Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

This application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. For example, the method includes: receiving first information transmitted by a network device, the first information being related to sounding reference signal (SRS) timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands; the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the first sub-band being used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first sub-band, the first sub-band being any one of the one or more sub-bands; determining bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of second information based on the first information, and quantizing the second information based on the bit resources corresponding to the one or more segments; the second information being information obtained by compressing channel state information (CSI) based on a first model, and the one or more segments having a first mapping relationship with one or more sub-bands. This method can improve the accuracy of CSI fusion.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In wireless communication systems, channel state information (CSI) is a parameter characterizing the wireless channel characteristics between network devices and terminal devices. Currently, network devices obtain CSI primarily through two methods: one is channel estimation based on the uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) transmitted by the terminal device; the other is by the terminal device measuring the downlink CSI reference signal (CSI-RS), calculating it, and then feeding it back to the network device. Network devices can fuse the CSI obtained through these two methods to improve the accuracy of CSI.

[0003] With the development of artificial intelligence technology, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) is increasingly being applied to CSI feedback to achieve more efficient channel information representation. However, in practical applications, the accuracy of the fusion result is not high when CSI based on AI / ML feedback is fused with CSI based on SRS estimation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and a communication device that can improve the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the terminal device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. This application does not limit this approach. The following description uses a terminal device as an example.

[0006] The method includes: receiving first information sent by a network device, the first information being related to the timing information of a sounding reference signal (SRS) corresponding to one or more subbands; the timing information of the SRS corresponding to the first subband being used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first subband, the first subband being any one of the one or more subbands; determining bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of second information based on the first information, and quantizing the second information based on the bit resources corresponding to the one or more segments; the second information being information obtained by compressing channel state information (CSI) based on a first model, the one or more segments having a first mapping relationship with one or more subbands; and / or, if the amount of uplink resources required for the second information is greater than the amount of available uplink resources, determining the priority of one or more segments based on the first information, and transmitting a portion of the data corresponding to one or more segments based on the priority of the one or more segments.

[0007] In this embodiment, the terminal device determines the bit resources of each segment of the second information based on the first information, wherein the first information is related to the SRS timeliness information of the sub-band. The terminal device then uses the SRS timeliness information related to the first information as a reference for allocating bit resources. In other words, the terminal device can combine the timeliness of SRS reception on the sub-band to determine how much bit resource to allocate to the corresponding segment, thereby flexibly adjusting the quantization precision of different segments. Different segments in the second information use different quantization precisions, resulting in different accuracies in the final CSI based on AI / ML feedback for different segments. Thus, the CSI based on AI / ML feedback can complement the CSI based on SRS estimation in terms of accuracy across segments, facilitating network-side improvement in CSI fusion accuracy, increasing fusion gain, and ultimately improving the accuracy of the final CSI, thereby increasing system-level gain. In summary, the method provided in this embodiment flexibly allocates bit resources to segments of the second information based on the first information, providing support for improving CSI fusion accuracy on the network side.

[0008] Furthermore, the timeliness of SRS reception varies across different subbands, resulting in varying accuracy of CSI estimation based on SRS by network devices across different segments. In this embodiment, when uplink resources are limited, i.e., when omissions are necessary, the terminal device determines the priority of each segment in the second information based on the first information, where the first information is related to the SRS timeliness information of the subband. Therefore, the terminal device uses the SRS timeliness information related to the first information as a reference for determining priority; or, in other words, the terminal device can determine the segment priority by combining the timeliness of SRS reception on the subband. This allows for flexible priority setting based on the accuracy of CSI estimation based on SRS by the network device, facilitating the priority transmission of data from segments that complement the accuracy of CSI estimation based on SRS by the network device. This helps the network device improve the accuracy of CSI fusion and ultimately the accuracy of the obtained CSI. In summary, the method provided in this embodiment flexibly determines the priority of segments in the second information based on the first information, providing support for improving the accuracy of CSI fusion by the network device.

[0009] In one embodiment, the amount of bit resources corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band; and / or, the priority corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band; the first segment is any one of one or more segments, and the second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

[0010] For any given segment, the lower the timeliness of the SRS (i.e., the less timely or older the SRS) of the corresponding subband, the more bit resources are allocated to that segment. On one hand, for segments with poor SRS timeliness (older SRS), more bit resources can be used for finer characterization during quantization, resulting in more accurate CSI within the quantized payload. When network devices fuse the CSI of these segments with the CSI estimated based on the less timely SRS, the higher-accuracy CSI of these segments can compensate for the accuracy loss caused by the timeliness of the SRS, ultimately resulting in highly accurate CSI information for these segments. On the other hand, for segments with good SRS timeliness (fresher SRS), fewer bit resources are used for coarser characterization during quantization, reducing bit resource waste. The CSI accuracy of the payload obtained from these segmented quantizations is relatively low. However, when the network side fuses the CSI information corresponding to these segments with the CSI obtained from the more timely SRS estimation, the CSI obtained from the more timely SRS estimation has higher accuracy. This can compensate for the CSI accuracy loss from latent information quantization and maintain the accuracy of the CSI information in that segment. In summary, this method can optimize the allocation of bit resources, improve the accuracy of CSI information, and prevent the waste of bit resources.

[0011] Furthermore, for any given segment, the lower the SRS timeliness of the corresponding subband (i.e., the less timely the SRS, or the older the SRS), the higher the priority allocated to that segment. The older the SRS on the subband, the lower the accuracy of the CSI estimated by the network device based on the SRS. In this application, a higher priority is allocated to the segment corresponding to that subband, ensuring that the segment is transmitted preferentially. This can promptly compensate for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging (without dropping it), improving the accuracy of CSI fusion. Additionally, as analyzed above, the lower the SRS timeliness, the more bit resources the terminal device allocates to the segment, resulting in higher segment quantization accuracy and thus more accurate CSI. Based on priority transmission, it is easier to compensate for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging, further improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0012] In one embodiment, the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the first subband is used to characterize the time difference between the moment when the network device last received the SRS on the first subband and the reference time.

[0013] In this embodiment, the time difference can be used to accurately characterize the timeliness of SRS.

[0014] In one embodiment, the reference time is the time-domain location of the CSI reference resource corresponding to the most recently triggered CSI report.

[0015] In this embodiment, the reference time is determined as the time domain position of the CSI reference resource corresponding to the most recently triggered CSI report, so that the reference time point for determining the SRS timeliness information is aligned with the time point for measuring CSI on the terminal device side, thereby achieving alignment of the two types of information on the time axis and further improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0016] In one embodiment, the first information includes SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0017] In other words, network devices can directly send SRS timeliness information as the primary information to terminal devices. In this case, terminal devices can autonomously decide on the bit resources for each segment based on the SRS timeliness information, improving the autonomy and intelligence of terminal devices, and eliminating the need for network devices to allocate bit resources, thus reducing the workload of network devices.

[0018] In one embodiment, the SRS timeliness information includes SRS timeliness levels, with each SRS timeliness level corresponding to a range of time differences.

[0019] In this embodiment, the timeliness of SRS can be characterized simply and accurately through the SRS timeliness level.

[0020] In one embodiment, determining the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information includes: determining the sub-bands corresponding to each segment based on the first mapping relationship; determining the allocation weights corresponding to each segment based on the sub-bands corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness levels corresponding to one or more sub-bands; and determining the bit resources corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment.

[0021] In this embodiment, the terminal device determines the allocation weight based on the SRS timeliness level, and then allocates bit resources based on the allocation weight, which facilitates global control over the allocation of bit resources and thus allocates bit resources more accurately.

[0022] In one embodiment, the higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the represented time difference; the multiple segments include a second segment and a third segment. In the first mapping relationship, the second segment corresponds to the third sub-band, and the third segment corresponds to the fourth sub-band; the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the third sub-band is higher than the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the fourth sub-band, the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than the allocation weight corresponding to the third segment, and the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of bit resources corresponding to the third segment.

[0023] In this embodiment, the higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the allocation weight and the more bit resources are allocated. That is, for older sub-bands with older SRS, the corresponding segment is assigned a greater allocation weight and more bit resources. This better compensates for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging and maximizes the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0024] In one embodiment, determining the allocation weight for each segment based on the sub-bands corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands includes: using the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the second sub-band as the allocation weight for the first segment; the first segment is any one of one or more segments, and the second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship; or, determining the allocation weight for the first segment based on the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the second sub-band using a first function; the first function is an aggregation function.

[0025] In this embodiment, one approach directly uses the SRS timeliness level as the allocation weight, which simplifies the algorithm for determining the allocation weight and improves the efficiency of bit resource allocation. Another approach uses a first function to aggregate the allocation weights corresponding to multiple SRS timeliness levels, thereby improving the accuracy of the allocation weights.

[0026] In one embodiment, the higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the time difference represented; determining the priority of one or more segments based on the first information includes: determining the sub-band corresponding to each segment based on the first mapping relationship; determining the SRS timeliness level corresponding to each segment based on the sub-band corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands; determining the priority order of one or more segments based on the SRS timeliness level; wherein, the higher the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the first segment, the higher the priority of the first segment, and the first segment is any one of the one or more segments.

[0027] In other words, the older the SRS on a subband, the higher the priority of the corresponding subband segment. This way, the terminal device will prioritize transmitting the data of that segment, thereby making up for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging and improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0028] In one embodiment, the first information includes third information corresponding to one or more segments. The third information corresponding to the first segment is used to characterize the importance of the first segment. The first segment is any one of the one or more segments. The third information corresponding to the first segment is related to the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band. The second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

[0029] In other words, the network device indicates the importance of each segment of the second information to the terminal device. In this way, the authority to allocate bit resources is mainly concentrated in the network device, and the terminal device can directly allocate bit resources based on the third information without having to perform processes such as mapping subbands and segments, which simplifies the operation of the terminal device and facilitates the unified and centralized management of the terminal device by the network device.

[0030] In one embodiment, the importance represented by the third information corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band.

[0031] In other words, the worse the timeliness of the SRS timeliness representation (the "older" the SRS), the higher the importance of the corresponding segment in the sub-band. The higher the importance, the more bit resources are allocated to the segment, which can better compensate for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging and improve the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0032] In one embodiment, determining the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information includes: determining the allocation weight corresponding to each segment based on the third information corresponding to the one or more segments; and determining the bit resources corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weight corresponding to each segment.

[0033] In this embodiment, the terminal device can determine the allocation weight based on the third information, and then allocate bit resources without having to perform sub-band and segment mapping, thus simplifying the algorithm process of the terminal device.

[0034] In one embodiment, the third information includes an importance level, with each importance level corresponding to a time difference range.

[0035] In this embodiment, the importance level can be used to intuitively and quantitatively represent the importance of each segment, making it convenient for terminal devices to allocate bit resources according to the importance level.

[0036] In one embodiment, a higher importance level indicates a higher degree of importance; the multiple segments include a second segment and a third segment; in the first mapping relationship, the second segment corresponds to the third sub-band, and the third segment corresponds to the fourth sub-band; the time difference represented by the SRS timeliness information of the third sub-band is greater than the time difference represented by the SRS timeliness information of the fourth sub-band; the importance level corresponding to the second segment is higher than the importance level corresponding to the third segment, and the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than the allocation weight corresponding to the third segment; the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of bit resources corresponding to the third segment.

[0037] In other words, the larger the time difference corresponding to a sub-band (the "older" the SRS), the higher its importance level, the greater its weight, and the more bit resources it is allocated. This can better compensate for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging and improve the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0038] In one embodiment, the third information includes a priority order, which is used to characterize the result of sorting one or more segments according to their importance.

[0039] In this embodiment, the priority order can intuitively represent the comparison relationship between the importance of each segment, which makes it convenient for the terminal device to allocate bit resources and / or perform UCI omission according to the priority order.

[0040] In one embodiment, determining the priority of one or more segments based on first information includes: determining the priority order of one or more segments based on third information corresponding to each segment; wherein, the higher the importance of the first segment, the higher the priority of the first segment.

[0041] In other words, network devices send third-party information representing the importance of segments to terminal devices. Terminal devices then sort these segments according to their importance, resulting in a priority order. Higher importance translates to higher priority. Higher priority means segments are transmitted first, allowing for more timely compensation for accuracy loss caused by SRS aging (if not discarded), thus improving the accuracy of CSI fusion. Furthermore, as analyzed above, higher segment importance means more bit resources allocated to the segment by the terminal device, resulting in higher segment quantization accuracy and thus more accurate CSI. This, combined with priority transmission, makes it easier to compensate for accuracy loss caused by SRS aging, further improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0042] In one embodiment, the first information includes allocation weights corresponding to one or more segments; determining the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information includes: determining the bit resources corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment.

[0043] In other words, network devices can directly send allocation weights to terminal devices. In this case, terminal devices can directly allocate bit resources based on the allocation weights, without needing to map subbands to segments or determine allocation weights, further reducing the workload of terminal devices and simplifying their algorithm process.

[0044] In one embodiment, the multiple segments include a second segment and a third segment; the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than the allocation weight corresponding to the third segment; and the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of bit resources corresponding to the third segment.

[0045] In this embodiment, the higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the allocation weight and the more bit resources are allocated. That is, for older sub-bands with older SRS, the corresponding segment is assigned a greater allocation weight and more bit resources. This better compensates for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging and maximizes the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0046] In one embodiment, determining the bit resources corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment includes: determining the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment; wherein the number of information dimensions corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of information dimensions corresponding to the third segment, and / or the number of quantization bits corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of quantization bits corresponding to the third segment; and determining the number of bits corresponding to each segment based on the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment, as well as the number of segments.

[0047] The number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits are directly proportional. Therefore, in this embodiment, when allocating bit resources, the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits that are positively correlated with the allocation weight are determined according to the allocation weight, thereby determining the number of bits that are positively correlated with the allocation weight and achieving accurate allocation of bit resources.

[0048] In one embodiment, determining the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment includes: determining the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment from a first parameter combination pool based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment; the first parameter combination pool includes one or more sets of parameter combinations, each set of parameter combinations including a candidate value for the number of information dimensions and / or a candidate value for the number of quantization bits.

[0049] In this embodiment, the standardized payload PC pool mechanism can prevent terminal devices from freely allocating bits, which would cause network devices to be unable to decode, and can also reduce the complexity of cross-vendor training.

[0050] In one embodiment, the total number of bit resources corresponding to one or more segments is less than or equal to the smaller of a first number of bits and a second number of bits, where the first number of bits is the maximum allowed number of bits in part 2 of the first CSI report corresponding to the second information, and the second number of bits is the number of bits in the uplink resources carried by the first CSI report that can be used to transmit CSI.

[0051] In other words, bit allocation is performed without increasing the total amount of bit resources. This achieves "peak shaving and valley filling," allocating bit resources from segments with better SRS timeliness to segments with poorer SRS timeliness, improving fusion accuracy while preventing bit resource waste and increasing resource utilization.

[0052] In one embodiment, the plurality of segments include a fourth segment and a fifth segment, and in the priority order, the fourth segment has a higher priority than the fifth segment; based on the priority of one or more segments, transmitting a portion of the data corresponding to one or more segments includes: according to the priority order, transmitting the data corresponding to the fourth segment first, relative to the fifth segment.

[0053] In other words, when transmitting data, the terminal device prioritizes data from segments with higher priority. Conversely, data from segments with lower priority is omitted (or discarded). This prioritizes the transmission of highly accurate CSI data, thereby further improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0054] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving first identification information sent by a network device; and determining a first mapping relationship based on the first identification information.

[0055] In this embodiment, the network device uses the first identification information to simply, quickly, and accurately indicate the first mapping relationship to the terminal device, making it easier for the terminal device to obtain the first mapping relationship and thus efficiently allocate bit resources for segments or determine the priority of segments.

[0056] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this. The following description uses a network device (such as a satellite) as an example.

[0057] The method includes: sending first information to a terminal device, the first information being related to the timing information of the sounding reference signal (SRS) corresponding to one or more sub-bands; the timing information of the SRS corresponding to the first sub-band being used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first sub-band, the first sub-band being any one of one or more sub-bands; the first information being used to determine the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information, and / or to determine the priority of one or more segments.

[0058] The second aspect is the implementation on the network device side, which corresponds to the first aspect. The explanations, supplements, and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the first aspect also apply to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0059] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, comprising a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: receive first information transmitted by a network device, the first information being related to the timing information of a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) corresponding to one or more sub-bands; the SRS timing information corresponding to the first sub-band is used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first sub-band, the first sub-band being any one of the one or more sub-bands; the processing module is configured to: determine the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of second information based on the first information, and quantize the second information based on the bit resources corresponding to the one or more segments; the second information is information obtained by compressing Channel State Information (CSI) based on a first model, and the one or more segments have a first mapping relationship with one or more sub-bands; and / or, the transceiver module is further configured to: if the amount of uplink resources required for the second information is greater than the amount of available uplink resources, determine the priority of one or more segments based on the first information, and transmit a portion of the data corresponding to the one or more segments based on the priority of the one or more segments.

[0060] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: send first information to a terminal device, the first information being related to the timing information of a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) corresponding to one or more sub-bands; the SRS timing information corresponding to the first sub-band is used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first sub-band, the first sub-band being any one of one or more sub-bands; the first information is used to determine the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of second information, and / or to determine the priority of one or more segments.

[0061] The third and fourth aspects are the implementation on the device side, which correspond to the first and second aspects. The explanations, supplements, and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the first and second aspects also apply to the third and fourth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0062] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0063] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0064] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0065] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0066] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0067] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a satellite. When the communication device is a chip configured in a satellite, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0068] In a seventh aspect, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute a method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0069] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0070] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is used to read instructions stored in the memory, receive signals via a receiver, and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0071] Optionally, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0072] Ninthly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0073] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0074] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, causing the methods in any of the above aspects or possible implementations to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0075] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0076] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned terminal device and network device. Optionally, the communication system may further include other devices that communicate with the terminal device and / or network device. Attached Figure Description

[0077] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of CSI measurement and feedback provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 3A This is an example of the principle of codebook-based CSI feedback provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0080] Figure 3B This is an example of the principle of explicit CSI feedback based on AI / ML provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0081] Figure 3C This is an example of the principle of implicit CSI feedback based on AI / ML provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0082] Figure 4A This is an example A of an embodiment of this application. A schematic diagram of the CSI principle;

[0083] Figure 4B This is an example of an embodiment of this application, P. A schematic diagram of the CSI principle;

[0084] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an example communication method 500 according to an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of another example of a communication method 500 according to an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of determining a time difference in one embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of yet another example of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of yet another example of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0089] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of an example communication method 1000 according to an embodiment of this application;

[0090] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of yet another example of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0091] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0093] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0094] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) systems, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, sidelink communication systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, or new radio access technology (NR). Among these, 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networking. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit the scope of these applications.

[0095] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 used in an embodiment of this application. The communication system 100 may include network devices, such as... Figure 1 The network device 110 is shown. The communication system 100 may also include terminal devices, such as... Figure 1 The terminal device 120 is shown. The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 can communicate via a wireless link.

[0096] Figure 1 An exemplary network device 110 and a terminal device 120 are shown. Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include multiple network devices and / or multiple terminal devices.

[0097] The network equipment in this application can be network-side equipment such as access network equipment and core network equipment. Access network equipment is sometimes also called access node. Access network equipment has wireless transceiver capabilities and is used to communicate with terminals. Access network equipment includes, but is not limited to, base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), transmission reception points (TRPs) in the above-mentioned communication systems, next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) in 5G mobile communication systems, access network equipment or modules of access network equipment in open RAN (ORAN) systems, satellites in NTN communication systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, or access nodes in WiFi systems. Access network equipment can also be modules or units that can implement some of the functions of a base station. Access network equipment can be macro base stations, micro base stations or indoor stations, relay nodes or donor nodes, or wireless controllers in cloud radioaccess network (CRAN) scenarios. Optionally, access network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, or vehicle-mounted equipment, etc. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). Multiple access network devices in a communication system can be base stations of the same type or different types. Base stations can communicate with terminals directly or via relay stations. Terminals can communicate with multiple base stations using different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the access network equipment. In this application, the access network equipment is referred to as a network device.

[0098] In this application, the means for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself, or a means capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system. This means can be installed in or connected to the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the example of a network device being used to implement the functions of a network device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0099] The terminal device in this application can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device providing voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. For example, the terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, or satellite communication, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, aircraft (such as drone, helicopter, airplane), hot air balloon, ship, robot, robotic arm, or smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the form of the terminal device.

[0100] In this application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or any apparatus capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing those functions, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system. This apparatus can be installed in or connected to the terminal device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the example of a terminal device being used to implement the functions of a terminal device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0101] Access network equipment and / or terminal equipment can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the application scenarios of the access network equipment and terminal equipment. They can be deployed in the same or different scenarios; for example, both can be deployed on land simultaneously; or the access network equipment can be deployed on land while the terminal equipment is deployed on water, etc., and so on.

[0102] In practical applications, multiple network devices can collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different network devices each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, network devices can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0103] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, and RU can implement different protocol layer functions.

[0104] Optionally, the network device mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a network device with massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), such as a network device (e.g., a 5G base station) deployed in the center of a city. This network device can provide services to a large number of terminal devices.

[0105] Optionally, the network device mentioned in the embodiments of this application can configure periodic SRS resources for the terminal, and the terminal device can send SRS on the uplink SRS resources in order to realize channel detection.

[0106] Optionally, in the CSI feedback mechanism, the terminal device can measure the downlink channel, generate a CSI report according to the network configuration, and report the CSI report to the network side.

[0107] Optionally, the terminal device mentioned in the embodiments of this application can input the original channel matrix or precoding matrix into the encoder for compression and generate a corresponding CSI report for reporting.

[0108] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terminology used in this application will be briefly explained first. Optionally, the explanation of some terms may also refer to the explanations in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard protocol.

[0109] 1. Channel State Information (CSI)

[0110] Channel Indicator (CSI) is a type of information that reflects channel characteristics and channel quality. For example, CSI can be represented using a channel matrix, such as including the channel matrix, or it can include the channel's eigenvectors.

[0111] CSI can include at least one of the following: channel quality indication (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), layer indicator (LI), reference signal receiving power (RSRP), or signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR). The signal-to-interference plus noise ratio can also be called the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR).

[0112] 2. Channel State Information Reference Signal Reference signal, CSI RS)

[0113] CSI RS is a downlink reference signal sent by network devices. See also Figure 2 Terminal equipment can measure CSI The terminal device (RS) estimates the downlink channel characteristics and reports these characteristics to the network device via a CSI report. This allows the network device to perform downlink beamforming and transmit downlink data based on the CSI report. The process by which the terminal device reports its CSI to the network device via a CSI report is called CSI feedback.

[0114] 3. Time Division Duplex (TDD)

[0115] TDD is a duplex mode. In TDD mode, the uplink and downlink operate on the same frequency band, but occupy different time units for communication. TDD systems exhibit channel reciprocity, meaning that the channel characteristics of the uplink and downlink are reciprocal.

[0116] 4. Sounding reference signal (SRS)

[0117] The SRS is an uplink reference signal transmitted by the terminal equipment. Network devices can measure the SRS to estimate uplink channel characteristics. In TDD systems, network devices can utilize channel reciprocity to infer downlink channel characteristics based on the measured SRS.

[0118] 5. CSI Acquisition in TDD Systems

[0119] In TDD systems, network devices obtain downlink CSI in two main ways: one is to obtain CSI based on channel estimation using SRS (as described in section 4 above); the other is to obtain CSI based on feedback from terminal devices (as described in section 2 above).

[0120] 6. CSI Feedback

[0121] CSI feedback includes codebook-based CSI feedback and AI / ML-based CSI feedback.

[0122] In codebook-based CSI feedback, the terminal device can select the entry that best matches the actual channel from a predefined codebook and feed back the CSI to the network device. Commonly used codebooks include Type 1. I) Codebook and Type 2 II) Codebook, etc. A codebook is a collection of predefined precoding matrices. Each entry in the codebook (i.e., a PMI) represents a possible channel state (such as beam direction, amplitude / phase combination, etc.). The terminal device informs the network device which predefined precoding matrix to select for downlink transmission by feeding back the PMI. The principle of codebook-based CSI feedback can be found in [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3A .

[0123] The drawback of codebook-based CSI feedback is that, as the number of antennas increases, the codebook size needs to increase dramatically to maintain the accuracy of the precoding matrix, resulting in excessive feedback overhead. Furthermore, at high bandwidths (e.g., 100MHz), codebook-based CSI feedback has a coarse frequency domain granularity (e.g., feedback every 16 or 32 physical resource blocks (PRBs), limiting the accuracy of frequency-selective scheduling.

[0124] To address the technical bottlenecks of codebook-based CSI feedback, researchers have investigated AI / ML-based CSI compression techniques. It should be noted that the AI / ML mentioned in the embodiments of this application can refer to AI, ML, or both. That is, AI / ML can be understood as AI and / or ML.

[0125] In AI / ML-based CSI feedback, CSI feedback between the terminal device and the network device is based on a two-sided model. This two-sided model is built on an AI / ML-based CSI compression framework. The two-sided model includes an encoder deployed on the terminal device side and a decoder deployed on the network device side, with the decoder deployed in pairs with the encoder.

[0126] In one implementation, the terminal device can input a high-dimensional original channel matrix or precoding matrix into an encoder, and the encoder compresses the high-dimensional original channel matrix or precoding matrix to obtain latent information. This latent information is a low-dimensional floating-point vector that abstractly represents the downlink channel characteristics; it can also be called latent information, latent vector, or latent vector. The terminal device quantizes the latent information to obtain a bitstream (or bit sequence) and transmits the bitstream to the network device. The network device receives the bitstream and reconstructs it using a decoder to obtain the high-dimensional original channel matrix or precoding matrix; in other words, the network device can reconstruct the bitstream to obtain the CSI. In other embodiments, the precoding matrix can also be replaced with codeword indices from a predefined codebook.

[0127] AI / ML-based CSI feedback can reduce the overhead of CSI feedback and improve its accuracy. AI / ML-based CSI feedback is a representative use case of AI / ML-based CSI feedback enhancement technology, belonging to spatial frequency domain CSI compression, also known as AI / ML-based CSI compression. Another representative use case of AI / ML-based CSI feedback enhancement is time-domain-based CSI prediction on the terminal device side. It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the CSI based on AI / ML-based CSI feedback can be either CSI measured based on CSI-RS or CSI predicted based on AI / ML; there is no limitation on this.

[0128] When the terminal device inputs the raw channel matrix H into the encoder for compression, AI / ML-based CSI feedback can also be called AI / ML-based explicit CSI feedback. This feedback method allows the terminal device to provide the network device with more accurate and detailed channel state information, which helps optimize communication performance. The principle of AI / ML-based explicit CSI feedback can be found in [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3B .

[0129] When the terminal device inputs the precoding matrix or codeword index into the encoder for compression, AI / ML-based CSI feedback can also be called AI / ML-based implicit CSI feedback. This feedback method reduces the amount of data transmitted between the terminal device and the network device, resulting in a smaller bitstream payload and effectively saving bandwidth. The principle of AI / ML-based implicit CSI feedback can be found in [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3C .

[0130] 7. CSI Feedback Framework

[0131] Both codebook-based and AI / ML-based CSI feedback can adopt a two-part framework. In this framework, the CSI report can include CSI Part 1 and CSI Part 2.

[0132] CSI Part 1 is a fixed-size section used to instruct network devices on the size and structure of CSI Part 2. CSI Part 1 includes, but is not limited to, RI, CQI, or at least one of the following: the total number of non-zero coefficients. RI refers to the number of spatial streams or transport layers recommended by the terminal device to the network device for data transmission. CQI indicates channel quality, and network devices can select appropriate modulation and coding schemes based on CQI to ensure reliable transmission.

[0133] CSI Part 2 is a dynamically sized section, its size indicated by information such as the RI (Reference Indicator) from CSI Part 1. In codebook-based CSI feedback scenarios, CSI Part 2 includes the PMI (Precoding Matrix), which indicates the precoding matrix for downlink transmission. In AI / ML-based CSI feedback scenarios, CSI Part 2 includes the payload generated by the encoder, obtained by quantizing the underlying information. Both the PMI and the payload can be bit sequences.

[0134] In some implementations, the terminal device can divide the bit sequence of CSI Part 2 into multiple priority groups (such as Group0 / 1 / 2). If physical resources are insufficient to carry the complete CSI Part 2, the terminal device can transmit the bits of each priority group sequentially based on priority order. The network device can decode a fixed-size CSI Part 1 to obtain the RI (Initial Receiver). The network device determines the payload size of CSI Part 2 based on the RI before decoding CSI Part 2.

[0135] 8. CSI Feedback Types

[0136] CSI feedback type refers to the type of CSI report triggered by the terminal device, also known as CSI reporting type, including aperiodic CSI (Aperiodic CSI). CSI feedback, semi-continuous CSI Persistent CSI, SP CSI Feedback and Periodic CSI (P) CSI feedback.

[0137] A CSI feedback is a single CSI response triggered on demand by the network device. For example, the network device can instruct the terminal device to provide CSI feedback via downlink control information (DCI). This DCI can indicate the time-frequency resources corresponding to this CSI feedback, such as the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resource. The principle of CSI feedback can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 4A .

[0138] SP CSI feedback refers to periodic CSI feedback, which is inactive by default. Network devices can activate periodic CSI feedback via DCI. When CSI feedback is activated, the terminal device will continuously feed CSI feedback on the corresponding time-frequency resources according to the configured period until CSI feedback is deactivated. The periodicity and time-frequency resources of CSI can be configured by network devices via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. These time-frequency resources can be PUSCH resources.

[0139] P CSI feedback refers to periodic CSI feedback, which is active by default. When network devices configure periodic and time-frequency resources for terminal devices, the terminal devices can perform CSI feedback on those time-frequency resources according to the configured period, without real-time triggering by DCI. This time-frequency resource can be the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource. The principle of CSI feedback can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 4B .

[0140] 9. Payload Calculation

[0141] As mentioned above, the payload is a bit sequence obtained by quantizing the latent information output by the AI / ML encoder from the terminal device. The latent information includes a series of real values, and the quantization of the latent information is essentially the quantization of these real values.

[0142] Currently, terminal devices can use either scalar quantization (SQ) or vector quantization (VQ) to quantize latent information. For a specific transport layer (represented as layer l) and transport rank (represented as rank v), the quantization calculation process for latent information is as follows:

[0143] (1) When the terminal device adopts the SQ quantization scheme, the terminal device can quantize each real number in the potential information individually. The terminal device quantizes each real value as... Taking 1 bit as an example, the total payload size of this transport layer is:

[0144] .

[0145] (2) When the terminal device adopts the VQ quantization scheme, the terminal device can convert the continuous L( ) in the potential information. Each real value is treated as a segment, and the entire segment is jointly quantized. Each segment is then quantized independently. If each segment is quantized to... If there are 10 bits, then the total payload size of this transport layer is:

[0146] .

[0147] The VQ quantization scheme can achieve higher compression efficiency by utilizing the correlation between real values.

[0148] It is evident that terminal devices can be based on parameter sets. Determine the payload size of the bit sequence. Among them, It is a dimension of potential information. L is the number of bits per (scalar or vector) quantization unit (i.e., the number of bits per segment, hereinafter referred to as the number of quantization bits), and L is the segment length of vector quantization (for SQ, L=1).

[0149] 10. Parametric Load Pool

[0150] In related technologies, a mechanism for determining a standardized payload parameter combination (payload PC) pool is proposed for the payload calculation process in CSI Part 2. That is, the parameters used to calculate the payload are selected from a standardized pool of candidate parameters. This payload PC pool defines the candidate values ​​for constructing each layer of the payload, mainly including:

[0151] Potential information dimensions: .

[0152] Number of quantization bits: (The SQ baseline is 2, and VQ can also be selected as 8 or 10).

[0153] VQ segment length: .

[0154] In some implementations, (1) the above is a set of candidate values ​​for down-selection, and does not mean that SQ and VQ are supported at the same time. (2) The number of configurable PCs Y does not exceed 8.

[0155] In addition, the payload PCs across different ranks adopt the following allocation structure:

[0156] Rank 1 and Rank 2: Use layer-common loads, that is, the load parameters are the same for each layer (e.g., {X1}, {X1, X1}).

[0157] Rank 3 and Rank 4: Consider alternative combinations such as {a,a,a}, {a,a,b}, {a,b,b}, etc., for use in subsequent down-selection.

[0158] 11. Uplink Control Information (UCI) Packetization and Omission Order

[0159] UCI is uplink control signaling sent by a terminal device to a network device. UCI includes information such as Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK), CSI, and scheduling request (SR).

[0160] Terminal devices need to transmit UCI based on the uplink transmission resources (e.g., PUSCH) configured by the network devices. When uplink transmission resources are insufficient, the order of UCI packetization, mapping, and omission (which can be understood as discarding) needs to be considered in order to selectively discard / truncate (Omission) some CSI information.

[0161] In related technologies, there are two main disposal schemes:

[0162] (1) Layer-wise discarding: When the uplink transmission resources configured by the network device for transmitting UCI are insufficient, CSI information can be completely discarded in layer order (e.g., from higher to lower layers). This scheme will guarantee the feedback quality of the remaining layers, but sacrifices the MIMO spatial multiplexing gain.

[0163] (2) Discarding portions of each layer: Divide the information of each layer into different parts and discard certain portions of all layers first. This scheme aims to maintain the Rank, but will sacrifice the feedback accuracy of all layers.

[0164] It should be understood that the technical terms used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and not as limiting. For example, as technology evolves, technical terms may also change, and other technical terms that have the same technical meaning should also apply to this application.

[0165] The technical problems encountered in this application are described below.

[0166] As mentioned above, network devices acquire CSI in two ways: one is by measuring the SRS from the terminal device and estimating the CSI based on the SRS (hereinafter referred to as SRS-based CSI); the other is by having the terminal device measure or predict the CSI based on CSI-RS and feed the CSI back to the network device based on AI / ML (hereinafter referred to as AI / ML-based CSI). Network devices can fuse the SRS-based CSI with the AI / ML-based CSI to improve CSI accuracy. However, in practical applications, it has been found that the accuracy of the fused CSI is not high.

[0167] Analysis revealed that, on the one hand, when network devices perform CSI estimation using SRS, the reuse of SRS resources among multiple terminal devices, and / or the use of frequency hopping to transmit SRS to cover the full bandwidth (e.g., using 17-hop SRS to cover a 100MHz bandwidth), can lead to a longer perception period for the complete SRS frequency domain, resulting in channel aging. This channel aging causes a decrease in the accuracy of the network-side CSI estimation based on SRS, thus reducing the accuracy of the fused CSI.

[0168] On the other hand, as mentioned above, the CSI dropping scheme in related technologies when UCI uplink transmission resources are limited can also lead to poor CSI accuracy.

[0169] However, in 5G and 5G-Advanced mobile communication systems, network devices have increasingly higher requirements for CSI accuracy, especially in scenarios where terminal devices use implicit feedback based on AI / ML. For example, when using the port-subband domain precoding matrix as the target CSI type for feedback, high-precision phase and amplitude information is required for each subband. Therefore, improving the fusion accuracy of CSI based on SRS estimation and CSI based on AI / ML feedback is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0170] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method in which a network device indicates first information to a terminal device, the first information being related to SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands. Based on the first information, bit resources for one or more segments of potential information are determined, and the potential information is quantized based on the bit resources of each segment. One or more segments of the potential information are mapped to one or more sub-bands. This method, combined with the timeliness of SRS on the sub-band (i.e., the timeliness of SRS reception), determines how much bit resource to allocate to the corresponding segment, thereby flexibly adjusting the quantization precision of different segments, and further flexibly adjusting the precision of each segment in the CSI based on AI / ML feedback. This allows the precision of the CSI obtained by the terminal device based on AI / ML feedback and the precision of the CSI estimated by the network device based on SRS to be complementary in each segment, facilitating the network side to improve the accuracy of CSI fusion and ultimately improving the precision of the final CSI.

[0171] This application also provides a communication method in which a network device indicates first information to a terminal device. This first information is related to SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands. In the event of insufficient uplink resources, the priority of each segment in the potential information is determined based on the first information, and these segments are omitted (or discarded) based on their priorities. One or more segments of the potential information are mapped to one or more sub-bands. This method, combined with the timeliness of SRS on the sub-band (the timeliness of SRS reception), flexibly sets the priority of segments, facilitating the priority transmission of data from segments that complement the accuracy of CSI estimated by the network side based on SRS. This helps the network side improve the accuracy of CSI fusion and ultimately the accuracy of the obtained CSI.

[0172] In summary, the communication method provided in this application provides support for improving the fusion accuracy of CSI based on SRS estimation and CSI based on AI / ML feedback, and solves the problem of low CSI accuracy in the fusion scenario of CSI based on SRS estimation and CSI based on AI / ML feedback.

[0173] The solution provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the corresponding flowcharts. It is understood that the illustrative flowcharts provided in this application primarily use different devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) as examples of the execution subjects of this interactive illustration to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustrations. For example, the devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) in the illustrative flowcharts can also be chips, chip systems, or processors that support the implementation of this method on the device, or logic modules or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the device.

[0174] As a general statement, the message or signaling interactions involved in the interaction process of this application embodiment can be standard messages or signaling or newly introduced messages or signaling. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0175] For ease of understanding, the methods provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below from two scenarios: allocating bit resources and determining priorities.

[0176] I. Scenarios involving the allocation of bit resources.

[0177] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method 500 according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 5 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 Any terminal device in the context of network equipment can refer to any component within that terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Network equipment can be... Figure 1 Any access network device, or a component within an access network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Figure 5 As shown, the method 500 includes the following steps:

[0178] S510, the network device sends first information to the terminal device, and the corresponding terminal device receives the first information, which is related to the SRS timeliness information of one or more subbands.

[0179] As mentioned above, terminal devices can send SRS to network devices. Each SRS sent by the terminal device can cover the entire frequency domain bandwidth, or only a portion of the frequency domain. Specifically, in some scenarios (such as sparse SRS or SRS frequency hopping scenarios), the entire frequency domain bandwidth can be pre-divided into multiple sub-bands (i.e., frequency domain regions). Each SRS sent by the terminal device covers a portion of these sub-bands. For example, in a TDD scenario with a 100MHz bandwidth and 17-hop SRS coverage, the 100MHz bandwidth is divided into 17 sub-bands. The terminal device can periodically send SRS, with each SRS transmission covering one of the 17 sub-bands. Therefore, in this scenario or similar scenarios, the timeliness of the SRS received by the network device needs to be considered.

[0180] Timeliness, or immediacy, is used to describe the timeliness or untimeliness of network reception of SRS. It should be understood that timeliness is a relative concept. Relatively speaking, SRS with "good timeliness," "high timeliness," or "timeliness" accurately reflect the current channel state information and do not cause channel time-varying mismatch. Conversely, SRS with "poor timeliness," "low timeliness," or "untimeliness" cannot accurately reflect the current channel state information and may cause channel time-varying mismatch. Network devices that estimate CSI based on higher timeliness (or more timely SRS) will obtain more accurate estimates.

[0181] To more accurately determine the timeliness of SRS, a reference time can be set, and the receiving time of the SRS by the network device can be compared with the reference time to determine the SRS timeliness. The larger the time difference between the receiving time and the reference time, the worse the timeliness of the SRS, or the lower its timeliness, and the less timely it is. The smaller the time difference between the receiving time and the reference time, the better the timeliness of the SRS, or the higher its timeliness, and the more timely it is. To more intuitively understand the timeliness of SRS, in this embodiment, the quality of SRS timeliness, or the level of SRS timeliness, can also be described as "fresh" or "old" (or "aged"). SRS with "good timeliness" or "high timeliness" can be described as SRS that is "fresh" or "not old". SRS with "poor timeliness" or "low timeliness" can be described as SRS that is "old" or "not fresh".

[0182] In this embodiment, SRS timeliness information is information that characterizes the timeliness of SRS reception by the network device, or in other words, information that characterizes the timeliness of SRS reception. SRS timeliness information can also be called SRS freshness information, SRS age information, SRS age, etc., and this application does not limit it to these terms.

[0183] Optionally, SRS timeliness information can be qualitative or relative information indicating timeliness, such as "fresh," "medium," or "old." Optionally, SRS timeliness information can also be quantitative information indicating timeliness, such as "1ms," "10ms," or "20ms."

[0184] The SRS timeliness information corresponding to the sub-band is used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception by network devices on the sub-band. Taking any one of one or more sub-bands (hereinafter referred to as the first sub-band) as an example, the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the first sub-band is used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first sub-band.

[0185] Optionally, each sub-band can correspond to one SRS timeliness information, or multiple sub-bands can correspond to one timeliness information.

[0186] Optionally, the SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands can be represented in the form of tables, sequences, matrices or sets, etc., without limitation.

[0187] Optionally, the first information can be carried in existing signaling or in newly added signaling. As one possible implementation, the first information can be carried in RRC signaling or DCI signaling. Specifically, the first information can be carried in the CSI report configuration (CSI-ReportConfig) within RRC signaling. As another possible implementation, the first information can be carried in newly added signaling or fields, such as the SRS Timeliness Indication IE.

[0188] S520, the terminal device determines the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information; the second information is information obtained by CSI compression based on the first model, and one or more segments have a first mapping relationship with the one or more sub-bands.

[0189] The first model is the model used for compressing CSI. Optionally, the first model can be an AI / ML model, such as the AI / ML-based encoder mentioned above.

[0190] The second information is the information output by the first model, such as the aforementioned latent information, or latent vector. The second information may include one or more real numbers, which can be divided into several segments, called segments of the second information (or simply segments).

[0191] In this embodiment of the application, a first mapping relationship exists between one or more segments of the second information and one or more sub-bands of the full bandwidth of the frequency domain. The first mapping relationship may also be referred to as a segment-sub-band correspondence relationship, a segment-sub-band mapping relationship, a segment-sub-band binding relationship, etc. Optionally, in the first mapping relationship, one segment can correspond to one sub-band, one segment can correspond to multiple sub-bands (that is, one segment corresponds to one sub-band group), one sub-band can correspond to one segment, and one sub-band can correspond to multiple segments; there is no limitation on this.

[0192] As one possible implementation, the first model can be an AI / ML model with frequency-local awareness or employing a subband-level independent coding architecture. In this case, the segments of the second information output by the first model are physically strongly correlated with physical subbands, thus facilitating the construction of the first mapping relationship. For example, the first model could be an encoder based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) that preserves spatial and / or frequency domain dimensions, or a model employing an architecture of subband independent coding or subband group coding. Such a first model extracts features through local convolutional operations in the frequency domain dimension, ensuring that the output second information structurally retains the topological information of the frequency domain. Therefore, the segments of the second information are strongly correlated with the subbands, facilitating the construction of the first mapping relationship.

[0193] As one possible implementation, the second information is the output information after compressing the subband-based precoding matrix using the first model. Alternatively, the target CSI input to the first model is a port-subband domain precoding matrix. Since the input to the first model is a subband-based precoding matrix, the second information output after compression by the first model has, or can be easily set to, a structure corresponding to segments and subbands, thus facilitating the construction of the first mapping relationship.

[0194] S530, the terminal device quantizes the second information based on the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments.

[0195] Quantization of the second information is essentially the quantization of the real numbers within it. Quantization yields the payload. The payload is then encapsulated to obtain a bitstream of CSI based on AI / ML feedback. The second information can be quantized using either the SQ (Segmented Queuing) or VQ (Version Queuing) scheme. With SQ quantization, the real numbers in the second information do not need to be segmented; that is, the second information consists of a segment. With VQ quantization, the continuous L(...) of the second information can be... Each real value is treated as a segment, and the entire segment is jointly quantized.

[0196] Assume the system's full-frequency bandwidth is divided into: Each sub-band. The second information output by the first model can be represented as: . Classified as Section (i.e.) (Segments), where different segments correspond to different sub-band channel characteristics. The length of each segment is... There are real numbers. When using the SQ quantization scheme, the effective payload size of each layer is . When using the VQ quantization scheme, the effective payload size of each layer is... .

[0197] When the terminal device quantizes the second information, the more bit resources allocated to a certain segment, the higher the fineness of the segment data during quantization, that is, the higher the quantization accuracy of the segment data, and the higher the accuracy of the segment data in the final CSI based on AI / ML feedback.

[0198] As mentioned above, when network devices estimate CSI based on SRS, the timeliness of SRS reception may differ across different subbands. Some subbands have higher SRS timeliness (i.e., "fresher"), while others have lower timeliness (i.e., "older"). Therefore, the accuracy of different segments in the estimated CSI will vary; segments with "fresher" SRS in the corresponding subband will have higher accuracy, and segments with "older" SRS will have lower accuracy. When the terminal device quantizes the second information, if a "one-size-fits-all" approach is used, all segments will be allocated the same bit resources. This results in all segments having the same quantization accuracy based on the same bit resources, and thus the accuracy of each segment in the CSI obtained based on AI / ML feedback will be the same. In this scenario, when network devices fuse CSI based on SRS estimation and CSI based on AI / ML feedback, the precision of each segment in the AI / ML-based CSI is uniform, failing to complement the precision of each segment in the SRS-based CSI. In other words, it cannot match the uneven timeliness of SRS on the network side. Specifically, for channels with "outdated" SRS, the terminal devices allocate too few bit resources, resulting in insufficient quantization precision. This fails to compensate for the low precision caused by poor SRS timeliness, reducing CSI fusion accuracy and limiting fusion gain and system-level gain. Conversely, for channels with existing "new" SRS, the terminal devices allocate too many bit resources, leading to resource waste.

[0199] In this embodiment, the terminal device determines the bit resources of each segment of the second information based on the first information, wherein the first information is related to the SRS timeliness information of the sub-band. The terminal device then uses the SRS timeliness information related to the first information as a reference for allocating bit resources. In other words, the terminal device can combine the timeliness of SRS reception on the sub-band to determine how much bit resource to allocate to the corresponding segment, thereby flexibly adjusting the quantization precision of different segments. Different segments in the second information use different quantization precisions, resulting in different accuracies in the final CSI based on AI / ML feedback for different segments. Thus, the CSI based on AI / ML feedback can complement the CSI based on SRS estimation in terms of accuracy across segments, facilitating network-side improvement in CSI fusion accuracy, increasing fusion gain, and ultimately improving the accuracy of the final CSI, thereby increasing system-level gain. In summary, the method provided in this embodiment flexibly allocates bit resources to segments of the second information based on the first information, providing support for improving CSI fusion accuracy on the network side.

[0200] It should be noted that steps S510 to S530 above can be executed repeatedly. Specifically, the network device can dynamically send the first information to the terminal device, for example, periodically, or in real time, or when the timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands changes, thereby triggering the terminal device to allocate bit resources for each segment of the second information based on the first information, and to quantize the second information based on the bit resources. In other words, the method 500 provided in this application embodiment can be driven by SRS timeliness information to dynamically guide the terminal device to redirect the bit resources of the segments of the second information, thereby enabling the network side to continuously maintain the high accuracy of CSI fusion and ensuring the stability of the wireless link.

[0201] In one embodiment, the amount of bit resources corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band. Here, the first segment is any one of one or more segments, and the second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

[0202] In other words, for any given segment, the lower the timeliness of the SRS (i.e., the less timely or older the SRS) of the corresponding subband, the more bit resources are allocated to that segment. On one hand, for segments with poor SRS timeliness (older SRS), more precise characterization can be achieved during quantization based on more bit resources, resulting in more accurate CSI within the quantized payload. When network devices fuse the CSI of these segments with the CSI estimated based on the less timely SRS, the higher-precision CSI of these segments can compensate for the accuracy loss caused by the timeliness of the SRS, ultimately resulting in highly accurate CSI information for these segments. On the other hand, for segments with good SRS timeliness (fresher SRS), a coarser characterization can be achieved during quantization based on fewer bit resources, reducing bit resource waste. The CSI accuracy of the payload obtained from these segmented quantizations is relatively low. However, when the network side fuses the CSI information corresponding to these segments with the CSI obtained from the more timely SRS estimation, the CSI obtained from the more timely SRS estimation has higher accuracy. This can compensate for the CSI accuracy loss from latent information quantization and maintain the accuracy of the CSI information in that segment. In summary, this method can optimize the allocation of bit resources, improve the accuracy of CSI information, and prevent the waste of bit resources.

[0203] See Figure 6 In one embodiment, after step S530, the method may further include:

[0204] S540, the terminal device encapsulates the quantization result (payload) of the second information and other information to obtain UCI.

[0205] Other information refers to information that needs to be transmitted based on UCI, excluding CSI. Optionally, other information may include at least one of HARQ-ACK, scheduling request (SR), etc.

[0206] In one embodiment, the terminal device can encapsulate the quantization result of the second information and other information based on a two-part framework. Specifically, CSI Part 1 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of RI, CQI, the total number of non-zero coefficients, or the total number of bits (payload size) in CSI Part 2. CSI Part 2 includes the payload obtained after quantizing the second information, HARQ-ACK, scheduling request (SR), etc.

[0207] In this embodiment, information is encapsulated through a two-part framework, which seamlessly connects with existing two-part frameworks, facilitating the implementation and universality of the encapsulation.

[0208] In the S550, the terminal device reports the UCI to the network device, and the network device receives the UCI accordingly.

[0209] S560, the network device parses the UCI and obtains the CSI based on AI / ML feedback.

[0210] Specifically, after the network device parses the UCI, it can determine the CSI-related segments in CSI Part 2 and the payload structure of each segment based on the total number of bits of RI in CSI Part 1 and CSI Part 2, as well as the first information and the first mapping relationship.

[0211] In the S570, network devices fuse CSI based on AI / ML feedback with CSI based on SRS estimation to obtain CSI.

[0212] Network devices can fuse the CSI based on AI / ML feedback and the CSI based on SRS estimation for each segment, based on the first mapping relationship, to obtain the CSI corresponding to each segment, or the CSI corresponding to each sub-band. In this way, the two CSI accuracies can be complemented, improving the accuracy of CSI accuracy fusion.

[0213] Regarding the accuracy of CSI, the mean squared error (MSE) of the two CSI estimates can be approximately expressed by the following formula (1):

[0214] (1)

[0215] in, It is the estimation error variance of CSI based on SRS estimation on subband k (the timeliness of SRS on subband k is negatively correlated). It is the reconstruction error variance of the CSI of the segment corresponding to subband k based on AI / ML feedback (negatively correlated with the bit resources allocated to the segment corresponding to subband k). In this embodiment of the application, the bit resources are transferred from... Smaller “fresh” sub-bands were reassigned Larger "aged" subbands effectively reduce the number of critical subbands. This helps to minimize the overall fusion MSE and thus improve reconstruction accuracy.

[0216] The following provides further explanation of SRS timeliness information.

[0217] In one embodiment, the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the first subband is used to characterize the time difference (also known as timeliness) between the time when the network device last received the SRS on the first subband and the reference time.

[0218] The reference time, serving as the baseline time point for determining SRS timeliness information, can be set according to actual needs. In one embodiment, the reference time can be the current time, i.e., the time when the network device determines the SRS timeliness information. In another embodiment, the reference time can be the temporal location of the CSI Reference Resource associated with the target CSI report. The temporal location of the CSI Reference Resource associated with the target CSI report can be understood as the time instance corresponding to the CSI represented by the target CSI report.

[0219] The target CSI report refers to the CSI report that the terminal device needs to provide based on AI / ML compression feedback. In a specific embodiment, the target CSI report can be the most recently triggered CSI report from the network device. That is, the reference time is the temporal location of the CSI reference resource corresponding to the most recently triggered CSI report. This aligns the reference time point for determining SRS timeliness information with the time point for measuring CSI on the terminal device side, achieving alignment of the two types of information on the time axis, thereby further improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0220] The time measurement unit in this application embodiment can be an absolute time unit, such as milliseconds (ms), or a logical time unit of the communication system, such as a slot, subframe, or OFDM symbol. Absolute time and logical time can be converted to each other according to the subcarrier spacing configuration.

[0221] As one possible implementation, network devices can determine the SRS timeliness information for each sub-band based on a time window. Specifically, taking the first sub-band as an example, the SRS timeliness information for the first sub-band is used to characterize the time difference between the moment the network device most recently received the SRS on the first sub-band and a reference moment within the time window. The reference moment is located within the time window.

[0222] Optionally, the length of the time window can be fixed or variable. The time window can be slidable. The upper edge of the time window (i.e., the end position of the time window) can be set according to actual needs.

[0223] In one specific embodiment, the upper edge of the time window can be a reference time. Here, the reference time is taken as the temporal location of the CSI reference resource corresponding to the most recently triggered CSI report, and P-CSI reporting is used as an example for illustration. See [link to documentation]. Figure 7 Assuming the network device is configured to report P-CSI to the terminal device at a period of T, the time window length is 2T, and the time domain location of the CSI reference resource corresponding to the most recently triggered CSI report is... Therefore, the current position of the time window is time. to Taking subband k as an example, within the time window, the time when the network device most recently received the SRS on subband k is... The SRS timeliness information corresponding to the sub-band is used to characterize and Time difference between ,Right now .

[0224] In one embodiment, SRS timeliness information may include SRS timeliness levels. Each SRS timeliness level corresponds to a time difference range.

[0225] Optionally, the SRS timeliness rating can be obtained by quantifying the time difference. Optionally, the SRS timeliness rating can be represented numerically. A set of SRS timeliness ratings can be represented, for example, as follows: Each element in the set of SRS timeliness levels represents an SRS timeliness level, corresponding to a time difference range. As one possible implementation, a larger SRS timeliness level value indicates a higher SRS timeliness level, a larger corresponding time difference, and thus worse timeliness, meaning lower timeliness and a more "outdated" SRS. Of course, this is just one implementation method; the reverse is also possible.

[0226] In this embodiment, the timeliness of SRS can be characterized simply and accurately through the SRS timeliness level.

[0227] In one specific embodiment, the network device can directly quantify the time difference to obtain the SRS timeliness level. Taking subband k as an example, the network device first calculates the time difference between the reference time and the time when the network device most recently received the SRS on subband k. The time difference is then quantified to obtain the SRS timeliness level corresponding to sub-band k. Optionally, the time difference range corresponding to sub-band k can be determined based on a preset correspondence between SRS timeliness levels and time difference ranges, thereby determining the SRS timeliness level corresponding to sub-band k. If there is no SRS reception record on sub-band k within the time window, the SRS timeliness level of sub-band k can be set to infinity or the SRS timeliness level of sub-band k can be determined as the maximum level in the SRS timeliness level set.

[0228] In another specific embodiment, when quantizing the time difference, the network device may also consider other factors, such as the SRS configuration period, SRS frequency hopping density, or SRS channel quality (e.g., SINR, RSRP, or RSRQ). Here, taking SRS channel quality as an example, when determining the timeliness level, the network device calculates the time difference between the reference time and the time of the most recent reception of the SRS on subband k. Then, the network device determines the channel quality factor of the SRS corresponding to subband k. If the channel quality of the SRS on subband k is poor (e.g., SINR below -5dB), it indicates that the confidence level of the channel measurement of the SRS on subband k is low. The network device can adjust the channel quality factor corresponding to subband k. Assign a large value (e.g.) Then, the channel quality factor corresponding to subband k. With time difference product Quantification is performed to obtain the timeliness level corresponding to sub-band k. This amplifies the time difference corresponding to sub-band k. This means that even if the SRS on subband k is relatively "fresh", due to its poor quality, the network device will still assign it a lower timeliness level, thereby instructing the terminal device to allocate more bit resources to the segment corresponding to subband k in order to obtain a high-precision CSI based on AI / ML feedback to compensate for the low-quality SRS estimate.

[0229] The following explains how the first piece of information is presented.

[0230] The first information can be represented in multiple ways. Different representations of the first information lead to different methods of allocating bit resources by the terminal device. Several methods are given as examples here; it should be understood that these methods can be combined.

[0231] (1) The first information includes SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0232] In other words, network devices can directly send SRS timeliness information as the primary information to terminal devices. In this case, terminal devices can autonomously decide on the bit resources for each segment based on the SRS timeliness information, improving the autonomy and intelligence of terminal devices, and eliminating the need for network devices to allocate bit resources, thus reducing the workload of network devices.

[0233] See Figure 8 In this case, taking SRS timeliness information including SRS timeliness level as an example, in step S520 above, the terminal device determines the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information, including:

[0234] S521, the terminal device determines the sub-band corresponding to each segment according to the first mapping relationship.

[0235] Optionally, the first mapping relationship can be configured by the network device to the terminal device, or it can be determined by the terminal device according to the scenario.

[0236] In one embodiment, before step S520, the method may further include: the network device sending first identification information to the terminal device, the first identification information being used to indicate a first mapping relationship; and the terminal device determining the first mapping relationship based on the first identification information.

[0237] Optionally, network devices can manage multiple segment-to-subband mapping relationships, and can pre-set identification information, such as an ID, for each type of segment-to-subband mapping relationship. Simultaneously, terminal devices can store these mapping relationships, along with their IDs. Therefore, when the network device instructs the terminal device on the first piece of information, it can also indicate the ID (Mapping-ID) of the first segment-to-subband mapping relationship required for this specific situation. Using this mapping-ID, the terminal device can obtain the corresponding first mapping relationship.

[0238] In this embodiment, the network device uses the first identification information to simply, quickly, and accurately indicate the first mapping relationship to the terminal device, making it easier for the terminal device to obtain the first mapping relationship and thus efficiently allocate bit resources for segments or determine the priority of segments.

[0239] In another embodiment, the terminal device selects a matching mapping type based on the current scenario or the characteristics of the first model, thereby determining the first mapping relationship. Different mapping types result in different specific mapping relationships. Mapping types may include, but are not limited to, sequential / local mapping (also known as uniform mapping), interleaved / distributed mapping, edge-center grouping mapping, or SRS hopping aligned mapping.

[0240] As an example, the terminal device can refer to Table 1 below to determine the correspondence between segments and sub-bands.

[0241] Table 1

[0242]

[0243] In this embodiment, multiple mapping relationships are introduced for network devices and terminal devices to choose from, in order to address different problems arising from different AI / ML model architectures under different frequency domain feature extraction methods. Specifically:

[0244] 1. For mapping relationships with Mapping-ID=0 (sequential / local mapping): This is suitable for models like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) that excel at extracting local frequency domain correlations. When a network device detects SRS data aging in a continuous region (e.g., sub-band 0-3) of the physical frequency band, it instructs the terminal device on the timeliness information of sub-band 0-3 using the first information. Based on this first information, the terminal device can increase the bit resources of segment Seg1 corresponding to sub-band 0-3 and / or increase the priority of segment Seg1. This allows for precise updating of channel information in the frequency domain region corresponding to sub-band 0-3, improving CSI accuracy and achieving targeted precision enhancement.

[0245] 2. Mapping relationships with Mapping-ID=1 (interleaved mapping): Suitable for models that extract wide-area frequency domain features or global correlations (such as Transformers or fully connected networks). A segment of such a model may contain sampled information across the entire frequency band. When the channel exhibits rapid frequency selectivity changes, interleaved mapping can provide a coarse update of the entire frequency band with low overhead, preventing the loss of information at specific frequency points.

[0246] 3. For the mapping relationship with Mapping-ID=2 (edge-center mapping): This is suitable for scenarios where the interference characteristics at the frequency band edges are significantly different. The channel change rate of the edge sub-bands (0,1,14,15) may be different from that of the center frequency band, and bit resources can be allocated and / or priorities updated independently.

[0247] 4. Mapping relationship for Mapping-ID=3 (frequency hopping alignment): Since SRS in TDD systems typically uses frequency hopping to save uplink resources, the "freshness" of SRS obtained by network devices is itself discontinuously distributed in the frequency domain and changes dynamically over time. In this embodiment, the first mapping relationship can be configured as a dynamic association relationship, rather than a static subband list. Specifically, the terminal device determines the physical subband location that the network device focuses on detecting at the reference time based on the currently effective SRS resource configuration (including frequency hopping bandwidth, frequency hopping offset, and current timeslot index, etc.), and dynamically maps specific segments (e.g., high-priority segments) in the second information to the aforementioned physical subbands, or by physically binding the segments of the second information with the SRS frequency hopping pattern, the correspondence between segments and subbands is updated synchronously with the SRS frequency hopping action. This maximizes the complementary gain between AI / ML-based CSI and SRS-based CSI, and also prevents terminal devices from allocating too many bit resources to segments corresponding to "fresh" SRS subbands, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of uplink bit resources.

[0248] In this embodiment, several segment-subband mapping relationships are defined, and an ID (Segment-Subband Mapping ID) is assigned to each segment-subband mapping relationship to indicate the correspondence between the segment of the second information and the frequency domain subband / frequency domain subband group. This ensures that terminal devices from different manufacturers can have a consistent understanding of the association between "segment" and "subband", improving universality and facilitating network device management.

[0249] S522, the terminal device determines the allocation weight corresponding to each segment based on the sub-band corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0250] Weight allocation is used to allocate bit resources to each segment.

[0251] S523, the terminal device determines the bit resources corresponding to each segment according to the allocation weight corresponding to each segment.

[0252] In this embodiment, the terminal device determines the allocation weight based on the SRS timeliness level, and then allocates bit resources based on the allocation weight, which facilitates global control over the allocation of bit resources and thus allocates bit resources more accurately.

[0253] In one embodiment, when the SRS timeliness level is higher and the represented time difference is larger (i.e., the SRS is more "old"): the higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the allocation weight, and the more bit resources are allocated. Specifically, let's take the second and third segments in a multi-segment structure as an example. The second and third segments can be any two segments from the multiple segments. In the first mapping relationship, the second segment corresponds to the third sub-band, and the third segment corresponds to the fourth sub-band. Therefore, the relationship between the SRS timeliness level, allocation weight, and the number of bit resources can be as follows:

[0254] The SRS timeliness level corresponding to the third subband is higher than that corresponding to the fourth subband; the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than that corresponding to the third segment; and the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than that corresponding to the third segment. The reverse is also true.

[0255] In this embodiment, the higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the allocation weight and the more bit resources are allocated. That is, for older sub-bands with older SRS, the corresponding segment is assigned a greater allocation weight and more bit resources. This better compensates for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging and maximizes the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0256] Regarding the determination of the assigned weights for each segment, taking the first sub-band as an example, two possible implementation methods are provided:

[0257] In one possible approach, step S522 includes: the terminal device using the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the second sub-band as the allocation weight of the first segment; the first segment is any one of one or more segments, and the second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

[0258] In other words, the SRS timeliness level is directly used as the allocation weight. This simplifies the algorithm for determining the allocation weight and facilitates improved efficiency in bit resource allocation.

[0259] In another possible implementation, step S522 includes: the terminal device determines the allocation weight of the first segment based on the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the second sub-band and a first function; the first function is an aggregation function.

[0260] Optionally, the first function can be a maximum value function or a mean function, etc.

[0261] Optionally, for the first segment s, the allocation weight corresponding to the first segment s based on the first function can be expressed as the following formula (2):

[0262] (2)

[0263] in, This represents the assigned weight corresponding to the first segment s. This represents the first function. This indicates the SRS timeliness level of the second subband k corresponding to the first segment s. This represents the first mapping relationship. This indicates the total number of segments in the second information.

[0264] In this implementation, the first function aggregates the allocation weights corresponding to various SRS timeliness levels, thereby improving the accuracy of the allocation weights.

[0265] There are several methods for allocating bit resources based on allocation weights. Here, several allocation principles are given as examples.

[0266] In one embodiment, step S523 above includes:

[0267] a. The terminal device determines the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits for each segment based on the assigned weights for each segment; wherein the number of information dimensions for the second segment is greater than the number of information dimensions for the third segment, and / or the number of quantization bits for the second segment is greater than the number of quantization bits for the third segment.

[0268] b. The terminal device determines the number of bits corresponding to each segment based on the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment, as well as the number of segments.

[0269] In short, the larger the weight assigned to each segment, the more information dimensions are selected for that segment. Larger, and / or, the number of quantization bits selected for segmentation. The larger the value, the smaller the weight assigned to each segment, which represents the number of information dimensions selected for segmentation. The smaller the value, and / or the number of quantization bits selected for segmentation. The smaller.

[0270] As described in the SQ and VQ quantization schemes above, the number of information dimensions... Quantization bit count They are directly proportional. Therefore, when allocating bit resources, the number of information dimensions that are positively correlated with the allocation weight is determined based on the allocation weight. and quantization bit number This allows us to determine the number of bits that are positively correlated with the allocation weight, thus enabling accurate allocation of bit resources.

[0271] In one embodiment, step a above includes: determining the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment from a first parameter combination pool according to the allocation weights corresponding to each segment; the first parameter combination pool includes one or more sets of parameter combinations, each set of parameter combinations including a candidate value for the number of information dimensions and / or a candidate value for the number of quantization bits.

[0272] In other words, the number of information dimensions can be selected for each segment from the first parameter combination pool. and quantization bit number .

[0273] Optionally, the first parameter combination pool can be the standardized candidate parameter pool in the above-mentioned standardized payload parameter combination (payload PC) pool mechanism.

[0274] Optionally, the first parameter combination pool can be pre-configured with the corresponding parameter combination set for all segments based on the number and segmentation method of the second information. In other words, the information dimension of all segments is pre-configured. Quantization bit count This provides a complete configuration profile, making parameter selection easier.

[0275] In this embodiment, the standardized payload PC pool mechanism can prevent terminal devices from freely allocating bits, which would cause network devices to be unable to decode, and can also reduce the complexity of cross-vendor training.

[0276] In one embodiment, the total number of bit resources corresponding to one or more segments is less than or equal to the smaller of a first number of bits and a second number of bits, where the first number of bits is the maximum allowed number of bits in part 2 of the first CSI report corresponding to the second information, and the second number of bits is the number of bits in the uplink resources carried by the first CSI report that can be used to transmit CSI.

[0277] In other words, bit allocation is completed within the total bit budget. The total number of bit resources corresponding to one or more segments is less than the total bit budget. The total bit budget is the smaller of the first bit count and the second bit count. Optionally, the second bit count = the number of bits available for UCI from the uplink resources carried in the first CSI report - the number of bits occupied by part 1 of the first CSI report - the number of bits occupied by other information besides CSI in part 2 of the first CSI report. Uplink resources are, for example, PUSCH or PUCCH resources. Other information may include HARQ-ACK, scheduling requests (SR), etc.

[0278] The total bit budget can be determined according to the following formula (3):

[0279] (3)

[0280] in, This represents the total bit budget. Indicates the number of bits in the first bit. Indicates the number of bits in the second bit. This indicates the number of bits available for UCI from the uplink resources carried by the first CSI report. This indicates the number of bits occupied by part 1 in the first CSI report. This indicates the number of bits occupied by other information besides CSI in part 2 of the first CSI report.

[0281] Optionally, the number of the first bit can be configured by the network device for the terminal device via CSI-ReportConfig, etc.

[0282] Optionally, the number of information dimensions for all segments can be pre-configured. Quantization bit count In the case of a complete configuration profile, the total number of bits for all segments determined based on each configuration profile is less than or equal to the total bit budget. In other words, the total number of bits corresponding to the parameter combinations of the entire configuration profile does not exceed the total bit budget, which further facilitates parameter selection.

[0283] In this embodiment, bit allocation is performed without increasing the total amount of bit resources. This achieves "peak shaving and valley filling," allocating bit resources from segments with better SRS timeliness to segments with poorer SRS timeliness, improving fusion accuracy while preventing bit resource waste and increasing resource utilization.

[0284] (2) The first information includes the third information corresponding to one or more segments.

[0285] The third information is used to characterize the importance of a segment and is related to the SRS timeliness information of the subband. Optionally, importance can be used to determine the amount of bit resources allocated, with higher-importance segments receiving more bit resources and lower-importance segments receiving fewer bit resources. And / or, importance can be used to determine the priority when transmitting CSI data, with higher-importance segments being transmitted first and lower-importance segments possibly being omitted or discarded.

[0286] Taking any one of the segments—the first segment—as an example, the third information corresponding to the first segment is used to characterize the importance of the first segment. Specifically, the third information corresponding to the first segment is related to the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band, which is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

[0287] In other words, the network device indicates the importance of each segment of the second information to the terminal device. In this way, the authority to allocate bit resources is mainly concentrated in the network device, and the terminal device can directly allocate bit resources based on the third information without having to perform processes such as mapping subbands and segments, which simplifies the operation of the terminal device and facilitates the unified and centralized management of the terminal device by the network device.

[0288] In one embodiment, the network device determines the third information for each segment based on the SRS timeliness information of each sub-band. Taking the first segment as an example, the importance represented by the third information corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band.

[0289] In other words, the worse the timeliness of the SRS timeliness representation (the "older" the SRS), the higher the importance of the corresponding segment in the sub-band. The higher the importance, the more bit resources are allocated to the segment, which can better compensate for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging and improve the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0290] In one embodiment, the third information may include an importance level, with each importance level corresponding to a time difference range. Optionally, a higher importance level indicates greater importance. Of course, the reverse is also possible.

[0291] In this embodiment, the importance level can be used to intuitively and quantitatively represent the importance of each segment, making it convenient for terminal devices to allocate bit resources according to the importance level.

[0292] In another embodiment, the third information may also include a priority order. The priority order is used to characterize the result of sorting one or more segments according to their importance.

[0293] Priority order can also be referred to as importance ranking order, etc. The higher the importance, the higher the priority.

[0294] Alternatively, the priority order can be understood as the result of sorting one or more segments according to the SRS timeliness information.

[0295] In this embodiment, the priority order can intuitively represent the comparison relationship between the importance of each segment, which makes it convenient for the terminal device to allocate bit resources and / or perform UCI omission according to the priority order.

[0296] See Figure 9 In this approach, one possible implementation is that, in step S520 above, the terminal device determines the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information, including:

[0297] S524, the terminal device determines the allocation weight corresponding to each segment based on the third information corresponding to one or more segments.

[0298] Optionally, the terminal device can directly use the third information as the allocation weight. For example, if the third information includes an importance level, the importance level can be directly used as the allocation weight.

[0299] Optionally, the terminal device can also quantify and / or aggregate the third-party information to obtain the assigned weights. The specific method is similar to the process described above for determining the assigned weights based on the SRS timeliness level, and will not be repeated here.

[0300] S525, the terminal device determines the bit resources corresponding to each segment according to the allocation weight corresponding to each segment.

[0301] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the terminal device can determine the allocation weight based on the third information, and then allocate bit resources without having to perform sub-band and segment mapping, thus simplifying the algorithm process of the terminal device.

[0302] The specific process of step S525 is the same as that of step S523 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0303] Taking the third piece of information, which includes importance levels, as an example, where a higher importance level indicates a greater degree of significance:

[0304] The time difference represented by the SRS timeliness information of the third sub-band is greater than the time difference represented by the SRS timeliness information of the fourth sub-band; the importance level corresponding to the second segment is higher than the importance level corresponding to the third segment, the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than the allocation weight corresponding to the third segment; the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of bit resources corresponding to the third segment.

[0305] The definitions of the third sub-band, fourth sub-band, second segment, and third segment are given in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0306] In other words, the larger the time difference corresponding to a sub-band (the "older" the SRS), the higher its importance level, the greater its weight, and the more bit resources it is allocated. This can better compensate for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging and improve the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0307] (3) The first information includes the allocation weights corresponding to one or more segments.

[0308] In other words, network devices can directly send weight assignments to terminal devices.

[0309] In this case, taking SRS timeliness information including SRS timeliness level as an example, in step S520 above, the terminal device determines the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information, including:

[0310] The terminal device determines the bit resources corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weight corresponding to each segment.

[0311] As can be seen, in this case, the terminal device can directly allocate bit resources based on the allocation weight, without the need for sub-band and segment mapping or determining the allocation weight, further reducing the workload of the terminal device and simplifying the algorithm process of the terminal device.

[0312] The principle for determining bit resources based on allocation weights is the same as above, which can also be: the larger the allocation weight corresponding to a segment, the more bit resources are allocated to that segment. The specific process is the same as step S523 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0313] (4) The first information includes SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more segments.

[0314] As a possible implementation, based on the above method (1), based on the first mapping relationship, each sub-band in the SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands can be replaced with the segment corresponding to the sub-band to obtain the SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more segments.

[0315] In this case, the terminal device can directly determine the allocation weight of the segment based on the segmented SRS timeliness information, without having to perform sub-band to segment mapping, thus reducing the workload of the terminal device.

[0316] (5) The first information includes the third information corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0317] As another possible implementation, based on the above method (1), the importance information of each sub-band can be determined to obtain the third information corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0318] (6) The first information includes the allocation weights corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0319] As another possible implementation, the third information of each sub-band can be determined based on the above method (1), and the allocation weight of each sub-band can be determined based on the third information.

[0320] It should be noted that the six implementation methods shown above can be combined if they do not conflict. That is, the first information can include one or more of the above six methods.

[0321] For example, the first information may include both the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands and the priority order of one or more segments. In this case, the SRS timeliness level can be used by the terminal device to allocate bit resources, and the priority order can be used by the terminal device to determine the segments to be discarded when uplink resources are limited (see the subsequent implementation examples for priority determination scenarios).

[0322] II. Determine priority scenarios.

[0323] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method 1000 according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 10 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 Any terminal device in the context of network equipment can refer to any component within that terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Network equipment can be... Figure 1 Any access network device, or a component within an access network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Figure 10 As shown, the method 1000 includes the following steps:

[0324] S1010, the network device sends first information to the terminal device, and the corresponding terminal device receives the first information, which is related to the SRS timeliness information of one or more subbands.

[0325] Step S1010 is the same as step S510 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0326] S1020, if the amount of uplink resources required by the second information is greater than the amount of available uplink resources, the terminal device determines the priority of one or more segments based on the first information.

[0327] The amount of uplink resources required for the second piece of information exceeds the amount of available uplink resources; that is, uplink resources are limited or insufficient. When uplink resources are insufficient, the terminal device can truncate and / or omit the bit stream, that is, select only part of the data to be transmitted.

[0328] Optionally, the priority of one or more segments can be represented by a priority value or by a priority order, without limitation.

[0329] S1030, the terminal device transmits data corresponding to a portion of one or more segments to the network device based on the priority of one or more segments.

[0330] Optionally, when transmitting data, the terminal device will transmit data corresponding to segments with higher priority first. In other words, data corresponding to segments with lower priority will be omitted (or discarded) first.

[0331] As mentioned above, the timeliness of SRS reception varies across different subbands, and the accuracy of CSI estimated by the network device based on SRS differs across segments. In this embodiment, when uplink resources are limited, i.e., when omissions are required, the terminal device determines the priority of each segment in the second information based on the first information, where the first information is related to the SRS timeliness information of the subband. Therefore, the terminal device uses the SRS timeliness information related to the first information as a reference for determining the priority; or, in other words, the terminal device can determine the segment priority by combining the timeliness of SRS reception on the subband. In this way, by flexibly setting priorities based on the accuracy of CSI estimated by the network device based on SRS, it is easier to prioritize the transmission of data from segments that can complement the accuracy of CSI estimated by the network device based on SRS, thus improving the accuracy of CSI fusion and the final CSI obtained. In summary, the method provided in this embodiment flexibly determines the priority of segments in the second information based on the first information, providing support for the network to improve the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0332] In one embodiment, the priority corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band.

[0333] In other words, for any given segment, the lower the SRS timeliness of the corresponding subband (i.e., the less timely the SRS, or the older the SRS), the higher the priority allocated to that segment. The older the SRS on the subband, the lower the accuracy of the CSI estimated by the network device based on the SRS. This application assigns a higher priority to the segment corresponding to that subband, ensuring that the segment is transmitted preferentially. This can promptly compensate for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging (without dropping it), improving the accuracy of CSI fusion. Furthermore, as analyzed above, the lower the SRS timeliness, the more bit resources the terminal device allocates to the segment, resulting in higher segment quantization accuracy and thus more accurate CSI. Based on priority transmission, it is easier to compensate for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging, further improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0334] Similar to the bit resource allocation scenario described above, in this scenario, after step S1030, the method may also include steps S540 to S570, which will not be repeated here.

[0335] It is worth noting that, based on the priority order determined by the terminal device, during step S540, the terminal device can concatenate the quantized bit streams of each segment according to the priority order (from high to low). Thus, if uplink resources are insufficient, the terminal device can use a drop or truncation mechanism to retain the beginning of the bit stream and discard the end, thereby prioritizing the transmission of highly accurate CSI and further improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0336] Similar to the bit resource allocation scenario described above, the first piece of information can also be represented in multiple ways in this scenario. The specific method by which the terminal device determines the priority can vary depending on how the first piece of information is represented.

[0337] (1) The first information includes SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0338] Taking SRS timeliness information including SRS timeliness level as an example, when the higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the time difference it represents, the above step S1020 may include:

[0339] Based on the first mapping relationship, determine the sub-band corresponding to each segment; based on the sub-band corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands, determine the SRS timeliness level corresponding to each segment; based on the SRS timeliness level, determine the priority order of one or more segments; wherein, the higher the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the first segment, the higher the priority of the first segment, and the first segment is any one of one or more segments.

[0340] In other words, the older the SRS on a subband, the higher the priority of the corresponding subband segment. This way, the terminal device will prioritize transmitting the data of that segment, thereby making up for the accuracy loss caused by SRS aging and improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0341] Let's illustrate with an example. Suppose that the SRS timeliness levels corresponding to subbands SB1, SB2, SB3, and SB4 are 0, 1, 3, and 2, respectively, which can be represented as the vector [0, 1, 3, 2]. Assume that in the first mapping relationship, subband SB1 corresponds to segment Seg1, subband SB2 to segment Seg2, subband SB3 to segment Seg3, and subband SB4 to segment Seg4. Then, the highest SRS timeliness level is 3, corresponding to SB3; therefore, mapping to Seg3 has the highest priority P1. The second highest SRS timeliness level is 2, corresponding to SB4; therefore, mapping to Seg4 has the second highest priority P2. The next highest SRS timeliness level is level 1, corresponding to SB2; therefore, mapping to Seg2 has a priority P3. The lowest SRS timeliness level is level 0, corresponding to SB1. Therefore, mapping to Seg1 has the lowest priority P4. Optionally, network devices can represent the priority order in the form of a list. For example, the priority list can be represented as π, and the priority list π can be represented as: [Seg3, Seg4, Seg2, Seg1] (sorted in descending order of priority).

[0342] In some embodiments, priority lists, etc., may be replaced with segment omission bitmaps, segment truncation bitmaps, punch bitmaps, etc., to indicate omitted segments and / or retained segments, without limitation.

[0343] Taking the fourth and fifth segments of one or more segments as an example, if the priority of the fourth segment is higher than that of the fifth segment in the priority order, then step S1030 above may include:

[0344] Based on priority, the data corresponding to the fourth segment is transmitted first, compared to the fifth segment.

[0345] (2) The first information includes the third information corresponding to one or more segments.

[0346] In this case, step S1020 above may include: determining the priority order of one or more segments based on the third information corresponding to each segment; wherein, the higher the importance of the first segment, the higher the priority of the first segment.

[0347] In other words, network devices send third-party information representing the importance of segments to terminal devices. Terminal devices then sort these segments according to their importance, resulting in a priority order. Higher importance translates to higher priority. Higher priority means segments are transmitted first, allowing for more timely compensation for accuracy loss caused by SRS aging (if not discarded), thus improving the accuracy of CSI fusion. Furthermore, as analyzed above, higher segment importance means more bit resources allocated to the segment by the terminal device, resulting in higher segment quantization accuracy and thus more accurate CSI. This, combined with priority transmission, makes it easier to compensate for accuracy loss caused by SRS aging, further improving the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0348] Additionally, network devices can pre-store commonly used segmentation priority configurations based on mapping relationships and scenarios (SRS aging conditions). When the third information includes priority order, the network device can select the priority that matches the current mapping relationship and scenario from the pre-stored priority configurations. Optionally, under different scenarios and / or different mapping relationships, segment priorities can have different sorting logics; for example, they can be sorted according to the default order, according to SRS timeliness, or according to segmentation order. In one embodiment, the network device can configure the priority order according to Table 2 and select the corresponding priority according to the configuration index, sending it to the terminal device via RRC signaling, etc.

[0349] Table 2

[0350]

[0351] The meanings of the Mapping-IDs in Table 2 can be found in Table 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0352] (3) The first information includes the allocation weights corresponding to one or more segments.

[0353] In this case, step S1020 above may include: determining the priority order of one or more segments according to the allocation weights corresponding to each segment; wherein, the larger the allocation weight corresponding to the first segment, the higher the priority of the first segment.

[0354] The greater the allocation weight, the more bit resources the terminal device allocates for the segment, the higher the segment quantization accuracy, and thus the more accurate the CSI obtained. Based on priority transmission, it is easier to strengthen the compensation for the accuracy caused by SRS aging and improve the accuracy of CSI fusion.

[0355] (4) The first information includes SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more segments.

[0356] In this case, the process of determining the priority of the terminal device based on the SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more segments is similar to that in the above method (1). The difference is that the terminal device does not need to perform sub-band and segment mapping, which reduces the workload of the terminal device.

[0357] (5) The first information includes the third information corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0358] In this case, the terminal device needs to map the third information corresponding to the sub-band to the third information corresponding to the segment based on the first mapping relationship, and then determine the priority based on a method similar to that in method (2).

[0359] (6) The first information includes the allocation weights corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0360] In this case, the terminal device needs to map the allocation weight corresponding to the sub-band to the allocation weight corresponding to the segment based on the first mapping relationship, and then determine the priority based on a method similar to that in method (3).

[0361] Information and steps that are the same or similar to those in the priority determination scenario and the bit resource allocation scenario can be referred to each other, and will not be repeated here.

[0362] Additionally, it should be noted that the communication methods described above for allocating bit resources and determining priorities can be implemented separately or in combination. That is, the terminal device can allocate bit resources and determine priorities simultaneously based on the first information, without limitation. When allocating bit resources and determining priorities are performed concurrently, after receiving the first information, the terminal device can first determine whether uplink resources are sufficient. If uplink resources are insufficient, it first determines the priority of one or more segments based on the first information. Then, based on the priorities, it determines the segments that can be allocated bit resources. For example, based on the priorities, it determines that the first n segments (n is a positive integer) in the priority list can be allocated bit resources. Then, based on the first information, it allocates bit resources to the segments that can be allocated bit resources and quantizes these segments based on the allocated bit resources. For segments in the priority list other than the n segments that have not been allocated bit resources, no quantization is performed, and no transmission is performed.

[0363] To facilitate understanding, a specific example will be used below to further illustrate the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0364] For example, Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application embodiment is shown below. Figure 11 As shown, the method includes:

[0365] S1101, Maintenance window for network devices (e.g., gNB).

[0366] S1102, the network device calculates the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands based on the time window.

[0367] Assuming the time domain location of the CSI reference resource corresponding to this triggered CSI report is T=0ms, the network device checks the SRS reception records before this time as follows:

[0368] Subband SB1: If it is covered by SRS 5ms before T, then the time difference corresponding to subband SB1 is 5ms.

[0369] Subband SB2: If it is covered by SRS 15ms before T, then the time difference corresponding to subband SB2 is 15ms.

[0370] Subband SB3: If it is covered by SRS 45ms before T, the channel information is likely outdated. Therefore, the time difference corresponding to subband SB3 is 5ms.

[0371] Subband SB4: It is covered by SRS 25ms before T. Therefore, the time difference corresponding to subband SB4 is 5ms.

[0372] Based on the preset timeliness level definition, the network device quantifies these time differences into timeliness levels, resulting in an SRS timeliness level vector of [0, 1, 3, 2]. This SRS timeliness level vector represents the network device's credibility map of the current full-bandwidth channel information.

[0373] S1103, the network device determines the priority of one or more segments based on the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands and the first mapping relationship.

[0374] This step is optional.

[0375] The higher the SRS timeliness level of a segment, the more accurate the CSI needs to be supplemented by the terminal equipment, and the higher the corresponding priority.

[0376] Assuming that in the first mapping relationship, subband SB1 corresponds to segment Seg1, subband SB2 corresponds to segment Seg2, subband SB3 corresponds to segment Seg3, and subband SB4 corresponds to segment Seg4, then the highest SRS timeliness level is 3, corresponding to SB3. Therefore, mapping to Seg3 has the highest priority P1. The second highest SRS timeliness level is 2, corresponding to SB4. Therefore, mapping to Seg4 has the second highest priority P2. The next highest SRS timeliness level is level 1, corresponding to SB2. Therefore, mapping to Seg2 has a priority of P3. The lowest SRS timeliness level is level 0, corresponding to SB1. Therefore, mapping to Seg1 has the lowest priority P4. Optionally, the network device can represent the priority order in the form of a list. For example, the priority list can be represented as π, and the priority list π can be represented as: [Seg3, Seg4, Seg2, Seg1].

[0377] S1104, the network device sends RRC signaling or DCI signaling to the terminal device (UE), the RRC signaling or DCI signaling including first information; the first information may include at least one of the following: SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more subbands, priority of one or more segments, and first identification information (Mapping-ID of the first mapping relationship).

[0378] Optionally, the first information can be carried in the CSI report configuration (CSI-ReportConfig) in RRC signaling or DCI signaling.

[0379] S1105, the terminal device parses the RRC signaling or DCI signaling to obtain the first information.

[0380] Specifically, in one embodiment, the terminal device successfully received and parsed the CSI-ReportConfig and / or SRS Timeliness Indication IE from the network device, and obtained the following information: SRS timeliness level of multiple subbands = [0, 1, 3, 2], segment-subband mapping relationship (Segment-Subband Mapping-ID) = 1, priority list π = [Seg3, Seg4, Seg2, Seg1].

[0381] S1106, the terminal device determines the allocation weight of each segment of the second information based on the first information.

[0382] The terminal device obtains the sub-band i corresponding to Seg_i (the i-th segment corresponds to sub-band i) by using Mapping-ID=0. The terminal device directly uses the SRS timeliness level corresponding to each sub-band as the weight of the corresponding segment. The weights of each segment obtained by the terminal device are as follows: (Seg1) = 0 (lowest assigned weight), (Seg2) = 1, (Seg3) = 3 (highest assigned weight), (Seg4) = 2. The weights allocated to the four segments can be represented as a weight vector [0, 1, 3, 2]. Then, the weights of the weight vector [0, 1, 3, 2] are sorted as [Seg3, Seg4, Seg2, Seg1] (weights are sorted from high to low).

[0383] S1107, the terminal device allocates bit resources to one or more segments of the second information according to the allocation weight of each segment. Among them, the segment with the larger the allocation weight is allocated more bit resources.

[0384] Case a:

[0385] If uplink resources are sufficient, bit resources are allocated to each segment of the second information according to the allocation weight of each segment.

[0386] Assume the network device has configured a total bit budget for this Rank-4 CSI report, or has configured a set of candidate parameters containing multiple precision options (e.g., referencing a cross-layer load distribution structure). And extended to different segments). Among them, the configuration item PC-a corresponds to the parameter combination. (i.e., payload is 128 bits), configuration item PC-b corresponding parameter combination (That is, the payload is 64 bits).

[0387] If the protocol supports terminal devices assisting in payload determination, bit resource allocation, or flexible mapping, then the terminal device sorts the network device according to the calculated weights [Seg3, Seg4, Seg2, Seg1] and assigns the high-specification parameters configured by the network device ( and / or Larger parameters are mapped to segments with higher weights, while lower-specification parameters are mapped to segments with higher weights. and / or The smaller weight is mapped to the segment with the lower weight. Then, for Seg3 and Seg4 with higher weights: map / select PC-a (128 bits), and for Seg2 and Seg1 with lower weights: map / select PC-b (64 bits).

[0388] The total payload is 128 + 128 + 64 + 64 = 384 bits. This meets the budget or structural requirements of the network equipment configuration in terms of total amount, but the terminal equipment internally adjusted the flow of bit resources. Due to sufficient resources, the terminal equipment reports a complete CSI report after the reallocation.

[0389] In terms of bit resource allocation, the terminal device intelligently transfers bit resources from Seg1, which has the lowest allocation weight (and the newest SRS in the corresponding subband), to Seg3, which has the highest allocation weight (and the oldest SRS in the corresponding subband), achieving the effect of "peak shaving and valley filling" for bit resources and accuracy.

[0390] In this embodiment, the terminal device uses and The value is taken from the standardized payload PC pool issued by the terminal device through CSI-ReportConfig, which is consistent with the standard payload parameterization principle.

[0391] Optionally, after selecting a combination of payload parameters, the terminal device may also include indication information in CSI Part 1 to inform the network device of the selected combination of payload parameters.

[0392] Scenario b:

[0393] If uplink resources are insufficient, some data corresponding to certain segments will be truncated or omitted according to the priority order of the segments, and bit resources will be allocated to other segments according to the allocation weight of each segment.

[0394] Assuming network device scheduling is busy, the PUSCH resources scheduled for this triggered CSI report, after deducting other overhead (including CSI Part 1 and the sum of other UCIs such as HARQ-ACK), can only carry a maximum of 256 bits for CSI Part 2. The terminal device first allocates bit resources according to the priority order [Seg3, Seg4, Seg2, Seg1], omitting Seg1. Then, the terminal device allocates bit resources for the remaining three segments (Seg3, Seg4, Seg2). Since the actual Rank is 4, but the reported content only contains 3 valid segments, the terminal device can use a Rank-3 payload structure (such as {a, a, b}) to allocate bit resources.

[0395] Seg3 (weight = 3) uses PC-a (128 bits), Seg4 (weight = 2) uses PC-a (128 bits), and Seg2 (weight = 1) uses PC-b (64 bits). However, the total number of bits is 128 + 128 + 64 = 320, which exceeds the upper limit of 256 bits.

[0396] At this point, the terminal device can further select a lower-overhead PC, for example: Seg3 (assignment weight = 3) uses PC-a (128 bits), Seg4 (assignment weight = 2) uses PC-a (128 bits), and Seg2 (assignment weight = 1) uses PC-b (64 bits). The total number of bits = 128 + 64 + 32 = 224 bits, which is less than 256 bits, satisfying the uplink resource constraint.

[0397] Ultimately, when the terminal device reports CSI, Seg3 uses 128-bit quantization, Seg4 uses 128-bit quantization, and Seg2 uses 64-bit quantization.

[0398] In this embodiment, the bit resource is determined ( , The combination comes from the standardized payload PC ( , =2), which improves versatility and ensures that network devices can decode.

[0399] Furthermore, this embodiment is based on the omission rule of portions of each layer. Unlike traditional layer-wise omission, this scheme can prevent rank fallback. This method allows terminal devices to report high-rank indications (e.g., RI=4), feeding back the complete CSI segment of the subband corresponding to the high allocation weight. After receiving this, the network device can fill or interpolate the discarded low-allocation weight segments (corresponding to the "fresh" SRS subband) using the network device's latest SRS measurement results, thereby maintaining high-rank transmission across the full bandwidth. Alternatively, the network device can perform high-rank scheduling on the subband that has fed back the segment.

[0400] S1108, the terminal device quantizes the second information according to the bit resources corresponding to each segment to obtain the payload.

[0401] S1109, the terminal device determines the priority order of the segments of the second information according to the assigned weights. Among them, the segment with the larger the assigned weight has the higher priority.

[0402] It should be noted that step S1109 is an optional step. If the first information includes the priority of the segments, step S1109 may not be executed.

[0403] S1110, the terminal device encapsulates the payload and other information to obtain the UCI, wherein the payload is concatenated in sequence according to the priority order of each segment.

[0404] Optionally, the payload and other information can be encapsulated in a two-part framework. See step S540 above for details.

[0405] Taking uplink resource limitation (case b) as an example, the UCI structure obtained by the terminal device encapsulation can be as follows:

[0406] UCI Part 1: Contains information such as RI and CQI.

[0407] UCI Part 2: Quantized bitstreams of Seg3, Seg4, and Seg2, which are sorted according to a priority list π = [Seg3, Seg4, Seg2, Seg1] issued by the network device or determined by the terminal device itself.

[0408] S1111, the terminal device sends a UCI to the network device based on uplink resources.

[0409] S1112, the network device receives and parses the UCI to obtain the CSI based on AI / ML feedback.

[0410] S1113, the network device fuses the CSI based on AI / ML feedback with the CSI based on SRS estimation to obtain the CSI.

[0411] The communication method provided in this embodiment enables the terminal device to correctly parse the first information related to SRS timeliness information sent by the network device and convert it into allocation weights. The terminal device can flexibly perform bit reallocation and / or segment omission based on the allocation weights and uplink resource availability. The UCI finally generated by the terminal device highly matches the network device's intent in terms of content (which segment was omitted), precision (which segment received more bit resources), and sequence (which segment was transmitted first), maintaining information consistency with the network device. Ultimately, the network device successfully receives the most needed and more precise CSI, avoiding wasting valuable uplink resources on information already known (with higher precision) to the network device, achieving information complementarity and closed-loop communication, and maximizing the efficiency of the communication system.

[0412] Furthermore, the communication method provided in this application, which sends first information related to SRS timeliness information to the terminal device through a network device, has at least the following advantages compared to inferring SRS timeliness information from the terminal device:

[0413] a. It can improve the accuracy of SRS timeliness information.

[0414] On the one hand, the estimated SRS timeliness information of terminal equipment may be inaccurate due to factors such as uplink interference, gNB scheduling conflicts, gNB receiver saturation, and degraded channel estimation quality caused by SRS resources being reused by other terminal equipment. For example, a terminal equipment may transmit SRS on time on subband SB1, but at that moment, the network equipment is processing high-priority services, or there is strong interference in that subband, causing the network equipment's channel estimation of that SRS to be unreliable or even discarded. In this case, the terminal equipment considers SB1 "fresh," but the network equipment considers SB1 "old." Determining the SRS timeliness information through the network equipment can prevent this situation from occurring and improve the accuracy of the SRS timeliness information.

[0415] On the other hand, SRS configuration is network-controlled, and terminal devices cannot predict the coverage pattern, which may lead to inaccurate estimated SRS timeliness information. Specifically, in TDD systems, SRS typically employs frequency hopping and sparse configuration (e.g., 17 hops covering 100MHz bandwidth) to conserve uplink resources. The SRS information configured by network devices can include: frequency hopping pattern (indicating which subbands are transmitted at which times), period (e.g., 10ms, 20ms, or 40ms), and multiplexing method for multiple terminal devices (e.g., CDM or FDM). While terminal devices can know their own SRS configuration, they cannot predict the SRS configurations of other terminal devices, nor can they know how network devices perform joint channel estimation in multi-user MIMO scenarios. Therefore, terminal devices cannot accurately infer the "completeness" and "timeliness" of the network devices' SRS coverage across the entire bandwidth, and thus cannot accurately estimate SRS timeliness information.

[0416] b. It can improve system gain.

[0417] The method provided in this application aims to complement the information of CSI based on AI / ML feedback and CIS based on SRS estimation, that is, "the terminal device fills in the gaps in the network device's information." If the terminal device allocates bit resources based on its own inferred SRS timeliness information, it may waste bit resources on subbands where the network device has "fresh" SRS, or it may ignore subbands where the network device's channel is severely aged due to "old" SRS. This will result in the fused channel estimation MSE not being minimized, and the system spectral efficiency (SGCS) gain decreasing. However, in this application embodiment, by having the network device send out SRS timeliness information, the network device can accurately know the "old" SRS subbands, that is, know its own "information gaps," thereby triggering the terminal device to achieve optimal bit allocation and improve system gain.

[0418] c. Improve versatility.

[0419] If terminal devices estimate SRS timeliness information themselves, different manufacturers' terminal devices will use different algorithms, leading to problems such as inconsistent scheduling of terminal devices, unpredictable CSI feedback quality, and unstable system-level performance. In the embodiments of this application, the standardized first information ensures that all terminal devices have a consistent understanding of SRS timeliness information, improves universality, facilitates management, and achieves reproducible performance gains across vendors.

[0420] In addition, as described in the above embodiments, the network device can use the first information related to the SRS timeliness information to guide the network device in constructing a {a, a, b} payload structure such as Rank 3. In this case, the network device can select a PC with a higher payload (equivalent to a) from the standard-defined payload PC pool to allocate more bit resources for the segment corresponding to the "aging" subband, and select a PC with a lower payload (equivalent to b) to allocate fewer bit resources for the segment of the "fresh" subband, thereby achieving precise redirection of bit resources.

[0421] In summary, the method provided in this application, on the one hand, can improve CIS fusion accuracy and increase spectral efficiency. On the other hand, the SRS timeliness information of the sub-band corresponding to the segment is monotonically correlated with the bit resources allocated to it. Using the first information, the terminal device is driven to process the relatively "old" (i.e., high-speed) data. Allocate more bit resources to the subbands to reduce This method achieves several advantages: First, it reduces the MSE of the fused CSI and increases reconstruction accuracy. Second, it does not increase the computational complexity (FLOPs) or the number of parameters in the first model inference, involving only bit allocation and sorting in the post-processing stage, resulting in low computational complexity. Third, it offers strong compatibility. Specifically, this application can send the first information through new or existing signaling, exhibiting strong backward compatibility with terminal devices. Moreover, this application aligns with the consensus in relevant regulations regarding independent configuration of payload size, sub-band configuration, and model structure. Utilizing this decoupling characteristic, this application dynamically adjusts the selection of payload parameter combinations (PC) using only lightweight first information while maintaining the Pairing ID (i.e., AI model structure). Compared to the rigid mechanism that typically requires reconfiguring the Pairing ID to change the payload distribution, this application avoids frequent model switching and reloading, achieving sub-band level payload adaptation with extremely low signaling overhead and strong framework compatibility.

[0422] It should be understood that Figures 1 to 11 The flowcharts or scene diagrams shown are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the examples illustrated. In fact, those skilled in the art can interpret the embodiments based on... Figures 1 to 11 The examples in the document can be transformed into equivalent ways to obtain more implementations.

[0423] The above text combined Figures 1 to 11This document describes in detail the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. The following will combine... Figures 12 to 13 The device embodiments of this application are described in detail below. It should be understood that the communication device of this application embodiment can execute the various communication methods of the foregoing embodiments of this application, that is, the specific working processes of the various products below can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0424] In the embodiments described above, the terminal device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment; the network device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application. Moreover, the sequence number of each step does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0425] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram of the first communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 12 As shown, the first communication device 1200 may include a communication module 1220. The communication module 1220 can implement corresponding communication functions, which can be internal communication functions of the first communication device 1200 or communication functions between the first communication device 1200 and other devices. Optionally, the communication module 1220 may also be referred to as a communication interface or transceiver module. Optionally, the first communication device 1200 further includes a processing module 1210. The processing module 1210 can implement corresponding processing functions.

[0426] Optionally, the first communication device 1200 further includes a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data; the processing module 1210 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the first communication device 1200 can implement the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0427] In one possible design, the first communication device 1200 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the terminal device. The first communication device 1200 may be used to execute the steps or processes performed by the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0428] For example, the communication module 1220 is used to: receive first information sent by a network device, the first information being related to the SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more subbands; the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the first subband is used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first subband, the first subband being any one of one or more subbands;

[0429] Processing module 1210 is used to: determine the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information according to the first information, and quantize the second information based on the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments; the second information is information obtained by compressing channel state information (CSI) based on the first model, and one or more segments have a first mapping relationship with one or more subbands;

[0430] The communication module 1220 is used to: determine the priority of one or more segments based on the first information when the amount of uplink resources required by the second information is greater than the amount of available uplink resources, and transmit data corresponding to a portion of the one or more segments based on the priority of the one or more segments.

[0431] In one embodiment, the amount of bit resources corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band; and / or, the priority corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band; the first segment is any one of one or more segments, and the second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

[0432] In one embodiment, the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the first subband is used to characterize the time difference between the moment when the network device last received the SRS on the first subband and the reference time.

[0433] In one embodiment, the reference time is the time-domain location of the CSI reference resource corresponding to the most recently triggered CSI report.

[0434] In one embodiment, the first information includes SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands.

[0435] In one embodiment, the SRS timeliness information includes SRS timeliness levels, with each SRS timeliness level corresponding to a range of time differences.

[0436] In one embodiment, the processing module 1210 is specifically used to: determine the sub-band corresponding to each segment according to the first mapping relationship; determine the allocation weight corresponding to each segment according to the sub-band corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands; and determine the bit resources corresponding to each segment according to the allocation weight corresponding to each segment.

[0437] In one embodiment, the higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the represented time difference; the multiple segments include a second segment and a third segment. In the first mapping relationship, the second segment corresponds to the third sub-band, and the third segment corresponds to the fourth sub-band; the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the third sub-band is higher than the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the fourth sub-band, the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than the allocation weight corresponding to the third segment, and the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of bit resources corresponding to the third segment.

[0438] In one embodiment, the processing module 1210 is specifically configured to: determine the allocation weight corresponding to each segment based on the sub-bands corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands; use the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the second sub-band as the allocation weight of the first segment; the first segment is any one of one or more segments, and the second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship; or, determine the allocation weight of the first segment based on the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the second sub-band and a first function; the first function is an aggregation function.

[0439] In one embodiment, the higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the time difference represented; the processing module 1210 is specifically used to: determine the sub-band corresponding to each segment according to the first mapping relationship; determine the SRS timeliness level corresponding to each segment according to the sub-band corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to one or more sub-bands; determine the priority order of one or more segments according to the SRS timeliness level; wherein, the higher the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the first segment, the higher the priority of the first segment, and the first segment is any one of one or more segments.

[0440] In one embodiment, the first information includes third information corresponding to one or more segments. The third information corresponding to the first segment is used to characterize the importance of the first segment. The first segment is any one of the one or more segments. The third information corresponding to the first segment is related to the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band. The second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

[0441] In one embodiment, the importance represented by the third information corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band.

[0442] In one embodiment, the processing module 1210 is specifically used to: determine the allocation weight corresponding to each segment based on the third information corresponding to one or more segments; and determine the bit resources corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weight corresponding to each segment.

[0443] In one embodiment, the third information includes an importance level, with each importance level corresponding to a time difference range.

[0444] In one embodiment, a higher importance level indicates a higher degree of importance; the multiple segments include a second segment and a third segment; in the first mapping relationship, the second segment corresponds to the third sub-band, and the third segment corresponds to the fourth sub-band; the time difference represented by the SRS timeliness information of the third sub-band is greater than the time difference represented by the SRS timeliness information of the fourth sub-band; the importance level corresponding to the second segment is higher than the importance level corresponding to the third segment, and the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than the allocation weight corresponding to the third segment; the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of bit resources corresponding to the third segment.

[0445] In one embodiment, the third information includes a priority order, which is used to characterize the result of sorting one or more segments according to their importance.

[0446] In one embodiment, the processing module 1210 is specifically used to: determine the priority order of one or more segments based on the third information corresponding to each segment; wherein, the higher the importance of the first segment, the higher the priority of the first segment.

[0447] In one embodiment, the first information includes allocation weights corresponding to one or more segments; the processing module 1210 is specifically used to: determine the bit resources corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment.

[0448] In one embodiment, the multiple segments include a second segment and a third segment; the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than the allocation weight corresponding to the third segment; and the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of bit resources corresponding to the third segment.

[0449] In one embodiment, the processing module 1210 is specifically used to: determine the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment according to the allocation weight corresponding to each segment; wherein the number of information dimensions corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of information dimensions corresponding to the third segment, and / or the number of quantization bits corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of quantization bits corresponding to the third segment; and determine the number of bits corresponding to each segment according to the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment, as well as the number of segments.

[0450] In one embodiment, the processing module 1210 is specifically used to: determine the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment from the first parameter combination pool according to the allocation weight corresponding to each segment; the first parameter combination pool includes one or more sets of parameter combinations, and each set of parameter combinations includes a candidate value for the number of information dimensions and / or a candidate value for the number of quantization bits.

[0451] In one embodiment, the total number of bit resources corresponding to one or more segments is less than or equal to the smaller of a first number of bits and a second number of bits, where the first number of bits is the maximum allowed number of bits in part 2 of the first CSI report corresponding to the second information, and the second number of bits is the number of bits in the uplink resources carried by the first CSI report that can be used to transmit CSI.

[0452] In one embodiment, the multiple segments include a fourth segment and a fifth segment, and in the priority order, the fourth segment has a higher priority than the fifth segment; the communication module 1220 is specifically used to: transmit the data corresponding to the fourth segment first, relative to the fifth segment, according to the priority order.

[0453] In one embodiment, the communication module 1220 is further configured to: receive first identification information sent by the network device; and determine a first mapping relationship based on the first identification information.

[0454] The above are merely examples; for detailed steps or procedures, please refer to the descriptions in the foregoing embodiments.

[0455] In one possible design, the first communication device 1200 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiments, or to a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device. The first communication device 1200 may be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0456] For example, the communication module 1220 is used to: send first information to a terminal device, the first information being related to the SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more subbands; the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the first subband is used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first subband, the first subband being any one of one or more subbands; the first information is used to determine the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information, and / or to determine the priority of one or more segments.

[0457] The above are merely examples; for detailed steps or procedures, please refer to the descriptions in the foregoing embodiments.

[0458] Figure 13 This is another schematic block diagram of the second communication device 1300 provided in the embodiments of this application. The second communication device 1300 may be a chip, chip system, or processor, etc., in a terminal device or network device that implements the above-described methods. The second communication device 1300 can be used to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above-described method embodiments.

[0459] like Figure 13As shown, the second communication device 1300 may include one or more processors 1310, which may also be referred to as processing units or processing modules, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1310 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the second communication device 1300 (e.g., a base station, baseband chip, user, user chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0460] In an alternative design, the processor 1310 may also store instructions and / or data that can be executed by the processor 1310 to cause the second communication device 1300 to perform the method described in the above method embodiments.

[0461] In another alternative design, the second communication device 1300 may include a communication interface 1320 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 1320 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0462] Optionally, the second communication device 1300 may include one or more memories 1330, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1310, causing the second communication device 1300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1330 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 1310 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1310 and the memories 1330 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0463] It should be understood that, in one possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0464] In one implementation, the second communication device 1300 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1310 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1330, and when the processor 1310 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1310 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the terminal device.

[0465] In another implementation, the second communication device 1300 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiments and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the network device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1310 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1330, and when the processor 1310 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1310 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the network device.

[0466] It should be understood that the aforementioned processing device can be one or more chips. For example, the processing device can be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0467] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0468] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a chip system, which includes one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, thereby causing the method described in the embodiments of this application to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0469] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0470] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned network device and terminal device.

[0471] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0472] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0473] The computer-readable storage medium may be the aforementioned volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or it may include both volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

[0474] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations are exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0475] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When these computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated.

[0476] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0477] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0478] In summary, the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: The network device receives first information, which is related to the SRS timeliness information of one or more subbands; the SRS timeliness information of the first subband is used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first subband, and the first subband is any one of the one or more subbands. Based on the first information, determine the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information, and quantize the second information based on the bit resources corresponding to the one or more segments; the second information is information obtained by compressing the channel state information (CSI) based on the first model, the one or more segments have a first mapping relationship with the one or more sub-bands, the amount of bit resources corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band, and the first segment is any one of the one or more segments; And / or, If the amount of uplink resources required for the second information is greater than the amount of available uplink resources, the priority of one or more segments is determined according to the first information, and based on the priority of the one or more segments, a portion of the data corresponding to the one or more segments is transmitted; the second information is information obtained by compressing Channel State Information (CSI) based on a first model, the one or more segments and the one or more subbands have a first mapping relationship, the priority corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second subband, the first segment is any one of the one or more segments, and the second subband is the subband corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The SRS timeliness information corresponding to the first sub-band is used to characterize the time difference between the time when the network device last received the SRS on the first sub-band and the reference time.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The reference time is the time domain location of the CSI reference resource corresponding to the most recently triggered CSI report.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first information includes the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the one or more sub-bands.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The SRS timeliness information includes SRS timeliness levels, and each SRS timeliness level corresponds to a range of time differences.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of determining the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information includes: Based on the first mapping relationship, determine the sub-band corresponding to each segment; The allocation weight corresponding to each segment is determined based on the sub-bands corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the one or more sub-bands. The bit resources corresponding to each segment are determined based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the time difference it represents; the multiple segments include a second segment and a third segment, and in the first mapping relationship, the second segment corresponds to the third sub-band, and the third segment corresponds to the fourth sub-band; The SRS timeliness level corresponding to the third sub-band is higher than that corresponding to the fourth sub-band, the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than that corresponding to the third segment, and the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than that corresponding to the third segment.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of determining the allocation weight corresponding to each segment based on the sub-band corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the one or more sub-bands includes: The SRS timeliness level corresponding to the second sub-band is used as the allocation weight of the first segment; the first segment is any one of the one or more segments, and the second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship; or, Based on the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the second sub-band, the allocation weight of the first segment is determined based on the first function; the first function is an aggregation function.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The higher the SRS timeliness level, the greater the time difference it represents; determining the priority of the one or more segments based on the first information includes: Based on the first mapping relationship, determine the sub-band corresponding to each segment; Based on the sub-bands corresponding to each segment and the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the one or more sub-bands, the SRS timeliness level corresponding to each segment is determined; based on the SRS timeliness level, the priority order of the one or more segments is determined; wherein, the higher the SRS timeliness level corresponding to the first segment, the higher the priority of the first segment, and the first segment is any one of the one or more segments.

10. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, in, The first information includes third information corresponding to the one or more segments. The third information corresponding to the first segment is used to characterize the importance of the first segment. The first segment is any one of the one or more segments. The third information corresponding to the first segment is related to the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band. The second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The importance represented by the third information corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The step of determining the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information includes: Based on the third information corresponding to the one or more segments, determine the allocation weight corresponding to each segment; The bit resources corresponding to each segment are determined based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The third piece of information includes an importance level, and each importance level corresponds to a range of time differences.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The higher the importance level, the higher the degree of importance of the representation; the multiple segments include a second segment and a third segment, and in the first mapping relationship, the second segment corresponds to the third sub-band, and the third segment corresponds to the fourth sub-band; The time difference represented by the SRS timeliness information of the third sub-band is greater than the time difference represented by the SRS timeliness information of the fourth sub-band; the importance level corresponding to the second segment is higher than the importance level corresponding to the third segment, and the allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than the allocation weight corresponding to the third segment; the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of bit resources corresponding to the third segment.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The third information includes a priority order, which is used to characterize the result of sorting the one or more segments according to their importance.

16. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Determining the priority of the one or more segments based on the first information includes: Based on the third information corresponding to each segment, the priority order of the one or more segments is determined; wherein, the higher the importance of the first segment, the higher the priority of the first segment.

17. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first information includes the allocation weights corresponding to the one or more segments; The step of determining the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information based on the first information includes: The bit resources corresponding to each segment are determined based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The plurality of segments includes a second segment and a third segment; The allocation weight corresponding to the second segment is greater than the allocation weight corresponding to the third segment; the number of bit resources corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of bit resources corresponding to the third segment.

19. The method according to any one of claims 7, 14, and 18, characterized in that, The step of determining the bit resources corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weight corresponding to each segment includes: Based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment, the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment are determined; wherein, the number of information dimensions corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of information dimensions corresponding to the third segment, and / or, the number of quantization bits corresponding to the second segment is greater than the number of quantization bits corresponding to the third segment; The number of bits corresponding to each segment is determined based on the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment, as well as the number of segments.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The step of determining the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment includes: Based on the allocation weights corresponding to each segment, the number of information dimensions and the number of quantization bits corresponding to each segment are determined from the first parameter combination pool; the first parameter combination pool includes one or more sets of parameter combinations, and each set of parameter combinations includes a candidate value for the number of information dimensions and / or a candidate value for the number of quantization bits.

21. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The total number of bit resources corresponding to the one or more segments is less than or equal to the smaller of the first number of bits and the second number of bits, where the first number of bits is the maximum allowed number of bits in part 2 of the first CSI report corresponding to the second information, and the second number of bits is the number of bits in the uplink resources carried by the first CSI report that can be used to transmit CSI.

22. The method according to any one of claims 9, 15, and 16, characterized in that, The plurality of segments includes a fourth segment and a fifth segment, and in the priority order, the fourth segment has a higher priority than the fifth segment; The transmission of data corresponding to a portion of the one or more segments based on their priorities includes: According to the priority order, the data corresponding to the fourth segment is transmitted first, compared to the fifth segment.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, 20 to 21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the first identification information sent by the network device; The first mapping relationship is determined based on the first identification information.

24. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to network devices, the method includes: Send first information to the terminal device. The first information is related to the SRS timeliness information corresponding to one or more sub-bands. The SRS timeliness information corresponding to the first sub-band is used to characterize the timeliness of SRS reception on the first sub-band. The first sub-band is any one of the one or more sub-bands. The first information is used to determine the bit resources corresponding to one or more segments of the second information, and the bit resources corresponding to the one or more segments are used to quantize the second information; the second information is information obtained by compressing the channel state information (CSI) based on the first model, and the one or more segments have a first mapping relationship with the one or more sub-bands, and the amount of bit resources corresponding to the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band, and the first segment is any one of the one or more segments; And / or, The first information is used to determine the priority of one or more segments when the amount of uplink resources required by the second information is greater than the amount of available uplink resources. The priority of the one or more segments is used to transmit a portion of the data corresponding to the one or more segments. The second information is information obtained by compressing Channel State Information (CSI) based on a first model. The one or more segments have a first mapping relationship with the one or more sub-bands. The priority of the first segment is negatively correlated with the timeliness represented by the SRS timeliness information corresponding to the second sub-band. The first segment is any one of the one or more segments, and the second sub-band is the sub-band corresponding to the first segment in the first mapping relationship.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes at least one processor coupled to a memory storing a program or instructions, the processor executing the program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, they cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 24.

27. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes the communication device as described in claim 25.

28. A chip system comprising one or more processors, characterized in that, The one or more processors are configured to retrieve and execute instructions stored in memory, such that the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 24 is performed. 。

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