Method and apparatus for spectrum sharing between network technologies

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a method and device for spectrum sharing between network technologies. The method comprises: receiving indication information, the indication information indicating one of a plurality of configuration sets for demodulation reference signals (DMRS), the plurality of configuration sets comprising a first configuration set, the first configuration set comprising part or all of a second configuration set associated with a second radio access technology; the present invention relates to a method for transmitting and receiving a DMRS corresponding to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) on the basis of indication information, or a method for transmitting and receiving a DMRS corresponding to a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) on the basis of the indication information, or a method for transmitting and receiving a DMRS corresponding to a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) on the basis of the indication information, or a method for transmitting and receiving a DMRS corresponding to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) on the basis of the indication information, or a method for transmitting and receiving a DMRS corresponding to a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) on the basis of the indication information. One or more parameters may be shared between one or more terminal devices associated with the first radio access technology and one or more terminal devices associated with the second radio access technology, coexisting with multiple terminal devices associated with different radio access technologies.

Description

Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application claims priority to PCT Patent Application No. PCT / CN2023 / 115036 entitled “MU-MIMO between 5G UE and 6G UE in DSS carrier” filed on August 25, 2023, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for spectrum sharing between network technologies. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the advent of new generation wireless communications, new generation wireless communications and old generation wireless communications can be employed simultaneously, especially in the early stage of the adoption of new generation. For example, a network device can communicate with one or more terminal devices associated with fifth generation (5G) technology (e.g., 5G user equipment (UE)) and one or more terminal devices associated with sixth generation (6G) technology (e.g., 6G UE) simultaneously. In the early stage of the application of new generation technology (e.g., 6G technology), one or more 5G UEs and one or more 5G networks are likely to be used together with one or more 6G UEs and one or more 6G networks. Existing 5G technology has occupied multiple spectrums.

[0004] Therefore, a technical problem to be solved is how to coexist multiple terminal devices associated with different wireless access technologies. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a method and apparatus for spectrum sharing between network technologies. Multiple terminal devices associated with different wireless access technologies can coexist.

[0006] According to a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method. The method can be performed by a first terminal device or a chip of the first terminal device. The first terminal device is associated with a first radio access technology. The method comprises: receiving indication information, wherein the indication information indicates one of a plurality of configuration sets for a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), the plurality of configuration sets comprises a first configuration set, and the first configuration set comprises part or all of a second configuration set associated with a second radio access technology; receiving, based on the indication information, a DMRS corresponding to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), or transmitting, based on the indication information, a DMRS corresponding to a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0007] According to a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method. The method can be performed by a network device or a chip of the network device. The method comprises: transmitting, to a first terminal device associated with a first radio access technology, indication information, wherein the indication information indicates one of a plurality of configuration sets for a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), the plurality of configuration sets comprises a first configuration set, and the first configuration set comprises part or all of a second configuration set associated with a second radio access technology; transmitting, based on the indication information, a DMRS corresponding to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) to the first radio access technology, or receiving, based on the indication information, a DMRS corresponding to a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) from the first radio access technology.

[0008] According to the above technical solutions, one or more parameters of the first configuration set can be shared between one or more terminal devices associated with the first radio access technology and one or more terminal devices associated with the second radio access technology. The plurality of terminal devices associated with different technologies can better coexist.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first configuration set comprises configurations of one or more of a physical resource and a sequence generation.

[0010] According to the technical solution, at least one of the resources in the time-frequency domain and the resources in the code domain can be shared by the one or more terminal devices associated with the first radio access technology and the one or more terminal devices associated with the second radio access technology. Therefore, the resource utilization rate can be improved.

[0011] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the physical resources associated with the first configuration set and the physical resources associated with the second configuration set completely overlap, the physical resources associated with the first configuration set are a subset of the physical resources associated with the second configuration set, or the physical resources associated with the second configuration set are a subset of the physical resources associated with the first configuration set.

[0012] According to the technical solution, when the physical resources associated with the first configuration set and the physical resources associated with the second configuration set completely overlap, the physical resources can be fully utilized. When the physical resources associated with the second configuration set are a subset of the physical resources associated with the first configuration set, the first terminal device can obtain better performance for a larger scale of physical resources. When the physical resources associated with the first configuration set are a subset of the physical resources associated with the second configuration set, the first terminal device can save more energy for a smaller scale of physical resources.

[0013] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, one or more code division multiplexed (CDM) groups are associated with the first configuration set, and the one or more CDM groups include one or more of the following: one or more CDM groups associated with the first radio access technology and one or more CDM groups associated with the second radio access technology.

[0014] Through the technical solution, one or more dedicated CDM groups can be configured for the first terminal device, and the first terminal device can obtain better performance.

[0015] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the indicated configuration set includes one or more of the following: a first parameter indicating a number of one or more CDM groups containing no data; a second parameter indicating one or more DMRS ports; a third parameter indicating a number of front symbols; and a fourth parameter indicating one or more DMRS types.

[0016] According to the technical solution, the above parameters can be associated with the configuration, wherein the indication information can indicate one or more of the above parameters to indicate the configuration set. A simple indication method is provided.

[0017] In some embodiments in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the indication information includes first information and second information, the first information indicates a DMRS type associated with the indicated configuration set, and the second information indicates one or more of a number of one or more CDM groups without data associated with the indicated configuration set, one or more DMRS ports associated with the indicated configuration set, and a number of front symbols associated with the indicated configuration set.

[0018] For example, the DMRS type can be DMRS configuration type 1 or DMRS configuration type 2.

[0019] According to the above technical solution, the plurality of configurations can correspond to one or more types, and the indication information can respectively indicate the DMRS type and the one or more parameters. A flexible indication method is provided.

[0020] In some embodiments in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the first information is included in a radio resource control signal, and the second information is included in downlink control information.

[0021] According to the above technical solution, the indication information can be carried in a plurality of signals. A flexible indication method is provided.

[0022] In some embodiments in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the downlink control information includes first-level information and second-level information, the first-level information and the second-level information are located in different channels, and the first-level information includes the second information.

[0023] For example, the first-level information is located in a PDCCH, and the second-level information is located in a PDSCH.

[0024] According to the above technical solution, the downlink control information can have a two-level structure, and a flexible indication method is provided.

[0025] In some embodiments in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the physical resources associated with the first configuration set include a first part and a second part, the first part completely overlaps the physical resources associated with the second configuration set, and the second part is dedicated to the first radio access technology. The first-level information further indicates that the physical resources associated with the first configuration set include the second part, and the second-level information indicates a location of the second part.

[0026] According to the above technical solution, the first-level information can dynamically indicate the existence of the dedicated second part, and a flexible indication method is provided.

[0027] In some embodiments in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the plurality of configuration sets includes a third configuration set, and the third configuration set is dedicated to the first radio access technology.

[0028] According to the technical solution, the first terminal device can be configured with a third configuration set that is specific to the first radio access technology, wherein the first terminal device can support various configuration sets.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes receiving configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used to configure the indicated configuration set.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes sending configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used to configure the indicated configuration set.

[0031] For example, the configuration information can be used to configure one or more configuration sets that are specific to the first radio access technology.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second radio access technology is a fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, and the first radio access technology is a sixth generation (6G) radio access technology.

[0033] According to the third aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes functions or units for performing the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0034] According to the fourth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes functions or units for performing the method according to the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0035] According to the fifth aspect, a system is provided. The system includes the terminal device according to the third aspect and the network device according to the fourth aspect.

[0036] According to the sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes at least one processor coupled to at least one memory. The at least one memory is configured to store a computer program or one or more instructions. The at least one processor is configured to invoke and run the computer program or the one or more instructions from the at least one memory, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect, or the communication apparatus performs the method in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0037] With reference to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the communication apparatus can be a network device or a component (e.g., a chip or an integrated circuit) installed in a network device. For example, the communication apparatus can be a terminal device or a component (e.g., a chip or an integrated circuit) installed in a terminal device.

[0038] With reference to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the communication apparatus can be a terminal device or a component (e.g., a chip or an integrated circuit) installed in a terminal device. For example, the communication apparatus can be a network device or a component (e.g., a chip or an integrated circuit) installed in a network device.

[0039] According to a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor is connected to the communication interface. The processor is configured to execute one or more instructions, and the communication interface is configured to communicate with other network elements under control of the processor. The processor is capable of performing the method according to the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0040] According to an eighth aspect, a computer storage medium is provided. The computer storage medium stores program codes for executing one or more instructions of the method according to the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0041] According to a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product including one or more instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0042] According to a tenth aspect, the present application provides a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, which cause a processor in a device to implement the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0043] According to an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a device for performing the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0044] According to a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a processor for executing instructions to cause a device to perform the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0045] According to a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides an integrated circuit configured to perform the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0046] According to a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus comprising: a transceiving unit configured to perform the receiving steps according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect; and a processing unit configured to perform the processing steps according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0047] According to a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus comprising a transceiving unit configured to perform the transmitting steps according to the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by the present application.

[0049] Figure 2 An example communication system 100 is shown.

[0050] Figure 3 Another example of an ED and a base station is shown.

[0051] Figure 4 Units or modules in a device are shown.

[0052] Figure 5 A first embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies is shown.

[0053] Figure 6 A second embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies is shown.

[0054] Figure 7 A third embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies is shown.

[0055] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of MU-MIMO provided by embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0056] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by embodiments of the present application.

[0057] Figure 10 A first example of 6G configuration and 5G configuration provided by embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0058] Figure 11 A second example of 6G configuration and 5G configuration provided by embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0059] Figure 12 A third example of 6G configuration and 5G configuration provided by embodiments of the application is shown.

[0060] Figure 13 A fourth example of 6G configuration and 5G configuration provided by embodiments of the application is shown.

[0061] Figure 14 A fifth example of 6G configuration and 5G configuration provided by embodiments of the application is shown.

[0062] Figure 15 A diagram of DMRS ports provided by embodiments of the application is shown.

[0063] Figure 16 A diagram of DCI associated with 6G technology provided by embodiments of the application is shown.

[0064] Figure 17 Multiplexing of DMRS corresponding to 2 5G UEs with DMRS corresponding to 6G UE provided by embodiments of the application is shown.

[0065] Figure 18 Multiplexing of DMRS corresponding to 5G UE with DMRS corresponding to 2 6G UEs provided by embodiments of the application is shown.

[0066] Figure 19 and Figure 20 A diagram of possible devices provided by embodiments of the application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] The technical solutions of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0068] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, a global system for mobile communications (GSM), a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a fifth generation (5G) wireless communication system, a new radio (NR) wireless communication system, a sixth generation (6G) wireless communication system, or other evolved communication systems.

[0069] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, a communication system as shown in FIG. 1 is taken as an example to describe in detail the communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable. Figures 1 to 3 The communication system as shown in FIG. 1 is taken as an example to describe in detail the communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable.

[0070] Reference is made to Figure 1As an illustrative example but not limitation, a simplified schematic of a communication system is provided. The communication system 100 includes a wireless access network 120. The wireless access network 120 can be a next generation (e.g., sixth generation (6G) or beyond) wireless access network, or a legacy (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) wireless access network. One or more communication electric devices (EDs) 110a-110j (collectively referred to as 110) can be interconnected to one another or to one or more network nodes (170a, 170b, collectively referred to as 170) in the wireless access network 120. A core network 130 can be part of the communication system and can be dependent or independent of the radio access technology used in the communication system 100. In addition, the communication system 100 includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0071] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 is shown. Generally, the communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired elements to communicate data and other content. The communication system 100 can aim to provide voice, data, video, and / or text content, among other content, through broadcast, multicast, and unicast, among other techniques. The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources (e.g., carrier spectrum bandwidth) among its constituent elements. The communication system 100 can include terrestrial communication systems and / or non-terrestrial communication systems. The communication system 100 can provide a wide range of communication services and applications (e.g., earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, among others). The communication system 100 can provide high availability and robustness through joint operation of terrestrial communication systems and non-terrestrial communication systems. For example, integration of non-terrestrial communication systems (or components thereof) into terrestrial communication systems can enable a heterogeneous network comprising multiple tiers. The heterogeneous network can achieve better overall performance compared to legacy communication networks through efficient multi-link joint operation, more flexible function sharing, and faster physical layer link switching between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

[0072] The ground communication system and the non-terrestrial communication system can be considered as subsystems of a communication system. In the illustrated example, the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a-110d (generally referred to as EDs 110), radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b, a non-terrestrial communication network 120c, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. The RANs 120a and 120b include respective base stations (BSs) 170a and 170b, which can be generally referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRPs) 170a and 170b. The non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes an access node 120c, which can be generally referred to as a non-terrestrial transmit and receive point (NT-TRP) 172.

[0073] Alternatively or additionally, any of the EDs 110 can be configured to connect with, access, or communicate with any other T-TRPs 170a and 170b and NT-TRP 172, the Internet 150, the core network 130, the PSTN 140, the other networks 160, or any combination of the above. In some examples, the ED 110a can perform uplink and / or downlink transmissions with the T-TRP 170a through an interface 190a. In some examples, the EDs 110a, 110b, and 110d can also communicate directly with each other through one or more sidelink air interfaces 190b. In some examples, the ED 110d can perform uplink and / or downlink transmissions with the NT-TRP 172 through an interface 190c.

[0074] The air interfaces 190a and 190b can use similar communication techniques, e.g., any suitable wireless access technique. For example, the communication system 100 can implement one or more channel access methods in the air interfaces 190a and 190b, e.g., code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). The air interfaces 190a and 190b can utilize other high-dimensional signal spaces, which can involve combinations of orthogonal and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0075] The air interface 190c can enable communication between the ED 110d and one or more NT-TRPs 172 over a wireless link or simply a link. For some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmissions, a connection for broadcast transmissions, or a connection between a group of EDs and one or more NT-TRPs for groupcast transmissions.

[0076] The RANs 120a and 120b are in communication with the core network 130 in order to provide the EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c with access to various services, such as voice, data, and other services. The RANs 120a and 120b and / or the core network 130 can be in direct or indirect communication with one or more other RANs (not shown) that can or can not be serviced by the core network 130 and that can or can not utilize the same radio access technology as the RANs 120a, 120b or both. The core network 130 can also serve as a gateway for the RANs 120a and 120b and / or EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c to other networks (such as PSTN 140, the Internet 150, and the other networks 160) by providing an interface to those networks. In addition, portions of the EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c can include functionality for communicating over different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols with different wireless networks. Instead of (or in addition to) wireless communication, the EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c can also communicate with service providers or switches (not shown) and with the Internet 150 over wired communication channels. The PSTN 140 can include a circuit- switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 can include a network of computers and / or sub-networks (intranets) and incorporate protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), etc. The EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c can be multi-mode devices capable of operating according to multiple wireless access technologies and include multiple transceivers as needed to support those technologies.

[0077] Figure 3Another example of ED 110 and base stations 170a, 170b, and / or 170c is shown. ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, unmanned aerial vehicle, robot, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous distribution, and mobile, etc.

[0078] Each ED 110 represents any end user device suitable for wireless operation, and can include (or can be referred to as) a user equipment / device (UE), a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a cellular phone, a station (STA), a machine type communication (MTC) device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a computer, a tablet, a wireless sensor, a consumer electronics device, a smartbook, a vehicle, a car, a truck, a bus, a train, or an IoT device, an industrial device, or an apparatus (e.g., a communication module, a modem, or a chip) in the aforementioned devices, etc. Next generation ED 110 can be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs, and will be referred to as T-TRPs 170 hereinafter. Figure 3 Also shown in the middle is an NT-TRP, which will be referred to as NT-TRP 172 hereinafter. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRPs 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically turned on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), turned off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or configured in response to one or more of connection availability and connection necessity.

[0079] The ED 110 includes a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown in the figure. One, some or all of the antennas can also be panels. The transmitter 201 and receiver 203 can be integrated as a transceiver, for example. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna 204 or a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver is also used to demodulate data or other content received by at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating a signal for wireless or wired transmission, and / or for processing a signal received wirelessly or by wire. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals.

[0080] The ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. The memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the ED 110. For example, the memory 208 could store software

[0081] instructions or modules used to implement some or all of the functionality and / or embodiments described herein, and executed by the one or more processing units 210. Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more of volatile and / or non-volatile storage devices. Any suitable type of memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, cache, etc. Figure 1 The ED 110 can also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (such as wired interfaces connected to the Internet 150 in FIG. 1). The input / output devices support interaction with a user or other devices, systems, or networks. Each input / output device includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving information from a user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touch screen, including network interface communications.

[0082] The ED 110 also includes a processor 210 for performing operations, including operations related to preparing transmissions for uplink transmission to the NT-TRPs 172 and / or the T-TRPs 170, operations related to processing downlink transmissions received from the NT-TRPs 172 and / or the T-TRPs 170, and operations related to processing sidelink transmissions to and from another ED 110. The processing operations related to preparing transmissions for uplink transmission can include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. The processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions can include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding received symbols. According to embodiments, the downlink transmissions can be received by the receiver 203, possibly using receive beamforming, and the processor 210 can extract signaling (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding the signaling) from the downlink transmissions. An example of the signaling can be reference signals transmitted by the NT-TRPs 172 and / or the T-TRPs 170. In some embodiments, the processor 276 implements transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on an indication of beam direction (e.g., beam angle information (BAI)) received from the T-TRPs 170. In some embodiments, the processor 210 can perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting synchronization sequences, decoding and acquiring system information, and the like. In some embodiments, the processor 210 can perform channel estimation, e.g., using reference signals received from the NT-TRPs 172 and / or the T-TRPs 170.

[0083] Although not shown, the processor 210 can form part of the transmitter 201 and / or the receiver 203. Although not shown, the memory 208 can constitute part of the processor 210.

[0084] Each of the processor 210 and the processing components of the transmitter 201 and the receiver 203 can be implemented by the same or different one or more processors that execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 210 and the processing components of the transmitter 201 and the receiver 203 can be implemented using special-purpose circuitry, e.g., a programmed field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphical processing unit (GPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0085] T-TRP 170 can be known in some embodiments by other names, such as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a network node, a network equipment, a network side device, a transmission / reception node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a home eNodeB, a next Generation NodeB (gNB), a transmission point (TP), a site controller, an access point (AP) or a wireless router, a relay station, a remote radio head, a ground node, a ground network equipment or a ground base station, a base band unit (BBU), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio unit (RU), an active antenna unit (AAU), a remote radio head (RRH), a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a positioning node, etc. T-TRP 170 can be a macro BS, a micro BS, a relay node, a host node, etc., or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 can refer to the aforementioned devices, or refer to an apparatus (such as a communication module, a modem, or a chip) in the aforementioned devices.

[0086] In some embodiments, a CU (or a CU control plane (CP) and a CU user plane (UP)), a DU, or a RU can be known by other names. For example, in an open RAN (ORAN) system, a CU can also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), a DU can also be referred to as an open DU (O-DU), a CU-CP can also be referred to as an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), a CU-UP can also be referred to as an open CU-UP (O-CU-CP), and a RU can also be referred to as an open RU (O-RU). Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, or RU can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0087] In some embodiments, various parts of T-TRP 170 can be distributed. For example, some modules of T-TRP 170 can be located at a location remote from a device that houses the antennas of T-TRP 170, and can be coupled to the device that houses the antennas through a communication link (not shown) sometimes referred to as front-haul (e.g., common public radio interface (CPRI)). Thus, in some embodiments, the term T-TRP 170 can also refer to modules on the network side that perform the processing operations of determining locations of EDs 110, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation and encoding / decoding, etc., which are not necessarily part of the device that houses the antennas of T-TRP 170. These modules can also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, T-TRP 170 can actually be multiple T-TRPs that operate together to serve ED 110 through coordinated multipoint transmission, etc.

[0088] T-TRP 170 includes at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown in the figure. One, some, or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver. T-TRP 170 also includes a processor 260 for performing operations including operations related to: preparing transmissions for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing transmissions for backhaul transmission to NT-TRP 172, and processing transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing transmissions for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing transmissions received in the uplink or via backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. Processor 260 can also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the contents of a synchronization signal block (SSB), generating system information, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 also generates beam direction indications, such as BAI, that can be scheduled for transmission by scheduler 253. Processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of ED 110, determining the location for deploying NT-TRP 172, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 can generate signaling, such as one or more parameters for configuring ED 110 and / or one or more parameters for NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by processor 260 is transmitted by transmitter 252. It should be noted that the term "signaling" used herein can also be referred to as control signaling. Dynamic signaling can be sent in control channels, such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), while static or semi-static higher-layer signaling can be included in messages sent in data channels, such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0089] The scheduler 253 can be coupled to the processor 260. The scheduler 253, which can be included within or operate separately from the T-TRP 170, can schedule uplink, downlink, and / or backhaul transmissions, including issuing scheduling grants and / or configuring grant-free (“configured grant”) resources. The T-TRP 170 also includes memory 258 for storing information and data. The memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the T-TRP 170. For example, the memory 258 can store software

[0090] Although not shown, the processor 260 can form part of the transmitter 252 and / or the receiver 254. Further, although not shown, the processor 260 can implement the scheduler 253. Although not shown, the memory 258 can form part of the processor 260.

[0091] The processor 260, the scheduler 253, and the processing components of the transmitter 252 and the receiver 254 can each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors configured to perform the instructions stored in the memory (e.g., the memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 260, the scheduler 253, and the processing components of the transmitter 252 and the receiver 254 can be implemented using specialized circuitry, for example, FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs.

[0092] While the NT-TRP 172 is shown by way of example only as a drone, the NT-TRP 172 can be implemented in any suitable non-ground-based form. Moreover, the NT-TRP 172 can be known by other names in some embodiments, such as a non-ground node, non-ground network device, or non-ground base station. The NT-TRP 172 includes a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown in the figure. One, some or all of the antennas can also be panels. The transmitter 272 and receiver 274 can be integrated as a transceiver. The NT-TRP 172 also includes a processor 276 for carrying out operations, including operations related to preparing transmissions for downlink transmission to the ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from the ED 110, preparing transmissions for backhaul transmission to the T-TRP 170, and processing transmissions received from the T-TRP 170 over the backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing transmissions for downlink or backhaul transmission can include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing transmissions received in the uplink or over the backhaul can include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding received symbols. In some embodiments, the processor 276 implements transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from the T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 276 can generate signaling, such as for configuring one or more parameters of the ED 110. In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing, but not higher layer functions such as functions at the medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layer. As this is just one example, more generally, the NT-TRP 172 can implement higher layer functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0093] The NT-TRP 172 also includes a memory 278 for storing information and data. Although not shown, the processor 276 can form part of the transmitter 272 and / or receiver 274. Although not shown, the memory 278 can form part of the processor 276.

[0094] The processor 276, and processing components of the transmitter 272 and receiver 274, can each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors adapted to execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 276, and processing components of the transmitter 272 and receiver 274, can be implemented using special-purpose circuitry (e.g., programmed FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs). In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 can actually be multiple NT-TRPs that operate together to serve the ED 110 through coordinated multipoint transmission, etc.

[0095] The T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172, and / or ED 110 can include other components, but for brevity, these components are omitted.

[0096] To facilitate understanding of embodiments of the present application, the following briefly describes the process of transmitting reference signals and measuring channels based on reference signals.

[0097] Multiple input multiple-output (MIMO) technology supports antenna arrays of multiple antennas for signal transmission and reception to meet high transmission rate requirements. The above ED 110 and T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP use MIMO to communicate through wireless resource blocks. MIMO utilizes multiple antennas on the transmitter and / or receiver to transmit wireless resource blocks through parallel wireless signals. MIMO can beamform parallel wireless signals to achieve reliable multipath transmission of wireless resource blocks. MIMO can bind parallel wireless signals that transmit different data to improve the data rate of wireless resource blocks.

[0098] In recent years, MIMO (massive MIMO) wireless communication systems with T-TRPs 170 and / or NT-TRPs 172 configured with a large number of antennas have attracted extensive attention in academia and industry. In a massive MIMO system, the T-TRPs 170 and / or NT-TRPs 172 are typically configured with more than 10 antenna elements (e.g., 128 or 256) and serve tens of EDs 110 (e.g., 40). The large number of antenna elements of the T-TRPs 170 and NT-TRPs 172 can greatly improve the spatial degrees of freedom of wireless communication, greatly improve the transmission rate, spectral efficiency and power efficiency, and largely eliminate the interference between cells. The increase in the number of antennas makes the size of each antenna element smaller and the cost lower. With the spatial degrees of freedom provided by the large number of antenna elements, the T-TRPs 170 and NT-TRPs 172 of each cell can simultaneously communicate with multiple EDs 110 within the cell on the same time-frequency resource, thereby greatly improving the spectral efficiency. The large number of antenna elements of the T-TRPs 170 and / or NT-TRPs 172 also enables each user to have better spatial directivity for uplink and downlink transmission, thereby reducing the transmission power of the T-TRPs 170 and / or NT-TRPs 172 and the EDs 110 and improving the power efficiency. When the number of antennas of the T-TRPs 170 and / or NT-TRPs 172 is sufficient, the random channels between each ED 110 and the T-TRPs 170 and / or NT-TRPs 172 can be close to orthogonal, and the influence of the interference between cells and users and the noise can be eliminated. The various advantages described above make the massive MIMO system have good application prospects.

[0099] A MIMO system can include a receiver connected to receive (Rx) antennas, a transmitter connected to transmit (Tx) antennas, and a signal processor connected to the transmitter and the receiver. Each of the Rx antennas and the Tx antennas can include a plurality of antennas. For example, the Rx antennas can have a ULA antenna array in which a plurality of antennas are arranged in a row with even spacing. When a radio frequency (RF) signal is transmitted through the Tx antennas, the Rx antennas can receive a signal reflected and returned from a forward target.

[0100] One or more steps of the example methods provided herein can be performed by a corresponding unit or module based on Figure 4 . Figure 4Units or modules in a device are shown, e.g., in the ED 110, in the T-TRP 170, or in the NT-TRP 172. For example, a signal can be transmitted by a transmitting unit or module. For example, a signal can be transmitted by a transmitting unit or module. A signal can be received by a receiving unit or module. A signal can be processed by a processing unit or module. Other steps can be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) module. The respective units or modules can be implemented using hardware, one or more components executing software, or a device, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of the units or modules can be an integrated circuit, such as a programmed FPGA, GPU, or ASIC. It will be appreciated that if these modules are implemented, for example, using software executed by a processor, then these modules can be retrieved, all or in part, by the processor as needed, individually or collectively, for processing in one or more instances, and the modules themselves can include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0101] Additional details regarding the ED 110, the T-TRP 170, and the NT-TRP 172 are known to those of skill in the art. Accordingly, these details are omitted here.

[0102] An air interface generally includes many components and associated parameters that collectively specify how transmissions are sent and / or received over a wireless communication link between two or more communication devices. For example, an air interface can include one or more components that define one or more waveforms, one or more frame structures, one or more multiple access schemes, one or more protocols, one or more coding schemes, and / or one or more modulation schemes used to communicate information (e.g., data) over a wireless communication link. A wireless communication link can support a link between a wireless access network and a user device (e.g., a “Uu” link), and / or a wireless communication link can support a link between devices, such as a link between two user devices (e.g., a “sidelink”), and / or a wireless communication link can support a link between a non-terrestrial (NT) communication network and a user equipment (UE). Some examples of the above components are as follows: Waveform components can specify the shape and form of the transmitted signal. Waveform options can include orthogonal and non-orthogonal multiple access waveforms. Non-limiting examples of such waveform options include orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), filtered OFDM (f-OFDM), time windowed OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC), generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), wavelet packet modulation (WPM), faster than Nyquist (FTN) waveforms, and peak to average power ratio waveform (PAPR WF).

[0103] Frame structure components can specify the configuration of a frame or frame set. Frame structure components can indicate one or more of the time, frequency, pilot signature, code, or other parameters of a frame or frame set. Further details of frame structure will be discussed below.

[0104] Multiple access scheme components can specify multiple access technology options, including technologies that define how communication devices share a common physical channel, such as: time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), low density signature multicarrier code division multiple access (LDS-MC-CDMA), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), pattern division multiple access (PDMA), lattice partition multiple access (LPMA), resource spread multiple access (RSMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA). In addition, multiple access technology options can include: scheduled access versus unscheduled access, also known as grant-free access; non-orthogonal multiple access versus orthogonal multiple access, e.g., through dedicated channel resources (e.g., not shared among multiple communication devices); contention-based shared channel resources versus non-contention-based shared channel resources; and cognitive radio based access.

[0105] Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) protocol components can specify how transmissions and / or retransmissions are made. Non-limiting examples of transmission and / or retransmission mechanism options include mechanisms that specify scheduling data pipe sizes, signaling mechanisms for transmissions and / or retransmissions, and retransmission mechanisms.

[0106] Encoding modulation components can specify how transmitted information is encoded / decoded and modulated / demodulated for transmission / reception. Encoding can refer to methods of error detection and forward error correction. Non-limiting examples of encoding options include turbo trellis codes, turbo product codes, fountain codes, low density parity check codes, and polar codes. Modulation can simply refer to constellations (including, e.g., modulation techniques and order), or more specifically to various types of advanced modulation methods, such as hierarchical modulation and low PAPR modulation.

[0107] In some embodiments, an air interface can be a “one size fits all” concept. For example, once an air interface is defined, components within the air interface cannot be changed or adapted. In some implementations, only limited parameters or modes of the air interface can be configured, such as cyclic prefix (CP) length or multiple input multiple output (MIMO) mode. In some embodiments, an air interface design can provide a unified or flexible framework to support sub-6 GHz frequencies and frequencies beyond 6 GHz (e.g., millimeter wave) for licensed and unlicensed access. For example, the flexibility of a configurable air interface provided by a scalable numerology and symbol duration can support transmission parameter optimization for different spectrum bands and different services / devices. As another example, a unified air interface can be self-contained in the frequency domain, and a frequency domain self-contained design can support more flexible radio access network (RAN) slicing by sharing channel resources among different services in both frequency and time.

[0108] A frame structure is a feature of a wireless communication physical layer that defines a time domain signal transmission structure, e.g., for allowing timing reference and timing adjustment of basic time domain transmission units. Wireless communication between communication devices can take place on time-frequency resources controlled by the frame structure. A frame structure can sometimes be referred to as a radio frame structure.

[0109] Depending on the frame structure and / or frame configuration in the frame structure, frequency division duplex (FDD) and / or time-division duplex (TDD) and / or full duplex (FD) communication can be possible. FDD communication refers to transmissions of different directions (e.g., uplink vs. downlink) taking place on different frequency bands. TDD communication refers to transmissions of different directions (e.g., uplink vs. downlink) taking place in different time durations. FD communication refers to transmission and reception taking place on the same time-frequency resource, i.e., a device can transmit and receive on the same frequency resource at the same time.

[0110] One example of a frame structure is the frame structure in long-term evolution (LTE) with the following specifications: each frame has a duration of 10 ms; each frame has 10 subframes, each of which has a duration of 1 ms; each subframe includes two slots, each of which has a duration of 0.5 ms; each slot is used to transmit 7 OFDM symbols (assuming normal CP); each OFDM symbol has a symbol duration and a certain bandwidth (or partial bandwidth or bandwidth partition) related to the number of subcarriers and subcarrier spacing; the frame structure is based on OFDM waveform parameters such as subcarrier spacing and CP length (where the CP has a fixed length or a finite length option); the switching interval between uplink and downlink in TDD needs to be an integer multiple of the OFDM symbol duration.

[0111] Another example of a frame structure is the frame structure in new radio (NR) with the following specifications: multiple subcarrier spacings are supported, each corresponding to a respective numerology; the frame structure depends on the numerology, but in any case, the frame length is set to 10 ms, each frame consists of 10 subframes, each of which is 1 ms; a slot is defined as 14 OFDM symbols; the slot length depends on the numerology. For example, the NR frame structure for normal CP 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (“numerology 1”) and the NR frame structure for normal CP 30 kHz subcarrier spacing (“numerology 2”) are different. For a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, the slot length is 1 ms; for a subcarrier spacing of 30 kHz, the slot length is 0.5 ms. The NR frame structure can have higher flexibility than the LTE frame structure.

[0112] Another example of a frame structure is an example flexible frame structure, e.g., for 6G networks or beyond. In a flexible frame structure, a symbol block can be defined as the shortest duration that can be scheduled in the flexible frame structure. A symbol block can be a transmission unit with an optional redundancy portion (e.g., a CP portion) and an information (e.g., data) portion. An OFDM symbol is one example of a symbol block. A symbol block can also be referred to as a symbol. Embodiments of a flexible frame structure include different parameters that can be configurable, e.g., frame length, subframe length, symbol block length, etc. In some embodiments of a flexible frame structure, a non-exhaustive list of possible configurable parameters includes: (1) Frame: The frame length does not need to be limited to 10 ms, and the frame length can be configurable and change over time. In some embodiments, each frame includes one or more downlink synchronization channels and / or one or more downlink broadcast channels, each synchronization channel and / or broadcast channel can be transmitted in different directions through different beamforming. The frame length can be more than one possible value, and is configured based on the application scenario. For example, an autonomous vehicle can require relatively fast initial access, in which case the corresponding frame length for the autonomous vehicle application can be set to 5 ms. For another example, a smart meter on a house can not require fast initial access, in which case the corresponding frame length for the smart meter application can be set to 20 ms.

[0113] (2) Subframe duration: Depending on the implementation, subframes can or can not be defined in the flexible frame structure. For example, a frame can be defined to include slots but not subframes. In a frame in which subframes are defined, e.g., for time domain alignment, the duration of a subframe can be configurable. For example, the length of a subframe can be configured to be 0.1 ms or 0.2 ms or 0.5 ms or 1 ms or 2 ms or 5 ms, etc. In some embodiments, if subframes are not needed in a particular scenario, the subframe length can be defined to be the same as the frame length, or can not be defined.

[0114] (3) Slot configuration: Depending on the implementation, slots can or can not be defined in the flexible frame structure. In a frame in which slots are defined, the definition of a slot (e.g., in terms of duration and / or number of symbol blocks) can be configurable. In one embodiment, the slot configuration is common to all UEs or a group of UEs. For this case, the slot configuration information can be sent to the UEs in a broadcast channel or one or more common control channels. In other embodiments, the slot configuration can be UE-specific, in which case the slot configuration information can be transmitted in a UE-specific control channel. In some embodiments, the slot configuration signaling can be sent together with the frame configuration signaling and / or the subframe configuration signaling. In other embodiments, the slot configuration can be transmitted independently of the frame configuration signaling and / or the subframe configuration signaling. In general, the slot configuration can be system-wide, base station-wide, UE group-wide, or UE-specific.

[0115] (4) Subcarrier spacing (SCS): SCS is a parameter of the scalable numerology, which can support a range of SCSs that can be between 15 KHz and 480 KHz. The SCS can vary with the spectral frequency and / or maximum UE speed to minimize the impact of Doppler shift and phase noise. In some examples, there can be separate transmit and receive frames, and the symbol SCS in the receive frame structure can be configured independently of the SCS of the symbols in the transmit frame structure. The SCS in the receive frame can be different from the SCS in the transmit frame. In some examples, the SCS of each transmit frame can be half of the SCS of each receive frame. If the SCS is different between the receive frame and the transmit frame, the difference does not have to scale by a factor of 2, e.g., if an inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) is used instead of a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to enable a more flexible symbol duration. Other examples of frame structures can be used with different SCSs.

[0116] (5) Flexible transmission duration of basic transmission unit: The basic transmission unit can be a symbol block (also referred to as a symbol), which typically includes a redundancy portion (referred to as a CP) and an information (e.g., data) portion, although in some embodiments the CP can be omitted from the symbol block. The CP length can be flexible and configurable. The CP length can be fixed within a frame, or it can be flexible within a frame, the CP length can change with a change in frame, or with a change in frame group, or with a change in subframe, or with a change in slot, or dynamically with a change in scheduling. The information (e.g., data) portion can be flexible and configurable. Another possible parameter related to the symbol block that can be defined is the ratio of the CP duration to the information (e.g., data) duration. In some embodiments, the symbol block length can be adjusted according to channel conditions (e.g., multipath delay, Doppler) and / or delay requirements and / or available duration. As another example, the symbol block length can be adjusted to fit the available duration in a frame.

[0117] (6) Flexible switching gap: A frame can include a downlink portion for downlink transmissions from a base station and an uplink portion for uplink transmissions from a UE. There can be a gap between each uplink portion and the downlink portion, which is referred to as a switching gap. The switching gap length (duration) can be configurable. The switching gap duration can be fixed within a frame, or it can be flexible within a frame, the switching gap duration can change with a change in frame, or with a change in frame group, or with a change in subframe, or with a change in slot, or dynamically with a change in scheduling.

[0118] Devices, such as base stations, can provide coverage over a cell. Wireless communications with devices can be conducted over one or more carrier frequencies. A carrier frequency is referred to as a carrier. A carrier can also be referred to as a component carrier (CC). A carrier can be characterized by a bandwidth and a reference frequency (e.g., a center frequency or a lowest or highest frequency of the carrier). A carrier can be over a licensed spectrum or an unlicensed spectrum. Additionally or alternatively, wireless communications with devices can be conducted over one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs). For example, a carrier can have one or more BWPs. More generally, wireless communications can be conducted over a spectrum. The spectrum can include one or more carriers and / or one or more BWPs.

[0119] A cell can include one or more downlink resources and optionally one or more uplink resources, or a cell can include one or more uplink resources and optionally one or more downlink resources, or a cell can include both one or more downlink resources and one or more uplink resources. For example, a cell can include only one downlink carrier / BWP, or only one uplink carrier / BWP, or multiple downlink carriers / BWPs, or multiple uplink carriers / BWPs, or one downlink carrier / BWP and one uplink carrier / BWP, or one downlink carrier / BWP and multiple uplink carriers / BWPs, or multiple downlink carriers / BWPs and one uplink carrier / BWP, or multiple downlink carriers / BWPs and multiple uplink carriers / BWPs. In some embodiments, alternatively or additionally, a cell can include one or more sidelink resources, including sidelink transmission and reception resources.

[0120] A BWP is a set of contiguous or non-contiguous frequency subcarriers over a carrier, or a set of contiguous or non-contiguous frequency subcarriers over multiple carriers, or a set of non-contiguous or contiguous frequency subcarriers, which can have one or more carriers.

[0121] In some embodiments, a carrier can have one or more BWPs, for example, a carrier can have a bandwidth of 20 MHz and consist of one BWP, or a carrier can have a bandwidth of 80 MHz and consist of two adjacent and continuous BWPs, etc. In other embodiments, a BWP can have one or more carriers, for example, a BWP can have a bandwidth of 40 MHz and consist of two adjacent and continuous carriers, where each carrier has a bandwidth of 20 MHz. In some embodiments, a BWP can include non-continuous spectrum resources consisting of non-continuous multiple carriers, where a first carrier in the non-continuous multiple carriers can be in a mmW frequency band, a second carrier can be in a low frequency band (e.g., a 2 GHz frequency band), a third carrier (if present) can be in a THz frequency band, and a fourth carrier (if present) can be in a visible light frequency band. Resources belonging to a BWP in one carrier can be continuous or non-continuous. In some embodiments, a BWP has non-continuous spectrum resources on one carrier.

[0122] Wireless communication can be conducted on an occupied bandwidth. The occupied bandwidth can be defined as the width of the frequency band such that the average power transmitted below the lower frequency limit and above the upper frequency limit is equal to a specified percentage of the total average transmitted power / 2, for example The value of 0.5% is taken.

[0123] A carrier, a BWP, or an occupied bandwidth can be signaled by a network device (e.g., a base station) dynamically (e.g., in physical layer control signaling) (e.g., DCI), or semi-statically (e.g., in radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or in medium access control (MAC) layer), or predefined based on application scenarios; or determined by the UE as a function of other parameters known to the UE, or can be fixed by, for example, standards.

[0124] In the current network, frame timing and synchronization are established based on synchronization signals, such as primary synchronization signals (PSS) and secondary synchronization signals (SSS). It should be noted that the known frame timing and synchronization strategy involves adding a timestamp to the frame boundary, such as (xx0:yy0:zz), where xx0, yy0, zz in the timestamp can represent time formats, such as hours, minutes, and seconds, respectively.

[0125] Different applications and use cases in future networks are expected to involve using frames, slots, and symbols of different periodicities to meet different requirements, functionalities, and quality of service (QoS) types. Thus, using frames of different periodicities to meet these applications can pose challenges to frame timing alignment between different frame structures. For example, consider frame timing alignment of TDD configurations between adjacent carrier frequency bands or sub-bands (or bandwidth parts) of one channel / carrier bandwidth.

[0126] The present disclosure relates generally to mobile wireless communications, and in particular embodiments, to frame timing alignment / re-alignment, where frame timing alignment / re-alignment can include timing alignment / re-alignment with respect to boundaries of symbols, slots, or subframes within a frame; or frames (thus, frame timing alignment / re-alignment here is more general, not limited to the case where timing alignment / re-alignment comes only from frame boundaries). Moreover, in this application, timing with respect to a frame or frame boundary should be interpreted in a more general sense, i.e., a frame boundary means a timing point of a frame element within a frame, such as a start or end of a symbol, slot, or subframe within a frame or a timing point of a frame. Hereinafter, the phrases “frame timing alignment or timing re-alignment” and “timing with respect to a frame boundary” are used in the more general sense described above.

[0127] Generally, aspects of the present disclosure relate to a network device, such as a base station 170, hereinafter TRP 170, that transmits signaling carrying a timing re-alignment indication message. The timing re-alignment indication message includes information that supports a receiving UE 110 determining a timing reference point. Based on the timing reference point, frame transmissions of the UE 110 can be aligned. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the frames that become aligned are in different sub-bands of one carrier frequency band. In other aspects of the present disclosure, the frames that become aligned are in adjacent carrier frequency bands.

[0128] On the TRP 170 side, aspects of the present disclosure involve using one or more types of signaling to indicate a timing realignment (or / and timing correction) message. Two example types of signaling are provided here to illustrate the schemes. The first example type of signaling can be referred to as cell-specific signaling, examples of which include group common signaling and broadcast signaling. The second example type of signaling can be referred to as UE-specific signaling. One or a combination of the two types of signaling can be used to transmit the timing realignment indication message. The timing realignment indication message can be shown as informing one or more UEs 110 of a configuration of a timing reference point. In the following, references to the term "UE 110" can be understood to mean references to a generalized class of wireless communication devices (i.e., network receiving nodes, such as wireless devices, sensors, gateways, routers, etc.) within a cell, i.e., served by the TRP 170. The timing reference point is a timing reference instant, which can be expressed in relative timing in terms of a timing point within a frame (e.g., a symbol, a slot, or a subframe within a frame, or a (start or end boundary) of a frame). For simplicity of description below, the term "frame boundary" is used to mean a boundary of a possible symbol, slot, or subframe within a frame; or a frame. Thus, the timing reference point can be expressed in relative timing in terms of a current frame boundary (e.g., a start of a current frame). Alternatively, the timing reference point can be expressed in absolute timing based on a particular standard timing reference, such as GNSS (e.g., GPS), Coordinated Universal Time ("UTC"), etc. In the absolute timing version of the timing reference point, the timing reference point can be explicitly stated.

[0129] The timing reference point can be shown to support implementation of timing adjustments at the UE 110. The timing adjustments can be implemented to improve the accuracy of a clock at the UE 110. Alternatively or additionally, the timing reference point can be shown to support implementation of adjustments in future transmissions made from the UE 110. These adjustments can be shown as implementation of realignment of transmission frames at the timing reference point. It is noted that the realignment of transmission frames at the timing reference point can include timing realignment from a (start boundary) of a symbol, slot, or subframe within a frame; or a frame at the timing reference point for one or more UEs and one or more BSs (in one cell or a group of cells), which applies to the following applications.

[0130] On the UE 110 side, the UE 110 can monitor for the timing realignment indication message. In response to receiving the timing realignment indication message, the UE 110 can acquire the timing reference point and take steps to implement frame realignment at the timing reference point. For example, the steps can include starting transmission of subsequent frames at the timing reference point.

[0131] Further, or alternatively, prior to monitoring for the timing realignment indication message, the UE 110 can cause the TRP 170 to transmit the timing realignment indication message by transmitting a request for timing realignment (i.e., a timing realignment request message) to the TRP 170. In response to receiving the timing realignment request message, the TRP 170 can transmit the timing realignment indication message including information regarding the timing reference point to the UE 110, thereby enabling the UE 110 to implement timing realignment (or / and timing adjustment including clock timing error correction) according to a starting boundary of a symbol, a slot, or a subframe within a frame; or a frame for the UE and one or more base stations in a cell (or a group of cells).

[0132] According to aspects of the application, a TRP 170 associated with a given cell can transmit a timing realignment indication message. The timing realignment indication message can include sufficient information to enable a receiver of the message to obtain a timing reference point. The timing reference point can be used by one or more UEs 110 in a given cell when performing timing realignment (or / and timing adjustment including clock timing error correction).

[0133] According to aspects of the application, the timing reference point can be represented within the timing realignment indication message relative to a frame boundary (where, as previously described and will be applied throughout the application, a frame boundary can be a boundary of a symbol, a slot, or a subframe within a frame; or a frame). The timing realignment indication message can include a relative timing indication At. It can be shown that the relative timing indication At represents that the timing reference point occurs a certain time duration (i.e., At) after a frame boundary of a given frame. Since the frame boundary is important for the supporting UE 110 to determine the timing reference point, it is important for the UE 110 to know the given frame with the frame boundary of interest. Accordingly, the timing realignment indication message can further include a system frame number (SFN) of the given frame.

[0134] It is known that in 5G NR, the SFN is a value in the range of 0 to 1023, inclusive. Accordingly, 10 bits can be used to represent the SFN. When the SFN is carried by an SSB, 6 bits out of the 10 bits for the SFN can be carried in a master information block (MIB) and the remaining 4 bits out of the 10 bits for the SFN can be carried in a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) payload.

[0135] Optionally, the timing realignment indication message can also include other parameters. For example, the other parameters can include a minimum time offset. The minimum time offset can establish a time duration before the timing reference point. The UE 110 can rely on the minimum time offset as an indication that the DL signaling (including the timing realignment indication message) will give the UE 110 enough time to detect the timing realignment indication message to acquire information about the timing reference point.

[0136] The term “downlink” is used to refer to the direction from the network device (170, 172) to the terminal device (110), and the term “uplink” is used to refer to the direction from the terminal device (110) to the network device (170, 172).

[0137] Embodiments of the present application can be applied to any communication scenario in which a network device (e.g., a T-TRP or an NT-TRP) communicates with one or more terminal devices (e.g., an ED). With the advent of new generation wireless communication, new generation wireless communication and old generation wireless communication can be used at the same time, especially in the early stage of the adoption of new generation. For example, a network device can communicate with one or more terminal devices associated with 5G technology (e.g., a 5G UE) and one or more terminal devices associated with 6G technology (e.g., a 6G UE) at the same time. In order to facilitate understanding of the present application, the following embodiments show that the network device communicates with a first terminal device (e.g., a 6G UE), and the network device can also communicate with a second terminal device (e.g., a 5G UE).

[0138] In the early application of new generation technology (e.g., 6G technology), one or more 5G UEs and one or more 5G networks are likely to be used together with one or more 6G UEs and one or more 6G networks. Existing 5G technology has occupied a number of frequency spectrums. In order to improve the frequency spectrum coverage of new generation technology, it is important to design spectrum sharing between multiple generations of technology.

[0139] Spectrum sharing means that multiple wireless access technologies can share the same frequency spectrum. That is, there are multiple types of UEs (e.g., 5G UEs and 6G UEs) that can use the frequency spectrum to transmit or receive channels or signals. For example, one or more carriers can be allocated to one or more 5G UEs for transmitting channels and signals, which can be named as one or more 5G carriers. One or more carriers can be allocated to one or more 6G UEs for transmitting channels or signals, which can be named as one or more 6G carriers. One or more 5G carriers and one or more 6G carriers can partially or completely overlap. In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, Figures 5 to 7 Three cases of spectrum sharing between technology (one or more UEs) and 6G technology (one or more UEs) are shown.

[0140] Figure 5 A first embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies (e.g., 5G technology (one or more 5G UEs) and 6G technology (one or more 6G UEs)) is illustrated. Figure 5 As shown, 6G carriers and 5G carriers can completely overlap. In other words, 5G and 6G carriers can be located on the same frequency. One or more 6G UEs can reuse all 5G carriers.

[0141] Figure 6 A second embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies (e.g., 5G technology (one or more 5G UEs) and 6G technology (one or more 6G UEs)) is illustrated. Figure 6 As shown, 6G carriers and 5G carriers can partially overlap. In other words, one or more 6G UEs can reuse a portion of a 5G carrier.

[0142] Figure 7 A third embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies (e.g., 5G technology (one or more 5G UEs) and 6G technology (one or more 6G UEs)) is illustrated. Figure 7 As shown, a 6G carrier can overlap with two 5G carriers (e.g., 5G carrier 1 and 5G carrier 2). In other words, one or more 6G UEs can reuse some or all of multiple 5G carriers.

[0143] In some embodiments, spectrum sharing can be implemented statically or dynamically. Shared spectrum may include multiple carriers, with the carriers in the shared spectrum being used with technologies specific to the static approach. Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) refers to multiple radio access technologies sharing the same spectrum, but the amount of spectrum allocated to each radio access technology (5G or 6G) may not be fixed.

[0144] In 4G-5G DSS, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) and time division multiplexing (TDM) are supported, which can reduce conflicts between one or more 4G UEs and one or more 5G UEs. However, one or more 4G UEs and one or more 5G UEs each consume a significant amount of resources to transmit or receive channels and signals.

[0145] Therefore, this application provides a communication method in which UEs associated with different generations of technology can use the same resources to transmit one or more channels or one or more signals to improve resource utilization.

[0146] More specifically, the present application provides a communication method, in which UEs associated with different generations of technologies can use at least part of the same configuration for demodulation reference signals (DMRS) to improve resource utilization.

[0147] To facilitate understanding of embodiments of the present application, the following briefly explains the terms related to the present application.

[0148] 1. Multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) Figure 8 A schematic diagram of MU-MIMO is shown. The MU-MIMO technology supports a network device to communicate with multiple terminal devices simultaneously. In embodiments of the present application, the MU-MIMO technology can be applied to UEs associated with different generations of technologies. That is, the network device can simultaneously communicate with one or more 5G UEs and one or more 6G UEs.

[0149] 2. Demodulation reference signal (DMRS) In embodiments of the present application, the DMRS can be referred to as PDSCH DMRS or PUSCH DMRS. The PDSCH DMRS can be transmitted together with the PDSCH and can be used to decode the PDSCH. The PUSCH DMRS can be transmitted together with the PUSCH and can be used to decode the PUSCH. For the PDSCH or the PUSCH, at least one symbol can be allocated for transmitting the PDSCH DMRS or the PUSCH DMRS. The DMRS can be mapped to physical resources according to configuration type 1 or configuration type 2. Configuration type 1 can define that the minimum resource element group in the frequency domain can be one resource element (RE). Configuration type 2 can define that the minimum resource element group in the frequency domain can be two consecutive REs.

[0150] When MU-MIMO of PDSCH and / or PUSCH between UEs associated with different generations of technologies is enabled, the network device can simultaneously transmit PDSCH to one or more UEs and / or receive PUSCH from the UEs. How to configure the PDSCH DMRS and / or the PUSCH DMRS is a technical problem to be solved.

[0151] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by embodiments of the present application. The communication method can be applied to the communication system described above.

[0152] In S910, the first terminal device receives indication information from the network device. Accordingly, the network device sends the indication information to the first terminal device.

[0153] The indication information indicates one of a plurality of configuration sets for DMRS, the plurality of configuration sets including a first configuration set, the first configuration set including part or all of a second configuration set associated with a second radio access technology. That is, one or more parameters of the first configuration set can be shared between one or more terminal devices associated with the first radio access technology and one or more terminal devices associated with the second radio access technology. For example, terminal devices associated with different generations of radio access technologies can determine physical resources and / or generate DMRS sequences based on the same parameters. Multiple terminal devices associated with different generations of technologies can better coexist.

[0154] In some embodiments, the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology are two generations of radio access technologies. For example, the first radio access technology corresponds to 6G technology, and the second radio access technology corresponds to 5G technology. In the following embodiments, a 6G UE can be an example of the first terminal device, and a 5G UE can be an example of the second terminal device.

[0155] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application take 5G technology and 6G technology as examples. The first terminal device can be associated with other technologies. The present application does not limit this.

[0156] It should be noted that the "first configuration set" is named only for differentiation and does not limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Similarly, "the second configuration set" and "the first terminal device" and the like in the following description are also named only for differentiation and do not limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application, which will not be described again hereinafter.

[0157] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the DMRS can be a PUSCH DMRS or a PDSCH DMRS, which will not be described again hereinafter.

[0158] The configuration set can include one or more of the configuration of the physical resource and the configuration of the sequence generation. The first configuration set includes part or all of the second configuration set in the time-frequency domain and / or the code domain. These embodiments will be described hereinafter.

[0159] It should be noted that the physical resource associated with the configuration set for DMRS can be referred to as the physical resource mapped with the DMRS sequence, wherein the physical resource and the DMRS sequence are determined based on the configuration set.

[0160] For ease of description, the physical resources associated with the first set of configurations are referred to as first DMRS resources hereinafter, the physical resources associated with the second set of configurations are referred to as second DMRS resources or 5G DMRS resources hereinafter, the physical resources associated with the third set of configurations are referred to as third DMRS resources hereinafter, and so on.

[0161] The indication information can indicate the first set of configurations. The first DMRS resources can include part or all of the 5G DMRS resources. For example, the first DMRS resources can completely overlap the 5G DMRS resources, or the 5G DMRS resources can be a subset of the first DMRS resources, or the first DMRS resources can be a subset of the 5G DMRS resources. Embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0162] Alternatively, the first DMRS resources can completely overlap the 5G DMRS resources. The multiple sets of configurations can further include a fourth set of configurations. The fourth DMRS resources can partially overlap the 5G DMRS resources. For example, the fourth DMRS resources can be a subset of the 5G DMRS resources, or the 5G DMRS resources can be a subset of the fourth DMRS resources.

[0163] In some embodiments, the multiple sets of configurations further include a third set of configurations, which can be dedicated to one or more terminal devices associated with the first radio access technology. For example, the third DMRS resources can not overlap the 5G DMRS resources. The indication information can indicate the third set of configurations to the one or more 6G UEs, and the third DMRS resources can not be shared with the one or more 5G UEs.

[0164] For example, the third DMRS resources can be time division multiplexed (TDM) with the 5G DMRS resources. Alternatively, the third DMRS resources can be frequency division multiplexed (FDM) with the 5G DMRS resources. The number of resource blocks (RBs) of the third DMRS resources and the number of RBs of the 5G DMRS resources can be the same or different. The design of the dedicated third DMRS resources can not consider the impact of coexistence between the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

[0165] For ease of understanding the embodiments of the present application, the first DMRS resources, the third DMRS resources, the fourth DMRS resources, and other possible DMRS resources are collectively referred to as 6G DMRS resources hereinafter. The following gives possible 6G DMRS resources combined with 5G DMRS resources in the time-frequency domain.

[0166] AsFigure 10 As shown, 6G DMRS resources and 5G DMRS resources can completely overlap in the time-frequency domain. 6G DMRS resources include all 5G DMRS resources. Existing 5G DMRS resources can be shared with one or more 5G UEs and one or more 6G UEs, improving resource utilization.

[0167] like Figure 11 As shown, 5G DMRS resources can be a subset of 6G DMRS resources. In other words, 5G DMRS resources can be nested within 6G DMRS resources. Since the number of REs in 6G DMRS resources is greater than the number of REs in 5G DMRS resources, 6G UEs can achieve better performance than 5G UEs.

[0168] For example, 6G DMRS resources include a first part and a second part. The first part completely overlaps with 5G DMRS resources, while the second part does not overlap with 5G DMRS resources. The second part is additional physical resources dedicated to 6G technology. In some embodiments, the DMRS mapped in the first part can be a CDM, where the DMRS is mapped within 5G DMRS resources. The DMRS mapped in the second part can be dedicated to 6G technology.

[0169] like Figure 12 As shown, 6G DMRS resources can be a subset of 5G DMRS resources. In other words, 6G DMRS resources can be nested within 5G DMRS resources. The number of REs in 6G DMRS resources is less than the number of REs in 5G DMRS resources, allowing 6G UEs to be more energy-efficient than 5G UEs.

[0170] like Figure 13 As shown, 6G DMRS resources and 5G DMRS resources are frequency division multiplexed (FDM).

[0171] like Figure 14 As shown, 6G DMRS resources and 5G DMRS resources are time-division multiplexed (TDM).

[0172] Figures 10 to 14 The types of 6G DMRS resources described herein are for illustrative purposes. A 6G UE can be configured with one or more of the types of 6G DMRS resources mentioned above. For example, a 6G UE can be configured with resources such as... Figure 10 The 6G DMRS resources shown, or as... Figure 13 or Figure 14 The 6G DMRS resources shown are illustrated. For example, a 6G UE can be configured with, as follows: Figure 10the 6G DMRS resource as shown in Figure 11 or Figure 12 the 6G DMRS resource as shown in Figure 13 or Figure 14 the 6G DMRS resource as shown in. For brevity, all examples are not listed here.

[0173] The 6G DMRS resource has been described above. The 6G configuration set can include configurations for sequence generation. The sequence can be used in multiple ways to generate a particular sequence itself (e.g., a reference signal) or to scramble data for a particular channel. A device can generate a sequence according to various implementations of this sequence. When a device generates a sequence for a DMRS implementation, the sequence can be referred to as a DMRS sequence. For example, a first terminal device can generate a PUSCH DMRS sequence based on the indicated configuration set and map the PUSCH DMRS sequence to the 6G DMRS resource based on the indicated configuration set. Alternatively, a network device can generate a PDSCH DMRS sequence for the 6G DMRS resource based on the indicated configuration set. For ease of description, the PUSCH DMRS sequence or the PDSCH DMRS sequence based on the 6G configuration set is referred to as a 6G DMRS sequence below.

[0174] In some embodiments, when the 6G DMRS resource and the 5G DMRS resource can completely or partially overlap in the time-frequency domain (as shown in Figures 10 to 12 the 6G DMRS sequence can be code division multiplexed (CDM) with the 5G DMRS sequence. In some implementations, a device can generate a DMRS sequence based on one or more parameters associated with a CDM group, where the CDM group can include multiple types of codes. Two DMRS sequences generated based on different codes within one CDM group can be CDM.

[0175] In some embodiments, one or more CDM groups can be predefined or indicated (e.g., configured by higher layer signaling) to the first terminal device. The CDM group can include one or more types of codes. The DMRS resources within a CDM group are the same, and the DMRS sequences within a CDM group are orthogonal. The DMRS resources associated with different CDM groups do not overlap.

[0176] In a first example, the one or more CDM groups can all be associated with the 5G technology, i.e., the one or more CDM groups can be shared between the 5G technology and the 6G technology.

[0177] In a second example, a portion of the CDM groups can be associated with the 5G technology, while another portion of the CDM groups can be dedicated to the 6G technology. That is, a portion of the CDM groups can be shared between the 5G technology and the 6G technology.

[0178] When the MU-MIMO technology is applied to one or more 6G UEs and one or more 5G UEs, the 6G UEs and the 5G UEs can constitute a MU-MIMO group. The one or more 6G UEs and the one or more 5G UEs can share one or more CDM groups. For example, the one or more 6G UEs and the one or more 5G UEs share the same CDM group, and the one or more 6G UEs and the one or more 5G UEs can share the same time-frequency resource. For another example, the one or more 6G UEs and the one or more 5G UEs share different CDM groups, and the one or more 6G UEs and the one or more 5G UEs can share resources in the code domain.

[0179] In a third example, all of the one or more CDM groups can be dedicated to the 6G technology. The present application does not limit this.

[0180] The present application does not limit the configuration (or parameter) in the 6G configuration set for DMRS. The configuration (or parameter) described above is for illustrative purposes only. For example, the 6G configuration set can include one or more of the following: a first parameter (e.g., the number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data), a second parameter (e.g., one or more DMRS ports), a third parameter (e.g., the number of front symbols), a fourth parameter (e.g., DMRS type), and the like.

[0181] The first parameter can indicate the CDM group whose associated physical resource cannot be used for data. The configuration of the first parameter “the number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data” can be the same as the 5G technology or dedicated to the 6G technology.

[0182] For example, when one or more 5G UEs share one or more CDM groups with one or more 6G UEs, the configuration of the first parameter “number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data” can be the same as 5G technology. For example, CDM group 0, CDM group 1, and CDM group 2 can be predefined for DMRS. When the first parameter “number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data” is equal to 1, the indication information can indicate that CDM group 0 can not be used for data. When the “number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data” is equal to 2, the indication information can indicate that CDM groups 0 and 1 can not be used for data. When the “number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data” is equal to 3, the indication information can indicate that CDM groups 0, 1, and 2 can not be used for data. The present application does not limit this. For another example, when one or more CDM groups are dedicated to one or more 6G UEs, the configuration of the first parameter “number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data” can be dedicated to one or more 6G UEs.

[0183] The second parameter can indicate one or more DMRS ports associated with the 6G DMRS resource. The configuration of the second parameter “one or more DMRS ports” can be the same as 5G technology or can be dedicated to 6G technology.

[0184] In some embodiments, the 6G DMRS resource completely overlaps with the 5G DMRS resource, and one or more different DMRS ports can be associated with the overlapping physical resource. For example, Figure 15 A schematic diagram of DMRS ports is shown. As Figure 15 shown, the physical resource associated with 5G DMRS ports 1002 / 1003 can include subset #1 and subset #2, where subset #1 can be associated with 6G DMRS ports 1002 / 1003, and subset #2 can be associated with 6G DMRS ports 1006 / 1008. For 5G configuration, 4 REs in an RB are used for 5G DMRS ports. For 5G enhanced configuration, 2 REs in an RB can be used for 6G DMRS ports. Therefore, under the same physical resource, compared with 5G configuration (e.g., 6 ports), 6G configuration can support more DMRS ports (e.g., 8 ports).

[0185] The fourth parameter can indicate the DMRS type associated with the 6G DMRS resource. The configuration of the fourth parameter “DMRS type” can be the same as 5G technology or can be dedicated to 6G technology.

[0186] In some embodiments, the plurality of configuration sets corresponds to one or more types, and one or more CDM groups can be associated with the one or more types. For example, the plurality of 6G configuration sets corresponds to a first type (e.g., configuration type 1) and a second type (configuration type 2). The configuration type 1 can allocate DMRS every other resource element in one symbol and support 6G DMRS ports. The type 2 can allocate DMRS every third pair of resource elements. The type 1 and type 2 configurations can be shared between one or more 5G UEs and one or more 6G UEs. Two CDM groups (CDM group 0 and CDM group 1) can be associated with the DMRS configuration type 1, and three CDM groups (CDM group 0, CDM group 1, and CDM group 2) can be associated with the DMRS configuration type 2. The present application does not limit this.

[0187] Optionally, the plurality of 6G configuration sets can also be associated with a third type (e.g., configuration type 3) and a fourth type (e.g., configuration type 4). For example, the type 3 can allocate non-uniform resource elements to DMRS with an average density d1, and the type 4 can allocate non-uniform resource elements to DMRS with an average density d2. The average density d1 is not equal to the average density d2, for example, d1 = 1 / 12, d2 = 1 / 10. The candidate DMRS types can include {type 1, type 2, type 3, type 4}, where the type 1 and type 2 configurations can be shared between one or more 5G UEs and one or more 6G UEs, and the type 3 and type 4 configurations can be dedicated to one or more 6G UEs. One or more CDM groups associated with the type 3 and type 4 can be dedicated to one or more 6G UEs.

[0188] The configurations (or parameters) in the 6G configuration set for DMRS can be carried in dynamic indication (e.g., in physical layer control signaling, such as downlink control information (DCI)), or semi-static indication (e.g., radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control (MAC) layer), or predefined based on application scenarios, or determined by the UE as a function of other parameters known to the UE, or can be predefined (e.g., by standard), or a combination of the above. The present application does not limit this.

[0189] In some embodiments, the plurality of 6G configuration sets for DMRS can correspond to one or more patterns. Different patterns corresponding to the 6G configuration sets can differ in one or more of the following: DMRS resource mapping, sequence generation, and code (e.g., cover code, orthogonal or quasi-orthogonal cover code (OCC)).

[0190] For example, the first terminal device can work in two modes, e.g., a first mode and a second mode. When the first terminal device (e.g., a 6G UE) works in the first mode, the 6G UE can use a 6G configuration set whose 6G DMRS resources fully overlap with 5G DMRS resources, e.g., as shown in FIG. 6A. Figure 10 Figure 12 Figure 13 The first mode can be referred to as a 5G-like mode or a 5G enhanced mode, and the second mode can be referred to as a pure 6G mode, without limitation to embodiments of the present application.

[0191] For another example, the first terminal device can work in three modes, e.g., a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode. When the first terminal device (e.g., a 6G UE) works in the first mode, the 6G UE can use a 6G configuration set whose 6G DMRS resources fully overlap with 5G DMRS resources, e.g., as shown in FIG. 6A. Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 When the 6G UE can work in the second mode, the 6G UE can use a 6G configuration set whose 6G DMRS resources partially overlap with 5G DMRS resources, e.g., as shown in FIG. 6B. Figure 13 Figure 14 When the 6G UE can work in the third mode, the 6G UE can use a 6G configuration set whose 6G DMRS resources are FDMed or TDMed with 5G DMRS resources, e.g., as shown in FIG. 6C. The first mode can be referred to as a 5G-like mode, the second mode can be referred to as a 5G enhanced mode, and the third mode can be referred to as a pure 6G mode.

[0192] Alternatively, for example, when multiple CDM groups are predefined or indicated to one or more 6G UEs, a part of the CDM groups are shared between one or more 5G UEs and one or more 6G UEs, a part of the CDM groups are dedicated to one or more 6G UEs, the shared CDM groups are associated with the 5G-like mode, and the dedicated CDM groups are dedicated to the pure 6G mode, the shared CDM groups and the dedicated CDM groups are associated with the 5G enhanced mode.

[0193] Different modes can be configured in a variety of different configurations. All examples are not described here again.

[0194] ​​​​​The indication information can indicate the configuration set for the DMRS in various ways. In some embodiments, the indication information can indicate a mode, and the first terminal device can determine the configuration set based on the mode. For example, the 6G UE can work in a 5G-like mode, a 5G enhanced mode, or a pure 6G mode, and the three modes are associated with configuration sets respectively. When the indication information indicates that the 6G UE works in the 5G-like mode, the 6G UE can use the configuration set whose 6G DMRS resources completely overlap with the 5G DMRS resources.

[0195] In some embodiments, the indication information can indicate the first radio access technology or the second radio access technology, and the first terminal device can determine the configuration set based on the indicated radio access technology. For example, the network device indicates the 5G technology, and the 6G UE can determine to use the configuration set whose 6G DMRS resources completely overlap with the 5G DMRS resources.

[0196] In some embodiments, the indication information can indicate an index of the configuration set. For example, a plurality of configuration sets can be predefined, and the network device can indicate which configuration set the 6G UE uses through the corresponding index.

[0197] The above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only, and the present application is not limited thereto. The above embodiments can also be combined for implementation. For example, the indication information can indicate the mode / radio access technology and the index. For example, one mode or radio access technology is associated with one or more configuration sets. The indication information can include first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information can indicate the 5G-like mode or the 5G radio access technology, and the second information indicates a certain configuration set associated with the 5G-like mode or the 5G radio access technology.

[0198] For example, the indication information includes first information and second information, the first information indicates a DMRS type associated with the first DMRS, and the second information indicates one or more of the following: a number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data associated with the first DMRS, one or more DMRS ports associated with the first DMRS, and a number of front symbols associated with the first DMRS. The above parameters corresponding to the DMRS configuration type 1 or the DMRS configuration type 2 can be predefined in one or more tables. The first terminal device can determine the table based on the first information, and determine a row including the above parameters based on the second information.

[0199] In some embodiments, when the DMRS can include a first part and a second part, wherein the first part is associated with the overlapping resources between the one or more 5G UEs and the one or more 6G UEs, and the second part is associated with additional resources for the one or more 6G UEs. The indication information can also indicate that the DMRS includes the second part.

[0200] Network devices can transmit indication information in various ways. The indication information can be carried in one or more signals. In a first embodiment, the indication information can be carried in a radio resource control (RRC) signal. For example, the network device transmits an RRC signal, wherein the RRC signal includes the indication information. The configuration mode corresponding to the indication can be configured by a selection structure via higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling).

[0201] In the second embodiment, the indication information can be carried in downlink control information (DCI). At least a portion of the DCI is located in the PDCCH, and the DCI is used to schedule physical resources for downlink and uplink data. For example, the RE allocated to DMRS transmission can be predefined and indicated by the parameter "number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data" carried in the DCI. The first terminal device can determine the indicated configuration set based on the DCI and one or more predefined tables. For example, the DCI used for scheduling PDSCH or PUSCH may include a field indicating the DMRS antenna port. The DMRS antenna port can be associated with "number of one or more DMRS CDM groups without data" and the number of preamble symbols, allowing the first terminal device to determine the configuration set for DMRS.

[0202] In some embodiments, the format of DCI associated with 6G technology may be different from the format of DCI associated with 5G technology.

[0203] For example, such as Figure 16 As shown, Figure 16 A schematic diagram of DCI associated with 6G technology is shown. DCI associated with 6G technology can include Level 1 information and Level 2 information, which can reside on different channels. For example, Level 1 information can be located in the PDCCH, and Level 2 information can be located in the PDSCH. The Level 1 information, which can indicate the type of DMRS associated with the indicated configuration set, can be carried in the Level 1 information. Level 1 and Level 2 information are two parts of a DCI located on different channels, and their names are not necessarily limited to a specific implementation.

[0204] It is noted that the second level information can not be multiplexed with the UE DL data, i.e., the second level information is transmitted on PDSCH without DL-SCH. This provides better flexibility in the size of the second level information. This also avoids the complexity of rate matching of downlink data when it is multiplexed with DCI. The first level information can indicate the control information of the second level information. For example, the first level information can include one or more of time, frequency and spatial resource configuration of the second level information.

[0205] In some embodiments, when the DMRS can include a first part and a second part, wherein the first part is associated with the overlapping resources between the one or more 5G UEs and the one or more 6G UEs, and the second part is associated with additional resources for the one or more 6G UEs. The first level information can indicate that the DMRS includes the second part, and the second level information can indicate the location of the second part.

[0206] In some embodiments, the DCI can indicate the location of the DMRS based on a bitmap. For example, a value of 0 in the bitmap can be used to represent the time-frequency resources of the first part, and a value of 1 in the bitmap can be used to represent the time-frequency resources of the second part. The granularity is the same as the granularity of frequency resource allocation, such as based on RBG or based on RB.

[0207] The above embodiments take 6G UEs and 5G UEs as examples. The DMRS corresponding to the 6G UEs can be CDM, FDM or TDM, wherein the DMRS corresponds to the 5G UEs. In the embodiments of the present application, the DMRS corresponding to the one or more 6G UEs can be CDM, FDM or TDM, wherein the DMRS corresponds to the one or more 5G UEs.

[0208] For example, Figure 17 The DMRS corresponding to 2 5G UEs is shown to be multiplexed with the DMRS corresponding to a 6G UE. The DMRS corresponding to 5G UE#1 and the DMRS corresponding to 5G UE#2 can be CDM, TDM or FDM, wherein the DMRS corresponds to the 6G UE.

[0209] For example, Figure 18 The DMRS corresponding to a 5G UE is shown to be multiplexed with the DMRS corresponding to two 6G UEs. The DMRS corresponding to the 5G UE can be CDM, TDM or FDM with the DMRS corresponding to 6G UE#1 and the DMRS corresponding to 6G UE#2.

[0210] The present application does not limit the number of one or more 5G UEs and the number of one or more 6G UEs. Although not shown, the DMRS corresponding to multiple 6G UEs can be CDM, TDM or FDM with the DMRS corresponding to multiple 5G UEs.

[0211] The first terminal device can determine the physical resources and transmit or receive the DMRS based on the indicated configuration set. For example, when the indication information indicates the configuration set for PDSCH DMRS, the first terminal device and the network device can perform the following steps 920A. When the indication information indicates the configuration set for PUSCH DMRS, the first terminal device and the network device can perform the following steps 920B.

[0212] In S920A, the first terminal device receives the PDSCH DMRS from the network device based on the indication information. Accordingly, the network device transmits the PDSCH DMRS to the first terminal device.

[0213] For example, the network device can generate a PDSCH DMRS sequence and map the PDSCH DMRS sequence to the physical resources associated with the indicated configuration set. The first terminal device can employ the physical resources and receive the PDSCH DMRS based on the indicated configuration set.

[0214] In S920B, the first terminal device transmits the PUSCH DMRS to the network device. Accordingly, the network device receives the PUSCH DMRS from the first terminal device.

[0215] For example, the first terminal device can generate a PUSCH DMRS sequence based on the indicated configuration set and map the PUSCH DMRS sequence to the physical resources associated with the indicated configuration set.

[0216] In some embodiments, the network device can configure one or more configuration sets in the plurality of configuration sets to the first terminal device. That is, alternatively, before step 910, the first terminal device and the network device can also perform the following step 930.

[0217] Alternatively, in S930, the network device transmits configuration information to the first terminal device. Accordingly, the first terminal device receives the configuration information from the network device.

[0218] The configuration information can be used to configure at least one configuration set in the plurality of configuration sets. For example, the plurality of configurations can include one or more configuration sets dedicated to 6G technology. The configuration information can be used to configure the one or more dedicated configuration sets, for example, the configuration information can include one or more of one or more parameters for determining the physical resources and one or more parameters for generating the sequence. For example, one or more dedicated CDM groups can be dedicated to 6G technology, and the configuration information can be used to configure the one or more dedicated CDM groups. The present application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0219] Configuration information can be carried in one or more signals. For example, configuration information can be provided by higher-layer signaling (such as RRC signals). This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0220] In embodiments of this application, one or more parameters of the first configuration set can be shared between one or more terminal devices associated with a first radio access technology and one or more terminal devices associated with a second radio access technology. For example, terminal devices associated with different generations of radio access technologies can determine physical resources and / or generate DMRS sequences based on the same parameters. Multiple terminal devices associated with different generations of technologies can coexist better.

[0221] The above text combined Figures 9 to 18 The methods provided by the embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Figure 19 and Figure 20 The apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail. The description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0222] refer to Figure 19 The diagram illustrates a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 10 includes a transceiver unit 11 and a processing unit 12. The transceiver unit 11 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing unit 11 is used to perform data processing. The transceiver unit 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0223] In some embodiments, the communication device 10 may further include a storage unit. The storage unit may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 12 may read the instructions and / or data from the storage unit to enable the communication device to implement the method embodiments described above.

[0224] The communication device 10 can be used to perform the actions performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments. In this case, the communication device 10 can be the first terminal device or a component that can be configured in the first terminal device. The transceiver unit 11 is used to perform communication-related (e.g., receive / transmit related) operations on the first terminal device side in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 12 is used to perform processing-related operations on the first terminal device side in the above method embodiments.

[0225] Communication device 10 can implement the embodiments provided in this application. Figures 9 to 18 The steps or processes performed by the first terminal device. The communication device 10 may include steps or processes for performing... Figures 9 to 18 The unit executing the method in the first terminal device. Furthermore, the units in the communication device 10 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively used to implement... Figures 9 to 18 The corresponding process in the text.

[0226] Alternatively, the communication device 10 can be used to perform the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiments. In this case, the communication device 10 can be a network device or a component that can be configured in a network device. The transceiver unit 11 is used to perform communication-related (e.g., receive / transmit related) operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 12 is used to perform processing-related operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments.

[0227] Communication device 10 can implement the embodiments provided in this application. Figures 9 to 18 The steps or processes performed by network devices. Communication device 10 may include methods for performing... Figures 9 to 18 The unit in the communication device 10 is the one that executes the method by the network device. Furthermore, the units in the communication device 10 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively used to implement... Figures 9 to 18 The corresponding process in the text.

[0228] The specific process by which the unit performs the corresponding steps described above is described in detail in the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0229] refer to Figure 20 The diagram illustrates a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 20 includes a processor 21. The processor 21 is coupled to a memory 22. The memory 22 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 21 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 22 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0230] In some embodiments, the communication device 20 includes one or more processors 21.

[0231] In one example, such as Figure 20 As shown, the communication device 20 may also include a memory 22.

[0232] In some embodiments, the communication device 20 may include one or more memories 22.

[0233] In one example, memory 22 may be integrated with processor 21 or may be set up separately from processor 21.

[0234] In one example, such as Figure 20 As shown, the communication device 20 may further include a transceiver 23, wherein the transceiver 23 is used to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 21 may be used to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0235] In some embodiments, the communication apparatus 20 can be or can be configured in a first terminal device (e.g., a chip, a circuit or a processing system); or the communication apparatus 20 can be or can be configured in a network device (e.g., a chip, a circuit or a processing system).

[0236] In an aspect, the communication apparatus 20 is configured to perform the operations performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0237] For example, the processor 21 can be configured to perform processing-related operations performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the transceiver 23 can be configured to perform communication-related (e.g., receiving / transmitting-related) operations performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0238] In another aspect, the communication apparatus 20 is configured to perform the operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0239] For example, the processor 21 can be configured to perform processing-related operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, and the transceiver 23 can be configured to perform communication-related (e.g., receiving / transmitting-related) operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0240] Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions for implementing the method performed by the first terminal device or the method performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0241] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can be enabled to implement the method performed by the first terminal device or the method performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0242] Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a computer program product including instructions. When the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer can be enabled to implement the method performed by the first terminal device or the method performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0243] Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication system. The communication system includes the first terminal device and the network device in the above embodiments.

[0244] For the explanations and benefits of any communication apparatus provided above, refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above. No further elaboration is made here.

[0245] The processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU). The processor can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or the processor can also be any common processor or the like.

[0246] The memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, and can also include a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM). For example, the RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, the RAM can include various forms, such as the following: 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), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (direct rambus RAM, DR RAM).

[0247] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or a transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated in the processor.

[0248] It is also necessary to note that the memory described in the specification is intended to include, but not limited to, these memories and any other suitable type of memory.

[0249] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that, in combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the specification, the units and methods can be realized in electronic hardware or in a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are executed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0250] It should be noted that the term "receive" used herein can refer to receiving or otherwise obtaining from an element / component in the same device or from another device separate from the device. Similarly, the term "transmit" can refer to outputting or sending to an element / component in the same device or to another device separate from the device. For example, any method / process described herein can be performed by a chipset, in which case any transmitting or receiving steps can occur between elements of the chipset.

[0251] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above devices and units can refer to the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. Herein will not be repeated.

[0252] In several embodiments provided in the present application, the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiments are merely exemplary. For example, the division into units is merely a logical functional division and can be other divisions in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be merged or integrated into another system, or some features can be omitted or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be realized through some interfaces. The indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units can be realized in electronic form, mechanical form or other forms.

[0253] The units described as separate components can be physically separated or can not be physically separated; the components shown as units can be physical units or can not be physical units, can be located in the same place, or can be distributed in multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected to implement the solutions provided in the present application based on actual needs.

[0254] In addition, each functional unit in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated into one unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0255] All or part of the above-described embodiments can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When the embodiments are implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded into a computer and executed, all or part of the processes or functions provided by the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, a computer, a server, or a data center to another website, computer, server, or data center in a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, and microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device integrating one or more available media, such as a server or data center. The available media can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), a semiconductor medium (e.g., an SSD), etc. For example, the available media can include, but is not limited to, various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash disk, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, etc.

[0256] The above description is only one specific implementation of the present application and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Changes or replacements within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present application can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art, and should be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims and the specification.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first terminal device associated with a first wireless access technology, including: Receive indication information, wherein the indication information indicates one of a plurality of configuration sets for demodulating a reference signal DMRS, the plurality of configuration sets including a first configuration set, the first configuration set including part or all of a second configuration set associated with a second radio access technology; Receive DMRS corresponding to the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) based on the indication information, or send DMRS corresponding to the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) based on the indication information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first configuration set includes one or more configurations of physical resources and sequence generation.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The physical resources associated with the first configuration set and the physical resources associated with the second configuration set completely overlap, and the physical resources associated with the first configuration set are a subset of the physical resources associated with the second configuration set, or the physical resources associated with the second configuration set are a subset of the physical resources associated with the first configuration set.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, One or more Code Division Multiplexing (CDM) groups are associated with the first configuration set, and the one or more CDM groups include one or more of the following: one or more CDM groups associated with the first radio access technology and one or more CDM groups associated with the second radio access technology.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The set of configurations indicated includes one or more of the following: The first parameter indicates the number of one or more CDM groups that do not contain data; The second parameter indicates one or more DMRS ports; The third parameter indicates the number of preceding symbols; The fourth parameter indicates one or more DMRS types.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The indication information includes first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates the DMRS type associated with the configuration set of the indication, and the second information indicates one or more of the following: the number of one or more CDM groups without data associated with the configuration set of the indication, the one or more DMRS ports associated with the configuration set of the indication, and the number of preamble symbols associated with the configuration set of the indication.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first information is included in the radio resource control signal, and the second information is included in the downlink control information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The downlink control information includes first-level information and second-level information, which are located in different channels. The first-level information includes the second-level information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The physical resources associated with the first configuration set include a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the physical resources associated with the second configuration set completely overlap, the second portion is dedicated to the first wireless access technology, the first level information also indicates that the physical resources associated with the first configuration set include the second portion, and the second level information indicates the location of the second portion.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The plurality of configuration sets includes a third configuration set, which is dedicated to the first wireless access technology.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used to configure the configuration set indicated.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The second wireless access technology is the fifth-generation 5G wireless access technology, and the first wireless access technology is the sixth-generation 6G wireless access technology.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to network devices, including: Sending indication information to a first terminal device associated with a first wireless access technology, wherein the indication information indicates one of a plurality of configuration sets for demodulating a reference signal DMRS, the plurality of configuration sets including a first configuration set, the first configuration set including part or all of a second configuration set associated with a second wireless access technology; Based on the indication information, send a DMRS corresponding to the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) to the first terminal device, or receive a DMRS corresponding to the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) from the first terminal device based on the indication information.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first configuration set includes one or more configurations of physical resources and sequence generation.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The physical resources associated with the first configuration set and the physical resources associated with the second configuration set completely overlap, and the physical resources associated with the first configuration set are a subset of the physical resources associated with the second configuration set, or the physical resources associated with the second configuration set are a subset of the physical resources associated with the first configuration set.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that, One or more Code Division Multiplexing (CDM) groups are associated with the first configuration set, and the one or more CDM groups include one or more of the following: one or more CDM groups associated with the first radio access technology and one or more CDM groups associated with the second radio access technology.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that, The set of configurations indicated includes one or more of the following: The first parameter indicates the number of one or more CDM groups that do not contain data; The second parameter indicates one or more DMRS ports; The third parameter indicates the number of preceding symbols; The fourth parameter indicates one or more DMRS types.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that, The indication information includes first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates the DMRS type associated with the configuration set of the indication, and the second information indicates one or more of the following: the number of one or more CDM groups without data associated with the configuration set of the indication, the one or more DMRS ports associated with the configuration set of the indication, and the number of preamble symbols associated with the configuration set of the indication.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The first information is included in the radio resource control signal, and the second information is included in the downlink control information.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The downlink control information includes first-level information and second-level information, which are located in different channels. The first-level information includes the second-level information.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The physical resources associated with the first configuration set include a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the physical resources associated with the second configuration set completely overlap, the second portion is dedicated to the first wireless access technology, the first level information also indicates that the physical resources associated with the first configuration set include the second portion, and the second level information indicates the location of the second portion.

22. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 21, characterized in that, The plurality of configuration sets includes a third configuration set, which is dedicated to the first wireless access technology.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used to configure the configuration set indicated.

24. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 23, characterized in that, The second wireless access technology is the fifth-generation 5G wireless access technology, and the first wireless access technology is the sixth-generation 6G wireless access technology.

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

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

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

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

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, characterized in that, A storage instruction that causes a processor in the device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

30. A device, characterized in that, Used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

31. A processor, characterized in that, Used to execute instructions to cause the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

32. An integrated circuit, characterized in that, Used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

33. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Transceiver unit, configured to perform the receiving step according to any one of claims 1 to 12; A processing unit for performing the processing steps according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

34. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a transceiver unit for performing the transmission steps according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

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