reduced, the transmission overhead can be reduced and the communication performance can be improved.

[0012] In one possible implementation, a receiving device receives first indication information from a transmitting device and determines positions of X reference signal blocks in a transmission frame based on the first indication information. The first indication information indicates one or more of the following: a start time of a first reference signal block or a start time of an Xth reference signal block.

[0013] Based on this possible implementation, the receiving device can determine the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block according to the first indication information. Further, the receiving device can determine the positions of the X reference signal blocks in the transmission frame according to the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block, providing a feasible solution for the receiving device to determine the positions of the X reference signal blocks in the transmission frame.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, X is determined based on one or more of the following: a channel state, or first configuration information; wherein the first configuration information is used to indicate the number X of reference signal blocks; and the first configuration information is predefined or determined by a network device.

[0015] Based on this possible implementation, X can be determined based on the channel state or the first configuration information, providing two feasible solutions for the transmitting device or the receiving device to determine X. When X can be determined based on the channel state, the transmitting device or the receiving device can dynamically determine X based on the channel state, thereby improving the flexibility of determining X. Furthermore, the transmitting device or the receiving device can determine X based on actual communication conditions, thereby improving communication reliability. When X can be determined based on the first configuration information, the transmitting device or the receiving device can statically determine X based on the first configuration information, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the transmitting device or the receiving device, reducing the load on the transmitting device or the receiving device, and improving communication effectiveness.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the reference signal block is determined according to the reference signal and one or more of the following: a cyclic prefix (CP), a guard interval (GI), or a unique word (UW).

[0017] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the reference signal block includes a cyclic prefix, a reference signal, and a guard interval; or, the reference signal block includes a guard interval, a reference signal, and a guard interval; or, the reference signal block includes a fixed codeword, a reference signal, and a fixed codeword.

[0018] Based on the above two possible implementations, several feasible solutions are provided for the composition of the reference signal block, which can enable the reference signal block to be applied to various communication scenarios and meet different communication requirements.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the starting time of the x-th reference signal block is on the n-th single carrier symbol; wherein n is determined based on the first difference and the first numerical value; x=1, 2,…, X, n is less than or equal to N; the first difference is the difference between x and 1, and the first numerical value is the result of rounding up the ratio of N to X.

[0020] Based on this possible implementation, the single carrier symbol corresponding to the reference signal block can be determined, the reference signal block can be guaranteed to be evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, the accuracy of the channel estimation will not be affected, and the accuracy of the channel estimation can even be improved, providing a feasible solution for determining the single carrier symbol corresponding to the reference signal block.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol is determined based on the product of the first difference and the second difference, and the starting time of the first reference signal block; wherein the second difference is the difference between the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks and the first product; the first product is the product of the first value and the duration of the single carrier symbol; and the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is equal.

[0022] Based on this possible implementation, the reference signal blocks can be guaranteed to be evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, the accuracy of channel estimation will not be affected, and the accuracy of channel estimation can even be improved, providing a feasible method for determining the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is predefined; or, the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is determined based on a second value and X, wherein the second value is determined based on X, the first product, the starting time of the Xth reference signal block, and the starting time of the first reference signal block; the first product is the product of the first value and the duration of the single carrier symbol; and the first value is the result of rounding up the ratio of N to X.

[0024] Based on this possible implementation, two feasible solutions are provided for determining the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks; when the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is predefined, the transmitting device or the receiving device can directly determine the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks, which can effectively improve the working efficiency of the transmitting device or the receiving device and improve the effectiveness of communication; when the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is determined according to the second numerical value and X, the transmitting device or the receiving device can dynamically determine the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks according to the actual communication situation, which can improve flexibility and improve the reliability of communication.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the starting time of the first reference signal block is the starting time of the first single carrier symbol of the transmission frame; or, the starting time of the first reference signal block is any time within the transmission frame.

[0026] Based on this possible implementation, when the starting time of the first reference signal block can be any time within the transmission frame, the range of selectable values ​​for the starting time of the first reference signal block can be wider, which can improve the flexibility of determining the starting time of the first reference signal block. When the starting time of the first reference signal block is the starting time of the first single-carrier symbol of the transmission frame, decoding latency can be reduced, communication performance can be improved, and a feasible solution for determining the starting time of the first reference signal block can be provided.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, when the starting time of the first reference signal block is the starting time of the first single carrier symbol of the transmission frame, the second time interval is the product of the first ratio and the first difference; wherein the second time interval is the time interval between the starting time of the x-th reference signal block at the transmission frame and the starting time of the transmission frame; x = 1, 2, ..., X; the first difference is the difference between x and 1, the first ratio is the ratio of the third difference to the fourth difference, the third difference is the difference between the second product and the duration of the x-th reference signal block, the second product is the product of N and the duration of the single carrier symbol; the fourth difference is the difference between X and 1.

[0028] Based on this possible implementation, a feasible solution is proposed to determine the starting time of the first reference signal block as the starting time of the first single carrier symbol of the transmission frame. At the same time, compared with first determining the single carrier symbol corresponding to the reference signal block and then determining the starting time of the reference signal on the single carrier symbol, the above method can directly determine the starting time of the reference signal block in the transmission frame, which can improve the effectiveness of communication.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the starting time of the xth reference signal block is on the nth single carrier symbol; where n is the rounded-down result of the ratio of the second time interval to the duration of the single carrier symbol; n is less than or equal to N.

[0030] Based on this possible implementation, the transmitting device or the receiving device can determine the single carrier symbol corresponding to the reference signal according to the second time interval, and can ensure that the reference signal block is evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible. It can not affect the accuracy of the channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of the channel estimation, providing another feasible solution for determining the single carrier symbol corresponding to the reference signal block.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the starting time of the xth reference signal on the nth single carrier symbol is the difference between the second time interval and the third product, and the third product is the product of n and the duration of the single carrier symbol.

[0032] Based on this possible implementation, the transmitting device or the receiving device can determine the starting time of the reference signal block on the single carrier symbol according to the second time interval, which can ensure that the reference signal block is evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, and will not affect the accuracy of the channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of the channel estimation, providing another feasible solution for determining the starting time of the reference signal block on the single carrier symbol.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the end time of the Xth reference signal block is the end time of the Nth single carrier symbol of the transmission frame; or, the end time of the Xth reference signal block is any time within the transmission frame.

[0034] Based on this possible implementation, compared to the end time of the Xth reference signal block being the end time of the Nth single carrier symbol, the end time of the Xth reference signal block can be any time within the transmission frame, and the range of selectable values ​​for the end time of the Xth reference signal block can be wider, which can improve the flexibility of determining the end time of the Xth reference signal block.

[0035] In combination with the first and second aspects, in one possible implementation, the start time of the first reference signal block is adjusted; each of the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol, and the difference between any two third time intervals is less than or equal to the first threshold; or, the duration of the X reference signal blocks is adjusted; each of the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol, and the difference between any two third time intervals is less than or equal to the first threshold; or, the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is adjusted; each of the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol, and the difference between any two adjusted adjacent reference signal blocks is less than or equal to the second threshold; or, the yth reference signal block is adjusted so that the adjusted yth reference signal block is located on the nth single carrier symbol; or, the adjusted yth reference signal block is located on the n+1th single carrier symbol; wherein the third time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the adjusted X reference signal blocks; y is less than or equal to X, and n is less than or equal to N.

[0036] Based on this possible implementation, each of the X reference signal blocks can be located on a single carrier symbol according to the above method, which can ensure that the X reference signal blocks are evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, and the accuracy of channel estimation can be guaranteed as much as possible, thereby improving communication performance. At the same time, four feasible solutions are provided to ensure that each reference signal block is located on a single carrier symbol as much as possible.

[0037] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in one possible implementation, when the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol is greater than the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the n+1th single carrier symbol, the yth reference signal block is adjusted to the nth single carrier symbol; or, when the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol is less than the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the n+1th single carrier symbol, the yth reference signal block is adjusted to the n+1th single carrier symbol.

[0038] Based on this possible implementation, the reference signal block can be placed on a single carrier symbol according to the above method. This method can only adjust the position of the yth reference signal block without adjusting the positions of the X reference signal blocks as a whole. This can improve the working efficiency of the transmitting device or the receiving device, reduce the load of the transmitting device or the receiving device, and thus improve the effectiveness of communication.

[0039] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method described in the first aspect. The communication device may be the transmitting end device described in the first aspect, or a device or component included in the transmitting end device, such as a chip.

[0040] The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above-mentioned method, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions.

[0041] In some possible implementations, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module, respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions of the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be used to implement the processing functions of the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the processing module is used to obtain a transmission frame; wherein the transmission frame occupies N single-carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks in the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and X and N are both positive integers. The transceiver module is used to send a transmission frame to a receiving device.

[0042] Optionally, the transceiver module and processing module of the communication device in the third aspect can also perform the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. Please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details. The beneficial effects that can be achieved can also be referred to the above-mentioned related content.

[0043] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method of the second aspect. The communication device may be the receiving device of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the receiving device, such as a chip.

[0044] The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above-mentioned method, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions.

[0045] In some possible implementations, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module, respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be used to implement the processing functions in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the transceiver module is used to receive a transmission frame from a transmitting device; wherein the transmission frame occupies N single-carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks in the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and X and N are both positive integers. The processing module is used to perform channel estimation based on the X reference signal blocks.

[0046] Optionally, the transceiver module and processing module of the communication device in the fourth aspect can also perform the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. Please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details. The beneficial effects that can be achieved can also be referred to the above-mentioned related content.

[0047] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor configured to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementations of any one of the aspects by executing computer instructions stored in a memory or through a logic circuit. The communication device may be a transmitting device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a device or component included in the transmitting device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be a receiving device in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the receiving device, such as a chip.

[0048] In some possible implementations, the communication device further includes a memory for storing computer instructions and / or configuration files of logic circuits. Optionally, the memory is integrated with the processor, or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is configured to input and / or output signals; and the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device may be a transmitting device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a device or component included in the transmitting device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be a receiving device in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the receiving device, such as a chip.

[0050] In some possible implementations, the communication interface is an interface circuit for reading and writing computer instructions. For example, the interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0051] In some possible implementations, the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

[0052] In some possible implementations, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system. When the device is a chip system, the chip system may include the chip, or may include the chip and other discrete devices.

[0053] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a logic circuit and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to input and / or output information; and the logic circuit is configured to execute the method described in any of the above aspects, processing the input information and / or generating output information. The communication device may be a transmitting device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a device or component included in the transmitting device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be a receiving device in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the receiving device, such as a chip.

[0054] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method described in any one of the above aspects is executed.

[0055] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which, when executed by a processor, enables the method described in any one of the above aspects to be executed.

[0056] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the third to seventh aspects is a chip, the above-mentioned sending action / function can be understood as output information, and the above-mentioned receiving action / function can be understood as input information.

[0057] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any implementation method from the third aspect to the ninth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or refer to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0058] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the transmitting device described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect and the receiving device described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] FIG1 is a frequency domain schematic diagram of a demodulation reference signal provided by the present application;

[0060] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a transmission structure provided by the present application;

[0061] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a transmission frame provided by the present application;

[0062] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0063] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system provided by the present application;

[0064] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a satellite link communication system provided by the present application;

[0065] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided by the present application;

[0066] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided by the present application;

[0067] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0068] FIG10 is an interactive diagram of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0069] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a reference signal block in a transmission frame provided by the present application;

[0070] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a reference signal block provided by the present application;

[0071] FIG13 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0072] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a reference signal block provided by the present application;

[0073] FIG15 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0074] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a reference signal block provided by the present application being located on two single-carrier symbols;

[0075] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of a reference signal block provided by the present application being located on two single-carrier symbols;

[0076] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a reference signal block provided by the present application being located on two single-carrier symbols;

[0077] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of a transmitting end device provided by the present application;

[0078] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of a receiving device provided by the present application;

[0079] FIG21 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0080] The following describes in detail the implementation of the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0081] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0082] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0083] In addition, to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

[0084] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0085] It will be understood that the “embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It will be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.

[0086] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0087] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified and there is no logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. The following description of the embodiments of this application does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0088] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0089] 1) Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)

[0090] Among them, in OFDM technology, a communication device (such as a transmitting device or a receiving device) can divide a channel into several sub-channels, convert a data signal into parallel sub-data streams, modulate them onto each sub-channel, and then form a sub-data signal for transmission.

[0091] Optionally, in a downlink channel of the fifth generation (5G) new radio / new radio (NR), the transmitting device and the receiving device may use OFDM to transmit signals.

[0092] However, OFDM has the disadvantage of a high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). Especially in future wireless communication systems, the operating frequency band will become higher and higher, and high frequencies may cause more nonlinear distortion (e.g., high PAPR).

[0093] Optionally, the transmitting device may send a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) and a data signal to the receiving device through multiple ports based on an OFDM manner.

[0094] Among them, the receiving device can perform channel estimation based on DMRS, and then correct and recover the data signal; at the same time, the receiving device can perform phase noise estimation based on the phase-tracking reference signals (PTRS) in the data signal, and then eliminate the phase noise in the data signal as much as possible to ensure the reliability of communication.

[0095] For example, Figure 1 below shows the multiplexing form of DMRS corresponding to two ports in the NR uplink within a transmission cycle. The frequency domain sequence of DMRS can be expressed as: [r(0), r(1),…, r(M / 2-2), r(M / 2-1)]. The length of the frequency domain sequence of DMRS in Figure 1 is M / 2, and the frequency domain sequences of DMRS corresponding to the two ports are cross-arranged within a transmission cycle. At the same time, the transmitting device can send DMRS and data signals to the receiving device through the discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (discrete fourier transform-spread OFDM, DFT-s-OFDM) waveform.

[0096] The DMRSs corresponding to the two ports are the same DMRS, which reduces flexibility. Furthermore, the DMRSs corresponding to the two ports are transmitted within one transmission cycle, which results in a higher delay when the receiving device performs channel estimation.

[0097] It should be noted that in the NR uplink, the OFDM mechanism only supports a maximum of two ports and cannot support more ports.

[0098] 2) Single carrier (SC)

[0099] Among them, SC means that the communication equipment uses only one carrier for signal transmission within a fixed frequency band.

[0100] Among them, SC has the advantage of low PAPR. At the same time, the receiving device has a low delay when performing signal detection on the SC signal, which can achieve fast decoding and thus shorten the decoding delay. That is, the receiving device can time-division multiplex the DMRS and data signals on a single carrier symbol, which can avoid as much as possible the situation in OFDM where DMRS and data signals are transmitted in independent transmission cycles respectively, thereby reducing the delay of channel estimation.

[0101] Therefore, SC tends to become the downlink transmission mode of the next generation of wireless communications.

[0102] 3) SC transmission structure

[0103] In the SC technology, the transmission structure of the SC can be shown in Figure 2 below. The DMRS block and the data block can be multiplexed in a single carrier symbol in the form of time division multiplexing.

[0104] The DMRS block may include a DMRS and a CP, and the data block may include a data signal and a CP.

[0105] For example, taking the CP in the DMRS block as an example, for a DMRS (or DMRS sequence) S with a length of N (such as S = [s(1), s(2), ..., s(N)]), the CP is the last L elements of the truncated DMRS (L can refer to the length of the CP), and the truncated DMRS with a length of L is added to the front of the original DMRS, that is, the added DMRS can be: S_CP = [s(NL), s(N-L+1), ..., s(N), s(1), s(2), ..., s(N)].

[0106] Among them, the signal of the cyclic prefix part is: [s(NL),s(N-L+1),…,s(N)].

[0107] Optionally, the communication device may reduce the delay of decoding by prepending the DMRS block.

[0108] Optionally, the receiving end device may perform channel estimation based on the DMRS block. Further, the receiving end device may perform phase noise estimation based on the PTRS in the data block.

[0109] 4) Transmission frame

[0110] In NR, as shown in Figure 3 below, a transmission frame can occupy 14 single carrier symbols (such as single carrier symbol 1 to single carrier symbol 14), and each single carrier symbol can include a DMRS block and a data block.

[0111] Optionally, the transmitting end device may send a transmission frame to the receiving end device, and correspondingly, the receiving end device may perform channel estimation according to the DMRS block in the transmission frame.

[0112] However, when the transmission overhead of the current transmission frame is large (ie, each single carrier symbol includes a DMRS block), how to reduce the transmission overhead of the transmission frame and improve communication performance without affecting the accuracy of channel estimation becomes a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0113] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a communication method, in which a transmitting device obtains a transmission frame; and sends the transmission frame to a receiving device; wherein the transmission frame occupies N single-carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, and the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is less than or equal to a first threshold; X is less than N, and X and N are both positive integers.

[0114] In the embodiment of the present application, different from a single carrier symbol including a reference signal block, in the present application, the transmitting end device can determine that the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, and X is less than N. Since the first time interval is less than or equal to the first threshold, the reference signal blocks can be guaranteed to be evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, thereby reducing the number of reference signal blocks while not affecting the accuracy of channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of channel estimation; at the same time, since the number of reference signal blocks is reduced, the transmission overhead can be reduced and the communication performance can be improved.

[0115] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be used in various communication systems, which may be a third generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system, for example, a fourth generation (4G), long term evolution (LTE), 5G mobile communication system, NR, or a system of hybrid networking of LTE and 5G, or a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, or a mobile communication system evolved after 5G such as the sixth generation (6G), a vehicle to everything (V2X) system, or a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine to machine (M2M) communication system, the Internet of Things (IoT), a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), other next-generation communication systems, integrated perception and communication systems, satellite communication systems, etc. The communication system may also be a non-3GPP communication system, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) system such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), without limitation.

[0116] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication scenarios, for example, it can be applied to scenarios such as perception, downlink synchronization, and channel estimation.

[0117] The above-mentioned communication systems and communication scenarios applicable to the present application are merely examples. The communication systems and communication scenarios applicable to the present application are not limited thereto, and the above description does not impose any limitation on the solutions of the present application.

[0118] For example, as shown in Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided by the present application, the communication system may include a transmitting device and a receiving device.

[0119] Among them, the communication system can complete certain functions, such as synchronization, channel estimation, or perception.

[0120] The transmitting device in FIG4 , unless otherwise specified, may refer to the transmitting device itself, a component within the transmitting device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the transmitting device. The transmitting device may be a network device or a terminal device, without limitation.

[0121] Unless otherwise specified, the receiving device in FIG4 may refer to the receiving device itself, a component within the receiving device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the receiving device. The receiving device may be a network device or a terminal device, without limitation.

[0122] Among them, the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application can be located within the beam / cell coverage of the network device, and the network device can provide communication services for the terminal device.

[0123] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device with wireless transceiver functions or a chip or chip system that can be set in the device, which can allow a user to access the network and is a device for providing voice and / or data connectivity to the user. The terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), subscriber unit (subscriber unit), terminal (terminal), mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT).

[0124] Optionally, the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may be a user-side device for implementing wireless communication functions, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in a terminal. The terminal may be a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a terminal unit, a terminal station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a wireless communication device, a terminal agent, or a terminal device in a 5G network or a public land mobile network (PLMN) evolved after 5G. The access terminal can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a drone, a robot, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE) or a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. Alternatively, the terminal may be a terminal with communication functionality in IoT, such as a terminal in V2X (e.g., a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) device), a terminal in D2D communication, or a terminal in M2M communication. The terminal may be mobile or fixed.

[0125] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can be any device deployed in an access network that can communicate wirelessly with a terminal device, or a chip or chip system that can be provided in the above-mentioned device, or a logical node or a logical module or a function implemented in software, and can be used to implement wireless physical control functions, resource scheduling and wireless resource management, wireless access control, and mobility management functions. Specifically, the network device can be a device that supports wired access or a device that supports wireless access.

[0126] Optionally, the network device in the embodiment of the present application is a device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The network device may be a node in a radio access network (RAN), or may be a base station, which may be referred to as a radio access network node (or device).

[0127] For example, the network device may include an evolved NodeB (eNB) or e-NodeB in an LTE system or an enhanced LTE (LTE-advanced, LTE-A) system, such as a traditional macro eNB and a micro eNB in ​​a heterogeneous network scenario. Alternatively, it may include a next-generation node B (gNB) in an NR system. Alternatively, it may include a transmission reception point (TRP), a home base station (e.g., a home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a baseband pool (BBU pool), or a Wi-Fi access point (AP). Alternatively, it may include a base station in an NTN, which may be deployed on an aircraft or a satellite. In the NTN, the network device may function as a Layer 1 (L1) relay, a base station, or an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Alternatively, the network device may be a device that implements a base station function in IoT, such as a device that implements a base station function in drone communications, V2X, D2D, or machine to machine (M2M).

[0128] A network device may also be a module or unit that implements some of the functions of a base station. For example, a network device may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0129] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the network device may be a network device or a module of a network device in an open radio access network (open RAN, ORAN) system. In the ORAN system, CU may also be referred to as open (open, O)-CU, DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0130] Optionally, the base station in the embodiment of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, home base stations, TRPs, transmitting points (TPs), or mobile switching centers, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0131] Based on the above description of network devices and terminal devices, this application proposes several possible application scenarios:

[0132] The first possible application scenario can be a satellite communication system (e.g., communication between a satellite and a terminal device), as shown in Figure 5 below. The network device can be a satellite base station, and the terminal device can be a smartphone, smartwatch, tablet computer, etc. The satellite base station can provide communication services for the terminal device, that is, the satellite base station transmits downlink data to the terminal device, and the terminal device transmits uplink data to the satellite base station.

[0133] The second possible application scenario is a traditional inter-satellite link communication system (i.e., communication between satellites (e.g., Satellite 1 and Satellite 2)). As shown in Figure 6 below, this system can be divided into two major parts: the acquisition, pointing, and tracking (APT) subsystem and the communication subsystem. The communication subsystem includes a communication module and transceiver antennas, while the APT subsystem includes an APT module and an APT transmit / receive module.

[0134] Among them, the communication subsystem is the main body of the inter-satellite communication system, which is mainly responsible for the transmission of information between satellites; the APT subsystem is responsible for the capture, alignment and tracking between satellites. For capture, the APT subsystem can determine the incoming direction of the incident signal; for alignment, the APT subsystem can adjust the sending wave to aim at the receiving direction; for tracking, during the entire communication process, the APT subsystem can continuously adjust the alignment and capture.

[0135] A third possible application scenario may be a wireless communication system such as cellular communication, as shown in FIG7 below. The network device may be a base station. As shown in FIG7 (a), one base station may serve multiple terminal devices. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG7 (b), one terminal device may communicate with multiple base stations.

[0136] A fourth possible application scenario may be a wireless communication system such as a wireless local area network, as shown in FIG8 below. The network device may be an AP, as shown in FIG8 (a), one AP may serve multiple terminal devices, and correspondingly, as shown in FIG8 (b), one terminal device may communicate with multiple APs.

[0137] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present application is intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0138] In specific implementations, each transmitting device and receiving device shown in Figure 4 may adopt the structure shown in Figure 9, or include the components shown in Figure 9. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 90 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 90 may be a transmitting device or a chip or system-on-chip in the transmitting device; or a receiving device or a chip or system-on-chip in the receiving device.

[0139] As shown in FIG9 , the communication device 90 includes one or more processors 901. Furthermore, the communication device 90 may also include a communication bus 902 and at least one communication interface ( FIG9 is merely exemplary, illustrating the communication device 90 including a communication interface 904 and one processor 901). Optionally, the communication device 90 may also include a memory 903.

[0140] Processor 901 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application, or a processing core for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions). The processor can be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor.

[0141] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 901 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 9 .

[0142] Communication bus 902 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, for example. This bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, or the like. For ease of illustration, FIG9 shows only one thick line, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or type of bus. Communication bus 902 is used to connect the various components within communication device 90, enabling communication and interaction between the various components within communication device 90.

[0143] The communication interface 904 may be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or a communication network, such as Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), or a wireless local area network (WLAN). For example, the communication interface 904 may be a device such as a transceiver or a transceiver. Alternatively, the communication interface 904 may be a transceiver circuit within the processor 901 for implementing signal input and output to the processor.

[0144] The memory 903 may be a device having a storage function. For example, it may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor via a communication bus 902. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0145] Exemplarily, the memory 903 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 901. The processor 901 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 903, thereby implementing the method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0146] Alternatively, optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the processor 901 may also perform processing-related functions in the method provided in the following embodiments of the present application, and the communication interface 904 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0147] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0148] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 90 may further include an output device 905 and an input device 906. The output device 905 communicates with the processor 901 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 905 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 906 communicates with the processor 901 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 906 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0149] It should be noted that the composition structure shown in Figure 9 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 9, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0150] The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the transmitting end device or the receiving end device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiment of the present application, and these steps or operations are merely examples. The embodiment of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the various steps can be performed in different orders presented in the embodiment of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiment of the present application need to be performed.

[0151] As shown in Figure 10, it is an interaction diagram of a communication method provided by the present application. The communication method is explained by taking the interaction between a transmitting device and a receiving device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the action of the transmitting device in the method can also be a device / module in the transmitting device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the transmitting device; the subject that executes the action of the receiving device in the method can also be a device / module in the receiving device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the receiving device, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. The processing performed by a single execution subject (for example, a transmitting device or a receiving device) in the embodiment of the present application can also be divided into executions by multiple execution subjects, and these execution subjects can be logically and / or physically separated. Exemplarily, referring to Figure 10, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0152] S1001. The sending device obtains a transmission frame.

[0153] The transmission frame in S1001 occupies N single-carrier symbols.

[0154] Wherein, N is a positive integer.

[0155] Exemplarily, taking N as 14 as an example, as shown in FIG11 , a transmission frame may occupy 14 single-carrier symbols.

[0156] It can be understood that, unlike NR in which the transmission frame occupies a fixed number of single-carrier symbols, the transmitting device in this application can determine the number of single-carrier symbols occupied by the transmission frame based on actual communication conditions and communication requirements.

[0157] The transmission frame in S1001 may include X reference signal blocks, and the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0158] The first time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the X reference signal blocks.

[0159] Wherein, X is less than N, and X is a positive integer.

[0160] Optionally, the transmission frame may also include a data block.

[0161] Optionally, the reference signal block may be determined based on the reference signal and one or more of the following: a cyclic prefix, a guard interval, or a fixed codeword.

[0162] The reference signal may be a DMRS or any other reference signal without limitation.

[0163] As shown in FIG12 below, this application proposes several possible implementations based on the internal structure of the reference signal block:

[0164] In a first possible implementation, the reference signal block may include a CP, a reference signal, and a GI.

[0165] In a second possible implementation, the reference signal block may include a GI, a reference signal, and a GI.

[0166] In a third possible implementation, the reference signal block may include a UW, a reference signal, and a UW.

[0167] Based on the above three possible implementations, several feasible solutions are provided for the composition of the reference signal block, which can enable the reference signal block to be applied to various communication scenarios and meet different communication requirements.

[0168] The first threshold may be determined according to actual communication conditions and communication scenarios.

[0169] Exemplarily, the first threshold may be 0, that is, any two first time intervals are completely equal, and it can be considered that the X reference signal blocks are evenly distributed on the transmission frame; alternatively, the first threshold may not be 0, that is, any two first time intervals are less than the first threshold, and it can also be considered that the X reference signal blocks are evenly distributed on the transmission frame.

[0170] For example, taking the first threshold as 1ms as an example, assuming that the time interval between reference signal block 1 and reference signal block 2 is 9ms, the time interval between reference signal block 2 and reference signal block 3 is 9ms, and the time interval between reference signal block 3 and reference signal block 4 is 10ms. Since the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to 1ms, reference signal block 1, reference signal block 2, reference signal block 3, and reference signal block 4 are evenly distributed on the transmission frame.

[0171] Optionally, X may be determined based on one or more of the following: channel status, or first configuration information. This application proposes several possible embodiments:

[0172] In a first possible embodiment, X may be determined according to a channel state.

[0173] The transmitting end device may receive a first reference signal from the receiving end device, and the transmitting end device may determine a channel state of the channel according to the first reference signal.

[0174] Exemplarily, when the channel state is better (such as the interference is less than the third threshold), the transmitting device can determine that the value of X is smaller; when the channel state is worse (such as the interference is greater than or equal to the third threshold), the transmitting device can determine that the value of X is larger.

[0175] The third threshold may be determined according to actual communication conditions or communication scenarios.

[0176] For example, as shown in Figure 11 below, X is 5 and N is 14.

[0177] In a second possible embodiment, X may be determined according to the first configuration information.

[0178] The first configuration information is used to indicate the number X of reference signal blocks.

[0179] The first configuration information may be predefined, or the first configuration information may be configured by the network device, without limitation.

[0180] For example, taking the first configuration information as a predefined example, when the first configuration information indicates that the number of reference signal blocks is 10, X is 10; when the first configuration information indicates that the number of reference signal blocks is 8, X is 8.

[0181] Based on the two possible embodiments described above, X can be determined based on the channel state or the first configuration information, providing two feasible solutions for the transmitting device to determine X. When X can be determined based on the channel state, the transmitting device can dynamically determine X based on the channel state, thereby improving the flexibility of determining X. Furthermore, the transmitting device can determine X based on actual communication conditions, thereby improving communication reliability. When X can be determined based on the first configuration information, the transmitting device can statically determine X based on the first configuration information, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the transmitting device, reducing the load on the transmitting device, and improving communication effectiveness.

[0182] S1002: The transmitting device sends a transmission frame to the receiving device; correspondingly, the receiving device receives the transmission frame from the transmitting device.

[0183] S1003: The receiving end device performs channel estimation according to X reference signal blocks.

[0184] The receiving device may obtain a channel estimation result based on the channel estimation.

[0185] Optionally, when the transmission frame may also include a data block, the receiving device may perform signal detection on the data block based on the result of the channel estimation, which may improve the reliability of the receiving device's signal detection on the data block and thereby improve communication performance.

[0186] Based on the method shown in Figures 10 to 12, the transmitting device can determine that the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, and X is less than N. Since the first time interval is less than or equal to the first threshold, the reference signal blocks can be guaranteed to be evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, thereby reducing the number of reference signal blocks without affecting the accuracy of channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of channel estimation. At the same time, since the number of reference signal blocks is reduced, the transmission overhead can be reduced and the communication performance can be improved.

[0187] Based on the communication method shown in Figures 10 to 12 above, optionally, the transmitting device can also send first indication information to the receiving device; correspondingly, the receiving device can receive the first indication information from the transmitting device, and the receiving device can determine the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block based on the first indication information.

[0188] The first indication information may be used to indicate one or more of the following: the starting time of the first reference signal block, or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block.

[0189] It should be noted that the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block can also be predefined, or the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block can also be determined by the network device without restriction.

[0190] Furthermore, the receiving device may determine the positions of the X reference signal blocks in the transmission frame based on the starting time of the first reference signal block and the starting time of the Xth reference signal block according to the method shown in FIG. 13 below, which is not described in detail here.

[0191] It can be understood that the transmitting device can dynamically determine the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block according to the actual communication scenario, which can increase flexibility and thus improve the reliability of communication; at the same time, the transmitting device sends a first indication information to the receiving device, which can enable the receiving device to determine the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block according to the first indication information, providing a feasible solution for the receiving device to determine the starting time of the first reference signal block and / or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block.

[0192] Based on the above description of the transmission frame and the X reference signal blocks, as shown in FIG13 below, the present application further proposes a method for determining the positions of the X reference signal blocks in the transmission frame, which can ensure that the X reference signal blocks are evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, without affecting the accuracy of the channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0193] For the convenience of description, the present application may define the parameters as follows, as shown in Table 1:

[0194] Table 1 Parameter definition

[0195] It should be noted that the durations of any two reference signal blocks may be the same or different, without limitation.

[0196] In FIG13 , the specific steps of determining the positions of the X reference signal blocks within the transmission frame may be as follows:

[0197] S1301. The transmitting end device determines the starting time of the first reference signal block.

[0198] The starting time of the first reference signal block may be any time within the transmission frame.

[0199] For example, the starting time of the first reference signal block may be the starting time of the first single carrier symbol, or may be other time.

[0200] Optionally, the starting time of the first reference signal block may be any time within the transmission frame, which may be predefined and may be determined by a network device without limitation.

[0201] The starting time of the first reference signal block can be any time within the transmission frame, and the selectable value range of the starting time of the first reference signal block can be wider, which can improve the flexibility of determining the starting time of the first reference signal block.

[0202] S1302: The transmitting end device determines that the starting time of the xth reference signal block is on the nth single carrier symbol.

[0203] Wherein, x=1, 2, ..., X, and n is less than or equal to N.

[0204] Alternatively, n can be determined based on x, X, and N.

[0205] Exemplarily, n can be determined according to the first difference and the first value.

[0206] The first difference is the difference between x and 1, and the first value is the result of rounding up the ratio of N to X.

[0207] For example, n can satisfy the following formula:

[0208] Wherein, upper(·) means rounding up.

[0209] It can be understood that the transmitting device can determine the single carrier symbol corresponding to the reference signal block according to S1302, and can ensure that the reference signal block is evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, without affecting the accuracy of the channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of the channel estimation, providing a feasible solution for determining the single carrier symbol corresponding to the reference signal block.

[0210] S1303: The transmitting end device determines a starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol.

[0211] Wherein, x=1, 2, ..., X, and n is less than or equal to N.

[0212] Optionally, the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol can be determined according to x, N, X, the starting time of the first reference signal block, and the duration of the single carrier symbol.

[0213] Exemplarily, the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol may be determined according to the product of the first difference and the second difference, and the starting time of the first reference signal block.

[0214] The second difference is the difference between the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks and the first product; the first product is the product of the first value and the duration of the single carrier symbol; and the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is equal.

[0215] For example, the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol may satisfy the following formula:

[0216] Wherein, T1 is the starting time of the first reference signal block.

[0217] Where Δ is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks. This application proposes two possible implementations based on determining the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks:

[0218] In a first possible implementation, the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is predefined.

[0219] The transmitting end device may determine the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks according to a predefined duration.

[0220] In a second possible implementation, the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks may be determined according to X, N, the duration of a single carrier symbol, the start time of the first reference signal block, and the start time of the Xth reference signal block.

[0221] The start time of the Xth reference signal block may be determined according to the end time of the Xth reference signal block and the duration of the Xth reference signal block.

[0222] The end time of the Xth reference signal block may be any time within the transmission frame, or the end time of the Xth reference signal block may be the end time of the Nth single carrier symbol of the transmission frame.

[0223] Exemplarily, the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks can be determined according to the second value and X.

[0224] The second value is determined based on X, the first product, the starting time of the Xth reference signal block, and the starting time of the first reference signal block; the first product is the product of the first value and the duration of the single carrier symbol; and the first value is the result of rounding up the ratio of N to X.

[0225] For example, the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks may satisfy the following formula:

[0226] Wherein, upper(·) is rounded up, TX is the starting time of the Xth reference signal block, and T1 is the starting time of the first reference signal block.

[0227] It can be understood that the starting time of the Xth reference signal block can be predefined or determined by the network device, and there is no limitation.

[0228] Based on the above two possible implementations, two feasible solutions are provided for determining the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks; when the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is predefined, the transmitting device or the receiving device can directly determine the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks, which can effectively improve the working efficiency of the transmitting device or the receiving device and improve the effectiveness of communication; when the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is determined according to the second numerical value and X, the transmitting device or the receiving device can dynamically determine the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks according to the actual communication situation, which can improve flexibility and improve the reliability of communication.

[0229] It can be understood that the transmitting device can determine the starting time of the xth reference signal on n single-carrier symbols according to S1303, and can ensure that the reference signal blocks are evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, without affecting the accuracy of channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of channel estimation, providing a feasible solution for the transmitting device to determine the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single-carrier symbol.

[0230] Based on the method shown in FIG. 13 , the present application proposes a possible embodiment. Taking the first reference signal block in the first single carrier symbol as an example, the positions of the X reference signal blocks in the transmission frame can be represented by Table 2:

[0231] Table 2 Position of reference signal blocks in the transmission frame

[0232] Based on the method shown in FIG13 , the transmitting device can determine the position of the reference signal block on the transmission frame, and can ensure that the reference signal block is evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the channel estimation and improving the communication performance.

[0233] Optionally, the transmitting device may "pack" all data blocks in the transmission frame between the first reference signal block and the Xth reference signal block.

[0234] Exemplarily, the transmitting device can determine the starting time of the first reference signal block as the starting time of the first single carrier symbol of the transmission frame, and determine the ending time of the Xth reference signal block as the ending time of the Nth single carrier symbol of the transmission frame, as shown in Figure 14 below.

[0235] It can be understood that when the data block in the transmission frame is "packed" between the first reference signal block and the Xth reference signal block, the situation where the reference signal block spans a single carrier symbol (that is, the xth reference signal block is on the nth single carrier symbol and the n+1th single carrier symbol) can be avoided as much as possible, which can reduce the decoding delay and thus improve the communication performance.

[0236] Based on determining the position of the x-th reference signal block in the transmission frame shown in FIG14 , this application proposes two possible designs:

[0237] In one possible design, the position of the x-th reference signal block shown in FIG14 within the transmission frame may be determined according to the method shown in FIG13 above, as shown in the following Table 3:

[0238] Table 3 Position of reference signal blocks in transmission frame

[0239] In another possible design, the position of the x-th reference signal block shown in FIG. 14 within the transmission frame may also be determined by referring to the method shown in FIG. 15 below. The specific steps are as follows:

[0240] S1501: The transmitting device determines a second time interval.

[0241] The second time interval is the time interval between the start time of the transmission frame and the start time of the transmission frame of the x-th reference signal block.

[0242] Where x = 1, 2, …, X.

[0243] Optionally, the second time interval may be determined according to x, X, N, the duration of a single carrier symbol, and the duration of the xth reference signal block.

[0244] Exemplarily, the second time interval may be the product of the first ratio and the first difference.

[0245] The first difference is the difference between x and 1, and the first ratio is the ratio of the third difference to the fourth difference.

[0246] The third difference is the difference between the second product and the duration of the x-th reference signal block, the second product is the product of N and the duration of the single carrier symbol; the fourth difference is the difference between X and 1.

[0247] For example, the second time interval may satisfy the following formula:

[0248] Among them, S x is the time interval between the start time of the transmission frame and the start time of the transmission frame of the x-th reference signal block.

[0249] It can be understood that S1501 can directly determine the starting time of the reference signal block at the transmission frame, which can improve the effectiveness of communication.

[0250] Optionally, the transmitting end device may further determine the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol and the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol according to the second time interval.

[0251] S1502: The transmitting end device determines that the starting time of the xth reference signal block is on the nth single carrier symbol.

[0252] Wherein, x=1, 2, ..., X, and n is less than or equal to N.

[0253] Optionally, n may be determined according to the second time interval and the duration of a single carrier symbol.

[0254] Exemplarily, n may be a result of rounding down the ratio of the second time interval to the duration of a single carrier symbol.

[0255] For example, n can satisfy the following formula:

[0256] Where floor(·) means rounding down.

[0257] It can be understood that the transmitting device can determine the single carrier symbol corresponding to the reference signal according to the second time interval. S1502 provides another feasible solution for determining the single carrier symbol corresponding to the reference signal block. At the same time, it can ensure that the reference signal block is evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, without affecting the accuracy of the channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of the channel estimation, thereby improving the performance of communication.

[0258] S1503: The transmitting end device determines a starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol.

[0259] Wherein, x=1, 2, ..., X, and n is less than or equal to N.

[0260] Optionally, the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol may be based on the second time interval, n, and the duration of the single carrier symbol.

[0261] Exemplarily, the starting time of the xth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol is the difference between the second time interval and the third product.

[0262] The third product is the product of n and the duration of a single carrier symbol.

[0263] For example, the starting time of the xth reference signal within the nth single carrier symbol may satisfy the following formula:

[0264] Where floor(·) means rounding down.

[0265] It can be understood that the transmitting device can determine the starting time of the reference signal block on the single carrier symbol according to the second time interval, and can ensure that the reference signal block is evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, without affecting the accuracy of the channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of the channel estimation. S1503 provides another feasible solution for determining the starting time of the reference signal block on the single carrier symbol.

[0266] Based on the method shown in Figure 15, the transmitting device can determine the position of the reference signal block on the transmission frame under a specific scenario (the starting time of the first reference signal block can be the starting time of the first single carrier symbol of the transmission frame, and the ending time of the Xth reference signal block can be the ending time of the Nth single carrier symbol of the transmission frame). This can ensure that the reference signal blocks are evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, will not affect the accuracy of the channel estimation, and can even improve the accuracy of the channel estimation, providing another feasible solution for determining the position of the reference signal block on the transmission frame.

[0267] Based on the methods shown in Figures 10 to 15, the reference signal block can be guaranteed to be within a single carrier symbol as much as possible. However, there may still be a situation where the reference signal block is on two single carrier symbols, as shown in Figure 16 below. The starting part of the yth reference signal block is on the nth single carrier symbol, and the ending part of the yth reference signal is on the n+1th single carrier symbol. The present application proposes several possible embodiments to ensure that the yth reference signal block is within a single carrier symbol as much as possible.

[0268] Where y is less than or equal to X, and n is less than or equal to N.

[0269] In a first possible embodiment, the transmitting device may adjust the start time of the first reference signal block; each of the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol, and the difference between any two third time intervals is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0270] The third time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks in the adjusted X reference signal blocks.

[0271] In a first exemplary embodiment, when the starting time of the first reference signal block is any time within the transmission frame, the transmitting device can randomly determine the starting time of the first reference signal block (such as t1), and then determine whether each reference signal block in the X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol. If each reference signal block is located on a single carrier symbol, t1 is used as the starting time of the first reference signal block; if there are still one or more reference signal blocks located on two single carrier symbols, the starting time of the first reference signal block needs to be re-determined (such as t2).

[0272] In the second exemplary embodiment, when the starting time of the first reference signal block is the starting time of the first single carrier symbol of the transmission frame (i.e., the starting time of the first reference signal block is 0ms), the transmitting end device can determine the starting time of the first single carrier symbol as 1ms, and then determine whether each reference signal block in the X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol. If each reference signal block is located on a single carrier symbol, 1ms is used as the starting time of the first reference signal block; if there are one or more reference signal blocks located on two single carrier symbols, the starting time of the first reference signal block needs to be re-determined (e.g., 2ms).

[0273] It can be understood that when the starting time of the first reference signal block is any time within the transmission frame, the starting time of the first reference signal block can also be determined according to the method in the second example; when the starting time of the first reference signal block is the starting time of the first single carrier symbol of the transmission frame, the starting time of the first reference signal block can also be determined according to the method in the first example.

[0274] In a second possible embodiment, the transmitting device may adjust the duration of the X reference signal blocks; each reference signal block in the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol, and the difference between any two third time intervals is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0275] In a third possible embodiment, the transmitting device may adjust the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks; each of the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol, and the difference between the time intervals between any two adjusted adjacent reference signal blocks is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0276] The transmitting end device may increase or decrease the time interval between two adjacent reference signal blocks so that the difference between any two adjusted time intervals between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is less than or equal to the second threshold (which may also be the first threshold), thereby ensuring that each of the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol.

[0277] In a fourth possible embodiment, the transmitting device may adjust the yth reference signal block, and the adjusted yth reference signal block is located on the nth single carrier symbol; or the adjusted yth reference signal block is located on the n+1th single carrier symbol.

[0278] The first exemplary one is shown in FIG17 below. When the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol is greater than the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the n+1th single carrier symbol, the transmitting device may adjust the yth reference signal block to the nth single carrier symbol.

[0279] The second exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG18 below, is when the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol is less than the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the n+1th single carrier symbol, the transmitting device may adjust the yth reference signal block to the n+1th single carrier symbol.

[0280] In the third exemplary embodiment, when the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol is equal to the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the n+1th single carrier symbol, the transmitting device can adjust the yth reference signal block to the nth single carrier symbol, or adjust the yth reference signal block to the n+1th single carrier symbol, which can be determined based on the actual communication scenario or communication situation.

[0281] Based on the above three examples, the reference signal block can be placed on a single carrier symbol according to the above method. This method can only adjust the position of the yth reference signal block without adjusting the positions of the X reference signal blocks as a whole. This can improve the working efficiency of the transmitting device or the receiving device, reduce the load of the transmitting device or the receiving device, and thus improve the effectiveness of communication.

[0282] Based on the above four possible embodiments, each of the X reference signal blocks can be located on a single carrier symbol according to the above method, which can ensure that the X reference signal blocks are evenly distributed on the transmission frame as much as possible, and the accuracy of channel estimation can be ensured as much as possible, thereby improving communication performance.

[0283] It can be understood that the receiving device can determine the position of the reference signal block on the transmission frame based on the indication information of the transmitting device, or it can determine the position of the reference signal block on the transmission frame according to the method shown in Figure 13 or Figure 15 above.

[0284] It should be noted that the various embodiments of this application can be implemented independently or in combination, without limitation. Unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions of the different embodiments provided in this application are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0285] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the execution subject may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the various steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed.

[0286] The above mainly introduces the solutions provided by this application from the perspective of interaction between various devices. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which is used to implement the various methods described above. The communication device can be the transmitting device in the above method embodiments, or a device including the above transmitting device, or a component that can be used for the transmitting device; alternatively, the communication device can be the receiving device involved in the above method embodiments, or a device including the receiving device, or a component that can be used for the receiving device.

[0287] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0288] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0289] In one implementation scenario, taking the communication device as the transmitting end device in the above method embodiment as an example, FIG19 shows a schematic structural diagram of a transmitting end device 190. The transmitting end device 190 includes a processing module 1901 and a transceiver module 1902.

[0290] In some embodiments, the sending device 190 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 19 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0291] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1902, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is configured to implement a transmitting and / or receiving function. The transceiver module 1902 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0292] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1902 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the sending end device in the above method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described herein; the processing module 1901 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, generation, etc.) performed by the sending end device in the above method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described herein.

[0293] Exemplarily, the processing module 1901 is used to obtain a transmission frame; wherein the transmission frame occupies N single-carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the first time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and X and N are both positive integers; the transceiver module 1902 is used to send the transmission frame to the receiving device.

[0294] In this application, the transmitting device 190 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0295] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may conceive that the transmitting device 190 may take the form of the communication apparatus 90 shown in FIG. 9 .

[0296] As an example, the functions / implementation process of the processing module 1901 in FIG19 can be implemented by the processor 901 in the communication device 90 shown in FIG9 calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 903. The functions / implementation process of the transceiver module 1902 in FIG19 can be implemented by the communication interface 904 in the communication device 90 shown in FIG9.

[0297] In some embodiments, when the transmitting device 190 in Figure 19 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1902 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1901 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0298] Since the transmitting device 190 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0299] In another implementation scenario, taking the communication device as the receiving end device in the above method embodiment as an example, FIG20 shows a schematic structural diagram of a receiving end device 200. The receiving end device 200 includes a processing module 2001 and a transceiver module 2002.

[0300] In some embodiments, the receiving device 200 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 20 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0301] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2002, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is configured to implement a transmitting and / or receiving function. The transceiver module 2002 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0302] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2002 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the receiving device in the above method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described in this document; the processing module 2001 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, generation, etc.) performed by the receiving device in the above method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described in this document.

[0303] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 2002 is configured to receive a transmission frame from a transmitting device; wherein the transmission frame occupies N single-carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and both X and N are positive integers; and the processing module 2001 is configured to perform channel estimation based on the X reference signal blocks.

[0304] In this application, the receiving device 200 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0305] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may conceive that the receiving device 200 may take the form of the communication device 90 shown in FIG. 9 .

[0306] As an example, the functions / implementation process of the processing module 2001 in FIG20 can be implemented by the processor 901 in the communication device 90 shown in FIG9 calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 903. The functions / implementation process of the transceiver module 2002 in FIG20 can be implemented by the communication interface 904 in the communication device 90 shown in FIG9.

[0307] In some embodiments, when the receiving device 200 in Figure 20 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 2002 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 2001 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0308] Since the receiving device 200 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0309] As a possible product form, the transmitting device or receiving device described in the embodiments of the present application can also be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits that can perform the various functions described throughout this application.

[0310] As another possible product form, the transmitting device or receiving device described in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to Figure 21, which is a structural diagram of a communication device 210 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 210 includes a processor 2101 and a transceiver 2102. The communication device 210 can be a transmitting device, or a chip or module therein; or, the communication device 210 can be a receiving device, or a chip or module therein. Figure 21 only shows the main components of the communication device 210. In addition to the processor 2101 and the transceiver 2102, the communication device may further include a memory 2103.

[0311] Optionally, the processor 2101 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process software program data. The memory 2103 is primarily used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 2102 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0312] Optionally, the processor 2101 , the transceiver 2102 , and the memory 2103 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0313] When the communication device is turned on, the processor 2101 can read the software program in the memory 2103, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 2101 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 2101. The processor 2101 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0314] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be provided independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be remotely arranged independent of the communication device.

[0315] In some embodiments, the present application also provides a communication device, which includes a processor, configured to implement the method in any of the above method embodiments. The communication device may be a transmitting device or a receiving device in the above method embodiments.

[0316] As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, and the processor may invoke the instructions in the computer program stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute any of the above-described method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be located in the communication device.

[0317] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, and the interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0318] As another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, where the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

[0319] It can be understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0320] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0321] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0322] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, devices, and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0323] It is understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in this application may also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interface, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0324] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the objectives of this embodiment as needed.

[0325] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0326] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes (or functions) described in the embodiments of the present application are implemented. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more media that can be integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state drive (SSD)). In the embodiment of the present application, the computer may include the aforementioned device.

[0327] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other changes to the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0328] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Acquire a transmission frame; wherein the transmission frame occupies N single carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first time interval is a time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and both X and N are positive integers; The transmission frame is sent to a receiving device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending first indication information to the receiving end device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the starting time of the first reference signal block, or the starting time of the Xth reference signal block.

3. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receive a transmission frame from a transmitting end device; wherein the transmission frame occupies N single carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first time interval is a time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and both X and N are positive integers; Channel estimation is performed according to the X reference signal blocks.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving first indication information from the transmitting end device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: a starting time of a first reference signal block, or a starting time of an Xth reference signal block; Positions of the X reference signal blocks in the transmission frame are determined according to the first indication information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The X is determined according to one or more of the following: a channel state, or first configuration information; wherein the first configuration information is used to indicate the number X of the reference signal blocks; and the first configuration information is predefined or determined by a network device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The reference signal block is determined according to a reference signal and one or more of the following: a cyclic prefix, a guard interval, or a fixed codeword.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The reference signal block includes the cyclic prefix, the reference signal, and the guard interval; or, The reference signal block includes the guard interval, the reference signal, and the guard interval; or, The reference signal block includes the fixed codeword, the reference signal, and the fixed codeword.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The starting time of the xth reference signal block is at the nth single carrier symbol; wherein, n is determined according to a first difference and a first numerical value; x=1, 2, ..., X, and n is less than or equal to N; the first difference is the difference between x and 1, and the first numerical value is the result of rounding up the ratio of N to X.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The starting time of the x-th reference signal block on the n-th single carrier symbol is determined according to the product of the first difference and the second difference, and the starting time of the first reference signal block; Among them, the second difference is the difference between the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks and the first product; the first product is the product of the first value and the duration of the single carrier symbol; the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is equal.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is predefined; or, The time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks is determined according to a second value and X, wherein the second value is determined according to X, the first product, the starting time of the Xth reference signal block, and the starting time of the first reference signal block; the first product is the product of the first value and the duration of the single carrier symbol; and the first value is the result of rounding up the ratio of N to X.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The starting time of the first reference signal block is the starting time of the first single carrier symbol of the transmission frame; or, The starting time of the first reference signal block is any time in the transmission frame.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that When the starting time of the first reference signal block is the starting time of the first single carrier symbol of the transmission frame, The second time interval is the product of the first ratio and the first difference; wherein the second time interval is the time interval between the start time of the x-th reference signal block at the transmission frame and the start time of the transmission frame; x=1, 2, ..., X; the first difference is the difference between x and 1, the first ratio is the ratio of the third difference to the fourth difference, the third difference is the difference between the second product and the duration of the x-th reference signal block, the second product is the product of N and the duration of the single carrier symbol; the fourth difference is the difference between X and 1.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The starting time of the x-th reference signal block is at the n-th single carrier symbol; wherein n is the result of rounding down the ratio of the second time interval to the duration of the single carrier symbol; and n is less than or equal to N.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The starting time of the xth reference signal on the nth single carrier symbol is the difference between the second time interval and a third product, and the third product is the product of n and the duration of the single carrier symbol.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that: The end time of the Xth reference signal block is the end time of the Nth single carrier symbol of the transmission frame; or, The end time of the Xth reference signal block is any time within the transmission frame.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that: When the yth reference signal block is on the nth single carrier symbol and the (n+1)th single carrier symbol, the method further includes: adjusting the starting time of the first reference signal block; each of the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol, and the difference between any two third time intervals is less than or equal to the first threshold; or, adjusting the duration of the X reference signal blocks; each of the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol, and the difference between any two third time intervals is less than or equal to the first threshold; or, Adjusting the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks; each of the adjusted X reference signal blocks is located on a single carrier symbol, and the difference between the time intervals between any two adjusted adjacent reference signal blocks is less than or equal to a second threshold; or, The yth reference signal block is adjusted, and the adjusted yth reference signal block is located on the nth single carrier symbol; or the adjusted yth reference signal block is located on the (n+1)th single carrier symbol; The third time interval is the time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the adjusted X reference signal blocks; y is less than or equal to X, and n is less than or equal to N.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that When the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol is longer than the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the (n+1)th single carrier symbol, adjusting the yth reference signal block to the nth single carrier symbol; or, When the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the nth single carrier symbol is less than the duration occupied by the yth reference signal block on the n+1th single carrier symbol, the yth reference signal block is adjusted to the n+1th single carrier symbol.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a processing module, configured to obtain a transmission frame; wherein the transmission frame occupies N single carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first time interval is a time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and both X and N are positive integers; The transceiver module is used to send the transmission frame to the receiving device.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module, configured to receive a transmission frame from a transmitting end device; wherein the transmission frame occupies N single carrier symbols, the transmission frame includes X reference signal blocks, the difference between any two first time intervals is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first time interval is a time interval between any two adjacent reference signal blocks among the X reference signal blocks; X is less than N, and both X and N are positive integers; The processing module is used to perform channel estimation according to the X reference signal blocks.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs. When the computer instructions or programs are executed on a computer, the sending device executes the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-2 and 5-17, or the receiving device executes the communication method as described in any one of claims 3-17.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are executed, the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-2, 5-17 is executed, or the communication method as described in any one of claims 3-17 is executed.

22. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes a transmitting device and a receiving device; wherein the transmitting device is used to execute the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-2 and 5-17, and the receiving device is used to execute the communication method as described in any one of claims 3-17.

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