Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method and a communication device. The method comprises: generating a first sequence of reference signals; the first sequence is mapped to M frequency domain resource units on K antenna ports, M positions of the M frequency domain resource units are indicated by a second sequence, the second sequence is generated according to a first parameter set, M and K are positive integers, and M is larger than or equal to K. Compared with predefining the position of the frequency domain resource unit for the reference signal, generating the second sequence according to the first parameter set enables the process of determining the reference signal pattern to be more flexible.

Description

Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 503,278 entitled “A METHOD AND APPARATUS OF PILOT DESIGN” filed on May 19, 2023, and claims priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent Application.

[0002] The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] In a wireless communication system, a reference signal can be transmitted between a transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus for channel estimation. The transmitting apparatus that transmits the reference signal can map a reference signal sequence onto specific physical resources, which can be referred to as reference signal resources. The locations of the reference signal resources are known to both the transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus that receives the reference signal. The locations of the reference signal can be referred to as a reference signal pattern. The receiving apparatus can perform channel estimation based on the received reference signal.

[0005] In current wireless communication systems, the antenna ports used for reference signals and the locations of the time-frequency domain resources associated with each antenna port are predefined. However, as the communication system evolves, this predefined resource allocation approach can no longer be suitable or can have issues. For example, in newer systems, an increase in the number of antenna ports that support the transmission of reference signals can result in a large amount of resources that need to be predefined for reference signals.

[0006] Therefore, how to determine the reference signal pattern becomes a problem to be solved. SUMMARY Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication apparatus. These technical solutions can make the process of determining the reference signal pattern more flexible.

[0007] According to a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be performed by a transmitting apparatus. The method comprises: generating a first sequence of a reference signal; mapping the first sequence onto M frequency domain resource units on K antenna ports, wherein M positions of the M frequency domain resource units are indicated by a second sequence, the second sequence is generated according to a first parameter set, M and K are positive integers, and M≥K.

[0008] According to a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be performed by a receiving device. The method comprises: receiving a reference signal, wherein a first sequence of the reference signal is mapped onto M frequency domain resource units on K antenna ports, M positions of the M frequency domain resource units are indicated by a second sequence, the second sequence is generated according to at least a first parameter set, M and K are positive integers, and M≥K.

[0009] In the present application, the transmitting device can determine the M positions of the M frequency domain resource units by determining the second sequence, and associate the M frequency domain resource units with the K antenna ports. The second sequence is generated according to at least the first parameter set, that is, compared with predefining the positions of the frequency domain resource units of the reference signal, generating the second sequence according to the first parameter set makes the process of determining the reference signal pattern more flexible.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first parameter set comprises one or more of the following: an identifier of a terminal device; a density of the reference signal; a size of a bandwidth, wherein the bandwidth comprises the M frequency domain resource units; a position of the bandwidth; a communication environment parameter; time domain information, wherein the time domain information indicates time domain resource units associated with the M frequency domain resource units; and spatial domain information, wherein the spatial domain information indicates P antenna ports supporting transmission of the reference signal, P being a positive integer.

[0011] In the present application, the transmitting device can generate the second sequence according to the first parameter set, for example, the transmitting device can determine the length of the second sequence or the sequence values in the second sequence according to the first parameter set. In other words, the transmitting device can consider various parameters to generate the second sequence to determine the positions of the frequency domain resource units of the reference signal, which provides a flexible way of determining resources.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further comprises: transmitting or receiving one or more parameters in the first parameter set.

[0013] In the present application, all or part of the parameters in the first parameter set can be transmitted between the transmitting device and the receiving device (which receives the reference signal) (for example, some parameters in the first parameter set can not be transmitted if the transmitting device and the receiving device both know that the parameters cannot be transmitted), so that the transmitting device and the receiving device can obtain the same reference signal pattern according to the first parameter set, and the transmission resource consumption for indicating the reference signal pattern can be reduced.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second sequence is a pseudo-random sequence.

[0015] In the present application, the sequence values in the second sequence have a random characteristic property, and the M positions of the M frequency domain resource units indicated by the sequence values are non-uniform in the frequency domain. In other words, multiple reference signal patterns can be supported, and different reference signal patterns can be allocated to multiple users, thereby reducing the probability of resource conflicts between multiple terminal devices.

[0016] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the K antenna ports are antenna ports in the P antenna ports supporting transmission of the reference signal, where P is a positive integer and P > K.

[0017] In the present application, some antenna ports can be associated with the M frequency domain resource units, i.e., the transmitting device can use part of the antenna ports to transmit the reference signal, which can reduce the consumption of spatial domain resources.

[0018] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the second sequence is determined at least according to the first parameter set through a relationship between the second sequence and the first parameter set, where the relationship is determined at least according to a second parameter set, and the second parameter set includes one or more of the following: an identifier of a terminal device; a density of the reference signal; a size of a bandwidth, where the bandwidth includes the M frequency domain resource units; a location of the bandwidth; a communication environment parameter; a relationship index, where the relationship index is used to identify the relationship; a type parameter, where the type parameter is used to indicate a type of the relationship; time domain information, where the time domain information indicates a time domain resource unit associated with the M frequency domain resource units; and spatial domain information, where the spatial domain information indicates P antenna ports supporting transmission of the reference signal, and P is a positive integer.

[0019] In the present application, the second sequence has a relationship with the first parameter set. For example, in some embodiments, a function related to the second sequence and the first parameter can be determined according to a second parameter set. For example, where multiple functions can be used to generate the second sequence, and the function used can be selected from the multiple functions according to the second parameter set. Therefore, a more flexible way is provided to determine the reference signal pattern.

[0020] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the method further includes: transmitting or receiving one or more parameters in the second parameter set.

[0021] In this application, all or part of the parameters in the second parameter set can be transmitted between the transmitting device and the receiving device (for example, if both the transmitting device and the receiving device know that the parameters cannot be transmitted, some parameters in the second parameter set can be omitted), so that the transmitting device and the receiving device can determine the relationship based on the second parameter set, thereby reducing the transmission resource consumption for indicating the reference signal pattern.

[0022] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in some embodiments, the length of the second sequence is greater than or equal to a threshold, which is determined at least based on the first set of parameters.

[0023] For example, in some embodiments, the threshold may be determined at least based on communication environment parameters.

[0024] For example, in some embodiments, the length of the second sequence can be determined at least based on communication environment parameters.

[0025] In this application, a minimum value for the length of the second sequence can be defined, which is equivalent to defining a minimum value for the number of frequency domain resource elements used to transmit the reference signal. For example, the number of frequency domain resource elements can be defined based on communication environment parameters. For instance, the minimum value in a complex communication environment (e.g., an urban area) can be greater than the minimum value in a simple communication environment (e.g., a rural area), and the number of frequency domain resource elements can be determined within a reasonable range for each environment.

[0026] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in some embodiments, the sequence values ​​in the second sequence are determined at least based on the position of the bandwidth, which includes the M frequency domain resource units.

[0027] In this application, the sequence values ​​in the second sequence can be determined based on the size and location of the bandwidth. For example, the second sequence can consist of all or part of the frequency domain resource element indices of the bandwidth. Therefore, a simple way to indicate the M locations of M frequency domain resource elements is provided.

[0028] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in some embodiments, the K antenna ports are indicated by a third sequence of length M, wherein the frequency domain resource unit indicated by the i-th sequence value in the second sequence is associated with the antenna port indicated by the i-th sequence value in the third sequence, where i is a positive integer and i ≤ M.

[0029] In this application, the association between M frequency domain resource elements and K antenna ports can be applied after the number of frequency domain resource elements has been determined. In other words, the number of antenna ports can be disregarded when designing the location of the frequency domain resource elements, and even if the number of antenna ports is large, the frequency domain resource consumption of the reference signal can be controlled within a reasonable range.

[0030] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in some embodiments, K ≥ 2.

[0031] In this application, the transmitting device can generate a second sequence for all K antennas. Compared to predefining the position of frequency domain resource units for each antenna port, this method can keep the number of frequency domain resource units within a reasonable range, even in communication systems with multiple antenna ports.

[0032] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in some embodiments, the second sequence is associated with the K antenna ports.

[0033] In this application, the transmitting device can generate a second sequence for all K antenna ports at once. That is, the transmitting device can first determine the positions of M frequency domain resource elements, and then associate the M frequency domain resource elements with the K antenna ports. Even in communication systems with multiple antenna ports, this method can keep the number of frequency domain resource elements within a reasonable range.

[0034] According to a third aspect, a transmitting apparatus is provided. The transmitting apparatus includes functions or units for performing the method according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect.

[0035] For example, the transmitting device can be a network device or a chip within a network device. As another example, the transmitting device can be a terminal device or a chip within a terminal device.

[0036] According to a fourth aspect, a receiving device is provided. The receiving device includes functions or units for performing the method according to the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0037] For example, the receiving device can be a terminal device or a chip within a terminal device. As another example, the receiving device can be a network device or a chip within a network device.

[0038] According to a fifth aspect, a system is provided. The system includes: a transmitting device according to a third aspect and a receiving device according to a fourth aspect.

[0039] According to a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes at least one processor coupled to at least one memory. The at least one memory is used to store a computer program or one or more instructions. The at least one processor is configured to: invoke the computer program or the one or more instructions from the at least one memory, and execute the computer program or the one or more instructions, causing the communication device to perform a method of the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or causing the communication device to perform a method of the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0040] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the communication device may be a transmitting device. For example, the communication device may be a network device or a component (e.g., a chip or integrated circuit) installed in a network device. As another example, the communication device may be a terminal device or a component (e.g., a chip or integrated circuit) installed in a terminal device.

[0041] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the communication device may be a receiving device. For example, the communication device may be a terminal device or a component (e.g., a chip or integrated circuit) installed in a terminal device. As another example, the communication device may be a network device or a component (e.g., a chip or integrated circuit) installed in a network device.

[0042] According to a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor is connected to the communication interface. The processor is configured to execute one or more instructions, and the communication interface is configured to communicate with other network elements under the control of the processor. The processor is configured to perform the method according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0043] According to an eighth aspect, a computer storage medium is provided. The computer storage medium stores program code for executing one or more instructions of the method according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0044] According to a ninth aspect, this application provides a computer program product including one or more instructions, wherein, when the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer performs the method according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the application scenario provided in this application; Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 is shown; Figure 3 Another example of ED 110 and base stations 170a, 170b and / or 170c is shown; Figure 4 This is an example of a channel model for a MIMO system; Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of the communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the second sequence indicating the positions of the six frequency domain resource units; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the first function used to generate the second sequence; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the first example provided in this application; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the second example provided in this application; Figures 10 to 14 This is a schematic block diagram of a possible device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figures 15 to 25 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating possible examples provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The technical solution of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system, Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) system, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Fifth Generation (5G) wireless communication system, New Radio (NR) wireless communication system, Sixth Generation (6G) wireless communication system, or other evolved communication systems.

[0048] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, firstly... Figures 1 to 3 Taking the communication system shown as an example, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application is described in detail below.

[0049] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1A simplified schematic diagram of a communication system is provided as an illustrative example without limitation. Communication system 100 includes a radio access network 120. Radio access network 120 may be a next-generation (e.g., sixth-generation, 6G, or later) radio access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) radio access network. One or more electric devices (EDs) 110a to 110j (generally referred to as 110) may be interconnected with each other or connected to one or more network nodes (170a, 170b, generally referred to as 170) in radio access network 120. Core network 130 may be part of the communication system and may depend on or be independent of the radio access technology used in communication system 100. Furthermore, communication system 100 includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0050] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 is illustrated. Generally, the communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. The purpose of the communication system 100 may be to provide content such as voice, data, video, and / or text via broadcast, multicast, and unicast. The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources such as carrier spectrum bandwidth among its constituent components. The communication system 100 may include terrestrial communication systems and / or non-terrestrial communication systems. The communication system 100 can provide a wide range of communication services and applications (e.g., earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, and mobility). The communication system 100 can provide high availability and robustness through the joint operation of terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems. For example, integrating a non-terrestrial communication system (or components thereof) into a terrestrial communication system can create a multi-layered heterogeneous network. Compared to traditional communication networks, heterogeneous networks can achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation, more flexible function sharing, and faster physical layer link switching between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

[0051] Terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems can be considered as subsystems of a communication system. In the example shown, communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110d (generally referred to as ED 110), radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b, a non-terrestrial communication network 120c, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. RANs 120a and RAN 120b include corresponding base stations (BSs) 170a and 170b, which can generally be referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRPs) 170a and 170b. The non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes access nodes 120c, which can generally be referred to as non-terrestrial transmit and receive points (NT-TRPs) 172.

[0052] Alternatively or additionally, any ED 110 can be used to connect to, access, or communicate with any other T-TRP 170a, T-TRP 170b, and NT-TRP 172, Internet 150, core network 130, PSTN 140, other network 160, or any combination thereof. In some examples, ED 110a can communicate uplink and / or downlink with T-TRP 170a via interface 190a. In some examples, ED 110a, 110b, and 110d can also communicate directly with each other via one or more sidelink air interfaces 190b. In some examples, ED 110d can communicate uplink and / or downlink with NT-TRP 172 via interface 190c.

[0053] Air interfaces 190a and 190b can use similar communication technologies, such as any applicable wireless access technology. For example, communication system 100 can implement one or more channel access methods in air interfaces 190a and 190b, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). Air interfaces 190a and 190b can utilize other higher-dimensional signal spaces, which may include combinations of orthogonal and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0054] The 190c air interface enables communication between the ED 110d and one or more NT-TRP172s via a wireless link or simply through a link. In some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmission, a connection for broadcast transmission, or a connection for multicast transmission between a group of EDs and one or more NT-TRPs.

[0055] RAN 120a and RAN 120b communicate with core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c. RAN 120a and RAN 120b and / or core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown). One or more other RANs may or may not be directly served by core network 130, and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RAN 120a and / or RAN 120b. Core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) RAN 120a and RAN 120b and / or ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c and (ii) other networks (e.g., PSTN 140, Internet 150, and other networks 160). Additionally, some or all of ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c may include the ability to communicate with different wireless networks via different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c may communicate with a service provider or exchange (not shown) via a wired communication channel and with the Internet 150, rather than wirelessly (or also wirelessly). PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include a network of computers and / or subnets (intranets) and incorporate protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c may be multimode devices capable of operating according to multiple wireless access technologies and include multiple transceivers required to support these technologies.

[0056] Figure 3Another example of the ED 110 and base stations 170a, 170b, and / or 170c is shown. The ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communications (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, and mobility.

[0057] Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user equipment for wireless operation and may include (or be referred to as): user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronics device, smart book, vehicle, automobile, truck, bus, train, or IoT device, industrial equipment, or devices within the aforementioned equipment (e.g., communication module, modem, or chip). Next-generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs, hereinafter referred to as T-TRP 170. Also in Figure 3 As shown, NT-TRP is referred to below as NT-TRP 172. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be configured to be dynamically or semi-statically turned on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), turned off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or in response to one or more of connection availability and connection necessity.

[0058] ED 110 includes a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown in the figure. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas may be panels. The transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may, for example, be integrated as a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content for transmission over at least one antenna 204 or a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver is also used to demodulate data or other content received over at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals.

[0059] ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and executed by one or more processing units 210. Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, or on-processor cache.

[0060] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., Figure 1 (A wired interface connecting to the Internet 150). Input / output devices support interaction with the user or other devices on the network. Each input / output device includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from the user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touchscreen, including network interface communication.

[0061] ED 110 also includes a processor 210 for performing various operations, including operations related to preparing for uplink transmissions to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, operations related to processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, and operations related to processing sidelink transmissions to and from another ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing for uplink transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. According to an embodiment, the downlink transmission may be received by receiver 203, possibly using receive beamforming, and processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmission (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding signaling). Examples of signaling may be reference signals transmitted by NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 276 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction indications received from T-TRP 170, such as beam angle information (BAI). In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting synchronization sequences, decoding, and acquiring system information. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform channel estimation, for example, using reference signals received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170.

[0062] Processor 210 may be part of transmitter 201 and / or receiver 203, but is not shown in the figure. Memory 208 may be part of processor 210, but is not shown in the figure.

[0063] The processor 210, as well as the processing components in the transmitter 201 and receiver 203, may be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components in the processor 210, as well as the transmitter 201 and receiver 203, may be implemented using special-purpose circuitry such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0064] In some embodiments, the T-TRP 170 may be referred to by other names, such as: base station, base transceiver station (BTS), wireless base station, network node, network device, network-side device, transmit / receive node, Node B, evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), home base station, next-generation NodeB (gNB), transmission point (TP), site controller, access point (AP) or wireless router, relay station, remote radio head, ground node, ground network device or ground base station, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), radio unit (RU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The T-TRP 170 can be a macro BS, micro BS, relay node, host node, etc., or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 may refer to the aforementioned device or a component within the aforementioned device (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip).

[0065] In some embodiments, the CU (or CU control plane (CP) and CU user plane (UP)), DU, or RU may be referred to by other names. For example, in an open RAN (ORAN) system, the CU may also be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), the DU may also be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), the CU-CP may also be called an open CU-CP (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), the CU-UP may also be called an open CU-UP (open CU-UP, O-CU-CP), and the RU may also be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, or RU can be implemented by software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0066] In some embodiments, the various parts of T-TRP 170 can be distributed. For example, some modules of T-TRP 170 may be located remotely from the device housing the T-TRP 170 antenna and may be coupled to the device housing the antenna via a communication link (not shown), sometimes referred to as a fronthaul, such as a common public radio interface (CPRI). Therefore, in some embodiments, the term "T-TRP 170" may also refer to modules on the network side that perform processing operations such as ED 110 location determination, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding; these modules are not necessarily part of the device housing the T-TRP 170 antenna. These modules may also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, T-TRP 170 may actually be multiple T-TRPs operating together to serve ED 110 through cooperative multicast or similar methods.

[0067] T-TRP 170 includes at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown in the figure. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas may be panels. The transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver. T-TRP 170 also includes a processor 260 for performing various operations, including operations related to: preparing a transmission for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing a transmission for backhaul transmission to NT-TRP 172, and processing a transmission received from NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing a transmission for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing received uplink transmissions or transmissions received via backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. Processor 260 can also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the contents of a synchronization signal block (SSB) and generating system information. In some embodiments, processor 260 also generates beam direction indications, such as BAI, which can be scheduled for transmission by scheduler 253. Processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of ED 110 and determining the location for deploying NT-TRP 172. In some embodiments, processor 260 can generate signaling, for example, for configuring one or more parameters of ED 110 and / or one or more parameters of NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by processor 260 is transmitted by transmitter 252. Note that "signaling" as used herein can also be referred to as control signaling. Dynamic signaling can be transmitted in control channels such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), while static or semi-static higher-layer signaling can be included in messages transmitted in data channels such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0068] Scheduler 253 may be coupled to processor 260. Scheduler 253 may be included in or operate separately from T-TRP 170. Scheduler 253 may schedule uplink, downlink, and / or backhaul transmissions, including issuing scheduling grants and / or configuring unscheduled (“configuration grants”) resources. T-TRP 170 also includes memory 258 for storing information and data. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by T-TRP 170. For example, memory 258 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and executed by processor 260.

[0069] Processor 260 may be part of transmitter 252 and / or receiver 254, but is not shown in the figure. Similarly, processor 260 may implement scheduler 253, but is not shown in the figure. Memory 258 may be part of processor 260, but is not shown in the figure.

[0070] The processing components in processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 may be implemented by the same or different processors, which execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components in processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry such as FPGA, GPU, or ASIC.

[0071] While the NT-TRP 172 is shown as an example of a drone only, the NT-TRP 172 can be implemented in any suitable non-terrestrial form. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 may be referred to by other names, such as a non-terrestrial node, a non-terrestrial network device, or a non-terrestrial base station. The NT-TRP 172 includes a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown in the figure. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas may be panels. The transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be integrated as a transceiver. The NT-TRP 172 also includes a processor 276 for performing various operations, including operations related to: preparing transmissions for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing transmissions for backhaul transmission to T-TRP 170, and processing transmissions received from T-TRP 170 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing a transmission for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing received uplink transmissions or transmissions received via backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. In some embodiments, processor 276 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 276 may generate signaling, for example, for configuring one or more parameters of ED 110. In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing but does not implement higher-level functions such as medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layer functions. Since this is only an example, in general, NT-TRP 172 may implement higher-level functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0072] The NT-TRP 172 also includes a memory 278 for storing information and data. A processor 276 may be part of the transmitter 272 and / or receiver 274, but is not shown in the figure. The memory 278 may be part of the processor 276, but is not shown in the figure.

[0073] The processor 276, as well as the processing components in the transmitter 272 and receiver 274, may be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components in the processor 276, as well as the transmitter 272 and receiver 274, may be implemented using programmable special-purpose circuitry such as an FPGA, GPU, or ASIC. In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 may actually be multiple NT-TRPs operating together to serve ED 110 via cooperative multicast or similar methods.

[0074] T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 may include other components, but these components have been omitted for clarity.

[0075] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the transmission of the reference signal and the process of channel measurement based on the reference signal are briefly described below.

[0076] Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology enables antenna arrays with multiple antennas to perform signal transmission and reception to meet high transmission rate requirements. The ED 110, T-TRP 170, and / or NT-TRP mentioned above use MIMO for communication via radio resource blocks. MIMO utilizes multiple antennas at the transmitter and / or receiver to transmit radio resource blocks via parallel radio signals. MIMO can beamform the parallel radio signals to facilitate reliable multipath transmission of radio resource blocks. MIMO can also bond parallel radio signals transmitting different data to increase the data rate of radio resource blocks.

[0077] In recent years, MIMO (Massive MIMO) wireless communication systems using the aforementioned T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 with a large number of antennas have received widespread attention from academia and industry. In massive MIMO systems, the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 are typically configured with more than ten antenna elements (e.g., 128 or 256), simultaneously serving dozens of ED 110s (e.g., 40). The large number of antenna elements in the T-TRP 170 and NT-TRP 172 can significantly increase the spatial freedom of wireless communication, greatly improve transmission rate, spectral efficiency, and power efficiency, and largely eliminate inter-cell interference. The increased number of antennas allows for smaller and lower-cost antenna elements per unit. Utilizing the spatial freedom provided by the large number of antenna elements, each T-TRP 170 and NT-TRP 172 in a cell can simultaneously communicate with multiple ED 110s in the cell on the same time-frequency resources, thereby significantly improving spectral efficiency. The numerous antenna elements of the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 also provide each user with better uplink and downlink spatial directivity, thereby reducing the transmit power of the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 and ED110, and improving power efficiency. When the number of T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 antennas is sufficiently large, the random channels between each ED 110 and the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can approach orthogonality, thus eliminating interference and noise effects between the cell and the user. These advantages make large-scale MIMO systems a promising application.

[0078] A MIMO system may include a receiver connected to a receive (Rx) antenna, a transmitter connected to a transmit (Tx) antenna, and a signal processor connected to both the transmitter and receiver. Each of the Rx and Tx antennas may include multiple antennas. For example, the Rx antenna may have a ULA antenna array, in which multiple antennas are arranged in a straight line at uniform intervals. When a radio frequency (RF) signal is transmitted through the Tx antenna, the Rx antenna can receive signals reflected and returned from a forward target.

[0079] Figure 4 This is an example of a channel model for a MIMO system. The transmitter is connected to four TX antennas, x1 to x4, and the receiver is connected to four RX antennas, y1 to y4. A transmission channel can be formed between each TX antenna and each RX antenna. For example, an RF signal transmitted through x1 can be received by y2 through channel h21. An RF signal transmitted through x3 can be received by y1 through channel h13.

[0080] In MIMO systems, channel estimation is required to achieve functions such as system synchronization, channel information feedback, and data transmission. Channel estimation refers to the process of reconstructing or recovering the received signal to compensate for signal distortion caused by channel fading and noise. In channel estimation, the reference signal predicted by the transmitter and receiver can be used to track changes in the time and / or frequency domains of the channel, thereby reconstructing or recovering the received signal. The reference signal can also be called a pilot signal or reference sequence, etc. For ease of understanding, it is described as a reference signal below. Reference signals include channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), phase track reference signal (PT-RS), or cell reference signal (CRS), etc. The reference signals listed above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future protocols to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0081] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, CSI-RS is described in detail below through examples. CSI-RS is mainly used for downlink channel estimation corresponding to physical antenna ports. For example, a receiving device (i.e., a terminal device) can perform channel estimation for each physical antenna port based on the CSI-RS sent by a transmitting device (i.e., a network device) to feed back channel state information (CSI) based on the channel estimation results. CSI may include information such as channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), layer indicator (LI), and rank indicator (RI). CSI is used for downlink channel reconstruction or precoding. In some embodiments, the process of a base station acquiring CSI may include: the base station sending a reference signal to the UE; the UE acquiring a CSI estimate based on the received reference signal; the UE selecting a precoding vector from the codebook based on the CSI estimate and feeding back information related to the index of the precoding vector to the base station; and the base station determining a reconstructed CSI value based on the index of the precoding vector. The reconstructed CSI value can be the CSI that is closest to the true CSI value that the base station can acquire.

[0082] In one embodiment, the transmitting device maps a reference signal sequence to a specific physical resource and transmits the reference signal through the specific physical resource, wherein the reference signal sequence and the physical resource are known to both the transmitting device and the receiving device receiving the reference signal. Therefore, the receiving device can perform channel estimation based on the known reference signal sequence and the received signal.

[0083] The transmitting device can map sequences onto physical resources to transmit reference signals. Physical resources can include multiple resource particles, where resource particles belong to physical resources allocated for transmitting reference signals. For example, when transmitting DMRS, resource particles belong to common resource blocks allocated for transmitting the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0084] The location of the physical resources of the reference signal can be referred to as the reference signal pattern or pilot pattern. The location of physical resources is usually described by at least one of the following dimensions: time dimension, frequency dimension, and spatial dimension.

[0085] The time dimension can be represented by one or more time-domain resource units. Time-domain resource units may include, but are not limited to, symbols, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and time slots. In some embodiments, time-domain units can be represented by symbol indices, OFDM symbol indices, or time slot indices.

[0086] A frequency dimension can be represented by one or more frequency domain resource elements. Frequency domain resource elements may include, but are not limited to, subcarriers or subbands. In some embodiments, frequency domain elements can be represented by subcarrier indices or subband indices. In some embodiments, frequency domain elements can also be represented by resource element (RE) indices, resource block (RB) indices, or resource block group (RBG) indices. An RE consists of symbols in the time domain and subcarriers in the frequency domain; the RE index can be used to indicate the position of a subcarrier. An RB consists of time slots in the time domain and 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. The RB index can be used to indicate the position of the 12 subcarriers. An RBG consists of a group of RBs; the RBG index can be used to indicate the position of a group of subcarriers.

[0087] Spatial dimension can be represented by one or more spatial resource units. Spatial resource units can be represented by antenna ports. In the embodiments of this application, the antenna port can be a Tx antenna. The antenna port can be identified by an antenna port index.

[0088] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, in the following exemplary description, symbol indexes are used to indicate the location of time-domain resource units, subcarrier indexes are used to indicate the location of frequency-domain resource units, and antenna port indexes are used to indicate the location of spatial-domain resource units.

[0089] The channel estimation process described above is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting this application in any way. The channel estimation process is known in conventional techniques; for the sake of brevity, a detailed description of the specific process is omitted herein.

[0090] The receiving device can be an ED (i.e., a terminal device), while the transmitting device can be a T-TRP or NT-TRP (i.e., a network device); or the receiving device can be a T-TRP or NT-TRP (i.e., a network device), while the transmitting device can be an ED (i.e., a terminal device). For example, when the reference signal is a downlink signal (i.e., CSI-RS), the transmitting device can be a network device, and the receiving device can be a terminal device. When the reference signal is an uplink signal (i.e., SRS), the transmitting device can be a terminal device, and the receiving device can be a network device. Although one transmitting device can transmit the reference signal to multiple receiving devices, the following embodiments only show one transmitting device and one receiving device.

[0091] This application provides a communication method and apparatus. In this application, a second sequence can be generated based on a first parameter set, wherein the second sequence indicates M positions of M frequency domain resource units, and a first sequence of a reference signal is mapped onto the M frequency domain resource units. That is, compared to predefining the positions of frequency domain resource units for the reference signal, generating the second sequence based on the first parameter set makes the determination of the reference signal pattern more flexible. The following describes... Figure 5 This describes the communication method provided in this application.

[0092] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication method 500 can be applied to the above-described communication system.

[0093] At S510, the transmitting device generates the first sequence of reference signals.

[0094] The method of generating the first sequence is related to the type of the reference signal. For example, the first sequence can be defined by a Gold sequence of length 31. This application does not limit this.

[0095] The term "first sequence" is used for distinction only and does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. Similarly, the terms "second sequence," "third sequence," "first parameter set," and "second parameter set" in the following description are also used for distinction only and do not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application, and will not be elaborated further below.

[0096] At S520, the transmitting device maps a first sequence of reference signals onto M frequency domain resource elements on K antenna ports, and the M positions of the M frequency domain resource elements are indicated by a second sequence.

[0097] The second sequence is generated based on the first parameter set, where M and K are positive integers, and M ≥ K. The transmitting device can determine the M locations of the M frequency domain resource elements by determining the second sequence, and associate the M frequency domain resource elements with K antenna ports. The second sequence is generated at least based on the first parameter set; that is, generating the second sequence based on the first parameter set makes the process of determining the reference signal pattern more flexible compared to predefining the locations of the frequency domain resource elements for the reference signal.

[0098] The second sequence indicates the M locations of the M frequency domain resource elements. In some embodiments, the length of the second sequence is M, and the M sequence values ​​in the second sequence can correspond one-to-one with the M frequency domain resource elements.

[0099] For example, Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram indicating the location of the second sequence of six frequency domain resource units. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the six sequence values ​​form the second sequence {13, 47, 49, 89, 125}. These six sequence values ​​are the indices of the six subcarriers, meaning the first sequence of the reference signal can be mapped to subcarrier indices 13, 47, 49, 89, and 125.

[0100] An example of a second sequence consisting of subcarrier indices is presented, and in some embodiments, other forms of information may have a similar meaning to the second sequence. For example, in a string of binary numbers {001010001010}, the position of the binary number "1" can indicate the position of a frequency domain resource element, such as subcarrier indices 3, 5, 9, and 11. That is, the position of a predefined binary number in the second sequence can represent one or more positions of a frequency domain resource element.

[0101] In some embodiments, the second sequence is a pseudo-random sequence. In other words, the M sequence values ​​in the second sequence have random characteristics, and the M positions of the M frequency domain resource units indicated by the M sequence values ​​can be non-uniform in the frequency domain. Unlike a uniform reference signal pattern where the interval between two adjacent frequency domain resource units is the same, the M positions of the M frequency domain resource units can have at least two different sets of intervals between two adjacent frequency domain resource units. In this embodiment, the number of reference signal pattern types is much greater than the number of reference signal pattern types defined by the subcarrier spacing. For example, if the reference signal pattern is defined by setting the subcarrier spacing to 1, there are only two pattern types: one for odd-indexed subcarriers and one for even-indexed subcarriers. However, when a pseudo-random sequence is used to indicate the position of the frequency domain resource units, the number of pattern types is much greater than 2. Therefore, the probability of two terminal devices being assigned frequency domain resource units in the same position is greatly reduced, and the probability of resource conflicts between multiple terminal devices is reduced.

[0102] The second sequence is generated based at least on the first parameter set. The first parameter set includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the terminal device, the density of the reference signal, the size of the bandwidth, the location of the bandwidth, communication environment parameters, time-domain information, and spatial-domain information, wherein the bandwidth includes M frequency-domain resource elements, the time-domain information indicates the time-domain resource elements associated with the M frequency-domain resource elements, and the spatial-domain information indicates P antenna ports supporting the transmission of the reference signal, where P is a positive integer.

[0103] In the description of this application, "to generate A from B" and "to generate A from at least B" can have the same meaning. Similarly, the phrases "to determine A from B" and "to determine A from at least B" can also have the same meaning. Further details will not be elaborated below.

[0104] The possible parameters in the first parameter set and their application in the embodiments are described in detail below.

[0105] The identifier of a terminal device can be of various types. For example, the identifier of a terminal device may include one or more of the following: UE identifier (UE-ID), cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), physical cell identifier (PCI), random access radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI), temporary C-RNTI, and transmit power control radio network temporary identifier (TPC-RNTI). Therefore, the transmitting device can generate different second sequences based on different identifiers of the terminal devices, meaning different UEs can be allocated to different frequency domain resource elements for the reference signal. The aforementioned identifier can be a complete identifier or a part of an identifier. For example, a part of the UE-ID can be used to generate a second sequence for a specific UE. In some scenarios, this is sufficient to generate different second sequences for different UEs. This application does not limit this.

[0106] In this application, bandwidth may refer to the bandwidth allocated to the terminal. For example, bandwidth is the frequency domain resource unit allocated by the network device to the terminal for signal communication. M frequency domain resource units are some or all of the frequency domain resource units in the bandwidth.

[0107] The size of the bandwidth can be used to determine the total number of frequency domain resource units allocated within the bandwidth. For example, if the bandwidth is 200 MHz, the transmitting device can determine the number of subcarriers in the bandwidth based on this size. The value of M can be less than or equal to the number of frequency domain resource units in the bandwidth.

[0108] The location of the bandwidth can be used to determine the locations of the M frequency domain resource units used for the reference signal. The sequence values ​​in the second sequence can be determined based on the location of the bandwidth. For example, if the second sequence consists of one or more subcarrier indices, the sequence values ​​in the second sequence can be all or part of the subcarrier indices in the bandwidth.

[0109] The density of a reference signal can be used to determine the number of frequency domain resource units (RFUs) within a specific physical resource for the reference signal. For example, the density of a reference signal can represent the number of subcarriers used for the reference signal in a single symbol; for instance, six subcarriers used for the reference signal are associated with a single symbol. As another example, if the density of a reference signal represents 5% of the subcarriers in the bandwidth being used for the reference signal, then when the bandwidth allocated to the terminal device includes 240 subcarriers, the transmitting device can determine that the length (i.e., M) of the second sequence is 12.

[0110] Communication environment parameters can indicate the complexity or sophistication of the communication environment and can represent the number of frequency domain resource units to be used for the reference signal. In some embodiments, the length of the second sequence is greater than a threshold determined based on the communication environment parameters.

[0111] For example, communication environment parameters can indicate the type of communication environment, such as urban or rural areas. Different types of communication environments can correspond to different thresholds. In some embodiments, because the communication environment in urban areas may be more complex, the threshold corresponding to urban areas can be higher than the threshold corresponding to rural areas.

[0112] For example, communication environment parameters can indicate the channel rank, which can be used to determine a threshold. In some embodiments, the threshold can be greater than or equal to the ratio of the channel rank to the number of receiving antenna ports. For example, the threshold can be equal to this ratio or a multiple thereof. The channel rank can be determined based on the complexity of the communication environment (e.g., the number of reflectors in the communication environment). The channel rank can be obtained by constructing a channel space basis matrix or a similar channel state correlation matrix for the communication environment. For example, a network device can construct a channel space basis matrix for a communication area, where the rank of the channel space basis matrix can be used as the channel rank or used to derive the channel rank. The rank can represent the minimum number of frequency domain resource units required to reconstruct the target channel response for the communication area by measuring the projection of the target channel response onto the channel space basis matrix. In some embodiments, a reference signal transmitted by a transmitting device through one antenna port can be received by a receiving device through multiple receiving antenna ports. In this case, a channel estimation result can be obtained when the length of the second sequence (i.e., M) is greater than or equal to the ratio of the channel rank to the number of receiving antenna ports. Therefore, the channel rank can be used to determine the minimum value of M.

[0113] The time-domain information indicates one or more time-domain resource elements associated with the M frequency-domain resource elements. For example, the time-domain information may include time-domain resource element indices or identifiers, such as symbol indices and time slot indices. Therefore, the transmitting device can determine which time-domain resource element is associated with the M frequency-domain resource elements. This application does not limit the number of time-domain resource elements associated with the M frequency-domain resource elements. In some embodiments, when multiple symbols are allocated, the time-domain information can be used to determine how to generate a second sequence; for example, the transmitting device can generate a sequence for each symbol, and the generated sequences can constitute the second sequence.

[0114] Spatial domain information indicates multiple antenna ports supporting the transmission of a reference signal. For example, spatial domain information may include indices of multiple antenna ports. The K antenna ports (associated with M frequency domain resource elements) may be some or all of the multiple antenna ports supporting the transmission of the reference signal. In some embodiments, the transmitting device may generate a second sequence for all K antenna ports at once; that is, the transmitting device may first determine the locations of the M frequency domain resource elements and then associate the M frequency domain resource elements with the K antenna ports. Even in communication systems with multiple antenna ports, this method keeps the number of frequency domain resource elements within a reasonable range. In some embodiments, the transmitting device may generate a sequence for each antenna port, wherein the generated sequence constitutes the second sequence in this application.

[0115] In some embodiments, some of the parameters described above may be correlated, meaning the transmitting device can determine the parameters based on other parameters. For example, the transmitting device can determine the density of the reference signal based on communication environment parameters. This application does not limit this.

[0116] The process of generating a second sequence based on the first parameter set provided in this application embodiment is described below based on the first parameter set above.

[0117] In some embodiments, the second sequence is related to the first parameter set, which is known to the transmitting device, and the second sequence is generated based on this relationship. This relationship can be represented as a first function, where the first parameter set is the input to the first function (e.g., the first parameter set can be used to determine one or more coefficients of the first function), and the second sequence is the output of the first function. For ease of understanding of the embodiments of this application, this relationship will be described in conjunction with the first function in the following description.

[0118] For example, Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of a function used to generate the second sequence. The first function may include various operations for generating the second sequence. For example, the first function may include at least one or more of the following operations: concurrency, concatenation, random number generation, and uniform distribution. This application does not limit this. Two or more devices (e.g., a transmitting device and a receiving device) can obtain the same second sequence according to the first function and the first parameter set. Therefore, the second sequence may not be directly transmitted between the transmitting device and the receiving device (which may cause signaling overhead).

[0119] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, some possible forms of the first function that generates the second sequence will be described below by way of example.

[0120] Format 1: (1) The first function (form 1) (i.e.) s i The output of can be represented as {s1, s2, …, s}. outputLength1}, that is, the second sequence provided in the embodiments of this application. The coefficients of the first function (form 1) can be expressed as { seed 1, a , b , m 1, outputLengthl}. All or part of the coefficients can be determined based on the first set of parameters mentioned above. For example, the coefficient " seed "1" can be determined based on the location of the bandwidth (e.g., the starting location of the bandwidth), where the coefficient " seed The value of "1" is equal to the value of the first sequence s1 in the second sequence. Therefore, the transmitting device can determine the coefficient "1" based on the position of the bandwidth. seed The value of "1" ensures that the M positions of the M frequency domain resource units represented by the sequence values ​​in the second sequence are within the bandwidth. For example, the coefficient " m "1" can be determined based on the bandwidth, and the transmitting device can control the coefficient " m The value of "1" controls the range of sequence values ​​in the second sequence. For example, the coefficient " b "It can be determined based on the identifier of the terminal device, and different second sequences can be generated for different terminal devices. For example, the coefficient..." outputLengthl "The coefficient can be determined based on the communication environment parameters." outputLengthl The value of ' ' determines the number of frequency domain resource units.

[0121] For example, based on the first parameter set, the coefficients of the first function (form 1) are: { seed 1 =1 , a=2 , b=2 ,m 1 =48 , outputLengthl = 5 The bandwidth size is used to determine that the bandwidth includes 48 subcarriers, and the bandwidth position is used to determine that the starting position of the bandwidth is subcarrier index 0. The transmitting device determines that the number of frequency domain resource units is equal to 5 based on the communication environment parameters. Then, the second sequence {1, 4, 10, 22, 46} is obtained. The second sequence can indicate the position of the frequency domain resource units that need to be mapped in the first sequence, namely subcarrier indices 1, 4, 10, 22, and 46.

[0122] It is understood that the correlation between the coefficients and the first parameter set described above is for illustrative purposes only. The correlation may be related to the form of the function and the application scenario, etc. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0123] It is also understandable that one or more parameters in the first parameter set can be used to determine one or more coefficients of the function, for example, the coefficients in the first function (form 1) are... m 1” a "and" b Alternatively, one or more parameters in the first parameter set can be used to directly determine one or more sequence values ​​in the second sequence, for example, determining the first sequence value (equal to "") based on one or more parameters in the first parameter set. seed 1). In some embodiments, the transmitting and receiving devices can predetermine the coefficient "". m 1” a "and" b ", and one device can send " to another device seed 1". This application does not limit this.

[0124] Form 2: (2) The first function (form 2) (i.e.) s i The output of can be represented as {s1, s2, …, s}. outputLength2}, that is, the second sequence provided in the embodiments of this application. The coefficients of the first function (form 2) can be expressed as { seed 2, c , d , m 2, outputLength2 All or part of the coefficients can be determined based on the first parameter set mentioned above. The determination process is similar to that described in Form 1 above, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0125] For example, based on the first parameter set, the coefficients of the first function (form 2) are: { seed 2=0 , d=1 , c=2 , m 2 =120 , outputLength2 = 5 Then, obtain the second sequence {0, 4, 16, 68, 48}, which can indicate the location of the frequency domain resource unit that the first sequence needs to map, i.e., subcarrier indices 0, 4, 16, 68, and 48.

[0126] Although the two forms of the first function described above are merely examples for the purpose of understanding the embodiments of this application, different devices can generate the same second sequence based on the same set of first parameters and the same first function.

[0127] In some embodiments, the transmitting device may configure more than one first function (the relationship between the first parameter set and the second sequence), and the transmitting device may select one or more first functions from the configured first functions to generate the second sequence.

[0128] The transmitting device can generate a second sequence based on more than one first function, thereby generating multiple sequences for multiple antenna ports or multiple time-domain resource units, wherein the multiple sequences constitute the second sequence. For the sake of simplicity, the following description uses the selection of one first function as an example.

[0129] For example, the first function (relation) is determined based on the second set of parameters, which includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the terminal device, the density of the reference signal, the size of the bandwidth, the location of the bandwidth, time domain information, spatial domain information, relation index, type parameter, and communication environment parameter.

[0130] The descriptions of the terminal device's identifier, reference signal density, bandwidth (size and location), time-domain information, spatial-domain information, and communication environment parameters are as described above and will not be repeated here. The transmitting device can select the first function based on the second parameter set; for example, the transmitting device can select different first functions based on different identifiers.

[0131] The type parameter indicates the type of the relation. The type of the first function (relation) can be defined based on the properties of the first function. For example, if the second sequence output by the first function is a pseudo-random sequence, then the type of the first function can be called random type or non-uniform type. If the second sequence output by the first function is a uniform sequence, then the type of the first function can be called uniform type. This application does not limit this. In some embodiments, different types of first functions can correspond to different communication environments. For example, urban areas can correspond to random type first functions, and rural areas can correspond to uniform type first functions.

[0132] In some embodiments, a relation index can be used to identify a relation (first function), and the sending device can obtain the index of the first function. For example, if the sending device is a terminal device, it can receive the index of the first function from a network device or other device.

[0133] It is understood that the above description of determining the first function based on the second set of parameters is for illustrative purposes only. This application does not limit this. For example, the transmitting device may determine a set of functions based on type parameters and select a function from the set of functions based on communication environment parameters.

[0134] The transmitting device may maintain a table with multiple first functions, the form of which may be related to the method of determining the first functions (i.e., a second set of parameters is used to determine the first functions). In some embodiments, the multiple first functions are stored in the transmitting device or a memory coupled to the transmitting device. In some embodiments, the transmitting device may obtain the multiple first functions from a receiving device. This application does not limit this.

[0135] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, Table 1 below provides a possible table with multiple first functions.

[0136] Table 1:

[0137] In the exemplary Table 1, n is an integer greater than 1. Multiple functions are grouped according to environment type and function type. For example, there is a first function with indices 1 to n for the urban area 1 and a first function with indices 1 to m for the rural area 1. The transmitting device can select a function according to the second parameter set (environment type and function type in Table 1) and generate a second sequence according to the selected function and the first parameter set.

[0138] The functions in different rows of Table 1 can be different. For example, the first function #1 can be form 1 as described above, the first function #2 can be form 2 as described above, and the uniform type of the first function #n+3 (or the first function #n+4) can be represented as follows: , outputLength3 (3), where the second sequence can be represented as {s1, s2,…, s outputLength3 The coefficients {h, e, m3, outputLength3}, whether all or part of them, can be determined based on the first parameter set. For the sake of brevity, they will not be listed here.

[0139] The previous section described the second sequence of M locations indicating frequency domain resource elements. The following section will describe the relationship between the M frequency domain resource elements and the K antenna ports.

[0140] The total number of antenna ports supporting the transmission of the reference signal can be P, where P is a positive integer, and P ≥ K. In other words, the transmitting device can select all or some of the P antenna ports to transmit the reference signal. In some embodiments, the transmitting device can determine whether to select some of the P antenna ports based at least on the value of M. For example, when P is greater than M, the transmitting device can determine which portion of the P antenna ports to select.

[0141] Antenna ports can be determined in various ways. For example, the K antenna ports with the smallest indices out of P antenna ports can be assigned to transmit the reference signal. Alternatively, the P antenna ports can be arranged according to their indices, and each of the P antenna ports can be selected to transmit the reference signal. For instance, three antenna ports can be selected from each of the eight indices 1 to 8, meaning the selected K antenna ports are indices 1, 4, and 7. This application does not limit this approach.

[0142] The association between M frequency domain resource elements and K antenna ports can be determined in various ways. In some embodiments, the K antenna ports are indicated by a third sequence of length M, where the frequency domain resource element indicated by the i-th sequence value in the second sequence is associated with the antenna port indicated by the i-th sequence value in the third sequence, where i is a positive integer and i ≤ M. For example, the second sequence {13, 47, 49, 89, 125, 137} can be generated to indicate subcarrier indices 13, 47, 49, 89, 125, and 137. Antenna port indices 1, 4, and 7 can be selected, and the third sequence can be {1, 4, 7, 1, 4, 7}, meaning the reference signal sequence is mapped to subcarrier indices 13 on antenna port index 1, 47 on antenna port index 4, 49 on antenna port index 7, 89 on antenna port 1, 125 on antenna port 4, and 137 on antenna port 7. Alternatively, the third sequence can be {1, 1, 4, 4, 7, 7}, that is, the reference signal sequence is mapped to subcarrier index 13 on antenna port index 1, subcarrier index 47 on antenna port index 1, subcarrier index 49 on antenna port 4, subcarrier index 89 on antenna port 4, subcarrier index 125 on antenna port 7 and subcarrier index 137 on antenna port 7.

[0143] For ease of description, the second sequence (indicating M frequency domain resource elements) and the third sequence (indicating K antenna ports) can be in the form of a frequency-spatial domain sequence, such as {13-1, 47-4, 49-7, 89-1, 125-4, 137-7}.

[0144] This application does not limit the method of generating the third sequence. For example, the third sequence can be determined at least based on a set of third parameters, wherein the set of third parameters includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the terminal device, the density of the reference signal, the size of the bandwidth, the location of the bandwidth, time-domain information, spatial-domain information, relation index, relation type, and communication environment parameters. For a description of the above parameters, please refer to the description above, which will not be repeated here.

[0145] For example, the third sequence can have a relationship with the third parameter set, and the relationship between the third sequence and the third parameter set can be represented as a second function. To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, a possible form of the second function that generates the third sequence will be exemplarily described below: (4) The second function (i.e.) P i The output of ) can be represented as {P1, P2, …, P outputLength4}, that is, the third sequence provided in the embodiments of this application. The coefficients of the second function can be expressed as { initalportindex , offset , P , outputLength4}. All or part of the coefficients can be determined based on the set of the third parameter mentioned above. For example, the coefficient " P "This can be the number of antenna ports that support the transmission of reference signals. (Coefficient)" outputLength4 "It can be determined based on communication environment parameters, which can indicate the number of frequency domain resource elements (associated with the K antenna ports). This application does not limit this."

[0146] The transmitting and receiving devices can maintain a table with multiple second functions. In some embodiments, the first function (for generating a second sequence in the frequency domain) and the second function (for generating a third sequence in the spatial domain) can be associated in a single table. For ease of understanding of the embodiments of this application, Table 2 below provides a possible table.

[0147] Table 2:

[0148] In the exemplary table 2, multiple functions are grouped according to environment type and function type. The transmitting device can generate a second sequence and a third sequence based on table 2. It is understood that this application does not limit the form of the second function, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be listed here.

[0149] The previous section described the relationship between M frequency domain resource elements and K antenna ports. The following section will describe the relationship between M frequency domain resource elements and one or more time domain resource elements.

[0150] In some embodiments, M frequency domain resource elements are associated with a single time domain resource element (e.g., a single symbol). Therefore, the transmitting device can determine that a first sequence of the reference signal maps to physical resources defined by the time domain resource element and the M frequency domain resource elements; that is, the first sequence can be mapped to the M frequency domain resource elements within the time domain resource element. For example, the transmitting device can generate a second sequence for each allocated symbol, and each symbol is associated with the frequency domain resource element indicated by the corresponding second sequence. As another example, the transmitting device can determine the positions of the frequency domain resource elements of other symbols based on the second sequence; for instance, the transmitting device can shift the second sequence by a certain offset to obtain the positions of the frequency domain resource elements of other symbols.

[0151] In some embodiments, the M frequency domain resource elements are associated with a plurality of symbols. For example, each of the plurality of symbols is associated with the same M locations in the M frequency domain resource elements. The transmitting device may map a first sequence of a reference signal onto the M frequency domain resource elements in each of the plurality of symbols.

[0152] This application does not specifically limit the way in which the M frequency domain units are associated with one or more time domain units. For example, a first function (used to generate a second sequence) or a second function (used to generate a third sequence) can be associated with a symbol, and the positions of the frequency domain resource units and antenna ports associated with other symbols can be defined by other functions. For example, the rows in the function table (i.e., Table 1 or Table 2) can be represented as: (5) Allocate T time-domain resource units for transmitting reference signals, using Let T be a positive integer. Frequency domain resource units and their usage The location of the antenna port is indicated by... t The time-domain resource unit represented by 1 is associated with it. (Used) Frequency domain resource units and their usage The location of the antenna port is indicated by... t j The time-domain resource units represented are associated. A description of the parameters in the above functions can be found in the preceding text and will not be repeated here.

[0153] Understandably, the second sequence in this example can be represented as Where M equals the sum of outputLength#1 to outputLength#T. In other words, the second sequence in this application may not be generated all at once. For example, the transmitting device may generate a sequence for each symbol, wherein the generated sequence constitutes the second sequence. As another example, the transmitting device may generate a sequence for each antenna port, wherein the generated sequence constitutes the second sequence.

[0154] The transmitting and receiving devices can acquire the same second sequence. The transmitting device can transmit a reference signal according to the second sequence, and the receiving device can receive the reference signal according to the second sequence. That is, in some embodiments, the transmitting and receiving devices can perform the following steps at S530.

[0155] Optionally, at S530, the transmitting device sends a reference signal to the receiver. Accordingly, the receiving device receives the reference signal.

[0156] The receiving device can determine that a first sequence of reference signals is mapped onto M frequency domain resource elements on K antenna ports, and the M positions of the M frequency domain resource elements are indicated by a second sequence.

[0157] The methods for generating the second sequence, indicating the M locations of the M frequency domain resource elements, associating the M frequency domain resource elements with the K antenna ports, and associating the M frequency domain resource elements with one or more time domain resource elements are described in the description of S520. They will not be repeated here.

[0158] The transmitting device can transmit a reference signal using M frequency domain resource units. The receiving device can receive the reference signal and perform signal measurements based on the determined M frequency domain resource units and the associated K antenna ports (i.e., antenna ports). The receiving device can perform different operations depending on the application. For example, the receiving device can perform a correlation test on a first sequence of the reference signal and a received sequence of the reference signal to obtain corresponding measurement results, such as, but not limited to, delay, received power, signal quality, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0159] This application does not specifically limit the operation of the receiving device in receiving the reference signal. For example, when the receiving device has multiple receiving antenna ports, the receiving device can use all or some of the receiving antenna ports to receive the reference signal.

[0160] As described above, the transmitting and receiving devices can determine the M locations of the M frequency domain resource elements by generating a second sequence based at least on a first set of parameters. Optionally, prior to S510, the transmitting and receiving devices may perform the following steps at S540.

[0161] Optionally, at S540, the transmitting device and the receiving device acquire the first parameter set.

[0162] In some embodiments, all or some of the parameters in the first parameter set may be pre-configured on the transmitting device side or the receiving device side. In some embodiments, one or more parameters are not pre-configured on the transmitting device side or the receiving device side. Therefore, the transmitting device may determine one or more parameters and send one or more parameters to the receiving device, or the receiving device may determine one or more parameters and send one or more parameters to the transmitting device, or other devices (e.g., core network devices) may determine one or more parameters and send one or more parameters to both the transmitting device and the receiving device. This application does not limit this.

[0163] One or more parameters can be carried in various signals; different parameters can be carried in the same signal or different signals. In other words, the transmission process of each parameter can be determined based on its application. For example, when a terminal device requests access to a network device's network, it can send an access request to the network device. The access request carries the terminal device's identifier. The network device can receive the access request sent by the terminal device and obtain the terminal device's identifier from the access request. As another example, the network device can configure bandwidth for the terminal device.

[0164] In some embodiments, the transmitting and receiving devices may acquire a second parameter set (for determining the relationship between the first parameter set and the second sequence), a first function (representing the relationship between the first parameter set and the second sequence), or a third parameter set (for determining the association between M frequency domain resource elements and K antenna ports) in a manner similar to that used to acquire the first parameter set. Further details are omitted here.

[0165] In this application, the second sequence can be generated based on the first parameter set, wherein the second sequence indicates the M positions of M frequency domain resource units, and the first sequence of the reference signal is mapped onto the M frequency domain resource units. That is, compared to predefining the positions of the frequency domain resource units for the reference signal, generating the second sequence based on the first parameter set makes the determination of the positions of the frequency domain resource units more flexible.

[0166] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, Figure 7 and Figure 8 Two examples corresponding to these two methods are shown.

[0167] For example, Figure 8This is a first schematic diagram provided in this application. The communication environment is used to select a first function, which is used to generate a second sequence. The bandwidth size is used to determine that the number of subcarriers in the bandwidth is equal to 24. The bandwidth position is used to determine that the index of the starting subcarrier in the bandwidth is equal to 48. The transmitting device can determine the coefficients of the selected first function based on the above parameters. Figure 7 As shown, the second sequence {50, 58, 61, 64, 66, 71} is generated (the generation method will not be described in detail here; please refer to [link to documentation]). Figure 5 (As described in S520), the second sequence is used to indicate the six subcarriers, namely subcarrier indices 50, 58, 61, 64, 66, and 71. K = four antenna ports 1 to 4 are determined, and the third sequence {4, 3, 2, 1, 4, 3} (the generation method is not detailed here; please refer to...) Figure 5 The description of S520 in the text can be used to determine the association between 6 subcarriers and 4 antenna ports. Time-domain information indicates that a symbol with index 2 is assigned to the reference signal, meaning the 6 subcarriers are associated with symbol index 2. Therefore, the first sequence of the reference signal can be mapped to subcarrier index 50 and symbol index 2 at antenna port index 4, subcarrier index 58 and symbol index 2 at antenna port index 3, subcarrier index 61 and symbol 2 at antenna port 2, subcarrier index 64 and symbol 2 at antenna port 1, subcarrier index 66 and symbol index 2 at antenna port 4, and subcarrier index 71 and symbol index 2 at antenna port 3. For ease of description, a three-dimensional (time-frequency spatial domain) sequence can be used to represent resource locations in the time-frequency spatial domain. For example, the three-dimensional sequence {2-50-4, 2-58-3, 2-61-2, 2-64-1, 2-66-4, 2-71-3} can be used to represent... Figure 5 The example shown is illustrated below. The three-dimensional sequences in the following description represent similar meanings and will not be repeated here.

[0168] For example, Figure 9 This is a second schematic diagram provided in this application. The transmitting device determines that antenna port 1 and antenna port 3 are used to transmit a reference signal. The communication environment is used to select two first functions, which are used to generate a second sequence. The bandwidth size is used to determine that the number of subcarriers in the bandwidth is equal to 24. The bandwidth position is used to determine that the index of the starting subcarrier in the bandwidth is equal to 48. The transmitting device can determine the coefficients of the two selected first functions based on the above parameters. Figure 8As shown, sequence #1 {48, 56, 64} is generated according to the first function #1, indicating the three subcarrier indices 48, 56, and 64. Sequence #1 is associated with antenna port index 1. Sequence #2 {51, 59, 67} is generated according to the first function #2, indicating the three subcarrier indices 51, 59, and 67. Sequence #2 is associated with antenna port index 3. Sequences #1 and #2 constitute the second sequence {48, 56, 64, 51, 59, 67}. The time-domain information indicates that a symbol with index 2 is assigned to the reference signal, meaning a total of six subcarriers are associated with symbol index 2. Therefore, the first sequence of the reference signal can be mapped to the resources represented by the three-dimensional sequence {2-48-1, 2-56-1, 2-64-1, 2-51-3, 2-59-3, 2-67-3}.

[0169] The above combination Figures 5 to 9 The communication method according to the embodiments of this application has been described in detail below, in conjunction with... Figures 10 to 14 The transmitting apparatus and receiving apparatus according to embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0170] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram of the transmitting device 10 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 10 As shown, the transmitting device 10 includes: Processing module 11 is used to generate a first sequence of reference signals; The transceiver module 12 is used to map a first sequence onto M frequency domain resource units on K antenna ports, wherein the M positions of the M frequency domain resource units are indicated by a second sequence, which is generated according to a first parameter set, where M and K are positive integers and M≥K.

[0171] Therefore, the transmitting device can determine the M locations of the M frequency domain resource elements by determining the second sequence, and associate the M frequency domain resource elements with the K antenna ports. The second sequence is generated at least based on the first parameter set; that is, generating the second sequence based on the first parameter set makes the process of determining the reference signal pattern more flexible than predefining the locations of the frequency domain resource elements for the reference signal.

[0172] The transmitting device 10 in this application embodiment can correspond to the transmitting device in the communication method described in the above-described application embodiment, and the management operations and / or functions of each module of the transmitting device 10, as well as other management operations and / or functions, are intended to implement the corresponding steps of the above-described method. For the sake of brevity, further details are omitted here.

[0173] In this embodiment, the transceiver module 12 can be implemented by a transceiver, and the processing module 11 can be implemented by a processor.

[0174] likeFigure 11 As shown, the transmitting device 20 may include a transceiver 21. Optionally, the transmitting device 20 may also include a processor 22 and / or a memory 23. The memory 23 may be used to store instruction information, or to store code and instructions to be executed by the processor 22.

[0175] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram of the receiving device 30 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 12 As shown, the receiving device 30 includes: Processing module 32 is used to determine the first sequence of the reference signal mapped onto M frequency domain resource units on K antenna ports; The transceiver module 31 is used to receive a reference signal, wherein a first sequence of the reference signal is mapped to M frequency domain resource elements on K antenna ports, and the M positions of the M frequency domain resource elements are indicated by a second sequence, which is generated at least according to a first parameter set, where M and K are positive integers and M≥K.

[0176] The receiving device 30 in this embodiment can correspond to the receiving device in the communication method described above. The management operations and / or functions of each module of the receiving device 30, as well as other management operations and / or functions, are designed to implement the corresponding steps of the above method. For the sake of brevity, further details are omitted here.

[0177] In this embodiment, the transceiver module 31 can be implemented by a transceiver, and the processing module 32 can be implemented by a processor.

[0178] like Figure 13 As shown, the receiving device 40 may include a transceiver 41. Optionally, the receiving device 40 may also include a processor 42 and / or a memory 43. The memory 43 may be used to store instruction information, or to store code and instructions to be executed by the processor 42.

[0179] Processor 22 or processor 42 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step in the above method embodiments can be implemented through hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or through software instructions. Processing module 21 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. All methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or the processor can be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this invention can be directly executed and completed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed and completed using a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in storage media known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. The storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and combines it with the processor's hardware to complete the steps of the above methods.

[0180] It is understood that the memory 23 or memory 43 in the embodiments of the present invention can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, and may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM can be used, such as Static RAM (SRAM), Dynamic RAM (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchronous Link DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM). The storage in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable storage.

[0181] This application also provides a system. For example... Figure 14 As shown, system 50 includes: The transmitting device 10 and the receiving device 20 according to embodiments of the present application.

[0182] This application also provides a computer storage medium that can store program instructions to execute any of the above methods.

[0183] Alternatively, the storage medium may specifically be memory 23 or 43.

[0184] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in conjunction with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the various units and algorithm steps can be implemented by electronic hardware or by a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the function is performed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but should not consider that such embodiments are beyond the scope of this application.

[0185] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for convenience and brevity, the detailed working process of the above-described systems, devices, and units can be referred to the corresponding process in the above-described method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0186] In the several embodiments provided in this application, the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described apparatus embodiments are merely examples. For instance, unit partitioning is a logical functional partitioning, and other partitioning methods can be used in actual embodiments. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not performed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or described can be implemented through various communication interfaces. Indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units can be implemented electronically, mechanically, or in other ways.

[0187] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, these components may be located in one unit or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0188] Furthermore, the functional units in the embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically independently, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0189] When these functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The technical solution of this application can be implemented as a software product. This software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to instruct a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes any medium capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0190] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any variations or substitutions that are readily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0191] Pilot design methods and apparatus This application relates to wireless communication in wireless networks.

[0192] Abbreviations and vocabulary definitions NR New Radio gNB Next Generation Base Station BS base station User equipment (UE) MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) T-MIMO Terabit MIMO QRDQR decomposition DL downlink UL uplink RE resource element RB resource block UE-ID (User Equipment Identifier) C-RNTI (Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier) TC-RNTI (temporary C-RNTI) PCI Physical Cell ID TTI (Transmission Time Interval) OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) In wireless communication systems, obtaining the characteristics of the channel is crucial. To estimate the channel, a pilot signal (reference signal) is transmitted that is known to both the transmitter and the receiver. The receiver can estimate the channel by measuring the pilot signal transmitted by the transmitter and comparing the measurement result with the known transmitted signal.

[0193] In 5G NR systems, pilots are distributed densely along the frequency direction to accommodate the constantly changing wireless channel. With multiple antenna ports, these pilots must be distributed densely along the frequency direction of each port. If we continue to apply 5G NR schemes to T-MIMO systems, increasing the number of T-MIMO antenna ports will linearly increase the total number of pilots.

[0194] T-MIMO has a large number of antenna ports, requiring very dense pilots, which leads to extremely high overhead in time-frequency radio resources that should be allocated to data transmission. Furthermore, even though 5G-NR's cyclic-shift-based multiplexing method can reduce overhead to some extent, the total acceptable number of ports multiplexed on the same subcarrier can easily reach saturation due to inherent multiplexing interference.

[0195] Since T-MIMO requires a significant increase in the number of gNB (or BS) antenna ports and UE antenna ports, a considerable portion of time-frequency radio resources would be allocated to pilots if a similar 5G-NR approach were to be adopted.

[0196] According to 5G-NR, whenever a pilot signal needs to be transmitted, the gNB should configure the pilot configuration and then indicate the pilot configuration to the associated UE. The gNB is responsible for scheduling and signaling processing of pilot usage.

[0197] All MIMO channels in a certain area ( This forms a channel space that is inherently sparser than the complete channel space. m The number of receiving antenna ports. n The number of transmit antenna ports, k This represents the number of subcarriers.

[0198] The basis of the MIMO channel space in this region ( It has durability.

[0199] Any new MIMO channel to be measured within the same region can be represented as a channel space basis ( A weighted linear combination of columns.

[0200] Measuring the new MIMO channel is almost equivalent to measuring the channel space basis ( Find the coefficients (weights) of the linear combination on the ).

[0201] We can obtain the coefficients (weights) of a linear combination by arranging the pilots non-uniformly but very sparsely across the entire channel space, rather than uniformly and densely. Based on this, we can use known bases ( Rebuild the complete channel.

[0202] This non-uniform and ultra-sparse pilot pattern (or pilot arrangement) originates from the channel spatial basis. U H ( U QR decomposition (QRD) is performed on the principal component (QR conjugate).

[0203] Simulations demonstrate that the ultra-sparse pilot pattern generated by principal component QRD of the channel space basis can significantly reduce pilot overhead.

[0204] While non-uniform and ultra-sparse pilot patterns are theoretically optimal, they often have some irregular pilot positions, making it inefficient and cumbersome to indicate and schedule patterns between devices (e.g., between gNB and UE).

[0205] Problems and Objectives T-MIMO systems require a method to design, determine, distribute, and notify users of ultra-sparse pilot patterns while ensuring efficient scheduling and low signaling overhead. This novel approach needs to address the following issues: Continue using a significantly reduced number of pilots. It is best to adopt a low-density, sparse pilot design.

[0206] It is easy to generate and describe one or more pilot patterns.

[0207] It is easy to schedule between one or more transmitters and one or more receivers.

[0208] Reduce signaling overhead between one or more transmitters and one or more receivers.

[0209] It is insensitive to pilot punching or missing information, meaning that the receiver can still have robust channel estimation performance even if some pilots are missing.

[0210] Overview In this invention, we propose a novel method for generating pilot patterns using pilot functions.

[0211] This invention can be used to solve the pilot design problem of T-MIMO systems with a large number of transmit and receive antenna ports and a large bandwidth. The same method can also be applied to ordinary MIMO systems (e.g., 5G MIMO systems) and even single-antenna systems.

[0212] Through this invention, the system will exhibit the following characteristics: It is necessary to understand the channel state of the target environment beforehand. That is, the system obtains the channel space basis of the target environment (…). U This can be a channel state-related representation, or similar. Knowing the channel state of the target environment in advance can save on pilot usage or overhead.

[0213] One or more pilot patterns are much sparser than one or more traditional pilot patterns (5G NR pilot design) and can be non-uniformly distributed along the time-frequency space resources.

[0214] Why sparse pilot signals are feasible Before introducing the new pilot pattern design method, we will first explain the following reasons why ultra-sparse pilot design is feasible: Pre-obtained n×r Channel space basis matrix It is a very tall and fine matrix. n>>r ), 1 That is, the rank of the matrix r Much smaller than its number of rows n . number of rows ( The column number () represents the channel dimension. In the case of MIMO, for example, the number of rows is the product of the number of transmit antenna ports, the number of receive antenna ports, and the subcarriers. The rank of the channel indicates the "complexity" of the target environment.

[0215] The channel coefficients in the target environment can be regarded as U Multiply by the linear combination coefficients (weights).

[0216] If the pilot position is indicated by a series of rows, where these rows can form a base... U Then, the channel space basis can be calculated based on the measurement of these pilot positions. The linear combination coefficients can be used to generate the target channel coefficients.

[0217] According to matrix theory, if U The number of rows to be randomly selected is U rank ( r If the number is a multiple of the number, then these rows have a very high probability of forming a base. .

[0218] In this invention, we use n×r The following discussion will be based on tall and thin matrices. Mathematically and equivalently, it can also be expressed as... r×n It is represented by a short and wide matrix.

[0219] In a MIMO system, a pilot signal transmitted by a transmit antenna on a subcarrier is received by all receive antennas on that subcarrier. That is, when a transmit antenna port transmits a pilot signal on a subcarrier, it will select... U The number of rows is equal to the number of receiving antennas.

[0220] In T-MIMO scenario (BS antenna count >> UE antenna count, BS antenna count > ...), r ( UWhen only a very small number of pilots are transmitted in the system, it is likely possible to ensure the selection of a certain number of rows, which is... U rank ( r () multiples of the number.

[0221] In conclusion, when the number of pilot signals transmitted in the system is extremely small, there is a very high probability that a specific pilot signal will be selected. U Sufficient number of rows to form a base Then, the channel space basis can be calculated. U The linear combination coefficients are then used to calculate the target channel coefficients.

[0222] therefore, In a system without MIMO, the number of pilots may be Channel estimation can be performed when the rank is several times that of the rank.

[0223] In a system with MIMO, the number of pilots is ( Channel estimation can be performed when the rank (or number of receive antennas) is several times that of the rank of the receiver.

[0224] Please note that the rank ( The rank is not specified as the MIMO rank (or flow). The rank represents the rank of the channel state in a given region (how many common patterns are in the MIMO channels within that region). The rank can also be seen as a description of the complexity of a region; for example, the rank would be higher in an environment with more reflectors.

[0225] Examples of using sparse pilots to measure channel state include... Figure 15 As shown: U It is a pre-obtained (known) channel space basis within a certain region.

[0226] P It is a location or arrangement matrix that indicates the pilot position, i.e. where sampling or arrangement will be carried out. Each element of the matrix indicates a subcarrier between a BS antenna and a UE antenna.

[0227] P Indicates the coefficients used to reconstruct the entire channel ( Pilot pattern.

[0228] Through the U H Perform principal component QRD calculation to calculate P ,in, U It is the channel space basis.

[0229] Position matrix P and basis matrix U When multiplying, from U Take some rows from the matrix to form a new matrix. . It can be seen as a method for generating U H A complete base for the column space.

[0230] In practical MIMO transmission, a signal transmitted from one transmit antenna can be received by all receive antennas. Therefore, it is possible to achieve [the desired result] without increasing the number of transmit pilots. P Expand to P aug .

[0231] If the pilot signal is sent from the BS to the UE (DL), the measurement will not be performed on a specific subcarrier between a BS antenna and a UE antenna, but will be extended to all UE antennas from a BS antenna to a specific subcarrier.

[0232] If the pilot signal is sent from the UE to the BS (UL), the measurement will not be performed on a single subcarrier between a BS antenna and a UE antenna, but will instead extend from a UE antenna to all BS antennas.

[0233] y It is a vector containing P aug The measured channel coefficients at the indicated pilot positions.

[0234] c It is a vector containing linear combination coefficients (or spectral coefficients), representing a linear combination of the channel space basis used to generate the target channel coefficients. c= y The target channel coefficients or complete channel coefficients can be reconstructed as follows: = Uc By treating the target channel as a linear combination of channel space bases, we can prove that ultrasparse pilot patterns with a number of pilots no less than the rank of the channel space bases can achieve good channel estimation or reconstruction.

[0235] The methods and apparatus proposed in previous patent applications provide a way to generate and use sparse pilot patterns.

[0236] In addition to the pre-obtained channel space basis as described above ( U Besides performing channel estimation using sparse pilot patterns generated in QRDs, sparse pilot patterns can also be used by other methods to perform channel estimation (e.g., channel estimation or reconstruction using compressed sensing). For example, in compressed sensing, the basis is a standard basis (e.g., discrete Fourier transform) rather than a pre-obtained channel space basis. UFurthermore, the reconstruction in the underdetermined equation is accomplished by a matching detection method, where L1 minimization is an additional regularization term for sparsity.

[0237] Example Pilot pattern A pilot is a series of reference signals (a set of reference signals or a group of reference signals) whose positions and values ​​are known to both the transmitter and the receiver. Pilots are transmitted by one or more devices of the transmitting equipment to one or more devices of the receiving equipment to estimate the channel state (channel coefficients) or reconstruct the channel.

[0238] A pilot pattern is defined as a series of locations where a reference signal is transmitted to perform channel estimation. These locations typically consist of indications in three dimensions: time, frequency, and space. However, not all conditions require specifying these three dimensions. For example, the frequency dimension appears when using OFDM. The time dimension only appears when pilot patterns require specifying multiple time symbols. The spatial dimension only appears when a multi-port system is used. Therefore, The location can be represented by a series of subcarrier indices in the frequency direction. The pilot pattern can be represented by a series of subcarrier indices in the OFDM symbol. For example, the pilot pattern can be {13, 47, 49, 89, 125}, that is, pilots are transmitted on subcarrier indices 13, 47, 49, 89, and 125.

[0239] Location can be represented using a series of subcarrier indices and port indices in the frequency-space domain. When using multi-port (MIMO), the pilot pattern can assign an antenna port index to each subcarrier used to transmit the reference signal. For example, the pilot pattern can take the form of subcarrier index-port index, such as {13-1, 47-3, 49-5, 89-7, 125-1}, that is, transmitting the pilot signal on subcarrier index 13 via antenna port index 1, and on subcarrier index 47 via antenna port index 3, etc.

[0240] The location can be represented by a series of time symbol indices and subcarrier indices in the time-frequency domain. A pilot pattern can be represented by a series of subcarriers on multiple consecutive or discontinuous OFDM symbols. For example, a pilot pattern can take the form of time symbol index-subcarrier index, such as {1-13, 1-47, 1-49, 1-89, 1-125, 7-14, 7-48, 7-50, 7-90, 7-126}, meaning pilots are transmitted on subcarrier indices 13, 47, 49, 89, and 125 of OFDM symbol index 1, and on subcarrier indices 14, 48, 50, 90, and 126 of OFDM symbol index 7.

[0241] Location can be represented using a series of time symbol indices, subcarrier indices, and port indices in the time-frequency spatial domain. Pilot patterns can be represented as a series of subcarrier indices used on multiple consecutive or discontinuous OFDM symbols and an antenna port index associated with each subcarrier. For example, the pilot pattern can be in the form of time symbol index-subcarrier index-port index, such as {1-13-1, 1-47-3, 1-49-5, 1-89-7, 1-125-1, 7-14-3, 7-48-5, 7-50-7, 7-90-1, 7-126-3}, that is, the pilot is transmitted through antenna port index 1 on subcarrier index 13 of OFDM symbol index 1, through antenna port index 3 on subcarrier index 47 of OFDM symbol index 1, ... and through antenna port index 3 on subcarrier index 14 of OFDM symbol index 7, through antenna port index 5 on subcarrier index 48 of OFDM symbol index 7, ...

[0242] The time symbol index can also be a time slot index or a time symbol identifier in the time direction.

[0243] Subcarrier indexes can also be resource element (RE) indexes in the frequency direction.

[0244] Location can be represented graphically, for example, by color coding within an RE grid.

[0245] Representing the pilot pattern in any way is just one approach; what is important is to indicate the location information of each assigned pilot so that the transmitter knows how to send the pilot and the receiver knows where to receive the pilot signal based on the sent pilot.

[0246] In some cases, pilot patterns can be viewed as basic "blocks". These "blocks" can be spliced, truncated, repeated, and subjected to other operations to form larger pilot patterns.

[0247] Pilot pattern generation methods can be: Before transmitting the pilot signal, the method and its associated parameters (or variable parameters) should be aligned on both the transmitter and receiver sides. The method and its related parameters (or variable parameters) can be indicated, represented or notified directly or indirectly by some instructions (signals, control messages, commands, indications or primitives), or even without any explicit instructions from other devices (e.g., gNB); The signaling protocol or procedure that indicates, represents, or notifies the transmitter and receiver of the relevant generation methods and parameters should be at least simpler than the signaling protocol or procedure in 5G NR; Pilot patterns can be pseudo-random; identical patterns can be generated at both the transmitter and receiver.

[0248] Preferably, the number of pilots included in the pilot pattern can be greater than the theoretical minimum (the theoretical minimum can be derived from the rank of the channel basis), so that the system can tolerate the absence of some pilots on the receiver side.

[0249] Although channel estimation can be performed using only the theoretical minimum number of pilots, channel estimation performance improves with the use of more pilot signals. The system can calculate and indicate the number of pilots used based on the desired performance.

[0250] Pilot pattern generation In this patent invention, the method for generating pilot patterns may include: Generate pilot patterns based on pilot functions. Pilot functions are as follows: Figure 16 As shown.

[0251] pilot function 1. The specification may define one or more functions for generating pilot patterns. A function can be viewed as receiving input parameters, performing some operations on the input parameters, or performing some operations based on the input parameters, and then generating a series of integers as output. These outputs can be used as pilot patterns or mapped onto pilot patterns. In the following description, these functions are referred to as pilot functions.

[0252] 2. Multiple pilot functions can be stored using a lookup table or a series of lookup tables. Each lookup table can have multiple rows, each representing a pilot function. For example, a lookup table with pseudo-functions is shown in Table 3. Underlined parameters ( Parameter ) is the input parameter.

[0253] Table 3. Pilot Function Lookup Table Illustration

[0254] 1. Pilot functions can be represented by configuration parameters or looked up like a lookup table.

[0255] 2. A pilot function can be selected by index. An index is a number or combination of numbers that uniquely identifies a specific function within a pilot function. For example, if the pilot functions are stored in multiple lookup tables, the index can be a combination of a table index and a row index.

[0256] 3. All or part of the pilot functions may be pre-stored in the memory of the device and equipment (e.g., gNB, UE).

[0257] 4. In some cases, when the same pilot function or different pilot functions are assigned to different UEs, there may be a small overlap in the output sequence.

[0258] Choose from pilot function 1. No selection is required when only one pilot function is defined in the system.

[0259] 2. In some cases, multiple pilot functions are defined in the specification. These pilot functions are already stored in the device (e.g., gNB, BS) and equipment (e.g., UE, terminal). The gNB and UE can select the pilot function to use based on the predefined principles in the specification.

[0260] Predefined principles can exist in the form of queries (or one or more lookup tables) using configuration parameters.

[0261] Configuration parameters can be one or more indices, where the parameters can be a combination of the following: Parameters associated with the pilot function output include, but are not limited to: output sequence properties (random, uniform, or other) indication, output indication of an antenna port or assigned antenna port, and output length.

[0262] When a pilot signal is transmitted between at least two devices in a system, at least one specific ID (or a portion thereof) in the communication device may be used as input, including but not limited to: UE-ID, C-RNTI of a given UE, or a combination of virtual PCI and C-RNTI.

[0263] Parameters related to the system's system parameters (numerology) or metrics, including but not limited to: TTI index, allocated bandwidth, starting RB, number of RBs, time slot offset, allocated antenna ports, antenna port index, and time symbol index.

[0264] Parameters related to pilot density, which can be system environment-related parameters for gNB applications, and can be used to determine the number of pilots required for an antenna port or all antenna ports on the allocated bandwidth, including but not limited to: environment indication (for indicating the environment, such as urban or rural areas), channel rank indication (for indicating the rank of the channel space basis), pilot density (which, in combination with bandwidth, can calculate the number of pilots required for one antenna port or all antenna ports), and the required number of pilots.

[0265] Configuration parameters are used to select one or more functions from the pilot functions. These configurations can be device-specific or configured by other devices / appliances in the system and transmitted via signaling. An example of signaling is shown below. Figure 17As shown, the parameters required for pilot function selection can be sent from the gNB to one or more UEs on the downlink via broadcast, multicast, or unicast signaling. In another example, the parameters required for pilot function selection can be sent from the UE to the gNB on the uplink via signaling. This signaling does not necessarily have to be specific; the information carried by this signaling can be sent along with other signaling.

[0266] If the configuration parameters are device-specific parameters and / or other parameters that do not need to be sent between the gNB and UE for pilot function selection, the gNB and UE can select the same one or more functions without sending them via signaling.

[0267] 2. In some cases, multiple pilot functions are defined in the specification. These pilot functions are already stored in the gNB and the UE. The gNB can determine which pilot functions(s) should be used for one or more UEs. The gNB can send one or more indices of one or more pilot functions selected for one or more UEs by sending one or more indices of the selected pilot functions on the downlink using broadcast, multicast, or unicast signaling. Signaling examples are as follows... Figure 18 As shown in the left section, one or more indices of one or more selected pilot functions can be transmitted to one or more UEs on the downlink via broadcast, multicast, or unicast. This signaling is not necessarily specific; the information it carries can be sent along with other signaling.

[0268] In some cases, multiple pilot functions are defined in the specification. These pilot functions are already stored in the gNB and the UE. The UE can determine which pilot functions(s) to use. The UE can send one or more indices of the selected pilot functions(s) to the gNB via signaling on the uplink. An example of the signaling is shown below. Figure 18 As shown in the right-hand section, one or more indices of one or more selected pilot functions can be sent from the UE to the gNB on the uplink. This signaling is not necessarily specific; the information it carries can be sent along with other signaling. Figure 18 Example of signaling that sends one or more indices of one or more selected pilot functions, with the left part being sent from the gNB to one or more UEs and the right part being sent from the UE to the gNB.

[0269] 3. Under certain circumstances, one or more pilot functions may be defined by the gNB or the UE and transmitted to other parts of the system. The gNB may define one or more pilot functions and transmit them to one or more UEs on the downlink via broadcast, multicast, or unicast signaling, such as... Figure 19As shown on the left. Under certain circumstances, the UE can define one or more pilot functions and send these defined pilot functions to the gNB via signaling on the uplink, such as... Figure 19 As shown on the right. This signaling is not necessarily a specific signaling; the information it carries can be sent together with other signaling. Figure 19 Example of signaling that sends one or more defined pilot functions. The left part is sent from the gNB to one or more UEs, and the right part is sent from the UE to the gNB.

[0270] Pilot function input The input to the pilot function can be some configuration parameters.

[0271] Configuration parameters can be one or more indices, where the parameters can be a combination of the following: When a pilot signal is transmitted between at least two devices in a system, at least one specific ID (or a portion thereof) in the communication device may be used as input, including but not limited to: UE-ID, C-RNTI of a given UE, or a combination of virtual PCI and C-RNTI.

[0272] Parameters related to system parameters or indicators include, but are not limited to: TTI index, allocated bandwidth, starting RB, number of RBs, time slot offset, allocated antenna ports, antenna port index, and time symbol index.

[0273] Parameters related to pilot density, which can be system environment-related parameters for gNB applications, and can be used to determine the number of pilots required for an antenna port or all antenna ports on the allocated bandwidth, including but not limited to: environment indication (for indicating the environment, such as urban or rural areas), channel rank indication (for indicating the rank of the channel space basis), pilot density (which, in combination with bandwidth, can calculate the number of pilots required for one antenna port or all antenna ports), and the required number of pilots.

[0274] Parameters related to the operation include, but are not limited to: the seed used to generate the sequence, the random seed used for the random generator, and the offset (e.g., the offset applied to the subcarrier index).

[0275] Output-related parameters include, but are not limited to: output indication of an antenna port or assigned antenna port, and output sequence length.

[0276] These configurations can be device-specific or configured by other devices / apps in the system and sent via signaling. An example of signaling is shown below. Figure 20As shown, parameters that need to be input into one or more pilot functions can be sent to one or more UEs on the downlink via broadcast, multicast, or unicast signaling. This signaling is not necessarily a specific signaling; the information it carries can be sent along with other signaling. Figure 20 Example of signaling from gNB to one or more UEs that requires parameters to be input into one or more pilot functions.

[0277] Another example of signaling is... Figure 21 As shown, parameters that need to be input into one or more pilot functions can be sent from the UE to the gNB via uplink signaling. This signaling is not necessarily a specific signaling; the information carried by this signaling can be sent together with other signaling. Figure 21 Example of signaling from UE to gNB that requires parameters to be input into one or more pilot functions.

[0278] Pilot function operation The operations performed inside the pilot function can be: It receives input parameters (which can be the output of a previous operation) and outputs a mathematical operation or some concurrent or concatenated mathematical operations as the output parameters.

[0279] An operation or a series of concurrent or concatenated operations defined by a language description (description operation).

[0280] In some cases, one of the mathematical operations can be a random number generator whose output is a sequence of random numbers. For example, the operation can generate a sequence of five random numbers (17, 48, 98, 110, and 120) in the range of 1 to 120 (10 RB).

[0281] In some cases, one of the mathematical operations can generate a uniformly distributed sequence. For example, the operation can generate a sequence of five numbers (1, 30, 59, 88, and 117) with uniform intervals in the range of 1 to 120 (10 RB).

[0282] Some examples of pilot function operations can be found in Table 3.

[0283] Function output The output of the pilot function can be a bitmap or a series of integers.

[0284] In some cases, the output of a pilot function can take the form of a pilot pattern and can be used directly as a pilot pattern. For example, the output can be a series of subcarrier indices-port indices indicating the location (pilot pattern) where the pilot signal is transmitted. As shown in row index 2 and row index n in Table 3, the output of the function is a pilot pattern.

[0285] In some cases, the output can be used to map onto a pilot pattern. For example, each bit in the bitmap can represent a subcarrier or a resource block. In another example, the output can be a series of subcarrier indices that can be used as pilot positions for an assigned antenna port. We need to further correlate these output subcarrier indices with antenna port indices to form the pilot pattern for the current antenna port. As shown in row index 1 of Table 3, the output can be resolved into subcarrier indices for mapping onto the pilot pattern.

[0286] In some cases, part or all of the output can be used to represent the absolute subcarrier index of the pilot signal in the frequency direction. As shown in row indices 1 and 3 in Table 3, the output can be resolved to a subcarrier index.

[0287] In some cases, a portion of the output can be used to represent the port index of the pilot signal in the spatial direction. As shown in row indices 1 and 3 of Table 3, the output can be resolved to the antenna port index.

[0288] The length of the output sequence can be the requested length. As shown in row index 1 of Table 3, the output length is the requested output length.

[0289] In some cases, the output length may be greater than the requested length. When mapped onto the actual pilot pattern, we can cut off the output. As shown in row index 1 of Table 3, the output length is infinite.

[0290] Generate pilot patterns based on pilot function output. If the function output is a pilot pattern, no further calculations are required. However, in some cases, the function output is used to map onto a pilot pattern, thus requiring additional calculations as described in the following sections.

[0291] Frequency first allocation This section describes a process that focuses on: first, using the pilot function output to assign pilot subcarrier indices; then, associating pilot port indices (if needed) and time symbol indices (if needed) with each pilot subcarrier index to form a pilot pattern. The generation of pilot subcarrier indices always precedes the generation of pilot port indices (if needed). The generation of time symbol indices (if needed) can be done in any order. When using this method, the output of the pilot function can be the absolute pilot subcarrier indices for all assigned antenna ports.

[0292] 1. Associate the port index with each pilot subcarrier (if necessary). In some cases, we can associate pilot subcarrier indices with port indices (subcarrier index - port index) using predefined principles in the specification. An example could be shown below: The specification defines one port index, and other port indices are derived from known indices. For example, the port index for the minimum subcarrier index is defined as follows: P1 Port index of the second smallest subcarrier index P2 By P1 Add fixed offset n We can calculate this as [(P1+n) mod (total number of allocated ports)]. We can continue this process until all pilot subcarrier indices are associated with port indices.

[0293] In some cases, the operations and association parameters that associate port indices with pilot subcarriers can be predefined in the specification. In other cases, these operations and association parameters can be determined by the gNB and transmitted from the gNB to one or more UEs via signaling on the downlink. These operations and association parameters can also be determined by the UE and transmitted to the gNB via signaling on the uplink.

[0294] 2. Associate the time symbol index with each pilot subcarrier (if necessary). In some cases, we can treat each of the multiple time symbols as an independent time symbol. We can generate pilot subcarrier indices or pilot subcarrier index-port indices for each time symbol as described in the previous section. Then, we assign time symbol indices to obtain the pilot pattern.

[0295] In some cases, the operations and association parameters for associating the time symbol index with the pilot subcarrier can be predefined in the specification. In other cases, these operations and association parameters can be determined by the gNB and transmitted from the gNB to one or more UEs via signaling on the downlink. These operations and association parameters can also be determined by the UE and transmitted to the gNB via signaling on the uplink.

[0296] Port first allocation This section describes a process that focuses on: first, assigning pilot port indices; then, using the pilot function output to associate pilot subcarrier indices with each pilot port index; and finally, associating time symbol indices (if needed) to form a pilot pattern. The generation of pilot port indices always precedes the generation of pilot subcarrier indices. The generation of time symbol indices (if needed) can be done in any order. When using this method, the output of the pilot function can be an absolute pilot subcarrier index for an assigned antenna port.

[0297] 1. Associate the pilot subcarrier index with each port index. At the antenna ports, some subcarriers can be selected to transmit pilot signals. The system can be designed to use all allocated antenna ports to transmit pilot signals. Alternatively, the system can select some allocated antenna ports to transmit pilot signals (these selected antenna ports are referred to as "pilot ports" in the following description).

[0298] In some cases, the selection of pilot ports can be defined in the specification. For example, the system can be defined to use "all antenna ports", "every # antenna port" (e.g., "every 3 antenna ports" means using port indices 1, 4, 7 up to the assigned port index), and so on.

[0299] In some cases, the selection of the pilot port can be determined by the gNB, and the index of the selected pilot port can be sent to one or more UEs via signaling on the downlink.

[0300] In some cases, the selection of the pilot port can be determined by the UE, and the index of the selected pilot port can be sent to the gNB via signaling on the uplink.

[0301] After determining the selected pilot ports, we can generate pilot subcarrier indices for each pilot port to form a subcarrier index-port index. For example, the following method can be used: When configuring multiple pilot ports for a UE, the pilot subcarrier index for each port can be configured individually using a pilot function. This can be accomplished by generating a pilot subcarrier index for each port based on a pilot function with different input parameters (e.g., different port indices).

[0302] When configuring multiple pilot ports for a UE, at least one pilot port's pilot subcarrier index can be configured (the configured pilot port is called the "reference pilot port"). The reference pilot port's pilot subcarrier index can be generated using a pilot function. The pilot subcarrier indices of other pilot ports can be derived according to some predefined principles in the specification. An example of a principle could be "add an offset to each pilot subcarrier index of the reference pilot port among the other pilot ports." The "offset value" can be calculated using configuration parameters according to the defined principles. The "offset value" can also be determined by the gNB and notified to the UE via signaling on the downlink.

[0303] When configuring multiple pilot ports for a UE, at least one pilot port's pilot subcarrier index can be configured. This pilot subcarrier index can be generated using a pilot function. Other pilot ports can use the same pilot subcarrier index and multiplex it on the same subcarrier using a cyclic shift method.

[0304] In some cases, the computational and association parameters for generating pilot subcarrier indices for each pilot port can be predefined in the specification. In other cases, these computational and association parameters can be determined by the gNB and transmitted from the gNB to one or more UEs via signaling on the downlink. These computational and association parameters can also be determined by the UE and transmitted to the gNB via signaling on the uplink.

[0305] 2. Associate the time symbol index with each pilot subcarrier (if necessary). In some cases, we can treat each of the multiple time symbols as an independent time symbol. We can generate pilot subcarrier indices or pilot subcarrier index-port indices for each time symbol as described in the previous section. Then, we assign time symbol indices to obtain the pilot pattern.

[0306] In some cases, the operations (if required) and associated parameters that associate the time symbol index with each pilot subcarrier can be predefined in the specification. In other cases, these operations and associated parameters can be determined by the gNB and transmitted from the gNB to one or more UEs via signaling on the downlink. These operations and associated parameters can also be determined by the UE and transmitted to the gNB via signaling on the uplink.

[0307] Signaling issues. In the process of generating pilot patterns based on the function's output, certain parameters or methods need to be specified, such as the offset relative to the subcarrier index, the selected pilot port, and the method for calculating the function's output. These parameters and methods can be determined by the gNB or one or more UEs and communicated to the other party via signaling. An example of signaling is shown below. Figure 22 As shown, one or more parameters and one or more methods required to generate the pilot pattern based on the function's output can be transmitted from the gNB to one or more UEs on the downlink via broadcast, multicast, or unicast. Similarly, one or more parameters and one or more methods required to generate the pilot pattern based on the function's output can also be transmitted from the UE to the gNB in ​​uplink signaling. This signaling is not necessarily specific; the information carried by this signaling can be transmitted along with other signaling. Figure 22 Example of signaling for transmitting the parameters and methods required to generate pilot patterns based on the output of a function between a gNB and one or more UEs.

[0308] Example Example 1 In Example 1, we demonstrate the process of directly obtaining the pilot pattern from the pilot function. We first select a function from a predefined set of functions, and then obtain the pilot pattern based on these parameters.

[0309] 1. Function Selection For the UE, as predefined in the specification, we select a pilot function from a lookup table using configuration parameters. For example, multiple pilot functions are defined in Table 3. Based on the system parameters "Random", "City", and "Index 2" sent to the UE via signaling from the gNB, we can select the row index 2 function (exemplary function) for generating the pilot pattern for this UE as follows.

[0310]

[0311]

[0312] {s1- p 1, s 2- p 2, …, s outputLength - p outputLength} represents the subcarrier index-port index of the pilot pattern.

[0313] 2. Generate pilot pattern Once the pilot function is determined, we can begin collecting the input parameters as indicated by the function. The input parameters in this example include the following: seed a b m offset initialPortIndex allocatedPortNumber outputLength Some of these parameters are UE-specific.

[0314] Many of these parameters are known to both the gNB and the UE, or can be derived from known parameters of the gNB and the UE. For some special parameters unknown to the gNB or the UE, the knowing party can notify the unknown party by sending the parameters using signaling.

[0315] After collecting all input parameters, we can begin calculating the pilot pattern. For example, we can obtain the pilot pattern {50-3, 58-4, 61-1, 64-2, 66-3, 71-4}.

[0316] The process is as follows Figure 23 As shown. Figure 23 Example diagram of pilot pattern generation.

[0317] Example 2 In Example 2, we illustrate the process of indirectly obtaining a pilot pattern from a pilot function. We first select a function from a predefined set of functions, and then obtain a sequence as the pilot function output based on these parameters. Then, the pilot pattern is generated from the pilot function output using a "frequency-first allocation" method. We assume the pilot is sent from the UE to the gNB, and only four antenna ports are allocated to the UE. 1. Function Selection For the UE, according to the predefined parameters in the specification, the gNB can select a pilot function from the multiple pilot functions defined in Table 3. For example, the gNB selects the "Line Index 1" function and notifies the UE via signaling on the downlink. Selected pilot functions (exemplary functions):

[0318] {s1, …, s outputLength} represents the output.

[0319] 2. Pilot function output Once the pilot function is determined, we can begin collecting the input parameters as indicated by the function. The input parameters in this example include the following: seed a b m outputLength Many of these parameters are known to both the gNB and the UE, or can be derived from known parameters of the gNB and the UE. For some special parameters unknown to the gNB or the UE, the knowing party can notify the unknown party by sending the parameters using signaling.

[0320] After collecting all input parameters, we can begin calculating the output. For example, we can obtain the output {50, 58, 61, 64, 66, 71}.

[0321] 3. Generate pilot pattern The output of the pilot function is considered as the subcarrier index of all assigned antenna ports. We need to obtain the port index sequence according to the predefined principles in the specification. For example, the specification specifies using all assigned antenna ports in a polling manner. Then, we can obtain the pilot pattern (subcarrier index - port index) {50-1, 58-2, 61-3, 64-4, 66-1, 71-2}.

[0322] The process is as follows Figure 24 As shown. Figure 24 Example diagram of pilot pattern generation using "frequency priority allocation" Example 3 In Example 3, we illustrate the process of indirectly obtaining a pilot pattern from a pilot function. We first select a function from a predefined set of functions, and then obtain a sequence as the pilot function output based on these parameters. Then, the pilot pattern is generated from the pilot function output using a "port-first allocation" method. We assume the pilot is sent from the UE to the gNB, and only four antenna ports are allocated to the UE.

[0323] 1. Function Selection For the UE, according to the predefined parameters in the specification, the UE can select a pilot function from the multiple pilot functions defined in Table 3. For example, the UE selects the "line index n+3" function and notifies the gNB via signaling on the uplink. Selected pilot functions (exemplary functions):

[0324] {s1, …, s outputLength} represents the output.

[0325] 2. Generate pilot pattern We first need to determine the pilot ports to be selected. In this example, the system defines the use of "every 2 antenna ports" in the specification. Since 4 antenna ports are allocated to the UE, the selected pilot ports are "port index 1" and "port index 3".

[0326] After determining the selected pilot ports, we can generate pilot subcarrier indices for each pilot port based on the chosen pilot function. For each pilot port, we collect the input parameters as indicated by the selected function. The input parameters in this example include the following: offset a N outputLength Many of these parameters are known to both the gNB and the UE, or can be derived from known parameters of the gNB and the UE. For example, the parameter "offset" can be derived from the "port index number" and other parameters. For some special parameters unknown to the gNB or the UE, the knowing party can notify the unknown party by sending the parameters using signaling.

[0327] After collecting all input parameters, we can begin calculating the output. The output of the pilot function is treated as the subcarrier index of a selected antenna port. For example, we run the pilot function for port index 1 and get the output {48, 56, 64}, and run the pilot function for port index 3 and get the output {51, 59, 67}. Then, we can obtain the pilot pattern (subcarrier index - port index) {48-1, 51-3, 56-1, 59-3, 64-1, 67-3}. The process is as follows:Figure 25 As shown. Figure 25 Example diagram of pilot pattern generation using "port priority allocation".

[0328] This application proposes a sparse pilot pattern generation method, which, compared to the NR method, produces sparser and non-uniform pilot patterns. The generation method and related parameters can be indicated by simple instructions from other devices, or even without instructions from other devices (e.g., gNB). The signal becomes less complex and simpler. The gNB requires significantly less scheduling work. In conventional methods, pilots require careful scheduling to avoid overlap in the time-frequency spatial domain. Despite the sparse pilots, the design of the number of pilots in the system always has redundancy, meaning that the absence of a small number of pilots on the receiver side does not affect the channel estimation performance. In conventional designs, each pilot is critical; they cannot overlap or be discarded. Sequence and function separation facilitates pilot pattern generation and saves signaling costs associated with transmitting pilot patterns between the transmitter and receiver.

[0329] The methods described herein are executed by a device or apparatus, for example, by a processor of a device or apparatus that executes instructions stored in memory. The instructions, when executed, cause the device or apparatus to perform these methods.

[0330] The options and embodiments described herein can be combined in different arrangements. Furthermore, although the invention has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, various modifications and combinations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing description and drawings are to be considered merely as illustrations of some embodiments of the invention, and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents.

[0331] The following content also forms part of this invention.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Generate the first sequence of reference signals; The first sequence is mapped onto M frequency domain resource elements on K antenna ports, wherein the M positions of the M frequency domain resource elements are indicated by the second sequence. The second sequence is generated based on the first parameter set, where M and K are positive integers, and M ≥ K.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first parameter set includes one or more of the following: The identifier of the terminal device; The density of the reference signal; The size of the bandwidth, wherein the bandwidth includes the M frequency domain resource units; The location of the bandwidth; Communication environment parameters; Time-domain information, used to indicate one or more time-domain resource units associated with the M frequency-domain resource units; Spatial information is used to indicate the P antenna ports that support the transmission of the reference signal, where P is a positive integer.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Also includes: Send or receive one or more parameters from the first parameter set.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The second sequence is a pseudo-random sequence.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The K antenna ports are antenna ports among the P antenna ports that support the transmission of the reference signal, where P is a positive integer and P>K.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The second sequence is determined at least based on the first parameter set through the relationship between the second sequence and the first parameter set, wherein the relationship is determined at least based on the second parameter set, the second parameter set including one or more of the following: The identifier of the terminal device; The density of the reference signal; The size of the bandwidth, wherein the bandwidth includes the M frequency domain resource units; The location of the bandwidth; Communication environment parameters; A relation index is used to identify the relation; The type parameter indicates the type of the relationship; Time-domain information, used to indicate one or more time-domain resource units associated with the M frequency-domain resource units; Spatial information is used to indicate the P antenna ports that support the transmission of the reference signal, where P is a positive integer.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: Send or receive one or more parameters from the second parameter set.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The length of the second sequence is greater than or equal to a threshold, which is determined at least based on the first set of parameters.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The sequence values ​​in the second sequence are determined at least based on the position of the bandwidth, which includes the M frequency domain resource units.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The K antenna ports are indicated by a third sequence, where the frequency domain resource unit indicated by the i-th sequence value in the second sequence is related to the antenna port indicated by the i-th sequence value in the third sequence, where i is a positive integer and i≤M.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, K≥2。 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The second sequence is associated with the K antenna ports.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, include: A reference signal is received, wherein a first sequence of the reference signal is mapped onto M frequency domain resource elements on K antenna ports, and the M positions of the M frequency domain resource elements are indicated by a second sequence. The second sequence is generated based at least on the first parameter set, where M and K are positive integers and M ≥ K.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first parameter set includes one or more of the following: The identifier of the terminal device; The density of the reference signal; The size of the bandwidth, wherein the bandwidth includes the M frequency domain resource units; The location of the bandwidth; Communication environment parameters; Time-domain information, used to indicate one or more time-domain resource units associated with the M frequency-domain resource units; Spatial information is used to indicate the P antenna ports that support the transmission of the reference signal, where P is a positive integer and P≥2.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive or send one or more parameters from the first parameter set.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that, The second sequence is a pseudo-random sequence.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that, The K antenna ports are antenna ports among the P antenna ports that support the transmission of the reference signal, where P is a positive integer and P>K.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that, The second sequence is determined at least based on the first parameter set through the relationship between the second sequence and the first parameter set, wherein the relationship is determined at least based on the second parameter set, the second parameter set including one or more of the following: The identifier of the terminal device; The density of the reference signal; The size of the bandwidth, wherein the bandwidth includes the M frequency domain resource units; The location of the bandwidth; Communication environment parameters; A relation index is used to identify the relation; The type parameter indicates the type of the relationship; Time-domain information, used to indicate one or more time-domain resource units associated with the M frequency-domain resource units; Spatial information is used to indicate the P antenna ports that support the transmission of the reference signal, where P is a positive integer and P≥2.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive or send one or more parameters from the second parameter set.

20. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, characterized in that, The length of the second sequence is greater than or equal to a threshold, which is determined at least based on the first set of parameters.

21. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 20, characterized in that, The sequence values ​​in the second sequence are determined at least based on the position of the bandwidth, which includes the M frequency domain resource units.

22. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 21, characterized in that, The K antenna ports are indicated by a third sequence of length M. The frequency domain resource unit indicated by the i-th sequence value in the second sequence is related to the antenna port indicated by the i-th sequence value in the third sequence, where i is a positive integer and i ≤ M.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, characterized in that, K≥2。 24. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 23, characterized in that, The second sequence is associated with the K antenna ports.

25. An apparatus, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a processor coupled to a memory storing one or more instructions executable on the processor, the one or more instructions, when executed, causing the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

26. An apparatus, characterized in that, The apparatus includes functions or units for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or for performing the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

27. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes a transmitting device and a receiving device, wherein the transmitting device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, and the receiving device performs the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It includes one or more instructions, wherein when the one or more instructions are executed on a computer, the computer performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

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