Communication method and device, storage medium and chip system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method and device, a storage medium and a chip system, and relates to the technical field of communication. In the method, under the condition that a downlink communication link between network equipment and terminal equipment changes, the terminal equipment can send a first message to the network equipment, the first message can comprise a first matrix or a code word index corresponding to the first matrix, and the first matrix is used for indicating whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal or not; the codeword index is used for indicating the codeword matched with the first matrix in the preset codebook, the terminal device can receive a second message from the network device, the second message is used for indicating the network device to set the pilot pattern by using the first matrix, and the accuracy of channel estimation can be ensured while the pilot overhead is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, device, storage medium and chip system. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of mobile communication technology, the demand for spectrum efficiency and network capacity in communication systems has increased significantly. In ultra-large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scenarios, network devices deploy a massive number of antenna ports to support more terminal device connections and higher data transmission rates.

[0003] However, the increase in the number of antenna ports leads to a sharp increase in the overhead of the reference signal (RS), which squeezes out the time and frequency resources available for data transmission. On the other hand, it makes it more difficult for terminal devices to accurately obtain channel state information (CSI).

[0004] Therefore, how to reduce pilot overhead while ensuring the estimation accuracy of CSI has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and chip system, which are applied in the field of communication technology and can reduce pilot overhead while ensuring the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application propose a communication method applied to a terminal device. The subject executing this method can be the terminal device or a chip within the terminal device. The following description uses a terminal device as an example. The method includes: if a first condition is met, the terminal device can send a first message to a network device. The first message includes a first matrix or a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The terminal device can receive a second message from the network device, the second message instructing the network device to set a pilot pattern using the first matrix.

[0007] The codeword index is used to indicate the codeword in the preset codebook that matches the first matrix, and the first condition includes a change in the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device.

[0008] In this embodiment, when the downlink communication link changes, the terminal device can proactively send a newly determined first matrix or the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix to the network device. This facilitates the network device in updating the pilot pattern and adjusting the pilot deployment in a timely manner based on the first matrix, thereby reducing pilot overhead while ensuring channel estimation accuracy. Furthermore, compared to fixed-mode pilot configuration strategies, this approach is more flexible and has a wider range of applications.

[0009] In one possible implementation, if the first condition is met, the terminal device may send a third message to the network device and receive a fourth message from the network device before sending the first message to the network.

[0010] The third message includes a second matrix, which indicates whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal. The fourth message instructs the network device to use the second matrix to set the pilot pattern.

[0011] In this implementation, compared to the pilot pattern being entirely determined unilaterally by the network device and passively received by the terminal device, the terminal device can proactively suggest to the network device which subcarriers the pilots should be placed on by reporting the second matrix, thus improving the targeting of subsequent pilot deployment. Furthermore, by receiving the fourth message, the terminal device can promptly learn that both parties have reached a consensus on the second matrix, thereby facilitating synchronization.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first condition also includes: the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to a preset distance.

[0013] Understandably, the Hamming distance between the first and second matrices can directly measure the number of distinct elements in the first and second matrices.

[0014] In this implementation, compared to direct reporting, the terminal device can avoid frequent reporting caused by insignificant changes such as minor channel fluctuations, estimated noise, and short-term fading by setting a first condition for triggering reporting. This reduces invalid feedback from the terminal device and saves uplink air interface resources and power consumption.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the terminal device is pre-configured with a first model that has been trained. The first model is used to determine whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal. Before sending the first message to the network device, the terminal device can determine the channel estimation result of the downlink communication link and input the channel estimation result into the first model. After processing by the first model, a first matrix is ​​obtained.

[0016] It is understandable that the channel estimation result of the downlink communication link refers to the initial channel estimation result determined by the least squares method or the mean square error method.

[0017] In this implementation, since the first model has already been trained offline and pre-installed in the terminal device, the terminal device does not need to perform real-time model training or iterative optimization, which reduces the complexity of local computation on the terminal device. In addition, the terminal device can directly use the channel estimation results as the input of the first model without adding a dedicated measurement pilot, and without introducing additional air interface overhead and measurement delay.

[0018] In one possible implementation, if the value of the first element in the first matrix is ​​less than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device can modify the value of the first element to the first value. Similarly, if the value of the first element in the first matrix is ​​greater than the first threshold, the terminal device can modify the value of the first element to a second value.

[0019] In this matrix, the first element is any element in the first matrix, the first value indicates that the subcarrier at the location of the first element carries a reference signal, and the second value indicates that the subcarrier at the location of the first element does not carry a reference signal. For example, the first value can be 0, and the second value can be 1.

[0020] In this implementation, the terminal device performs threshold judgment and binarization mapping on each element in the first matrix to convert continuous values ​​into first or second values, thereby obtaining a binarized first matrix. This effectively suppresses minor fluctuations in the original first matrix caused by noise.

[0021] In one possible implementation, if the number of elements in the first matrix that take the first value is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the terminal device can perform sparse sampling on the elements that take the first value; similarly, if the number of elements in the first matrix that take the first value is less than the second threshold, the terminal device can adjust the values ​​of some elements in the first matrix that take the second value to the first value.

[0022] In this implementation, when the number of elements in the first matrix that take the first value (i.e., those used to carry the reference signal) is too large, the terminal device can reduce the density of these elements by performing sparse sampling, thus preventing uncontrolled pilot overhead due to overly dense pilot placement. Conversely, when the number of elements in the first matrix that take the first value is too small, the terminal device can adjust some of the elements that take the second value to the first value, avoiding a decrease in channel estimation performance due to overly sparse pilots, thereby ensuring the accuracy of channel estimation by the terminal device.

[0023] In one possible implementation, before sending the first message to the network device, the terminal device may receive a fifth message from the network device. This fifth message at least indicates the reporting mode of the terminal device. If the reporting mode is a first reporting mode, the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. If the reporting mode is a second reporting mode, the first message includes the first matrix.

[0024] In this implementation, the terminal device can determine its reporting strategy based on the reporting mode configured by the network device. This can avoid resource competition caused by the terminal device's autonomous decision-making, improve the controllability of system scheduling, and enhance the feedback efficiency of the terminal device.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the fifth message is also used to indicate a preset codebook, which includes multiple codewords. Before the terminal device sends the first message to the network device, the terminal device can determine the difference matrix based on the first matrix and the second matrix. The terminal device can determine the first codeword in the preset codebook with the smallest Hamming distance from the difference matrix. The terminal device can use the codeword index corresponding to the first codeword as the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix.

[0026] Understandably, the smaller the Hamming distance, the more similar the two matrices are.

[0027] In this implementation, the terminal device maps the first matrix to codeword indices based on a preset codebook. Compared to directly compressing and encoding the first matrix, the calculation process is simpler and requires less computation, thus helping to reduce the power consumption of the terminal device. Furthermore, the terminal device does not need to transmit the first matrix itself, but rather its corresponding codeword indices. The data size of the codeword indices is much smaller than that of the first matrix, thereby reducing the amount of uplink data transmitted, saving wireless resources, and improving transmission efficiency.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, and the first message is a message sent via the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0029] In one possible implementation, if the first message includes the first matrix, the first message is a message sent via a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0030] In one possible implementation, after receiving a second message from the network device, the terminal device can update the second matrix to the first matrix.

[0031] In this implementation, the terminal device can synchronize with the network device by updating the second matrix to the first matrix, thereby avoiding problems such as subsequent difference calculation errors, Hamming distance judgment failures, and feedback content failures caused by local reference matrix mismatch, and ensuring the stable operation of the terminal device.

[0032] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide another communication method applied to a network device. The subject executing this method can be a network device or a chip within a network device. The following description uses a network device as an example. The method may include: the network device receiving a first message from a terminal device, the first message including a first matrix or a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix; and the network device sending a second message to the terminal device, the second message instructing the network device to set a pilot pattern using the first matrix.

[0033] The first matrix indicates whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal, and the codeword index indicates the codeword in the preset codebook that matches the first matrix. The first message is sent when the terminal device meets a first condition, which includes a change in the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device.

[0034] In this embodiment, since the first matrix is ​​generated by the terminal device based on real-time channel conditions, reflecting the quality distribution and variation characteristics of the current downlink communication link, the network device updates the pilot pattern based on the first matrix. This allows the pilot deployment to match the current channel conditions, improving the targeting and effectiveness of pilot deployment, and reducing pilot overhead while ensuring channel estimation accuracy. Furthermore, by sending a second message, the network device enables the terminal device to confirm that the first matrix has been successfully received and used. This eliminates the terminal device's uncertainty about the feedback result status and avoids retransmission of the first message due to the terminal device's inability to know the network device's status.

[0035] In one possible implementation, before the network device receives the first message from the terminal device, the network device may also receive a third message from the terminal device, and the network device may send a fourth message to the terminal device.

[0036] The third message includes a second matrix, which indicates whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal. The fourth message instructs the network device to use the second matrix to set the pilot pattern.

[0037] In this implementation, the network device can obtain the channel awareness results of the terminal device during the initial configuration stage of the pilot pattern. This allows the network device to configure the pilot as needed according to the second matrix, which can improve the targeting of pilot deployment and the efficiency of initial communication link establishment.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the first condition also includes: the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to a preset distance.

[0039] In one possible implementation, if the first message includes a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, the network device can determine the first codeword from a preset codebook based on the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The network device can determine the first matrix based on the first codeword and the second matrix.

[0040] In this implementation, the network device can determine the first codeword from a preset codebook based on the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, and then recover the first matrix by combining it with the second matrix. On one hand, the network device only needs to perform a lookup and simple calculations to recover the first matrix, eliminating the need for complex decoding and reducing computational complexity and processing latency. On the other hand, since the terminal device and the network device perform index mapping and recovery based on the same preset codebook, the accuracy of the first matrix reconstruction is guaranteed. Furthermore, since the first message only carries the codeword index, the amount of data transmitted uplink can be effectively reduced, saving wireless resources and improving transmission reliability.

[0041] In one possible implementation, after sending the second message to the terminal device, the network device can set a pilot pattern according to the first matrix. The network device can then send a reference signal to the terminal device based on the pilot pattern.

[0042] In this implementation, the network device sets a pilot pattern according to the first matrix and sends a reference signal based on the pilot pattern. This enables the pilot pattern to match the channel state represented by the first matrix, which can improve the channel estimation accuracy and measurement reliability of the reference signal. At the same time, it can reduce pilot overhead and improve the utilization efficiency of time and frequency resources.

[0043] In one possible implementation, before the network device receives the first message from the terminal device, the network device may send a fifth message to the terminal device. This fifth message indicates the terminal device's reporting mode and a preset codebook. If the reporting mode is a first reporting mode, the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. If the reporting mode is a second reporting mode, the first message includes the first matrix.

[0044] In this implementation, the network device instructs the terminal device on the reporting mode and preset codebook via the fifth message. This allows the terminal device to report the codeword index in the first reporting mode and the first matrix in the second reporting mode. This enables a flexible balance between reporting overhead and feedback accuracy based on actual communication needs, improving the adaptability of the communication system. Furthermore, directly instructing the reporting mode via the fifth message simplifies the terminal device's processing flow and improves the overall communication efficiency between the terminal device and the network device.

[0045] In one possible implementation, if the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, the first message is a message sent via PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0046] In one possible implementation, if the first message includes the first matrix, the first message is a message sent via MAC CE.

[0047] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device. In one design, the device may include modules corresponding to the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect or any of the embodiments in the first aspect. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. In one design, the device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0048] The transceiver unit is configured to send a first message to the network device when a first condition is met. The first message includes a first matrix or a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The first matrix indicates whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal, and the codeword index indicates a codeword in a preset codebook that matches the first matrix. The first condition includes a change in the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device. The transceiver unit is also configured to receive a second message from the network device, which instructs the network device to set a pilot pattern using the first matrix.

[0049] Fourthly, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device. In one design, the device may include modules corresponding to the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect or any of the embodiments in the second aspect. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. In one design, the device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0050] The transceiver unit can be used to receive a first message from a terminal device. The first message includes a first matrix or a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The first matrix indicates whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal, and the codeword index indicates the codeword in a preset codebook that matches the first matrix. The first message is sent when the terminal device meets a first condition, which includes a change in the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device. The transceiver unit is also used to send a second message to the terminal device, which instructs the network device to set a pilot pattern using the first matrix.

[0051] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor coupled to a memory for storing a computer program, and the processor for executing the computer program stored in the memory. When the computer program is executed, it can implement the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or implement the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0052] Sixthly, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or causes the computer to execute the methods described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0053] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or causes the computer to perform the methods described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0054] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip system applied to a terminal device or a network device. The chip system includes one or more processors, which are used to invoke computer instructions to cause the chip system to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to cause the chip system to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0055] A ninth aspect provides a communication system comprising a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, and the second communication device is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. Alternatively, the first communication device is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof, and the second communication device is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0056] It should be understood that the third to ninth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect of this application or the technical solutions of the second aspect of this application. The beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0057] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 100 applicable to embodiments of this application;

[0058] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the training process of a first model provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first model provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second model provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 7 A subcarrier distribution diagram provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 8 An example diagram illustrating the effect of applying this solution in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0067] In this application, at least one item can also be described as one item or multiple items, and multiple items can be two, three, four, or more items, without limitation. " / " can indicate that the related objects are in an "or" relationship; for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" can be used to describe three relationships between related objects; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. To facilitate the description of the technical solutions of this application, terms such as "first," "second," "A," or "B" can be used to distinguish technical features with the same or similar functions. These terms do not limit the quantity or execution order. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "A," or "B" are not necessarily different. The words “exemplary” or “for example” are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any design described as “exemplary” or “for example” should not be construed as being superior or more advantageous than other design options. The use of words such as “exemplary” or “for example” is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0068] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, 5G systems, new radio (NR) systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) systems, and future communication systems, such as sixth-generation mobile communication systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0069] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 100 applicable to embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 may include at least one access network device (such as...) Figure 1 110a and 110b in the above can also include at least one terminal (such as Figure 1 (120a-120j in the original text). Access network devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Figure 1 This is just a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless repeaters and wireless backhaul devices.

[0070] The network device provided in this application embodiment can be an access network device, such as a base station, Node B, evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), transmission reception point (TRP), next-generation Node B (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, access network device in an open radio access network (O-RAN or open RAN), next-generation base station in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, etc. Alternatively, the network device can be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, for example, it can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit control plane (CU-CP) module, or a central unit user plane (CU-UP) module, etc. The network device can also be a satellite (e.g., Figure 1 The 110a satellite base station in the text can also be a macro base station (such as...). Figure 1 (As per section 110b), the access network equipment can also be a micro base station or an indoor station, or a relay node or donor node, etc. This application does not limit the specific technology or equipment form used in the access network equipment.

[0071] In this embodiment of the application, some or all of the functions of the network device can be on a non-terrestrial network (NTN) platform (NTN platforms include, but are not limited to, satellites, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), high altitude platform stations (HAPS), etc.), or some or all of the functions of the network device can be on the ground, and the NTN platform is responsible for forwarding signals between the UE and the access network device.

[0072] The terminal device provided in this application embodiment can also be called a terminal, including but not limited to: user equipment (UE), mobile station, or mobile terminal. The terminal device can be widely used for communication in various scenarios. These scenarios include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, or smart cities, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile phone (e.g., Figure 1 Mobile phones (120a, 120e, 120j, 120f), tablets, and computers with wireless transceiver capabilities (such as...) Figure 1 Computers (120g), wearable devices, vehicles (such as...) Figure 1 As shown in 120b), drones, helicopters, and aircraft (such as...) Figure 1 120i), ships, robots, robotic arms, or smart home devices (such as Figure 1 The application does not limit the specific technology or form of the terminal equipment. (e.g., printer 120h).

[0073] Base stations and / or terminal equipment can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; or on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, or satellites. This application does not limit the environment / scenario in which the base stations and terminal equipment are located. Base stations and terminal equipment can be deployed in the same or different environments / scenarios; for example, both base stations and terminal equipment can be deployed on land; or, the base station can be deployed on land and the terminal equipment on water, etc., and so on.

[0074] The relevant technologies and terms involved in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0075] 1. Reference Signal (RS): A known signal used in a communication system for channel estimation or measurement. The reference signal provides channel state information to the receiver, assisting in resource scheduling and data transmission.

[0076] In one communication scenario, the sending end can be a network device, and the receiving end can be a terminal device.

[0077] In communication systems, reference signals can be divided into two categories: uplink reference signals and downlink reference signals. Uplink reference signals are sent from terminal equipment to network equipment and are used for synchronization, uplink channel estimation and measurement, and uplink data demodulation. Downlink reference signals are sent from network equipment to terminal equipment and are used for synchronization, downlink channel estimation and measurement, and downlink data demodulation.

[0078] For example, the uplink reference signal may include a sounding reference signal (SRS) and a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS). The downlink reference signal may include a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), and the DM-RS.

[0079] In some embodiments, the reference signal may be referred to as a pilot signal.

[0080] Terminal devices can perform channel measurement or channel estimation based on downlink reference signals sent by network devices, thereby obtaining the channel characteristics of the downlink communication link between the terminal device and the network device. For example, the terminal device can perform channel estimation based on a channel estimation algorithm and the downlink reference signal.

[0081] The channel estimation algorithm may include, but is not limited to, least squares (LS), linear interpolation, or minimum mean square error (MMSE). This application does not elaborate on various channel estimation algorithms; however, please refer to the descriptions in the prior art.

[0082] 2. Pilot pattern: refers to the arrangement and mapping rules of pilots (or reference signals) on the communication time-frequency resource grid. It is used by the receiver and transmitter to agree on the distribution position of pilots in order to achieve channel estimation or measurement.

[0083] The communication time-frequency resource grid refers to a two-dimensional discrete resource mapping coordinate system based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which divides wireless communication resources in the time domain according to OFDM symbols and in the frequency domain according to subcarrier granularity. Each grid point corresponds to a unique time-domain OFDM symbol number and a frequency-domain subcarrier number, representing a usable time-frequency resource element (RE).

[0084] It is understandable that an OFDM symbol is a basic data unit transmitted in the time domain. The OFDM symbol number refers to the index in the time domain, and the subcarrier number refers to the index in the frequency domain. It is understandable that the communication process is divided into consecutive time slots or subframes in time, and within each time slot or subframe, time is further divided into smaller units, namely the OFDM symbol period.

[0085] For example, the pilot pattern may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: block pilot pattern, comb pilot pattern, and distributed grid pilot pattern.

[0086] 3. Codebook: A codebook is a predefined, finite set of matrices. Codewords are the basic building blocks of a codebook, and each codeword is an N×M dimensional matrix. M refers to the number of OFDM symbols in a time slot, and N refers to the number of subcarriers in a time slot. The value of the element in the nth row and mth column of the matrix represents the contribution or priority of the corresponding time-frequency resource location (i.e., the resource determined by the nth subcarrier and the mth OFDM symbol) to the channel estimation task.

[0087] Understandably, the smaller the value of an element in the matrix, the higher its contribution, indicating that the time-frequency resource location is more suitable for pilot configuration and thus contributes more to the channel estimation task. Conversely, the larger the value of an element in the matrix, the lower its contribution, indicating that the time-frequency resource location is not suitable for pilot configuration and thus contributes less to the channel estimation task.

[0088] 4. Complex multi-layer perceptron (C-MLP): This is a type of feedforward neural network. C-MLP refers to extending all numerical computations of the traditional multi-layer perceptron (MLP) from the real number domain to the complex number domain.

[0089] In other words, C-MLP treats all parameters (weights, biases), input data, output data, and intermediate activation values ​​between layers in a traditional MLP as complex numbers, and uses complex number arithmetic rules to perform calculations.

[0090] 5. Complex Convolution Neural Network (C-CNN): A deep learning architecture that extends all numerical computations of traditional convolution neural networks (CNNs) from the real number domain to the complex number domain.

[0091] In other words, C-CNN treats all parameters (weights, biases), input data, output data, and intermediate activation values ​​between layers in a traditional CNN as complex numbers, and uses complex number arithmetic rules to perform calculations.

[0092] 6. Loss Function: Also known as the cost function or objective function, it is a mathematical function that quantifies the degree of prediction error of a model. The loss function calculates the difference between the model's predicted values ​​and the true values, providing a numerical measure for model optimization. A smaller loss function indicates a better fit of the model to the current input data; conversely, a larger loss function indicates a worse fit.

[0093] Understandably, fitting refers to the process by which a model learns patterns and rules in the input data so that the model's output can be as close as possible to the real data.

[0094] In some embodiments, the loss function provides an optimizable numerical metric for the model by calculating the difference between the predicted value and the true value output by the model. This can be described as: the loss function is used to guide model training.

[0095] It is understandable that both C-MLP and C-CNN mentioned above can be referred to as models, and the loss function can be used to guide the training of C-MLP or C-CNN. Different models typically use different loss functions.

[0096] In ultra-large-scale MIMO scenarios, to achieve higher spectral efficiency and spatial multiplexing gain, the number of antenna ports configured in network devices increases significantly. This increase in antenna ports means that network devices can serve more terminal devices simultaneously. However, since each antenna port requires an independent CSI-RS configuration to obtain channel state information between that antenna port and the terminal device, the overhead of CSI-RS increases significantly when the number of antenna ports increases substantially.

[0097] To reduce CSI-RS overhead, network devices typically employ fixed-pattern sparse pilot patterns. Fixed patterns can include, but are not limited to, any of the following: equally spaced comb sampling, fixed grid patterns, or predefined sparse patterns.

[0098] Among them, equally spaced comb sampling refers to the transmission of CSI-RS only on specific subcarriers with uniform spacing in the frequency domain. Fixed grid or predefined sparse pattern refers to the pre-fixing of a set of discrete, non-uniformly distributed resource units in a time-frequency two-dimensional resource grid (such as within one or more resource blocks (RBs)) to carry CSI-RS.

[0099] For example, taking an interval of 4 as an example, equal-interval comb sampling means that CSI-RS is transmitted at subcarrier indices 0, 4, 8, 12, ..., while CSI-RS is not carried at the remaining subcarrier positions. It can be understood that "CSI-RS is not carried at the remaining subcarrier positions" means that CSI-RS is not configured (transmitted) on that subcarrier.

[0100] However, since the above fixed modes all reduce CSI-RS density by using preset subcarrier sampling rules, and the preset subcarrier sampling rules assume that all subcarriers contribute equally to the channel estimation, they do not consider the frequency domain selectivity of the real wireless channel, the differences in subcarrier energy distribution, and the impact of the Doppler effect.

[0101] For example, since real wireless channels are usually non-flat in the frequency domain and have subcarriers with deep fading, if network devices adopt a fixed pilot configuration strategy, it may cause the network devices to configure CSI-RS on subcarriers with extremely poor channel quality, which will prevent the terminal devices from performing effective and reliable channel estimation based on the subcarriers. At the same time, it may cause the network devices to not configure pilots on subcarriers with good channel quality, which will prevent the terminal devices from obtaining high-precision channel estimation using the subcarriers.

[0102] For example, since there are significant differences in the received signal energy (such as signal-to-noise ratio) of different subcarriers, if the network equipment adopts a fixed pilot configuration strategy, the pilots cannot be preferentially configured on subcarriers with high signal-to-noise ratios, making it difficult to maximize the overall signal-to-noise ratio of channel estimation.

[0103] For example, if the terminal device is in a highly mobile scenario, the channel is rapidly changing. If the network device adopts a fixed pilot configuration strategy, the network device cannot dynamically increase the pilot density to cope with the rapidly changing channel, resulting in the terminal device's channel estimation being lagging or even failing.

[0104] In some embodiments, an artificial intelligence (AI) model is pre-deployed in the terminal device, which can then perform channel state estimation. However, if the training environment of the AI ​​model is inconsistent with the actual inference environment, the channel state information will be inaccurate.

[0105] For example, the artificial intelligence model is trained on a static channel environment with fixed-pattern sparse pilots, while the actual inference environment is a dynamic and time-varying real wireless channel environment. The significant difference between the two leads to a decrease in the channel estimation performance of the AI ​​model.

[0106] Therefore, it is evident that while fixed-mode channel estimation methods (such as LS and MMSE) and AI-based methods can reduce CSI-RS overhead through pre-defined subcarrier sampling rules, their static and uniform characteristics make them ill-suited for non-uniform and time-varying real-world channels. This can lead to a sacrifice in channel estimation accuracy under complex channel environments. Thus, ensuring channel estimation accuracy while reducing pilot overhead is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed.

[0107] Accordingly, this application provides a communication method. When the downlink communication link between a terminal device and a network device changes, the terminal device can obtain a first matrix based on the channel state information of the current downlink communication link and a first model that has been trained. The first matrix is ​​used to determine whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal. If the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix that was successfully reported to and confirmed by the network device in the last instance is greater than or equal to a preset distance, the terminal device can report the first matrix or the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix to the network device according to the reporting strategy configured by the network device. If the report is successfully submitted to and confirmed by the network device, the terminal device can update the second matrix to the first matrix and make subsequent decisions based on the first matrix. Since the terminal device can report a new matrix (first matrix) to the network device when the downlink communication link changes, the network device can update the pilot pattern based on the first matrix, which can reduce pilot overhead while ensuring the accuracy of the terminal device's channel estimation.

[0108] Before introducing the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application, the process of constructing the sample set used to train the first model is first described. In some embodiments, the entity that performs the construction of the sample set may be a network device, a terminal device, a chip in the terminal device, or a dedicated model training device.

[0109] The sample set is used to train the first model. In some embodiments, the sample set can be a known dataset.

[0110] In some embodiments, a sample set can be obtained during the process of establishing a communication connection between the network device and the terminal device. The sample set includes initial channel estimation results corresponding to U CSI reference signals (CSI-RS) sent by the network device to the terminal device, and each initial channel estimation result corresponding to a CSI reference signal can be used as a training sample.

[0111] The sample set can be represented by the following formula 1.

[0112] Formula 1

[0113] In Formula 1 above, T represents the sample set. This represents the initial channel estimation result of the m-th OFDM symbol in the u-th training sample on the k-th subcarrier, where M refers to the number of OFDM symbols in a time slot and N refers to the number of subcarriers in a time slot.

[0114] It is understandable that the initial channel estimation results corresponding to the above U CSI reference signals can be determined by LS, MMSE or linear interpolation.

[0115] Considering that there is an N×M dimensional full-band channel estimation result between each pair of receiving antennas and transmitting ports, if the terminal device has N r The network device has P antenna ports and a receiving antenna. Its channel estimation result can be represented as a vector with dimensions N×M×Nr×P. To reduce processing complexity, the antenna ports can be clustered using the cross-correlation between different transmitting ports, thereby reducing the computational load for each training sample.

[0116] In the process of clustering, in order to eliminate or reduce the small-scale fading effect of antenna dimension, the average channel vector of antenna port p on all receiving antennas is first calculated for each antenna port p. The average channel vector can be represented by the following formula 2.

[0117] Formula 2

[0118] As shown in formula 2 above, It is the average channel vector at antenna port p. , It is the initial channel estimation result on the k-th subcarrier of the m-th OFDM symbol between the r-th receiving antenna and the p-th transmitting port, where Nr is the number of receiving antennas and P is the number of antenna ports transmitting CSI reference signals.

[0119] After obtaining the average channel vector of each antenna port on all receiving antennas, the cross-correlation matrix between each port is determined based on the average channel vector of each antenna port on all receiving antennas. The cross-correlation matrix can be determined by the following formula 3.

[0120] Formula 3

[0121] As shown in formula 3 above, This represents the cross-correlation matrix between antenna ports p and q. The closer the value of this matrix is ​​to 1, the more similar the frequency selectivity of antenna ports p and q are. This represents the average channel vector across all receiving antennas at antenna port p. This represents the average channel vector across all receiving antennas at antenna port q. express The conjugate transpose of .

[0122] After determining the cross-correlation matrix between each port, a clustering algorithm, such as the K-means clustering algorithm, can be used to cluster the P antenna ports into K clusters {C1, C2, ..., C6} based on the cross-correlation matrix between each port. K K is much smaller than P. Furthermore, the channel characteristics of the antenna ports within each cluster are similar.

[0123] For each cluster, the average of the average channel vectors corresponding to all antenna ports in the cluster is taken as the channel estimation result for that cluster, or the average channel vector of the antenna port closest to the cluster center is selected as the channel estimation result for that cluster. Therefore, K channel estimation results can be obtained.

[0124] After the antenna port averaging and clustering described above, the original U×Nr×P×M×N high-dimensional sample set can be compressed into a U×K×M×N sample set, thus completing the construction of the sample set. Compared to the original sample set, this sample set can reduce the computational load during the training of the first model and improve the training efficiency of the first model.

[0125] After constructing the sample set, the first model can be trained using the sample set. In some embodiments, the entity that performs the training of the first model can be a network device, a terminal device, a chip in the terminal device, or a dedicated model training device.

[0126] For example, Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a first model training process provided in an embodiment of this application, referring to... Figure 2 During training, the input to the first model can be the clustering channel estimation results of the training sample u mentioned above. The output of the first model is an importance matrix, which is used to indicate the contribution of each subcarrier to the subsequent channel estimation task. The values ​​of each element in the importance matrix are all in the range [0,1]. The smaller the value, the more important the channel estimation result on that subcarrier is; the larger the value, the less important the channel estimation result on that subcarrier is (for example, the channel estimation result on that subcarrier is subject to greater perturbation).

[0127] Understandably, the clustered channel estimation results of the training sample u include K channel estimation results, each of which is input into the first model. The importance matrix, indicating the contribution of each subcarrier to the subsequent channel estimation task, can be described as follows: the importance matrix is ​​used to indicate whether each subcarrier is used to carry the reference signal, where the reference signal mainly refers to the CSI reference signal.

[0128] For each cluster's channel estimation result, based on the importance matrix B output by the first model, complex Gaussian noise of corresponding intensity is added element-wise to the channel estimation result to obtain a noisy channel estimation result. This noisy channel estimation result is then input into the pre-trained second model. The second model is a model that has already been pre-trained on standard channel data. During the training of the first model, the parameters of the second model remain unchanged, but the channel estimation results output by the second model need to be used. Compared with ideal channel estimation results The mean squared error between the two models is used as part of the loss function of the first model to progressively optimize the first model.

[0129] It is understood that standard channel data refers to channel data generated through simulation of the channel model specified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). This application will not elaborate further on this in its embodiments.

[0130] The channel estimation result after adding noise can be represented by the following formula 4.

[0131] Formula 4

[0132] As shown in formula 4 above, This represents the channel estimation result after adding noise to the m-th OFDM symbol on the k-th subcarrier in the u-th training sample. This represents the channel estimation result of the m-th OFDM symbol in the u-th training sample on the k-th subcarrier before (after clustering) noise addition. This represents the element in the m-th row and k-th column of the importance matrix. Represents complex Gaussian noise. This indicates that the mean is 0 and the variance is 0. The complex Gaussian distribution.

[0133] It is understood that in some embodiments, uniform noise or other methods may be used to add noise to the channel estimation results, but this application will not elaborate on this.

[0134] For example, Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first model provided in an embodiment of this application, with reference to... Figure 3The first model can be a complex multilayer perceptron, which includes two complex linear layers, two complex normalization layers, and two complex activation layers. The two complex linear layers can be complex linear layer 1 and complex linear layer 2, the two complex normalization layers can be complex normalization layer 1 and complex normalization layer 2, and the two complex activation layers can be complex activation layer 1 and complex activation layer 2.

[0135] Specifically, the output of complex linear layer 1 is connected to the input of complex normalization layer 1, the output of complex normalization layer 1 is connected to the input of complex activation layer 1, the output of complex activation layer 1 is connected to the input of complex linear layer 2, the output of complex linear layer 2 is connected to the input of complex normalization layer 2, and the output of complex normalization layer 2 is connected to the input of complex activation layer 2.

[0136] For example, the activation function of complex activation layer 1 can be a complex ReLU activation function, and the activation function of complex activation layer 2 can be a complex sigmoid activation function.

[0137] It is understood that the structure of the first model shown in the embodiments of this application does not constitute a limitation on this application. In some embodiments, the first model may also employ complex convolutional neural networks, lightweight transformer networks, or attention mechanism networks, etc. Alternatively, the first model may adopt various network combinations, which will not be elaborated in the embodiments of this application.

[0138] To guide the training of the first model, a loss function can be used. The loss function of the first model can consist of three parts: the loss from the second model, the sparsity loss, and the binarization entropy loss. The second model's loss forces the matrix B output by the first model to effectively protect important subcarriers. The sparsity loss stores the values ​​of most elements in matrix B that approach a second value, i.e., they are marked as unimportant, thus achieving sparsity for important subcarriers. The binarization entropy loss forces each element in matrix B to approach either a first or second value, reducing the ambiguity between the first and second values, thereby facilitating subsequent binarization of the importance matrix B. For example, the first value can be 0 or 1.

[0139] The loss of the first model can be represented by the following formula 5.

[0140] Formula 5

[0141] As shown in formula 5 above, This represents the loss function of the first model. The loss of the second model is equal to the mean square error between the channel estimation result output by the second model and the ideal channel estimation result. It is the sparsity term loss. It is the binarized cross-entropy loss of the importance matrix. and It's the weight.

[0142] It is understood that the loss function of the first model shown in the embodiments of this application does not constitute a limitation of this application. In some embodiments, the loss function of the first model may adopt other regularization forms with the same constraint effect, such as a double threshold penalty function or a temperature annealing type binarization constraint. This application will not elaborate on this.

[0143] For example, Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second model provided in an embodiment of this application, with reference to... Figure 4 The second model can be a complex convolutional neural network, which may include two complex convolutional layers, one complex normalization layer 3, one complex activation layer 3, and one complex fully connected layer. The two complex convolutional layers can be complex convolutional layer 1 and complex convolutional layer 2.

[0144] In this model, the output of complex convolutional layer 1 is connected to the input of complex normalization layer 3, the output of complex normalization layer 3 is connected to the input of complex activation layer 3, the output of complex activation layer 3 is connected to the input of complex convolutional layer 2, and the output of complex convolutional layer 2 is connected to the input of the complex fully connected layer. The input to the second model is the noisy channel estimation result. The output of the second model is the target channel estimation result. .

[0145] Complex convolutional layers 1 and 2 can use 1×1 convolutional kernels, and the activation function of complex activation layer 3 is the complex ReLU activation function.

[0146] It is understood that the structure of the second model shown in the embodiments of this application does not constitute a limitation on this application. In some embodiments, the second model may employ convolutional neural networks, recurrent networks, or transformer networks of different depths or structures. This application will not elaborate on these aspects.

[0147] After obtaining the first trained model, the first model can be pre-configured on the terminal device.

[0148] The communication method provided in this application will be described below with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments.

[0149] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. (Refer to...) Figure 5The communication method provided in this application embodiment may include:

[0150] S501, if the first condition is met, the terminal device sends a first message to the network device, the first message including the first matrix or the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix.

[0151] The first matrix is ​​used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal, the codeword index is used to indicate the codeword in the preset codebook that matches the first matrix, and the first condition includes a change in the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device.

[0152] Correspondingly, network devices can receive the first message from terminal devices.

[0153] Changes in the downlink communication link between network devices and terminal devices can occur, for example, over N consecutive monitoring periods, where at least one channel monitoring parameter changes beyond a corresponding threshold in each monitoring period.

[0154] Among them, the channel monitoring parameters may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel correlation coefficient, or channel frequency selectivity.

[0155] Understandably, taking the current monitoring period as an example, the change in RSRP is equal to the absolute value of the difference between RSRP in the current monitoring period and RSRP in the previous monitoring period, and the change in RSRQ is equal to the absolute value of the difference between RSRP in the current monitoring period and RSRQ in the previous monitoring period.

[0156] In some embodiments, if the first condition is not met, the terminal device may continue to monitor whether the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device has changed.

[0157] S502, the network device sends a second message to the terminal device, the second message being used to instruct the network device to set the pilot pattern using the first matrix.

[0158] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive a second message from the network device.

[0159] In some embodiments, after setting a pilot pattern using a first matrix, the network device can send a reference signal (pilot signal) to the terminal device according to the pilot pattern.

[0160] In this embodiment, when the downlink communication link between the terminal device and the network device changes, the terminal device actively sends the first matrix or the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix to the network device. This enables the network device to update the pilot pattern in a timely manner based on the first matrix. Compared with a pilot strategy using a fixed pattern, this reduces pilot waste and ensures the accuracy of channel estimation while reducing pilot overhead.

[0161] The following is combined Figure 6 This application introduces another communication method provided by an embodiment. For example, Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown below. Figure 6 The communication method provided in this application embodiment may include:

[0162] S601, the terminal device sends a third message to the network device. The third message includes a second matrix, which is used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal.

[0163] Correspondingly, network devices can receive third messages from terminal devices.

[0164] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send a third message to the network device via uplink radio resource control (RRC) signaling or MAC CE.

[0165] In some embodiments, the terminal device can input the initial channel results obtained by LS or MMSE into a first model that has been trained. After processing by the first model, an initial second matrix is ​​obtained. The terminal device can binarize the initial second matrix, and perform sparse sampling on the elements of the first values ​​in the binarized second matrix or modify the values ​​of some elements of the second values ​​in the second matrix to obtain the final second matrix. The terminal device can send the final second matrix to the network device.

[0166] In the second matrix, if the value of an element is the first value, it means that the subcarrier at the location of that element carries the reference signal; if the value of an element is the second value, it means that the subcarrier at the location of that element is not used to carry the reference signal.

[0167] For example, the terminal device can iterate through each element in the second matrix. If the value of an element in the second matrix is ​​less than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device can modify the value of that element to the first value. Similarly, if the value of an element in the second matrix is ​​greater than the first threshold, the terminal device can modify the value of that element to the second value. After the iteration is complete, a binarized second matrix can be obtained. For example, the first value can be 0, and the second value can be 1.

[0168] In this example, if the number of elements with the first value in the binarized second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to the second threshold, the terminal device can perform sparse sampling on the elements with the first value, such as modifying the value of the next first value after every 5 first value elements to the second value. If the number of elements with the first value in the binarized second matrix is ​​less than the second threshold, the terminal device can adjust the values ​​of some elements with the second value to the first value to obtain the final second matrix.

[0169] The following describes the process by which the terminal device determines the elements to be adjusted from the elements that take the second value from the second matrix.

[0170] The terminal device can traverse all elements of the second value in the second matrix and select candidate elements at fixed intervals. For each candidate element, the terminal device can calculate the probability that the subcarrier at the location of the candidate element carries the reference signal using Formula 6.

[0171] Formula 6

[0172] As shown in formula 6 above, This represents the target pilot number, where NI is the number of elements taking the first value and NN is the number of elements taking the second value. Greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1. For example, the target pilot number could be a second threshold.

[0173] After determining the probability that the subcarrier at the location of each candidate element carries the reference signal, the terminal device can use a random number generator to generate a random number that follows a uniform distribution (0,1). If the probability that the subcarrier at the location of a candidate element carries the reference signal is greater than this random number, then the subcarrier at the location of that candidate element carries the reference signal, and the terminal device can adjust the value of that candidate element from the second value to the first value. After processing all candidate elements, the final second matrix is ​​obtained.

[0174] Understandably, the first threshold can be taken as an empirical value such as 0.3, or the first threshold can be determined based on the initial second matrix output by the first model. If the values ​​of each element in the second matrix usually exhibit a bimodal distribution, the first threshold can be set at the bottom of the bimodal valley of the distribution.

[0175] S602, the network device sends a fourth message to the terminal device, which instructs the network device to set the pilot pattern using the second matrix.

[0176] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive a fourth message from the network device, and the terminal device can set the second matrix as a local reference matrix.

[0177] In some embodiments, the network device may send a fourth message to the terminal device via downlink RRC signaling or MAC CE.

[0178] S603, the network device sends a fifth message to the terminal device. The fifth message is used to indicate the preset codebook, the reporting mode of the terminal device, the channel monitoring period T, and the number of continuous monitoring times N.

[0179] The reporting mode of the terminal device may include a first reporting mode or a second reporting mode. For example, the first reporting mode is usually a low-overhead mode or a low-latency mode, and the second reporting mode is usually a high-precision mode.

[0180] In some embodiments, the network device may send a fifth message to the terminal device via downlink RRC signaling.

[0181] Accordingly, the terminal device can receive a fifth message from the network device. The terminal device can periodically monitor the channel according to the channel monitoring period T and the number of consecutive monitoring times N, and obtain channel monitoring parameters. The channel monitoring parameters can be referred to the description in the above embodiments.

[0182] S604, the terminal device determines whether the downlink communication link has changed based on at least one channel monitoring parameter within N consecutive channel monitoring cycles.

[0183] If the downlink communication link changes, execute S605; if the downlink communication link does not change, the terminal device returns to execute S604.

[0184] In some embodiments, whether the downlink communication link has changed can be referred to the description in S501 above.

[0185] S605, the terminal device determines the channel estimation result of the downlink communication link.

[0186] In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine the channel estimation result of the downlink communication link through MMSE and LS methods, which will not be elaborated in the embodiments of this application.

[0187] S606, the terminal device inputs the channel estimation result into the first model, and after processing by the first model, the first matrix is ​​obtained.

[0188] S607, the terminal device performs binarization processing on the first matrix, and the value of each element in the first matrix after binarization is either the first value or the second value.

[0189] For example, the first value can be 0, and the second value can be 1.

[0190] S608, the terminal device performs sparse sampling on the elements with the first value according to the number of elements with the first value in the first matrix, or adjusts some elements with the second value in the first matrix to the first value.

[0191] In some embodiments, the process of processing the first matrix in S608 can refer to the description of processing the second matrix in S601 above.

[0192] S609, if the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to a preset distance, the terminal device determines whether the reporting mode of the terminal device is the first reporting mode.

[0193] If the terminal device's reporting mode is the first reporting mode, execute S610; if the terminal device's reporting mode is not the first reporting mode, that is, the second reporting mode, execute S614.

[0194] In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix using the following formula 7.

[0195] Formula 7

[0196] In Formula 7 above, D represents the Hamming distance between the first and second matrices, which is the number of elements with different values ​​at corresponding positions in the two matrices. Represents the second matrix, Describes the first matrix. This represents the XOR operation.

[0197] Understandably, the first matrix is ​​the new matrix currently determined by the terminal device, and the second matrix is ​​the matrix that was successfully reported and confirmed by the terminal device last time.

[0198] In some embodiments, the fifth message can also be used to indicate a preset distance. If the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to the preset distance, the terminal device can report to the network device according to the reporting mode configured for it by the network device. Similarly, if the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​less than the preset distance, it indicates that the difference between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​small. The terminal device may not report to the network device, but continue to use the second matrix that was successfully reported and confirmed last time for decision-making, and return to execute S604.

[0199] S610, the terminal device sends a first message to the network device, the first message including the first matrix.

[0200] In some embodiments, the terminal device can request uplink resources from the network device via PUCCH, and the network device can allocate PUSCH resources to the terminal device via downlink control information (DCI). The terminal device can then send a first message to the network device via MAC CE on the PUSCH resources.

[0201] In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine the difference matrix corresponding to the first matrix based on the first matrix and the second matrix. The terminal device can send the difference matrix corresponding to the first matrix to the network device, that is, the first message may include the difference matrix corresponding to the first matrix.

[0202] Correspondingly, network devices can receive the first message from terminal devices.

[0203] After executing S610, the following is also executed:

[0204] S611, the network device sends a second message to the terminal device, the second message being used to instruct the network device to set the pilot pattern using the first matrix.

[0205] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive a second message from the network device.

[0206] In some embodiments, after receiving the second message, the terminal device can update the local reference matrix (such as the second matrix) set by the terminal device to the first matrix so that the first matrix can be used for subsequent decision-making.

[0207] In some embodiments, the network device executes S612 while executing S611.

[0208] S612, the network device sets the pilot pattern according to the first matrix.

[0209] For example, a network device can determine, based on the values ​​of each element in the first matrix, whether to place a reference signal on the subcarrier at the location of the element with the first value, and whether to not place a reference signal on the subcarrier at the location of the element with the second value.

[0210] S613, the network device sends a reference signal to the terminal device according to the pilot pattern.

[0211] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive reference signals from the network device and obtain channel estimation results based on the reference signals.

[0212] S614, the terminal device determines the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix based on the first matrix, the second matrix, and the preset codebook.

[0213] Among them, the preset codebook can be... This indicates that L is the number of codewords in the preset codebook, and the codewords are... It is a matrix with the same dimensions as the first matrix. It is a positive integer greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to L-1.

[0214] In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine the difference matrix corresponding to the first matrix based on the first matrix and the second matrix. The terminal device can determine the first codeword in the preset codebook with the smallest Hamming distance between the difference matrix and each codeword in the preset codebook. The terminal device can use the codeword index corresponding to the first codeword as the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix.

[0215] The terminal device can calculate the Hamming distance between the difference matrix and each codeword in the preset codebook using Formula 7 above. The difference matrix can be represented by Formula 8 below.

[0216] Formula 8

[0217] As shown in formula 8 above, Represents the difference matrix. Represents the second matrix, Describes the first matrix. This represents the XOR operation.

[0218] The codeword index corresponding to the first matrix can be calculated using the following formula 9.

[0219] Formula 9

[0220] As shown in formula 9 above, This represents the index of the first codeword in the preset codebook with the smallest Hamming distance to the difference matrix. This indicates when the function reaches its minimum value. The value of .

[0221] After executing S614, the following is also executed:

[0222] S615, the terminal device sends a first message to the network device, the first message including the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix.

[0223] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send a first message to the network device via PUCCH or a scheduled PUSCH.

[0224] Correspondingly, network devices can receive the first message from terminal devices.

[0225] S616, the network device determines the first codeword in the preset codebook according to the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, and reconstructs the first matrix according to the first codeword and the second matrix.

[0226] In some embodiments, after receiving the first message, the network device can parse the first message to obtain the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The terminal device can determine the first codeword from a preset codebook based on the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The terminal device can reconstruct the first matrix based on the first codeword and the second matrix. The first matrix can be represented by the following formula 10. It is understood that, to illustrate the network device reconstruction process, formula 10 uses... Denotes the first matrix as follows: This represents the second matrix.

[0227] Formula 10

[0228] As shown in formula 10 above, This represents the first codeword in the preset codebook.

[0229] It is understandable that the default codebook in network devices and terminal devices is the same.

[0230] After S616 is executed, S611-S613 are also executed.

[0231] In this embodiment, when the terminal device determines that the downlink communication link between it and the network device has changed, and the Hamming distance between the new first matrix and the old second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to a preset distance, a report is triggered to the network device. This avoids a large number of invalid reports, saves uplink air interface resources, and reduces the power consumption of the terminal device. Simultaneously, the terminal device can flexibly select a reporting mode according to the reporting mode configured by the network device, i.e., selecting to report the first matrix or the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, which can reduce the overhead of a single feedback. Furthermore, after receiving the second message from the network device, the terminal device can update its local second matrix to the first matrix, maintaining synchronization between the terminal device and the network device. Additionally, the network device updates the pilot pattern according to the first matrix, which can reduce pilot overhead and improve the accuracy of subsequent channel estimation by the terminal device.

[0232] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application has been described above. The following section, in conjunction with… Figures 7-8 The beneficial effects that can be achieved by applying the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application are described.

[0233] Understandable, Figures 7-8The simulation parameters involved are as follows: a single OFDM symbol in a single-receiver single-transmitter communication system, the length of the OFDM symbol is 128, the channel model is the urban macro (Uma) model, and the initial channel estimation results are obtained by LS and linear interpolation.

[0234] For example, Figure 7 This is a subcarrier distribution diagram provided for an embodiment of this application. It is understood that... Figure 7 Medium-important subcarriers are subcarriers used to carry reference signals, while non-important subcarriers are subcarriers not used to carry reference signals.

[0235] Reference Figure 7 With a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 20 dB, important subcarriers are mainly concentrated in areas of drastic channel changes, while flat areas are mainly composed of non-important subcarriers. This indicates that the proposed scheme can effectively identify important subcarriers in the channel, and the number of important subcarriers is significantly less than the number of non-important subcarriers, which can reduce pilot overhead.

[0236] Because of noise interference in real-world communication systems, and because different initial channel estimation methods introduce varying degrees of estimation error, the accuracy of the initial channel estimation results input to the first model differs. Therefore, under different signal-to-noise ratio conditions, the pilot patterns generated by the communication method provided in this application will also differ.

[0237] To verify the effectiveness of the communication method provided in this application embodiment under different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) environments, simulation tests can be performed under low, medium, and high SNR conditions, and the pilot overhead before and after applying this scheme can be recorded. For example, Table 1 is a comparison table of pilot overhead before and after applying this scheme, provided in this application embodiment.

[0238] Referring to Table 1, B can be the first matrix. When the SNR is 20dB, the pilot overhead after applying this solution is 25% of the pilot overhead before applying this solution, that is, the pilot overhead is reduced by 75% after applying this solution. When the SNR is 0, the pilot overhead will also be reduced by 56.3% after applying this solution.

[0239] Table 1

[0240]

[0241] To verify the effectiveness of this scheme, the channel estimation performance under pilot patterns generated by the network device was simulated and evaluated under different SNR conditions. The channel estimation performance was evaluated using the normalized mean square error (NMSE). It should be noted that the following examples use pilot patterns generated at SNRs of 0dB and 20dB (corresponding to pilot overhead of 43.7% and 25.0% respectively) as examples, and apply them to the performance evaluation across the entire signal-to-noise ratio range.

[0242] For example, Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the effect of applying this solution in an embodiment of this application. (Refer to...) Figure 8 To objectively evaluate the performance of this scheme, two control schemes are set up. Control Scheme 1 uses uniformly spaced pilots with pilot overhead of 1 / 2 (50%) and 1 / 4 (25%), respectively. Control Scheme 2 uses full pilot placement, and the channel estimation method is MMSE. Furthermore, to ensure fairness in the comparison, this scheme and the uniformly spaced pilot scheme use the exact same channel estimation method at the receiver: obtaining the initial channel estimation result through LS and recovering the subcarriers without pilots through linear interpolation.

[0243] Reference Figure 8 It can be seen that, under the same pilot overhead conditions, the proposed scheme outperforms the uniformly spaced pilot scheme in terms of NMSE at different signal-to-noise ratios. Specifically, the 0dB pilot pattern maintains stable estimation accuracy in the low signal-to-noise ratio region; the 20dB pilot pattern achieves overhead compression in the high signal-to-noise ratio region, and its performance is close to the upper bound of the full pilot + MMSE estimation.

[0244] In summary, the above results verify that the proposed scheme can reduce pilot overhead while ensuring the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0245] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above. The apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described. Those skilled in the art will understand that the methods and apparatus can be combined with and referenced by each other, and the apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application can perform the steps in the above-described list sorting method.

[0246] This application provides a communication device, which includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit may also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication module. For example, Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application, with reference to... Figure 9 The communication device 900 includes a transceiver unit 901 and a processing unit 902.

[0247] One possible design is that device 900 is used to achieve the above. Figure 5 and Figure 6 The method embodiment shown illustrates the functionality of the terminal device. For example, the device 900 may correspond to... Figure 5 and Figure 6 Terminal devices in the process.

[0248] In one example, the transceiver unit 901 is used to send a first message to the network device if a first condition is met. The first message includes a first matrix or a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The first matrix is ​​used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal. The codeword index is used to indicate the codeword in the preset codebook that matches the first matrix. The first condition includes a change in the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device.

[0249] The transceiver unit 901 is also used to receive a second message from the network device, the second message being used to instruct the network device to set the pilot pattern using the first matrix.

[0250] In one example, the transceiver unit 901 is further configured to send a third message to the network device before sending the first message to the network device if the first condition is met, the third message including a second matrix, the second matrix being used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal; and the transceiver unit 901 is further configured to receive a fourth message from the network device, the fourth message being used to instruct the network device to set a pilot pattern using the second matrix.

[0251] In one example, the first condition also includes: the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to a preset distance.

[0252] In one example, the device 900 is pre-configured with a first model that has been trained. The first model is used to determine whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal. Before the transceiver unit 901 sends the first message to the network device, the processing unit 902 is used to determine the channel estimation result of the downlink communication link and to input the channel estimation result into the first model. After processing by the first model, a first matrix is ​​obtained.

[0253] In one example, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: if the value of the first element in the first matrix is ​​less than or equal to a first threshold, modify the value of the first element to a first value, wherein the first element is any element in the first matrix and the first value is used to indicate that the subcarrier at the location of the first element carries a reference signal; if the value of the first element in the first matrix is ​​greater than the first threshold, modify the value of the first element to a second value, wherein the second value is used to indicate that the subcarrier at the location of the first element does not carry a reference signal.

[0254] In one example, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: if the number of elements in the first matrix that take the first value is greater than or equal to a second threshold, perform sparse sampling processing on the elements that take the first value; if the number of elements in the first matrix that take the first value is less than the second threshold, adjust the values ​​of some elements in the first matrix that take the second value to the first value.

[0255] In one example, the transceiver unit 901 is further configured to: receive a fifth message from the network device before sending the first message to the network device, the fifth message being used to indicate at least the reporting mode of the terminal device; if the reporting mode is a first reporting mode, the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix; if the reporting mode is a second reporting mode, the first message includes the first matrix.

[0256] In one example, the fifth message is also used to indicate a preset codebook, which includes multiple codewords. Before the transceiver unit 901 sends the first message to the network device, the processing unit 902 is further used to: determine the difference matrix based on the first matrix and the second matrix; determine the first codeword in the preset codebook with the smallest Hamming distance to the difference matrix; and use the codeword index corresponding to the first codeword as the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix.

[0257] In one example, the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, and the first message is a message sent via PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0258] In one example, if the first message includes the first matrix, the first message is a message sent via MAC CE.

[0259] In one example, after the transceiver unit 901 receives the second message from the network device, the processing unit 902 is further configured to update the second matrix to the first matrix.

[0260] One possible design is that device 900 is used to achieve the above. Figure 5 and Figure 6 The method embodiment shown illustrates the functionality of the network device. For example, the device 900 may correspond to... Figure 5 and Figure 6 Network devices in the system.

[0261] In one example, the transceiver unit 901 is configured to: receive a first message from a terminal device; and send a second message to the terminal device. The first message includes a first matrix or a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The first matrix is ​​used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal, and the codeword index is used to indicate the codeword in a preset codebook that matches the first matrix. The first message is sent by the terminal device under the condition that a first condition is met, which includes a change in the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device. The second message is used to instruct the network device to set a pilot pattern using the first matrix.

[0262] In one example, before receiving the first message from the terminal device, the transceiver unit 901 is further configured to: receive a third message from the terminal device, the third message including a second matrix, the second matrix being used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal; and send a fourth message to the terminal device, the fourth message being used to instruct the network device to use the second matrix to set a pilot pattern.

[0263] In one example, the first condition also includes: the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to a preset distance.

[0264] In one example, if the first message includes a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: determine a first codeword from a preset codebook based on the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix; and determine the first matrix based on the first codeword and the second matrix.

[0265] In one example, after the transceiver unit 901 sends the second message to the terminal device, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: set a pilot pattern according to the first matrix; and send a reference signal to the terminal device according to the pilot pattern.

[0266] In one example, before receiving the first message from the terminal device, the transceiver unit 901 is further configured to: send a fifth message to the terminal device, the fifth message indicating the reporting mode and preset codebook of the terminal device. If the reporting mode is the first reporting mode, the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix; if the reporting mode is the second reporting mode, the first message includes the first matrix.

[0267] In one example, the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, and the first message is a message sent via PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0268] In one example, the first message includes a first matrix, and the first message is a message sent via MAC CE.

[0269] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. Each function can correspond to a functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0270] This application also provides a communication device, which includes a processor coupled to a memory. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to enable the communication device to execute the technical solution corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or to enable the communication device to execute the technical solution corresponding to the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0271] For example, Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. (Refer to...) Figure 10 The communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the device (e.g., a vehicle or a chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0272] Optionally, in one design, the processor 1001 may include a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be executed on the processor 1001, causing the device 1000 to perform the methods performed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, the device 1000 includes circuitry (…). Figure 5 (Not shown), this circuit is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0273] For example, processor 1001 can be used to execute a computer program in memory to achieve Figure 5 or Figure 6 The steps performed by the terminal device or network device in the illustrated method embodiment.

[0274] Optionally, the device 1000 may include one or more memories 1002 storing computer programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 1001, causing the device 1000 to perform the methods performed by the terminal device or network device in the above embodiments.

[0275] Optionally, the processor 1001 and / or memory 1002 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0276] Optionally, the device 1000 may also include a communication interface 1003. The processor 1001, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., a terminal or network device). The communication interface 1003, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the device's transceiver functions.

[0277] Optionally, the device 500 also includes a communication interface 1003. The processor 1001 and the communication interface 1003 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1003 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0278] When device 1000 is used to achieve Figure 5 or Figure 6 In the method shown, processor 1001 can be used to execute the functions of processing unit 902, and communication interface 1003 can be used to execute the functions of transceiver unit 901. Whether communication interface 1003 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the device 1000 is used to perform a sending or receiving action in the execution scheme.

[0279] Optionally, the memory 1002, processor 1001, and communication interface 1003 are connected to each other via bus 1004.

[0280] Optionally, bus 1004 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be divided into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 10 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0281] The above-described method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or through software instructions.

[0282] The processors mentioned above can be general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. General-purpose processors can be microprocessors or any conventional processor, etc.

[0283] This application provides a communication system including a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is used to execute the method provided by the terminal device side as described in the above embodiments, and the second communication device is used to execute the method provided by the network device side as described in the above embodiments; or, the first communication device is used to execute the method provided by the network device side as described in the above embodiments, and the second communication device is used to execute the method provided by the terminal device side.

[0284] This application provides a chip system. The chip system includes a processor, which is used to call a computer program in memory to execute the technical solution of the terminal device in the above embodiments, or to execute the technical solution of the network device in the above embodiments. Its implementation principle and technical effects are similar to those of the related embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0285] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing computer program instructions and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0286] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0287] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the technical solutions of the terminal device described in the above embodiments, or implements the technical solutions of the network device described in the above embodiments. The methods described in the above embodiments can be implemented entirely or partially by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored as one or more instructions or code on or transmitted on the computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium can include computer storage media and communication media, and can also include any medium that can transfer the computer program from one place to another. The storage medium can be any target medium accessible by a computer.

[0288] In one possible implementation, a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium targeted to carry or to store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and accessible by a computer. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disks and optical discs include laser discs, Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs optically reproduce data using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0289] This application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is run, it causes the computer to execute the technical solution of the aforementioned terminal device or the technical solution of the aforementioned network device.

[0290] This application describes embodiments with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processing unit of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable device to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processing unit of the computer or other programmable data processing device, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0291] The above detailed embodiments further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that the above are merely specific embodiments of the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the embodiments of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made on the basis of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application should be included within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: If the first condition is met, a first message is sent to the network device. The first message includes a first matrix or a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The first matrix is ​​used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal. The codeword index is used to indicate a codeword in a preset codebook that matches the first matrix. The first condition includes a change in the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device. A second message is received from the network device, the second message being used to instruct the network device to set a pilot pattern using the first matrix.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before sending the first message to the network device if the first condition is met, the method further includes: A third message is sent to the network device, the third message including a second matrix, the second matrix being used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries the reference signal; A fourth message is received from the network device, the fourth message being used to instruct the network device to set the pilot pattern using the second matrix.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first condition also includes: the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to a preset distance.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal device is pre-configured with a first model that has been trained. The first model is used to determine whether each subcarrier carries the reference signal. Before sending the first message to the network device, the method further includes: Determine the channel estimation result of the downlink communication link; The channel estimation result is input into the first model, and after processing by the first model, the first matrix is ​​obtained.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the value of the first element in the first matrix is ​​less than or equal to the first threshold, the value of the first element is modified to the first value. The first element is any element in the first matrix, and the first value is used to indicate that the subcarrier at the location of the first element carries the reference signal. If the value of the first element in the first matrix is ​​greater than the first threshold, the value of the first element is modified to a second value, which is used to indicate that the subcarrier at the location of the first element does not carry the reference signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the number of elements in the first matrix that take the first value is greater than or equal to the second threshold, sparse sampling processing is performed on the elements that take the first value. If the number of elements in the first matrix that take the first value is less than the second threshold, the values ​​of some elements in the first matrix that take the second value are adjusted to the first value.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Before sending the first message to the network device, the method further includes: Receive a fifth message from the network device, the fifth message being at least used to indicate the reporting mode of the terminal device; If the reporting mode is the first reporting mode, the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix; if the reporting mode is the second reporting mode, the first message includes the first matrix.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The fifth message is also used to indicate the preset codebook, which includes multiple codewords. Before sending the first message to the network device, the message further includes: Determine the difference matrix based on the first matrix and the second matrix; Determine the first codeword in the preset codebook that has the smallest Hamming distance from the difference matrix; Use the codeword index corresponding to the first codeword as the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, the first message is a message sent via the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the first message includes the first matrix, the first message is a message sent by the Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE.

11. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, After receiving the second message from the network device, the process also includes: Update the second matrix to the first matrix.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to network devices, the method includes: Receive a first message from a terminal device. The first message includes a first matrix or a codeword index corresponding to the first matrix. The first matrix is ​​used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries a reference signal. The codeword index is used to indicate a codeword in a preset codebook that matches the first matrix. The first message is sent by the terminal device under the condition that a first condition is met, the first condition including a change in the downlink communication link between the network device and the terminal device; A second message is sent to the terminal device, the second message being used to instruct the network device to set a pilot pattern using a first matrix.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, Before receiving the first message from the terminal device, the method further includes: Receive a third message from the terminal device, the third message including a second matrix, the second matrix being used to indicate whether each subcarrier carries the reference signal; A fourth message is sent to the terminal device, the fourth message being used to instruct the network device to set the pilot pattern using the second matrix.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first condition also includes: the Hamming distance between the first matrix and the second matrix is ​​greater than or equal to a preset distance.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, If the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, the method further includes: The first codeword is determined from the preset codebook based on the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix; The first matrix is ​​determined based on the first codeword and the second matrix.

16. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, After sending the second message to the terminal device, the method further includes: The pilot pattern is set according to the first matrix; The reference signal is sent to the terminal device according to the pilot pattern.

17. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, Before receiving the first message from the terminal device, the method further includes: Send a fifth message to the terminal device, the fifth message being used to indicate the reporting mode of the terminal device and the preset codebook; If the reporting mode is the first reporting mode, the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix; if the reporting mode is the second reporting mode, the first message includes the first matrix.

18. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, If the first message includes the codeword index corresponding to the first matrix, the first message is a message sent via PUCCH or PUSCH.

19. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, If the first message includes the first matrix, the first message is a message sent via MAC CE.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, The processor includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing computer programs, and the processor for executing the computer programs stored in the memory. So that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11; or, So that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The system stores instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19.

22. A chip system, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the at least one processor being interconnected via a line, the at least one processor being configured to run a computer program or instructions to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 19.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when run, causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19.

24. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, and the second communication device is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19; or, The first communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19, and the second communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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