Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and a communication device. The method comprises: receiving first information, the first information being used for indicating whether a network device eliminates interference among a plurality of transmission layers, the plurality of transmission layers corresponding to different code words, or the first information being used for indicating code words associated with first channel state information, the code words corresponding to the plurality of transmission layers corresponding to the plurality of transmission layers corresponding to the plurality of transmission layers corresponding to the plurality of transmission layers corresponding to the plurality of transmission layers corresponding to the plurality of transmission layers; the first channel state information is used for precoding downlink information; and receiving the downlink information based on the first information. Through interaction of the first information, the terminal device and the network device can achieve consistent understanding of the precoding scheme of the network device, and support is provided for determining an interference elimination scheme and a downlink receiving strategy of the terminal device, thereby facilitating improvement of downlink receiving performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to communication methods and communication devices. Background Technology

[0002] Multistream transmission can typically improve spectral efficiency. The number of transmission streams can also be referred to as the number of transmission layers. When using multistream transmission in downlink, several factors can affect the reception performance of the downlink signal.

[0003] For example, interference can exist between multiple transmission layers corresponding to different codewords, leading to a decrease in system performance. Alternatively, interference can exist between multiple sub-receivers in a terminal device because different codewords correspond to different sub-receivers.

[0004] For example, when a single codeword can support multi-stream transmission, if the terminal device uses an unsuitable codeword to receive downlink signals, the downlink signal reception performance will be affected. In other words, when a single sub-receiver of the terminal device can support multi-stream transmission, if the terminal device uses an unsuitable receiver to receive downlink signals, the downlink signal reception performance will be affected. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and a communication device that helps improve the reception performance of downlink signals.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate whether a network device cancels interference between multiple transport layers, the multiple transport layers corresponding to different codewords; and receiving downlink information based on the first information.

[0007] For example, the communication method can be implemented by a terminal device or by components inside the terminal device, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0008] When a terminal device has multiple sub-receivers, each sub-receiver typically corresponds to a different codeword; in other words, different sub-receivers usually use different codewords for signal transmission and reception. Therefore, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device should eliminate interference between the multiple sub-receivers.

[0009] Multiple transmission layers corresponding to different codewords can be understood as transmission layers corresponding to different sub-receivers. When a sub-receiver includes multiple antennas, one sub-receiver may correspond to multiple transmission layers. In this case, multiple transmission layers corresponding to different codewords can be replaced by multiple sets of transmission layers corresponding to different codewords, where different sets of transmission layers correspond to different codewords. The transmission layers included in the sets of transmission layers mentioned here can correspond to the same sub-receiver.

[0010] For example, the first information can be used to indicate the precoding scheme of the network device. In some embodiments, the precoding scheme can indicate the interference cancellation scheme of the network device, or in other words, it can indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple transport layers (multiple transport layers correspond to different codewords). In other words, the precoding scheme can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple sub-receivers of the terminal device.

[0011] If the terminal device cannot obtain the network device's precoding scheme, it cannot determine which interferences between multiple transport layers need to be eliminated. This leads to two possible scenarios: first, some interference between transport layers is not eliminated, affecting downlink reception performance; second, the terminal device performs redundant interference elimination, increasing unnecessary overhead.

[0012] Therefore, in this embodiment, through the interaction of the first information, the terminal device and the network device can reach a consensus on the network device's precoding scheme, providing support for determining the terminal device's interference cancellation scheme. For example, the terminal device can cancel interference that the network device has not canceled among interferences between multiple transport layers, thereby helping to avoid the impact of such interference on downlink reception performance and helping to avoid unnecessary overhead on the terminal device side.

[0013] In some embodiments, the plurality of transport layers includes a first transport layer and a second transport layer, interference from the first transport layer to the second transport layer is a first interference, interference from the second transport layer to the first transport layer is a second interference, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the network device does not eliminate the first interference and the second interference; the network device eliminates the first interference; the network device eliminates the second interference; or the network device eliminates both the first interference and the second interference.

[0014] For example, the first information can indicate the precoding scheme of the network device through different indexes, which is simple to implement.

[0015] For example, the first information can be implemented using multiple bits (or a sequence of bits).

[0016] As an example, each bit corresponds to a type of interference cancellation. Different values ​​for each bit indicate whether the interference cancellation method corresponding to that bit has been used.

[0017] As an example, the various values ​​of a bit sequence correspond one-to-one with various interference cancellation methods.

[0018] For example, receiving downlink information based on the first information may include: if the first information instructs the network device to eliminate the first interference, then the terminal device may eliminate the second interference when receiving downlink information; if the first information instructs the network device to eliminate the second interference, then the terminal device may eliminate the first interference when receiving downlink information; if the first information instructs the network device to eliminate both the first and second interference, then the terminal device does not need to eliminate the first and second interference when receiving downlink information; if the first information instructs the network device not to eliminate either the first or second interference, then the terminal device may eliminate both the first and second interference when receiving downlink information.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first information includes a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port index, which is used to indicate whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transport layers.

[0020] In other words, the first information can reuse fields from existing signaling, such as the DMRS port index, without the need to define new signaling or fields. This helps to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol by the scheme provided in this application embodiment, and helps to reduce signaling overhead, so as to facilitate implementation.

[0021] In some embodiments, a DMRS port group includes multiple DMRS ports, and a DMRS port group corresponds to multiple DMRS port indices. The multiple DMRS port indices correspond one-to-one with multiple interference cancellation methods, and the interference cancellation method is a method by which the network device cancels interference between the multiple transport layers.

[0022] For example, with other parameters being the same, such as the same codeword enabling conditions, the same DMRS type, and the same maxLength, one DMRS port group can correspond to multiple DMRS port indices. In this case, one DMRS port index can be used to indicate a precoding scheme of the network device, or multiple DMRS port indices can correspond one-to-one with multiple precoding schemes. In other words, one DMRS port index can be used to indicate an interference cancellation method, or multiple DMRS port indices can correspond one-to-one with multiple interference cancellation methods.

[0023] In this way, through the exchange of first information, the terminal device can obtain both the network device's precoding scheme and the DMRS port number, thereby helping to reduce signaling overhead.

[0024] In some embodiments, before receiving the first information, the method further includes: sending capability information of the terminal device, the capability information being used to indicate the terminal device's ability to eliminate interference between the plurality of transport layers.

[0025] Alternatively, the capability information of the terminal device can be used to indicate the terminal device's ability to eliminate interference between multiple sub-receivers.

[0026] As mentioned earlier, taking the example of multiple transport layers including a first transport layer and a second transport layer, this capability information can indicate to the terminal device that it has the capability to eliminate a first type of interference; has the capability to eliminate a second type of interference; has the capability to eliminate both the first and second types of interference; or the terminal device does not have one or more of the capabilities to eliminate both the first and second types of interference.

[0027] Alternatively, this capability information can be used to indicate whether the terminal device has the capability to eliminate all interference between multiple sub-receivers. If the terminal device does not have the capability to eliminate all interference between multiple sub-receivers, the capability information (or other information) can be used to indicate which interferences the terminal device can eliminate, or which interferences it cannot eliminate.

[0028] In some embodiments, if the first condition is met, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple transport layers, or in other words, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple receivers of the terminal device; if the first condition is not met, the first information can be used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information.

[0029] For example, the first condition may be related to the number of transmission layers, or the first condition may be related to the rank, or the first condition may be related to the number of antennas of the multiple sub-receivers of the terminal device.

[0030] For example, the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than A, or the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than or equal to A.

[0031] In some embodiments, when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is greater than A, the first information is used to indicate whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transmission layers; and / or when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is less than or equal to A, the first information is used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information; wherein A is a positive integer.

[0032] In some embodiments, the number of transport layers corresponding to the first codeword is n, and the number of transport layers corresponding to the second codeword is m, where A is the maximum value between m and n. Alternatively, A can be max(m, n). For example, if the terminal device includes two sub-receivers (2R+4R), i.e., m is 2 and n is 4, then A can be 4.

[0033] For example, the terminal device supports independent reception of a first sub-receiver and independent reception of a second sub-receiver, where A can be the maximum value between m and n.

[0034] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling or downlink control information (DCI).

[0035] For example, the index of the precoding scheme (i.e., the first information) can be carried in the RRC. In this way, after the precoding scheme is configured to the terminal device via the RRC, the network devices will perform interference cancellation according to the precoding scheme.

[0036] For example, the first information is carried in the DCI, and the precoding scheme can be dynamically adjusted according to channel changes. For instance, different precoding schemes can be used at different times, thereby helping to improve the flexibility of interference cancellation. For example, the DMRS port field (i.e., the first information) can be carried in the DCI.

[0037] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: determining first information, the first information being used to indicate whether a network device should eliminate interference between multiple transport layers of a terminal device, the multiple transport layers corresponding to different codewords; and sending the first information.

[0038] For example, the communication method can be implemented by a network device or by components within the network device, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0039] For example, the first information can be used to indicate the precoding scheme of the network device. In some embodiments, the precoding scheme can indicate the interference cancellation scheme of the network device, or in other words, it can indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple transport layers (multiple transport layers correspond to different codewords). In other words, the precoding scheme can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple sub-receivers of the terminal device.

[0040] If the terminal device cannot obtain the network device's precoding scheme, it cannot determine which interferences between multiple transport layers need to be eliminated. This leads to two possible scenarios: first, some interference between transport layers is not eliminated, affecting downlink reception performance; second, the terminal device performs redundant interference elimination, increasing unnecessary overhead.

[0041] Therefore, in this embodiment, through the interaction of the first information, the terminal device and the network device can reach a consensus on the network device's precoding scheme, providing support for determining the terminal device's interference cancellation scheme. For example, the terminal device can cancel interference that the network device has not canceled among interferences between multiple transport layers, thereby helping to avoid the impact of such interference on downlink reception performance and helping to avoid unnecessary overhead on the terminal device side.

[0042] In some embodiments, the plurality of transport layers includes a first transport layer and a second transport layer, interference from the first transport layer to the second transport layer is a first interference, interference from the second transport layer to the first transport layer is a second interference, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the network device does not eliminate the first interference and the second interference; the network device eliminates the first interference; the network device eliminates the second interference; or the network device eliminates both the first interference and the second interference.

[0043] For example, the first information can indicate the precoding scheme of the network device through different indexes, which is simple to implement.

[0044] For example, the first information can be implemented using multiple bits (or a sequence of bits).

[0045] As an example, each bit corresponds to a specific interference cancellation method. Different values ​​for each bit indicate whether the corresponding interference cancellation method has been used. As another example, multiple values ​​for a bit sequence correspond one-to-one with multiple interference cancellation methods.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first information includes a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port index, which indicates whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transport layers.

[0047] In other words, the first information can reuse fields from existing signaling, such as the DMRS port index, without the need to define new signaling or fields. This helps to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol by the scheme provided in this application embodiment, and helps to reduce signaling overhead, so as to facilitate implementation.

[0048] In some embodiments, a DMRS port group includes multiple DMRS ports, and a DMRS port group corresponds to multiple DMRS port indices. The multiple DMRS port indices correspond one-to-one with multiple interference cancellation methods, and the interference cancellation method is a method by which the network device cancels interference between the multiple transport layers.

[0049] For example, with other parameters being the same, such as the same codeword enabling conditions, the same DMRS type, and the same maxLength, one DMRS port group can correspond to multiple DMRS port indices. In this case, one DMRS port index can be used to indicate a precoding scheme of the network device, or multiple DMRS port indices can correspond one-to-one with multiple precoding schemes. In other words, one DMRS port index can be used to indicate an interference cancellation method, or multiple DMRS port indices can correspond one-to-one with multiple interference cancellation methods.

[0050] In this way, through the exchange of first information, the terminal device can obtain both the network device's precoding scheme and the DMRS port number, thereby helping to reduce signaling overhead.

[0051] In some embodiments, determining the first information includes: receiving capability information of a terminal device, the capability information being used to indicate the terminal device's ability to eliminate interference between the plurality of transport layers; and determining the first information based on the capability information.

[0052] Alternatively, the capability information of the terminal device can be used to indicate the terminal device's ability to eliminate interference between multiple sub-receivers.

[0053] As discussed above, network devices can determine the precoding scheme based on the capability information of terminal devices. Furthermore, network devices can determine the first information based on the precoding scheme. In other words, network devices can determine the first information based on the capability information of terminal devices.

[0054] Taking into account the capabilities of the terminal device when determining the precoding scheme helps to avoid failing to eliminate interference that the terminal device does not support, and the resulting degradation in reception performance.

[0055] In some embodiments, the interference between the plurality of transport layers includes a third interference, and determining the first information based on the capability information includes: when the capability information indicates that the terminal device has the capability to eliminate the third interference, the first information is used to instruct the network device to eliminate other interferences among the interference between the plurality of transport layers besides the third interference.

[0056] Taking the transport layer as an example, which includes the first transport layer and the second transport layer, the third interference mentioned here can be the first interference and / or the second interference mentioned above.

[0057] In other words, network devices can eliminate interference that terminal devices cannot eliminate. This is because pre-cancellation of interference by network devices reduces the transmission power of the useful signal, resulting in a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver. Therefore, eliminating interference that terminal devices cannot eliminate helps reduce the impact of interference cancellation on the transmission power of the useful signal, thereby helping to improve downlink reception performance.

[0058] In some embodiments, if the first condition is met, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple transport layers, or in other words, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple receivers of the terminal device; if the first condition is not met, the first information can be used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information.

[0059] For example, the first condition may be related to the number of transmission layers, or the first condition may be related to the rank, or the first condition may be related to the number of antennas of the multiple sub-receivers of the terminal device.

[0060] For example, the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than A, or the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than or equal to A.

[0061] In some embodiments, when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is greater than A, the first information is used to indicate whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transmission layers; and / or when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is less than or equal to A, the first information is used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information; wherein A is a positive integer.

[0062] In some embodiments, the number of transport layers corresponding to the first codeword is n, the number of transport layers corresponding to the second codeword is m, and A is the maximum value between m and n. Alternatively, A can be max(m, n).

[0063] For example, the terminal device supports independent reception of a first sub-receiver and independent reception of a second sub-receiver, where A can be the maximum value between m and n.

[0064] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0065] For example, the index of the precoding scheme (i.e., the first information) can be carried in the RRC. In this way, after the precoding scheme is configured to the terminal device via the RRC, the network devices will perform interference cancellation according to the precoding scheme.

[0066] For example, the first information is carried in the DCI, and the precoding scheme can be dynamically adjusted according to channel changes. For instance, different precoding schemes can be used at different times, thereby helping to improve the flexibility of interference cancellation. For example, the DMRS port field (i.e., the first information) can be carried in the DCI.

[0067] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate a codeword associated with first channel state information, the first channel state information being used to pre-encode downlink information; and receiving the downlink information based on the first information.

[0068] For example, the communication method can be implemented by a terminal device or by components inside the terminal device, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0069] For example, the first information can be used to indicate the precoding scheme of the network device. In some embodiments, the precoding scheme can indicate which codeword the network device is precoding based on, or in other words, which sub-receiver's antenna's channel state information the network device is precoding based on.

[0070] A terminal device may include multiple sub-receivers, each corresponding to a different codeword and a different channel. The channel state information for each channel is different (this can be simply referred to as different channel state information corresponding to different sub-receivers). Therefore, if the first channel state information is the channel state information corresponding to the first sub-receiver, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the codeword corresponding to the first sub-receiver.

[0071] Typically, network devices can precode downlink information based on channel state information to better adapt to channel characteristics and improve system performance, such as increasing transmission rate, improving bit error rate, or enhancing signal reliability.

[0072] In some embodiments, when the terminal device has multiple sub-receivers, the network device can perform precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to one of the multiple sub-receivers (also known as independent precoding), or it can perform precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to multiple sub-receivers (also known as joint precoding).

[0073] Taking a terminal device that includes two sub-receivers as an example, on the receiving side, the terminal device can receive downlink signals through the first sub-receiver, or through the second sub-receiver, or by combining the first and second sub-receivers to receive downlink signals.

[0074] If the network device performs precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to the first sub-receiver (i.e., the first channel state information is the channel state information corresponding to the first sub-receiver), the downlink reception performance will be poor if the terminal device uses the second sub-receiver to receive the downlink signal. Similarly, if the network device performs precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to the second sub-receiver, the downlink reception performance will be poor if the terminal device uses the first sub-receiver to receive the downlink signal.

[0075] In other words, when the network device uses the first channel state information for precoding, the terminal device can obtain better downlink reception performance by using the sub-receiver corresponding to the first channel information to receive the downlink signal.

[0076] Based on this, in this embodiment, the network device can indicate the codeword (i.e., the first information) associated with the first channel state information to the terminal device, which helps the terminal device determine the codeword used in receiving downlink information, or in other words, helps the terminal device determine the sub-receiver for receiving downlink information. In this way, the terminal device can use the sub-receiver corresponding to the first channel state information to receive downlink signals, which helps improve downlink reception performance.

[0077] In some embodiments, the plurality of transport layers includes a first transport layer and a second transport layer, the codeword corresponding to the first transport layer is a first codeword, the codeword corresponding to the second transport layer is a second codeword, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword; the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword; or the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword.

[0078] Alternatively, the first information can be used to indicate one or more of the following: the receiver associated with the first channel state information is a first receiver (that is, the network device performs precoding based on the antenna group of the first receiver); the receiver associated with the first channel state information is a second receiver (that is, the network device performs precoding based on the antenna group of the second receiver); or the receiver associated with the first channel state information includes both the first receiver and the second receiver (that is, the network device performs precoding based on all antenna groups of the first receiver and the second receiver). Here, the first transport layer corresponds to the first sub-receiver, and the second transport layer corresponds to the second sub-receiver.

[0079] For example, the first information may include an identifier of a codeword associated with the first channel state information, or the first information may include an identifier of a sub-receiver associated with the first channel state information, or the first information may include an identifier of a transport layer associated with the first channel state information.

[0080] Based on the first information, a codeword or sub-receiver used to receive downlink information can be determined, and the sub-receiver can then be used to receive the downlink information. If the first information indicates that the codeword associated with the first channel state information is a first codeword, the terminal device uses the sub-receiver corresponding to the first codeword to receive the downlink information. If the first information indicates that the codeword associated with the first channel state information is a second codeword, the terminal device uses the sub-receiver corresponding to the second codeword to receive the downlink information. If the first information indicates that the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword, the terminal device uses both the sub-receiver corresponding to the first codeword and the sub-receiver corresponding to the second codeword to receive the downlink information, i.e., multiple sub-receivers are used for joint reception.

[0081] In some embodiments, the first information may include a precoding index, where different index values ​​indicate the precoding scheme used by the network device, such as a codeword associated with the first channel state information or a sub-receiver. This scheme is simple to implement.

[0082] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first transport block field and / or a second transport block field. If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the first transport block field takes a first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword. If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the second transport block field takes a first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword. If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the first transport block field takes a second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword. If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the second transport block field takes a second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword.

[0083] In other words, the first information can reuse fields from existing signaling without defining new signaling or fields, thereby helping to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol by the solution provided in this application embodiment, and helping to reduce signaling overhead, so as to facilitate implementation.

[0084] The transport block field may include three subfields: modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field, redundancy version (RV) field, and new data indicator (NDI) field. The first subfield may be any one of the above fields.

[0085] In some embodiments, the first subfield is a New Data Identifier (NDI) field.

[0086] For example, the first value can be 1 and the second value can be 0.

[0087] In some embodiments, if the first condition is met, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple transport layers, or in other words, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple receivers of the terminal device; if the first condition is not met, the first information can be used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information.

[0088] For example, the first condition may be related to the number of transmission layers, or the first condition may be related to the rank, or the first condition may be related to the number of antennas of the multiple sub-receivers of the terminal device.

[0089] For example, the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than A, or the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than or equal to A.

[0090] In some embodiments, when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is greater than A, the first information is used to indicate whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transmission layers; and / or when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is less than or equal to A, the first information is used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information; wherein A is a positive integer.

[0091] In some embodiments, the number of transport layers corresponding to the first codeword is n, the number of transport layers corresponding to the second codeword is m, and A is the maximum value between m and n. Alternatively, A can be max(m, n).

[0092] For example, the terminal device supports independent reception of a first sub-receiver and independent reception of a second sub-receiver, where A can be the maximum value between m and n.

[0093] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0094] For example, the index (i.e., the first information) of the precoding scheme shown in Table 8 can be carried in the RRC. In this way, after the precoding scheme is configured to the terminal device via the RRC, all network devices can perform precoding according to the precoding scheme.

[0095] For example, the first information is carried in the DCI, and the precoding scheme can be dynamically adjusted according to channel changes. For instance, different precoding schemes can be used at different times, thereby helping to improve the flexibility of precoding and downlink reception. For example, the first transport block field and / or the second transport block field can be carried in the DCI.

[0096] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: determining first information, the first information being used to indicate a codeword associated with first channel state information, wherein the first channel state information is used to pre-encode downlink information; and transmitting the first information.

[0097] For example, the communication method can be implemented by a network device or by components within the network device, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0098] Taking a terminal device that includes two sub-receivers as an example, on the receiving side, the terminal device can receive downlink signals through the first sub-receiver, or through the second sub-receiver, or by combining the first and second sub-receivers to receive downlink signals.

[0099] If the network device performs precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to the first sub-receiver (i.e., the first channel state information is the channel state information corresponding to the first sub-receiver), the downlink reception performance will be poor if the terminal device uses the second sub-receiver to receive the downlink signal. Similarly, if the network device performs precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to the second sub-receiver, the downlink reception performance will be poor if the terminal device uses the first sub-receiver to receive the downlink signal.

[0100] In other words, when the network device uses the first channel state information for precoding, the terminal device can obtain better downlink reception performance by using the sub-receiver corresponding to the first channel information to receive the downlink signal.

[0101] Based on this, in this embodiment, the network device can indicate the codeword (i.e., the first information) associated with the first channel state information to the terminal device, which helps the terminal device determine the codeword used in receiving downlink information, or in other words, helps the terminal device determine the sub-receiver for receiving downlink information. In this way, the terminal device can use the sub-receiver corresponding to the first channel state information to receive downlink signals, which helps improve downlink reception performance.

[0102] In some embodiments, the plurality of transport layers includes a first transport layer and a second transport layer, the codeword corresponding to the first transport layer is a first codeword, the codeword corresponding to the second transport layer is a second codeword, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword; the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword; or the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword.

[0103] Alternatively, the first information can be used to indicate one or more of the following: the receiver associated with the first channel state information is a first receiver (that is, the network device performs precoding based on the antenna group of the first receiver); the receiver associated with the first channel state information is a second receiver (that is, the network device performs precoding based on the antenna group of the second receiver); or the receiver associated with the first channel state information includes both the first receiver and the second receiver (that is, the network device performs precoding based on all antenna groups of the first receiver and the second receiver). Here, the first transport layer corresponds to the first sub-receiver, and the second transport layer corresponds to the second sub-receiver.

[0104] For example, the first information may include an identifier of a codeword associated with the first channel state information, or the first information may include an identifier of a sub-receiver associated with the first channel state information, or the first information may include an identifier of a transport layer associated with the first channel state information.

[0105] In some embodiments, the first information may include a precoding index, where different index values ​​indicate the precoding scheme used by the network device, such as a codeword associated with the first channel state information or a sub-receiver. This scheme is simple to implement.

[0106] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first transport block field and / or a second transport block field. If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the first transport block field takes a first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword. If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the second transport block field takes a first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword. If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the first transport block field takes a second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword. If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the second transport block field takes a second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword.

[0107] In other words, the first information can reuse fields from existing signaling without defining new signaling or fields, thereby helping to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol by the solution provided in this application embodiment, and helping to reduce signaling overhead, so as to facilitate implementation.

[0108] The transport block field may include three subfields: the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field, the RV field, and the NDI field. The first subfield can be any of the above fields.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first subfield is a New Data Identifier (NDI) field.

[0110] For example, the first value can be 1 and the second value can be 0.

[0111] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining the precoding weights corresponding to the transport layer based on the first information.

[0112] Alternatively, the precoding weights corresponding to the sub-receiver are determined based on the network device's precoding scheme. For example, the precoding weights corresponding to the antenna can be determined based on the network device's precoding scheme. By adjusting the precoding weights, the direction of the beam transmitted by the network device can be adjusted, thereby helping to improve downlink reception performance.

[0113] In some embodiments, if the first condition is met, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple transport layers, or in other words, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple receivers of the terminal device; if the first condition is not met, the first information can be used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information.

[0114] For example, the first condition may be related to the number of transmission layers, or the first condition may be related to the rank, or the first condition may be related to the number of antennas of the multiple sub-receivers of the terminal device.

[0115] For example, the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than A, or the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than or equal to A.

[0116] In some embodiments, when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is greater than A, the first information is used to indicate whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transmission layers; and / or when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is less than or equal to A, the first information is used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information; wherein A is a positive integer.

[0117] In some embodiments, the number of transport layers corresponding to the first codeword is n, the number of transport layers corresponding to the second codeword is m, and A is the maximum value between m and n. Alternatively, A can be max(m, n).

[0118] For example, the terminal device supports independent reception of a first sub-receiver and independent reception of a second sub-receiver, where A can be the maximum value between m and n.

[0119] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0120] For example, the index (i.e., the first information) of the precoding scheme shown in Table 8 can be carried in the RRC. In this way, after the precoding scheme is configured to the terminal device via the RRC, all network devices can perform precoding according to the precoding scheme.

[0121] For example, the first information is carried in the DCI, and the precoding scheme can be dynamically adjusted according to channel changes. For instance, different precoding schemes can be used at different times, thereby helping to improve the flexibility of precoding and downlink reception. For example, the first transport block field and / or the second transport block field can be carried in the DCI.

[0122] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, which includes units for performing various steps in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0123] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device including at least one processor and a memory storing program instructions, which, when executed by the processor, perform the methods in any possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0124] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device including at least one processor and interface circuitry, the at least one processor being configured to perform the methods in any possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0125] Eighthly, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, performs a method in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects.

[0126] Ninthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program that, when some or all of the computer program is executed, is used to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0127] In a tenth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising: a processor for retrieving and running part or all of a computer program from a memory, such that a communication device having the chip installed performs a method for performing any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects above. Attached Figure Description

[0128] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0129] Figure 2 This is an example diagram of the time-frequency resource mapping method for DMRS;

[0130] Figure 3 Example diagram of a dual-pinyin terminal device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0131] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0132] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0133] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0134] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0135] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. 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. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or the order of execution, and that the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0136] In the various method embodiments of this application, the order of the sequence numbers does not imply the order of execution. The execution order should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0137] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "under the circumstances," "if," "when," and "if..." can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, these descriptions all refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require any judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0138] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0139] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0140] This application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 5th generation (5G) systems or New Radio (NR) systems, satellite communication systems, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, and future communication systems. Exemplarily, this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems.

[0141] The following describes the applicable scenarios of the embodiments of this application from different perspectives. For example, this application is applicable to both homogeneous and heterogeneous network scenarios. Furthermore, the embodiments of this application do not limit the transmission point; for instance, this application can involve multi-point cooperative transmission between macro base stations, between micro base stations, and between macro base stations and micro base stations. Also, the embodiments of this application are applicable to both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) systems. Furthermore, the embodiments of this application are applicable to both low-frequency and high-frequency scenarios. Moreover, the embodiments of this application are applicable to single-TRP or multi-TRP scenarios, and any scenarios derived therefrom.

[0142] For ease of understanding, the following will use... Figure 1 Taking the communication system 10 shown as an example, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described.

[0143] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 10 used in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., Figure 1 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110, may also include at least one terminal (such as...). Figure 1 RAN100, denoted as RAN100, comprises RAN nodes 120a-120j, collectively referred to as RAN120. RAN100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 1 (Not shown in the image). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Communication system 10 may also include core network 200. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 via wireless or wired means. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be independent physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of core network equipment and RAN node. Communication system 10 may also include Internet 300.

[0144] RAN 100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radioaccess (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0145] RAN node 110 (also known as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, etc.) is used to help terminals access the communication system wirelessly. In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The RAN node can also be a macro base station (such as...) Figure 1 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1 In CRAN scenarios, RAN nodes can be 110b), relay nodes or donor nodes, or wireless controllers. Optionally, RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the access network equipment can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0146] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), or radio units (RUs). Here, the CU can perform the functions of the base station's radio resource control protocol and PDCP, as well as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU can perform the functions of the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). CUs can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane (CP) and CU-user plane (UP).

[0147] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). Similarly, a CU-CP can be called an O-CU-CP, a CU-UP can be called an O-CU-UP, and an RU can be called an O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples in its embodiments.

[0148] All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node may also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node may also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific device form used in the RAN node.

[0149] Terminal 120 is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. The terminal can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, user device, and terminal device, etc. Terminal 120 can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0150] For example, terminal 120 can be an Internet of Things (IoT) device (e.g., a sensor, electricity meter, water meter, etc.), a V2X device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also known as a wearable smart device), a tablet computer or a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, or a wireless terminal in a smart home. Wireless terminals in the home, vehicle terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, drones with drone-to-drone (UAV-to-UAV, U2U) communication capabilities, etc.

[0151] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 1 The 120i network element can be a helicopter or a drone, and it can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via the 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol; in this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 The 110a and 110b in the text can be referred to as communication devices with base station functions. Figure 1 The 120a-120j in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0152] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0153] The communication scenarios used in the embodiments of this application have been described above. The communication terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced below.

[0154] Demodulation reference signal

[0155] DMRS is used to estimate the equivalent channel matrix experienced by data channels, such as the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), or control channels, such as the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), for data detection and demodulation. Taking the data channel PDSCH as an example, DMRS typically undergoes the same precoding as the transmitted data signal to ensure that DMRS and data experience the same equivalent channel. Assuming the DMRS vector transmitted by the transmitter is s, and the transmitted data symbol vector is x, and DMRS and data undergo the same precoding operation (multiplied by the same precoding matrix P), the corresponding received signal vector at the receiver can be expressed as:

[0156] data:

[0157] DMRS:

[0158] As can be seen, for both the data signal and the reference signal, the equivalent channel they experience is... The receiver, based on the known DMRS vectors s, can obtain the equivalent channel using channel estimation algorithms such as least square (LS) channel estimation and minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel estimation. The estimation results are shown. Based on the equivalent channel, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) equalization and subsequent demodulation of the data signal can be completed.

[0159] Since DMRS is used to estimate the equivalent channel Its dimension is N R ×R, where N RR represents the number of receive antennas, and R represents the number of transport streams (also known as the number of transport layers, spatial layers, or rank). Typically, one DMRS port corresponds to one spatial layer. For MIMO transmission with R transport streams, R is the number of DMRS ports required. To ensure the quality of channel estimation, different DMRS ports are usually orthogonal ports. The DMRS symbols corresponding to different DMRS ports are orthogonal in the frequency domain, time-frequency domain, or code domain.

[0160] Since DMRS consumes time-frequency resources, its overhead needs to be minimized. To reduce mutual interference, DMRS resources corresponding to multiple DMRS ports are often mapped to preset time-frequency resources using frequency division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, or code division multiplexing. Currently, 5G NR supports two types of DMRS resource mapping. For type 1 DMRS, a maximum of 8 orthogonal ports can be supported; for type 2 DMRS, a maximum of 12 orthogonal ports can be supported.

[0161] For a single DMRS port, to perform channel estimation on different time-frequency resources and ensure the quality of channel estimation, multiple DMRS symbols need to be transmitted within multiple time-frequency resources. DMRS can occupy at least one OFDM symbol in the time domain, and its bandwidth in the frequency domain is the same as the scheduling bandwidth of the scheduled data signal. Multiple DMRS symbols corresponding to a port correspond to one reference signal sequence, and one reference signal sequence includes multiple reference signal sequence elements. The DMRS reference signal sequence can be a gold sequence. Taking a gold sequence as an example, the nth element in the reference signal sequence can be generated by the following formula:

[0162]

[0163] Wherein, the pseudo-random sequence c(n) can be a gold sequence of length 31, for an output length of M PN The sequence c(n), n = 0, 1, ..., M PN -1 can be defined as:

[0164] c(n)=(x1(n+N C )+x2(n+N C ))mod2

[0165] x1(n+31)=(x1(n+3)+x1(n))mod2

[0166] x2(n+31)=(x2(n+3)+x2(n+2)+x2(n+1)+x2(n))mod2

[0167] Where, N C=1600. The first m-sequence x1(n) can be initialized as x1(0) = 1, x1(n) = 0, n = 1, 2, ..., 30. The second m-sequence x2(n) is determined by the parameter c. init Initialization. init It can be defined as Here, l represents the OFDM symbol index contained within a time slot. This represents a slot index within a system frame. It can be configured via higher-level signaling. It is related to the cell ID, and can usually be equal to the cell ID. This is an initialization parameter and can take the value 0 or 1. λ represents the code division multiplexing (CDM) group index corresponding to the DMRS port.

[0168] The DMRS reference signal sequence corresponding to a port is mapped to the corresponding time-frequency resource by multiplying it with the corresponding mask sequence according to a preset time-frequency resource mapping rule. In the current NR protocol, two types of DMRS configuration methods are defined, as described above: type 1 DMRS and type 2 DMRS.

[0169] For port p, the m-th reference sequence element r(m) in the corresponding reference signal sequence is mapped to the index (k, l) according to the following rule. p，μ On the resource element (RE). Where the index is (k, l) p，μ The RE corresponds to an OFDM symbol with index l in the time domain and a subcarrier with index k in the frequency domain. The mapping rule satisfies:

[0170]

[0171] Where k′=0,1; n = 0, 1, ...; l′ = 0, 1; μ is the subcarrier spacing parameter. To map to index (k, l) p，μ The RE port corresponds to the DMRS modulation symbol, where l is the symbol index of the starting OFDM symbol or the symbol index of the reference OFDM symbol occupied by the DMRS modulation symbol. w is the power scaling factor. t (l′) represents the time-domain mask element corresponding to the OFDM symbol with index l′, w f (k′) is the frequency domain mask element corresponding to the subcarrier with index k′, m=2n+k′, and Δ is the subcarrier offset factor.

[0172] For configuration type 1 (type 1 DMRS) mapping rules, the DMRS port, corresponding to w f (k′), w t The values ​​of (l′) and Δ can be determined according to Table 1.

[0173] Table 1

[0174]

[0175] For configuration type 2 (type 2DMRS) mapping rules, the DMRS port corresponds to w f (k′), w t The values ​​of (l′) and Δ can be determined according to Table 2.

[0176] Table 2

[0177]

[0178] Where λ is the index of the CDM group to which port p belongs, and DMRS ports within the same orthogonal multiplexing group occupy the same time and frequency resources.

[0179] According to formula (1), the time-frequency resource mapping method of type 1 DMRS is as follows: Figure 2 As shown in (a).

[0180] For a single-symbol DMRS (corresponding to l′=0), a maximum of 4 ports are supported, with each DMRS resource occupying one OFDM symbol. The 4 DMRS ports are divided into two code division multiplexing groups (CDM groups): CDM group 0 contains port 0 and port 1; CDM group 1 contains port 2 and port 3. CDM group 0 and CDM group 1 are frequency division multiplexed (mapped to different frequency domain resources). DMRS ports within a CDM group are mapped to the same time-frequency resources. The reference signals corresponding to the DMRS ports within a CDM group are distinguished using orthogonal cover codes (OCC), ensuring the orthogonality of the DMRS ports within the CDM group and thus suppressing interference between DMRS transmitted on different antenna ports.

[0181] Specifically, ports 0 and 1 are located within the same resource element (RE) and are mapped in the frequency domain in a comb-like manner, meaning that adjacent frequency domain resources occupied by ports 0 and 1 are separated by a subcarrier. For a DMRS port, the two adjacent occupied REs correspond to an OCC codeword sequence of length 2. For example, for subcarriers 0 and 2, ports 0 and 1 use a set of OCC codeword sequences of length 2 (+1+1 and +1-1). Similarly, ports 2 and 3 are located within the same resource element (RE) and are mapped in the frequency domain in a comb-like manner onto the unoccupied REs of ports 0 and 1. For subcarriers 1 and 3, ports 2 and 3 use a set of OCC codeword sequences of length 2 (+1+1 and +1-1).

[0182] For dual-symbol DMRS, a maximum of 8 ports are supported. The 8 DMRS ports are divided into 2 code division multiplexing groups (CDM groups). CDM group 0 includes port 0, port 1, port 4, and port 5; CDM group 1 includes port 2, port 3, port 6, and port 7. CDM group 0 and CDM group 1 are frequency division multiplexing groups. The reference signals corresponding to the DMRS ports contained in the CDM group are distinguished by OCC (Optical Code Classification).

[0183] Specifically, ports 0, 1, 4, and 5 are located within the same resource element (RE) and are mapped in the frequency domain in a comb-like manner. This means that adjacent frequency domain resources occupied by ports 0, 1, 4, and 5 are separated by a subcarrier. For a DMRS port, the two adjacent subcarriers and two OFDM symbols occupying each port correspond to a 4-bit OCC codeword sequence. For example, for subcarriers 0 and 2 corresponding to OFDM symbols 1 and 2, ports 0, 1, 4, and 5 use a set of 4-bit OCC codes (+1+1+1+1 / +1+1-1-1 / +1-1+1-1 / +1-1-1+1). Similarly, ports 2, 3, 6, and 7 are located within the same resource element (RE) and are mapped in the frequency domain in a comb-like manner onto the unoccupied subcarriers of ports 0, 1, 4, and 5. For subcarriers 1 and 3 corresponding to OFDM symbol 1 and OFDM symbol 2, ports 2, 3, 6 and 7 use a set of OCC codes of length 4 (+1+1+1+1 / +1+1-1-1 / +1-1+1-1 / +1-1-1+1).

[0184] According to formula (1), the time-frequency resource mapping method of type 2DMRS is as follows: Figure 2 As shown in (b).

[0185] For single-symbol type 2DMRS, a maximum of 6 ports are supported. These 6 DMRS ports are divided into 3 CDM groups. Frequency division multiplexing is used between CDM groups, and the reference signals corresponding to the DMRS ports within a CDM are guaranteed to be orthogonal through OCC. Specifically, CDM group 0 includes port 0 and port 1; CDM group 1 includes port 2 and port 3; and CDM group 2 includes port 4 and port 5. Frequency division multiplexing is used between CDM groups (mapped to different frequency domain resources). The reference signals corresponding to the DMRS ports within a CDM group are mapped to the same time-frequency resources. The reference signals corresponding to the DMRS ports within a CDM group are distinguished through OCC. For a single DMRS port, its corresponding DMRS reference signal is mapped in the frequency domain into multiple resource sub-blocks containing two consecutive subcarriers, with adjacent resource sub-blocks spaced 4 subcarriers apart in the frequency domain.

[0186] Specifically, port 0 and port 1 are located within the same RE and are mapped using a comb-like method. Taking a frequency domain resource granularity of 1 RB as an example, port 0 and port 1 occupy subcarriers 0, 1, 6, and 7. Port 2 and port 3 occupy subcarriers 2, 3, 8, and 9. Port 4 and port 5 occupy subcarriers 4, 5, 10, and 11. For two DMRS ports contained within a CDM group, the corresponding OCC codeword sequences (+1+1 and +1-1) of length 2 are located within two adjacent subcarriers.

[0187] For dual-symbol type 2DMRS, a maximum of 12 ports are supported. These 12 DMRS ports are divided into three CDM groups. Frequency division multiplexing is used between CDM groups, and the reference signals corresponding to the DMRS ports within a CDM group are guaranteed to be orthogonal through OCC. CDM group 0 includes ports 0, 1, 6, and 7; CDM group 1 includes ports 2, 3, 8, and 9; and CDM group 2 includes ports 4, 5, 10, and 11. Frequency division multiplexing is used between CDM groups (mapped onto different frequency domain resources). The reference signals corresponding to the DMRS ports within a CDM group are mapped onto the same time-frequency resources. The reference signals corresponding to the DMRS ports within a CDM group are distinguished through OCC. For a single DMRS port, its corresponding DMRS reference signal is mapped in the frequency domain into multiple resource sub-blocks containing two consecutive subcarriers, with adjacent resource sub-blocks spaced four subcarriers apart in the frequency domain.

[0188] Specifically, ports within a CDM group are located within the same RE and are mapped in the frequency domain using a comb-like method. Taking a frequency domain resource granularity of 1 RB as an example, ports 0, 1, 6, and 7 occupy subcarriers 0, 1, 6, and 7 corresponding to OFDM symbol 1 and OFDM symbol 2, respectively. Ports 2, 3, 8, and 9 occupy subcarriers 2, 3, 8, and 9 corresponding to OFDM symbol 1 and OFDM symbol 2, respectively. Ports 4, 5, 10, and 11 occupy subcarriers 4, 5, 10, and 11 corresponding to OFDM symbol 1 and OFDM symbol 2, respectively. For a CDM group containing 4 DMRS ports, there is an OCC codeword sequence of length 4 in the two adjacent subcarriers corresponding to the 2 OFDM symbols (+1+1+1+1 / +1+1-1-1 / +1-1+1-1 / +1-1-1+1).

[0189] As mentioned earlier, the NR protocol defines the DMRS symbols and time-frequency resource mapping methods corresponding to DMRS ports. During each data transmission, the network device needs to notify the terminal device of the allocated DMRS port. Based on the allocated DMRS port, the terminal device can receive pilot signals and perform the corresponding channel estimation process at the corresponding resource location according to the DMRS symbol generation method and time-frequency resource mapping rules defined in the protocol. Currently, the DMRS port notification method defined in the NR protocol adopts a semi-static configuration of the DMRS type via higher-layer signaling and dynamic notification of the allocated DMRS port index via DCI.

[0190] For example, the DMRS type and number of occupied symbols can be configured using RRC signaling, such as configuring the DMRS type used through higher-level signaling DMRS-DownlinkConfig. The specific signaling content is as follows:

[0191]

[0192]

[0193] The dmrs-Type can be used to indicate whether type 1 DMRS or type 2 DMRS is being used.

[0194] `maxLength` can be used to indicate whether a single-symbol DMRS or a double-symbol DMRS is used. Specifically, if `maxLength` is configured as `len2`, it can be further indicated via DCI whether a 1-symbol DMRS or a 2-symbol DMRS is used. If the `maxLength` field is not configured, a 1-symbol DMRS is used.

[0195] For example, the DCI signaling includes a field called Antenna port, which indicates the assigned DMRS port index. The NR protocol defines different DMRS port tables for different values ​​of the dmrs-Type and maxLength configurations.

[0196] For example, Tables 3 and 4 show the DMRS tables corresponding to dmrs-type=1, maxLength=2 and dmrs-type=2, maxLength=2, respectively. The Antenna port field in DCI signaling indicates the index value in the DMRS port table corresponding to the dmrs-type and maxLength values ​​configured in the higher-layer signaling, and each index value corresponds to one or more DMRS port indices.

[0197] Table 3 shows the DMRS port table corresponding to dmrs-Type=1, maxLength=2.

[0198]

[0199]

[0200] Table 4 shows the DMRS port table corresponding to dmrs-Type=2, maxLength=2.

[0201]

[0202]

[0203] Multistream transmission can typically improve spectral efficiency. The number of transport streams can also be referred to as the number of transport layers. In some embodiments, an 8R receiver can be used to receive downlink data to meet the requirement of a downlink peak transmission rate of 1.6 Gbps. Here, an 8R receiver can refer to a receiver device containing eight receiving antennas.

[0204] Compared to 4R receivers, 8R receivers can significantly improve downlink throughput for individual users in a cell and also increase coverage for users at the cell edge. 8R receivers are also one of the main methods for enabling 256 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and higher-order modulation schemes within a practically operable signal-to-interference ratio (SIR).

[0205] However, for high-stream transmissions (e.g., more than 4 streams), traditional 8R receiver solutions are characterized by high implementation difficulty and computational complexity. A feasible solution is for the terminal device to perform signal reception and processing through separate transmission layers corresponding to different codewords. Since different codewords can correspond to different receivers, the above solution can also be replaced, for example, by splitting the 8R receiver into two 4R sub-receivers for separate signal reception and processing, such as... Figure 3 As shown in the figure. Among them, the two 4R sub-receivers can be called "virtual UE", and the terminal equipment including the two 4R sub-receivers can be called a dual-segmentation terminal.

[0206] See Figure 3 The terminal equipment includes two 4R receivers: sub-receiver 1 and sub-receiver 2. Sub-receiver 1 can be understood as virtual UE1, and sub-receiver 2 can be understood as virtual UE2. Each sub-receiver can achieve a maximum of 4-stream transmission with the network device.

[0207] When multi-stream transmission is used for downlink transmission, several factors can affect the downlink signal reception performance. For example, for the terminal equipment with multiple sub-receivers mentioned above, several factors may affect the downlink signal reception performance.

[0208] For example, interference can exist between multiple transmission layers corresponding to different codewords, causing a decrease in system performance. Or, interference can exist between multiple sub-receivers of a terminal device.

[0209] For example, when a single codeword can support multi-stream transmission, if the terminal device uses an unsuitable codeword to receive downlink signals, the downlink signal reception performance will be affected. Alternatively, when a single sub-receiver of the terminal device can support multi-stream transmission, if the terminal device uses an unsuitable receiver to receive downlink signals, the downlink signal reception performance will be affected. Here, "a single sub-receiver of the terminal device can support multi-stream transmission" can mean, for example, that the number of transmission streams is less than or equal to the number of antennas in a single sub-receiver of the terminal device.

[0210] Considering the above factors, how to improve the downlink signal reception performance, such as for terminal equipment with multiple sub-receivers, is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0211] This application provides a communication method to address one or more of the aforementioned problems. In this application embodiment, a network device can indicate its precoding scheme to a terminal device, such as through first information. Based on the first information, the terminal device can determine a downlink information reception strategy, thereby helping to improve downlink reception performance.

[0212] In some embodiments, the precoding scheme described above can instruct the network device on its interference cancellation scheme, or in other words, instruct the network device whether to cancel interference between multiple transport layers (multiple transport layers correspond to different codewords). In other words, the precoding scheme can be used to instruct the network device whether to cancel interference between multiple sub-receivers of a terminal device.

[0213] Since network devices eliminate interference between multiple transport layers before the interference occurs, the elimination of interference by network devices can also be called the pre-elimination of interference by network devices, and the interference elimination scheme of network devices can also be called the interference pre-elimination scheme.

[0214] In some embodiments, the above precoding scheme can indicate which codeword-associated channel state information the network device uses for precoding, or in other words, which sub-receiver's antenna-corresponding channel state information the network device uses for precoding.

[0215] In some embodiments, the precoding scheme can be replaced by a precoding level.

[0216] The following section provides a detailed description of the communication method provided in this application, addressing the different meanings of the aforementioned precoding schemes and in conjunction with two embodiments.

[0217] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. It should be understood that the method provided in this application can be applied to a terminal device having multiple sub-receivers.

[0218] Figure 4 The method described can involve the interaction between a terminal device and a network device. The terminal device can be any of the terminal devices mentioned above, or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of this method on the terminal device. The network device can be any of the network devices mentioned above, or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of this method on the network device.

[0219] The method provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described from the perspective of the interaction between terminal devices and network devices.

[0220] Figure 4 The method shown may include steps S410 and S420.

[0221] S410, the terminal device receives the first information. Correspondingly, the network device can send the first information to the terminal device.

[0222] The aforementioned first piece of information can be used to instruct network devices whether to eliminate interference between multiple transport layers. The codewords corresponding to the multiple transport layers are different.

[0223] When a terminal device has multiple sub-receivers, each sub-receiver typically corresponds to a different codeword; in other words, different sub-receivers usually use different codewords for signal transmission and reception. Therefore, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device should eliminate interference between the multiple sub-receivers.

[0224] Multiple transmission layers corresponding to different codewords can be understood as transmission layers corresponding to different sub-receivers. When a sub-receiver includes multiple antennas, one sub-receiver may correspond to multiple transmission layers. In this case, multiple transmission layers corresponding to different codewords can be replaced by multiple sets of transmission layers corresponding to different codewords, where different sets of transmission layers correspond to different codewords. The transmission layers included in the sets of transmission layers mentioned here can correspond to the same sub-receiver.

[0225] In some embodiments, interference between multiple transport layers can include various types of interference. Taking a first transport layer and a second transport layer as an example, interference between multiple transport layers can include interference from the first transport layer to the second transport layer, and / or interference from the second transport layer to the first transport layer.

[0226] In other words, interference between multiple sub-receivers can include various types of interference. Taking a sub-receiver consisting of a first sub-receiver and a second sub-receiver as an example, interference between multiple sub-receivers can include interference between the first sub-receiver and the second sub-receiver, and / or interference between the second sub-receiver and the first sub-receiver.

[0227] In some embodiments, the first information can be used to instruct the network device whether to eliminate multiple types of interference between multiple transport layers. Alternatively, the first information can be used to instruct the network device whether to eliminate multiple types of interference between multiple sub-receivers.

[0228] For example, the first information can be used to indicate that the network device has eliminated multiple types of interference between multiple transport layers, or that the network device has not eliminated multiple types of interference between multiple transport layers.

[0229] For example, a default precoding scheme, i.e., a default interference cancellation method, can be predefined or preconfigured, which helps reduce indication overhead. The interference cancellation method can be the way network devices cancel interference between multiple transport layers.

[0230] For example, in cases of significant interference between multiple transport layers or poor downlink channel quality, the default precoding scheme can instruct network devices to eliminate various types of interference between multiple transport layers.

[0231] For example, when there is little interference between multiple transport layers, or when the downlink channel quality is good, the default precoding scheme can instruct network devices not to eliminate various types of interference between multiple transport layers, which helps to reduce the overhead of interference elimination.

[0232] For example, the first information can be used to indicate which interferences among multiple interferences between multiple transport layers have been eliminated and which have not been eliminated by the network device.

[0233] Taking the interference from the first transport layer to the second transport layer as the first interference and the interference from the second transport layer to the first transport layer as the second interference as an example, the first information can be used to indicate one or more of the following: the network device does not eliminate the first interference and the second interference; the network device eliminates the first interference; the network device eliminates the second interference; or the network device eliminates both the first interference and the second interference.

[0234] Alternatively, the first information can be used to indicate one or more of the following: the precoding scheme used by the network device is used to eliminate a first type of interference; the precoding scheme is used to eliminate a second type of interference; the precoding scheme is used to eliminate both the first and second types of interference; or the precoding scheme is not used to eliminate either the first or second type of interference. This is because different precoding schemes, or different precoding matrices, can eliminate different types of interference.

[0235] The four scenarios described above can be referred to as four different interference cancellation methods. Among them, the network device canceling both the first and second types of interference can also be described as the network device eliminating all interference between multiple sub-receivers, or as complete interference cancellation.

[0236] For example, the first information can indicate the precoding scheme of the network device through different indexes, as shown in Table 5.

[0237] Table 5

[0238]

[0239]

[0240] For example, the first information can be implemented using multiple bits.

[0241] Taking a multi-transmission-layer system including two transmission layers as an example, or a multi-sub-receiver system including two sub-receivers as an example, the first information can be implemented using, for example, four bits. Each bit corresponds to a specific interference cancellation method. Different values ​​for each bit indicate whether the corresponding interference cancellation method has been used.

[0242] As an example, the initial information can be conveyed using two bits. Each value of these two bits corresponds to a different interference cancellation method; for example, values ​​00, 01, 10, and 11 each correspond to a different interference cancellation method. For instance, the two bits can be set to various indices as shown in Table 1 above, with different indices indicating different precoding schemes.

[0243] For example, if a default precoding scheme (or default interference cancellation method) exists, the default precoding scheme is used if the first information is not indicated; otherwise, the default precoding scheme is not used. Furthermore, different values ​​of the first information are used to indicate different interference cancellation methods besides the default interference method.

[0244] For example, when a default precoding scheme exists, the first information may include two parts: a first part indicating whether the default precoding scheme is used, and a second part indicating the interference cancellation method employed by the network device when the default precoding scheme is not used. It should be understood that the second part is valid when the first part indicates that the default precoding scheme is not used.

[0245] S420: The terminal device receives downlink information based on the first information.

[0246] As described above, network devices may only eliminate some interference between multiple transport layers, or they may not eliminate interference between multiple transport layers at all. Considering this, in some embodiments, the terminal device can eliminate other interference that the network device has not eliminated, thereby helping to avoid downlink reception performance degradation caused by interference between multiple transport layers.

[0247] For example, if the first information instructs the network device to eliminate the first interference, then the terminal device can eliminate the second interference when receiving downlink information. If the first information instructs the network device to eliminate the second interference, then the terminal device can eliminate the first interference when receiving downlink information. If the first information instructs the network device to eliminate both the first and second interference, then the terminal device does not need to eliminate either the first or second interference when receiving downlink information. If the first information instructs the network device not to eliminate either the first or second interference, then the terminal device can eliminate both the first and second interference when receiving downlink information.

[0248] Imagine if the terminal device cannot obtain the network device's precoding scheme. Then, the terminal device cannot determine which interferences between multiple transport layers need to be eliminated. Two scenarios arise: first, some interference between transport layers is not eliminated, which will affect downlink reception performance; second, the terminal device performs redundant interference elimination between transport layers, which will increase unnecessary overhead.

[0249] Therefore, in this embodiment, through the interaction of the first information, the terminal device and the network device can reach a consensus on the network device's precoding scheme, providing support for determining the terminal device's interference cancellation scheme. For example, the terminal device can cancel interference that the network device has not canceled among interferences between multiple transport layers, thereby helping to avoid the impact of such interference on downlink reception performance and helping to avoid unnecessary overhead on the terminal device side.

[0250] In some embodiments, the first information can reuse fields from existing signaling without defining new signaling or fields, thereby helping to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol by the scheme provided in this application embodiment, and helping to reduce signaling overhead for ease of implementation.

[0251] For example, the first information may include a DMRS port index, or in other words, the first information may reuse a DMRS port index field. The DMRS port index can be used to indicate the precoding scheme of the network device. That is, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple transport layers, or in other words, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple sub-receivers.

[0252] In related technologies, a DMRS port group can correspond to a DMRS port index, where a DMRS port group may include one or more DMRS ports. For example, when other parameters are the same, such as the same codeword enabling condition, the same DMRS type, and the same maxLength mentioned above, a DMRS port group can correspond to a DMRS port index.

[0253] In the embodiments of this application, one DMRS port group can correspond to multiple DMRS port indices. For example, if all other parameters are the same, one DMRS port group can correspond to multiple DMRS port indices. In this case, one DMRS port index can be used to indicate a precoding scheme of the network device, or multiple DMRS port indices can correspond one-to-one with multiple precoding schemes. In other words, one DMRS port index can be used to indicate an interference cancellation method, or multiple DMRS port indices can correspond one-to-one with multiple interference cancellation methods.

[0254] In some embodiments, the DMRS port table can be extended, such as by extending Tables 3 and 4 mentioned above, to support the methods described above.

[0255] Referring again to Table 3, with both codeword 0 and codeword 1 enabled, and taking index 1 as an example, the DMRS port group includes DMRS ports 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, to introduce the method of expanding the DMRS port table. For example, considering the four interference cancellation methods mentioned above (i.e., considering only two sub-receivers), the DMRS port table can be expanded by three rows, as shown in Table 6.

[0256] Table 6

[0257]

[0258] It should be understood that extended index values ​​can use reserved index values, i.e., 4-31, to avoid conflicts with existing indexes.

[0259] Referring to Table 6, the content corresponding to index 1 is the content of the DMRS port table in the related technology, and the content corresponding to indexes 4, 5, and 6 is the extended content in the embodiments of this application.

[0260] Indexes 1, 4, 5, and 6 above each correspond to a specific interference cancellation method. As an example, when using the DMRS port group in Table 6, index 1 indicates that the network device has not cancelled either the first or second interference; index 4 indicates that the network device has cancelled the first interference; index 5 indicates that the network device has cancelled the second interference; and index 6 indicates that the network device has cancelled both the first and second interferences.

[0261] It should be noted that the correspondence between the above index values ​​and interference cancellation methods is given only as an example, and this application does not limit it.

[0262] As mentioned earlier, the number of DMRS ports generally corresponds to the number of transport layers or spatial layers. When a terminal device uses two or more sub-receivers to support multi-stream transmission, interference between the multiple sub-receivers needs to be eliminated. Therefore, in some embodiments, the number of rows in the DMRS port table to be expanded can be determined based on the number of transport streams supported by the sub-receivers of the terminal device, thereby helping to reduce implementation complexity.

[0263] by Figure 3 Taking the terminal device as an example, the terminal device includes two sub-receivers, and each sub-receiver can support a maximum of 4 streams. This means that when transmitting more than 4 streams, the terminal device needs to use both sub-receivers simultaneously. In this case, interference can occur between the multiple sub-receivers. For this terminal device, the row containing DMRS port groups with more than 4 DMRS ports in the DMRS port table can be expanded.

[0264] As an example, referring back to Table 3, when both codeword 0 and codeword 1 are enabled, the number of DMRS ports included in the DMRS port groups corresponding to indices 1, 2, and 3 is greater than 4. Therefore, the rows containing the DMRS port groups corresponding to indices 1, 2, and 3 can be expanded.

[0265] As another example, referring back to Table 4, when both codeword 0 and codeword 1 are enabled, the number of DMRS ports included in the DMRS port groups corresponding to indices 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is all greater than 4. Therefore, the rows containing the DMRS port groups corresponding to indices 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 can be expanded, as shown in Table 7.

[0266] Table 7

[0267]

[0268]

[0269] Referring to Table 7, when the DMRS port group used includes DMRS ports 0-5, the four interference cancellation methods mentioned above can be indicated by indices 1, 6, 11, and 16 respectively; when the DMRS port group used includes DMRS ports 0, 1, 2, 3, and 6, the four interference cancellation methods mentioned above can be indicated by indices 2, 7, 12, and 17 respectively; when the DMRS port group used includes DMRS ports 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8, the four interference cancellation methods mentioned above can be indicated by indices 3, 8, 13, and 18 respectively; when the DMRS port group used includes DMRS ports 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8, the four interference cancellation methods mentioned above can be indicated by indices 4, 9, 14, and 19 respectively; and when the DMRS port group used includes DMRS ports 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9, the four interference cancellation methods mentioned above can be indicated by indices 5, 10, 15, and 20 respectively.

[0270] It should be understood that extended index values ​​can use reserved index values, i.e., 6-63, to avoid conflicts with existing indexes.

[0271] It should be noted that the correspondence between the above index values ​​and interference cancellation methods is given only as an example, and this application does not limit it.

[0272] In this way, through the exchange of first information, the terminal device can obtain both the network device's precoding scheme and the DMRS port number, thereby helping to reduce signaling overhead.

[0273] As mentioned earlier, when a terminal device uses two or more sub-receivers to support multi-stream transmission, interference between the sub-receivers needs to be eliminated. However, when the number of transmission streams is less than or equal to the number of transmission streams supported by a single sub-receiver of the terminal device, the terminal device can also use multiple sub-receivers to receive downlink signals to improve reliability. Considering this situation, the terminal device can expand all rows in the DMRS port table, or it can expand only some rows in the DMRS port table according to actual needs. The method for expanding the DMRS port table is similar to the method described earlier, and for simplicity, it will not be repeated here.

[0274] In some embodiments, the network device may determine the precoding scheme based on the capabilities of the terminal device, or in other words, the network device may determine the interference cancellation method based on the capabilities of the terminal device.

[0275] For example, a terminal device can send its capability information to a network device. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the capability information sent by the terminal device. This capability information can be used to indicate the terminal device's ability to eliminate interference between multiple transport layers, or in other words, it can be used to indicate the terminal device's ability to eliminate interference between multiple sub-receivers.

[0276] As mentioned earlier, taking the example of multiple transport layers including a first transport layer and a second transport layer, this capability information can indicate to the terminal device that it has the capability to eliminate a first type of interference; has the capability to eliminate a second type of interference; has the capability to eliminate both the first and second types of interference; or the terminal device does not have one or more of the capabilities to eliminate both the first and second types of interference.

[0277] Alternatively, this capability information can be used to indicate whether the terminal device has the capability to eliminate all interference between multiple sub-receivers. If the terminal device does not have the capability to eliminate all interference between multiple sub-receivers, the capability information (or other information) can be used to indicate which interferences the terminal device can eliminate, or which interferences it cannot eliminate.

[0278] For example, network devices can eliminate interference that terminal devices cannot eliminate. This is because pre-cancellation of interference by network devices reduces the transmission power of the useful signal, resulting in a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver. Therefore, eliminating interference that terminal devices cannot eliminate helps reduce the impact of interference cancellation on the transmission power of the useful signal, thereby helping to improve downlink reception performance.

[0279] Alternatively, interference between multiple transport layers includes third interference. If the aforementioned capability information indicates that the terminal device has the ability to eliminate third interference, the network device can eliminate other interferences besides third interference among the interference between multiple transport layers.

[0280] Taking a transport layer comprising a first transport layer and a second transport layer as an example, the third interference mentioned here can be the first interference and / or the second interference mentioned above. That is, if the capability information indicates that the terminal device has the capability to eliminate the first interference, then the network device eliminates the second interference; if the capability information indicates that the terminal device has the capability to eliminate the second interference, then the network device eliminates the first interference; if the capability information indicates that the terminal device has the capability to eliminate both the first and second interference, then the network device does not eliminate either the first or the second interference; if the capability information indicates that the terminal device does not have the capability to eliminate either the first or the second interference, then the network device can eliminate both the first and the second interference.

[0281] As described above, network devices can determine a precoding scheme based on the capability information of terminal devices. Furthermore, network devices can determine first information based on the precoding scheme. In other words, network devices can determine first information based on the capability information of terminal devices. For example, if the capability information indicates that the terminal device has the capability to eliminate third interference, the first information is used to instruct the network device to eliminate interference other than third interference among interference between multiple transport layers.

[0282] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in RRC signaling or DCI.

[0283] For example, the index (i.e., the first information) of the precoding scheme shown in Table 5 can be carried in the RRC. In this way, after the precoding scheme is configured to the terminal device via the RRC, the network devices will perform interference cancellation according to the precoding scheme.

[0284] For example, the first information is carried in the DCI, which can dynamically adjust the precoding scheme according to channel changes. For instance, different precoding schemes can be used at different times, thereby helping to improve the flexibility of interference cancellation. For example, the indices (i.e., the first information) in Tables 6 and 7 can be carried in the DCI.

[0285] Another communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0286] In this embodiment, the first information can be used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information. The first channel state information can be used to pre-encode downlink information.

[0287] A terminal device may include multiple sub-receivers, each corresponding to a different codeword and a different channel. The channel state information for each channel is different (this can be simply referred to as different channel state information corresponding to different sub-receivers). Therefore, if the first channel state information is the channel state information corresponding to the first sub-receiver, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the codeword corresponding to the first sub-receiver.

[0288] Typically, network devices can precode downlink information based on channel state information to better adapt to channel characteristics and improve system performance, such as increasing transmission rate, improving bit error rate, or enhancing signal reliability.

[0289] In some embodiments, when the terminal device has multiple sub-receivers, the network device can perform precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to one of the multiple sub-receivers (also known as independent precoding), or it can perform precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to multiple sub-receivers (also known as joint precoding).

[0290] Taking a terminal device that includes two sub-receivers as an example, on the receiving side, the terminal device can receive downlink signals through the first sub-receiver, or through the second sub-receiver, or by combining the first and second sub-receivers to receive downlink signals.

[0291] If the network device performs precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to the first sub-receiver (i.e., the first channel state information is the channel state information corresponding to the first sub-receiver), the downlink reception performance will be poor if the terminal device uses the second sub-receiver to receive the downlink signal. Similarly, if the network device performs precoding based on the channel state information corresponding to the second sub-receiver, the downlink reception performance will be poor if the terminal device uses the first sub-receiver to receive the downlink signal.

[0292] In other words, when the network device uses the first channel state information for precoding, the terminal device can obtain better downlink reception performance by using the sub-receiver corresponding to the first channel information to receive the downlink signal.

[0293] Based on this, in this embodiment, the network device can indicate the codeword (i.e., the first information) associated with the first channel state information to the terminal device, which helps the terminal device determine the codeword used in receiving downlink information, or in other words, helps the terminal device determine the sub-receiver for receiving downlink information. In this way, the terminal device can use the sub-receiver corresponding to the first channel state information to receive downlink signals, which helps improve downlink reception performance.

[0294] Taking multiple transport layers, including the first transport layer and the second transport layer, as an example, the codeword corresponding to the first transport layer is the first codeword, and the codeword corresponding to the second transport layer is the second codeword.

[0295] In some embodiments, the first information may be used to indicate one or more of the following: the codeword associated with the first channel state information is a first codeword (i.e., independent precoding); the codeword associated with the first channel state information is a second codeword (i.e., independent precoding); or the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword (i.e., joint precoding).

[0296] Alternatively, the first information can be used to indicate one or more of the following: the receiver associated with the first channel state information is a first receiver (that is, the network device performs precoding based on the antenna group of the first receiver); the receiver associated with the first channel state information is a second receiver (that is, the network device performs precoding based on the antenna group of the second receiver); or the receiver associated with the first channel state information includes both the first receiver and the second receiver (that is, the network device performs precoding based on all antenna groups of the first receiver and the second receiver). Here, the first transport layer corresponds to the first sub-receiver, and the second transport layer corresponds to the second sub-receiver.

[0297] For example, the first information may include an identifier of a codeword associated with the first channel state information, or the first information may include an identifier of a sub-receiver associated with the first channel state information, or the first information may include an identifier of a transport layer associated with the first channel state information.

[0298] In some embodiments, the first information may include a precoding index, with different index values ​​used to indicate the precoding scheme adopted by the network device, such as the codeword associated with the first channel state information or the sub-receiver, as shown in Table 8.

[0299] Table 8

[0300] index Precoding scheme 0 First codeword or first sub-receiver; independent precoding 1 Second codeword or second sub-receiver; independent precoding 2 First codeword and second codeword; or, first sub-receiver and second sub-receiver; or, joint precoding.

[0301] For example, the first information can be implemented using multiple bits (or a bit sequence). For instance, each bit of the multiple bits corresponds to a precoding scheme. Furthermore, different values ​​of the bit sequence indicate different precoding schemes; the values ​​of the bit sequence can include the index values ​​in Table 8.

[0302] In some embodiments, the first information can be used to indicate independent precoding or joint precoding. When the first information indicates that the network device uses independent precoding, it can also be used to indicate the codeword associated with the first channel information. Alternatively, the first information can include two parts: a first part can be used to indicate whether the precoding scheme is independent or joint precoding, and a second part can be used to indicate the codeword associated with the first channel information. It should be understood that the second part of the first information is valid even if the first part indicates that the precoding scheme is independent precoding.

[0303] In some embodiments, a default precoding scheme can be predefined or preconfigured, such as joint precoding or independent precoding. When the network device uses the default precoding scheme, the first information may not be indicated to save indication overhead. When the network device uses a non-default precoding scheme, the first information can be used to indicate the precoding scheme used by the network device.

[0304] Since joint precoding helps improve the reliability of downlink reception, using a joint precoding scheme as the default precoding scheme can help improve downlink reception performance.

[0305] The method for receiving downlink information based on the first piece of information described above is described below.

[0306] Based on the first information, the codeword or sub-receiver used to receive downlink information can be determined, and the sub-receiver can then be used to receive downlink information.

[0307] If the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword, then the terminal device uses the sub-receiver corresponding to the first codeword to receive downlink information.

[0308] If the codeword associated with the first information indication and the first channel state information is the second codeword, then the terminal device uses the sub-receiver corresponding to the second codeword to receive downlink information.

[0309] If the codeword associated with the first information indication and the first channel state information includes a first codeword and a second codeword, then the terminal device uses the sub-receiver corresponding to the first codeword and the sub-receiver corresponding to the second codeword to receive downlink information, that is, it uses multiple sub-receivers for joint reception.

[0310] In some embodiments, when the terminal device uses multiple sub-receivers for joint reception, the first information (or other information) may be used to indicate the interference cancellation method mentioned above.

[0311] In some embodiments, the first information can reuse fields from existing signaling without defining new signaling or fields, thereby helping to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol by the scheme provided in this application embodiment, and helping to reduce signaling overhead for ease of implementation.

[0312] For example, the first information may include a transport block field, or in other words, the first information may reuse a transport block field. The transport block field mentioned herein may include a first transport block sub-block and / or a second transport block field.

[0313] The transport block field can include three subfields: the MCS field, the RV field, and the NDI field. The first subfield can be any of the above fields.

[0314] There are several methods to indicate that a transport block is disabled (or incapacitated). For example, a transport block can be disabled by indicating that its size is 0. For example, the MCS field in the transport block field can be set to a reserved value to indicate that the transport block is incapacitated. For example, the transport block can be incapacitated by combining the MCS field and the RV field in the transport block field.

[0315] There are several methods for indicating a precoding scheme by combining transport block disablement and the first subfield. An example is given below, in which the first subfield is the NDI field.

[0316] For example, if the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the first transport block field takes the first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword; if the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the second transport block field takes the first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword.

[0317] For example, if the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield in the first transport block field takes the value of the second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes the first codeword and the second codeword; if the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield in the second transport block field takes the value of the second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes the first codeword and the second codeword.

[0318] It should be understood that the first value can be 0 and the second value can be 1, or the first value can be 1 and the second value can be 0; this application does not limit this.

[0319] In this way, through the interaction of the first information, the terminal device can obtain both the precoding scheme of the network device and the indication information related to the transport block, thereby helping to reduce signaling overhead.

[0320] Before sending the first message, the network device can determine the precoding scheme, such as based on the capabilities of the terminal device. For example, the capabilities of the terminal device can determine which codeword associated with the channel information to use for precoding.

[0321] When a terminal device supports joint reception by multiple sub-receivers, such as supporting multiple sub-receivers receiving partially or entirely the same signal and supporting joint signal processing at the receiving end, the network device can employ joint precoding or independent precoding. Optionally, in this case, the network device can employ joint precoding, which helps improve the reliability of downlink reception, thereby improving downlink reception performance.

[0322] When the terminal device does not support joint reception, the network device can use either the channel state information corresponding to the first codeword or the channel state information corresponding to the second codeword for precoding. For example, the network device can determine which codeword's channel state information to use for precoding based on the quality of the channel corresponding to each codeword.

[0323] If the terminal device does not support joint reception, and if the terminal device only supports independent reception by the receiver corresponding to the first codeword, the network device can use the channel state information associated with the first codeword for precoding; if the terminal device only supports independent reception by the receiver corresponding to the second codeword, the network device can use the channel state information associated with the second codeword for precoding.

[0324] In some embodiments, the precoding weights corresponding to the transport layer can be determined based on the precoding scheme of the network device (i.e., the first information), or the precoding weights corresponding to the sub-receiver can be determined based on the precoding scheme of the network device. For example, the precoding weights corresponding to the antenna can be determined based on the precoding scheme of the network device. By adjusting the precoding weights, the direction of the beam transmitted by the network device can be adjusted, thereby helping to improve downlink reception performance.

[0325] For example, if the first channel information is associated with the first codeword, the network device can adjust the precoding weights so that the main direction of the downlink beam (or the main beam of the downlink signal) is directed towards the first sub-receiver. If the first channel information is associated with the second codeword, the network device can adjust the precoding weights so that the main direction of the downlink beam (or the main beam of the downlink signal) is directed towards the second sub-receiver.

[0326] In this embodiment of the application, the first information may be carried in RRC signaling or DCI.

[0327] For example, the index (i.e., the first information) of the precoding scheme shown in Table 8 can be carried in the RRC. In this way, after the precoding scheme is configured to the terminal device via the RRC, all network devices can perform precoding according to the precoding scheme.

[0328] For example, the first information is carried in the DCI, and the precoding scheme can be dynamically adjusted according to channel changes. For instance, different precoding schemes can be used at different times, thereby helping to improve the flexibility of precoding and downlink reception. For example, the first transport block field and / or the second transport block field can be carried in the DCI.

[0329] In some embodiments, the first information can be used to instruct the network device whether to cancel interference between multiple transport layers, and the first information can be used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information. For example, when the network device performs joint precoding, the first information can be used to instruct the network device whether to cancel interference between multiple transport layers, and the first information can be used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information.

[0330] In some embodiments, if the first condition is met, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple transport layers, or in other words, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between multiple receivers of the terminal device; if the first condition is not met, the first information can be used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information.

[0331] For example, the first condition may be related to the number of transmission layers, or the first condition may be related to the rank, or the first condition may be related to the number of antennas of the multiple sub-receivers of the terminal device.

[0332] For example, the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than A, or the first condition can be that the number of transmission layers is greater than or equal to A. That is, when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is greater than A, the first information can be used to indicate whether the network device should eliminate interference between multiple transmission layers; when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is less than or equal to A, the first information can be used to indicate the codeword associated with the first channel state information. Here, A is a positive integer.

[0333] The number of transmission layers corresponding to the first codeword is n, and the number of transmission layers corresponding to the second codeword is m. Alternatively, the number of antennas in the first sub-receiver is n, and the number of antennas in the second sub-receiver is m.

[0334] As an example, A can be m or n. For instance, if the terminal device supports independent reception of the first sub-receiver but not independent reception of the second sub-receiver, then A can be n. Conversely, if the terminal device supports independent reception of the second sub-receiver but not independent reception of the first sub-receiver, then A can be m.

[0335] As another example, A can be the maximum value between m and n, or max(m, n). For instance, if the terminal device supports independent reception from both the first and second sub-receivers, A can be the maximum value between m and n. Alternatively, if the terminal device includes two sub-receivers (2R+4R), where m is 2 and n is 4, then A can be 4.

[0336] It should be noted that the network device mentioned in this application embodiment has eliminated the first interference and / or the second interference. This can mean that the network device has taken measures to eliminate the first interference and / or the second interference, such as using a precoding matrix to eliminate the first interference and / or the second interference. It should be understood that the network device eliminating the first interference does not mean that the downlink signal absolutely does not contain the first interference. In some cases, the downlink signal may still contain some of the first interference.

[0337] The method embodiments provided in this application have been described above. The apparatus embodiments provided in this application will be described below. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0338] Figure 5 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the communication device 500 may include a transceiver unit 510 and / or a processing unit 520. The transceiver unit 510 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing unit 520 is used for data processing. The transceiver unit 510 may also be referred to as a communication interface or communication unit. Optionally, the device 500 may further include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 520 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit to enable the device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0339] In one possible design, the device 500 can be the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or it can be a chip, processor, or chip system that implements the functions of the terminal device. The device 500 can be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0340] Specifically, the transceiver unit 510 can be used to receive first information, which indicates whether the network device should eliminate interference between multiple transport layers, wherein the codewords corresponding to the multiple transport layers are different; or, the first information indicates a codeword associated with first channel state information, which is used to pre-encode downlink information. The transceiver unit 510 can be used to receive the downlink information based on the first information.

[0341] In some embodiments, the plurality of transport layers includes a first transport layer and a second transport layer, interference from the first transport layer to the second transport layer is a first interference, interference from the second transport layer to the first transport layer is a second interference, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the network device does not eliminate the first interference and the second interference; the network device eliminates the first interference; the network device eliminates the second interference; or the network device eliminates both the first interference and the second interference.

[0342] In some embodiments, the first information includes a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port index, which indicates whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transport layers.

[0343] In some embodiments, a DMRS port group includes multiple DMRS ports, and a DMRS port group corresponds to multiple DMRS port indices. The multiple DMRS port indices correspond one-to-one with multiple interference cancellation methods, and the interference cancellation method is a method by which the network device cancels interference between the multiple transport layers.

[0344] In some embodiments, before receiving the first information, the transceiver unit 510 may be used to: send capability information of the terminal device, the capability information being used to indicate the terminal device's ability to eliminate interference between the plurality of transport layers.

[0345] In some embodiments, the plurality of transport layers includes a first transport layer and a second transport layer, the codeword corresponding to the first transport layer is a first codeword, the codeword corresponding to the second transport layer is a second codeword, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword; the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword; or the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword.

[0346] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first transport block field and / or a second transport block field. If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the first transport block field takes a first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword. If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the second transport block field takes a first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword. If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the first transport block field takes a second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword. If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the second transport block field takes a second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword.

[0347] In some embodiments, the first subfield is a New Data Identifier (NDI) field.

[0348] In some embodiments, when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is greater than A, the first information is used to indicate whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transmission layers; and / or when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is less than or equal to A, the first information is used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information; wherein A is a positive integer.

[0349] In some embodiments, the number of transport layers corresponding to the first codeword is n, the number of transport layers corresponding to the second codeword is m, and A is the maximum value of m and n.

[0350] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0351] In one possible design, the device 500 can be a network device in the above method embodiments, or it can be a chip, processor, or chip system that implements the functions of a network device. The device 500 can be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0352] Specifically, processing unit 520 can be used to determine first information, which is used to indicate whether the network device should eliminate interference between multiple transport layers of the terminal device, or the first information can be used to indicate a codeword associated with first channel state information, wherein the first channel state information is used to pre-encode downlink information. Transceiver unit 510 can be used to transmit the first information.

[0353] In some embodiments, the plurality of transport layers includes a first transport layer and a second transport layer, interference from the first transport layer to the second transport layer is a first interference, interference from the second transport layer to the first transport layer is a second interference, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the network device does not eliminate the first interference and the second interference; the network device eliminates the first interference; the network device eliminates the second interference; or the network device eliminates both the first interference and the second interference.

[0354] In some embodiments, the first information includes a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port index, which indicates whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transport layers.

[0355] In some embodiments, a DMRS port group includes multiple DMRS ports, and a DMRS port group corresponds to multiple DMRS port indices. The multiple DMRS port indices correspond one-to-one with multiple interference cancellation methods, and the interference cancellation method is a method by which the network device cancels interference between the multiple transport layers.

[0356] In some embodiments, determining the first information includes: receiving capability information of a terminal device, the capability information being used to indicate the terminal device's ability to eliminate interference between the plurality of transport layers; and determining the first information based on the capability information.

[0357] In some embodiments, the interference between the plurality of transport layers includes a third interference, and determining the first information based on the capability information includes: when the capability information indicates that the terminal device has the capability to eliminate the third interference, the first information is used to instruct the network device to eliminate other interferences among the interference between the plurality of transport layers besides the third interference.

[0358] In some embodiments, the plurality of transport layers includes a first transport layer and a second transport layer, the codeword corresponding to the first transport layer is a first codeword, the codeword corresponding to the second transport layer is a second codeword, and the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword; the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword; or the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword.

[0359] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first transport block field and / or a second transport block field. If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the first transport block field takes a first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword. If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the second transport block field takes a first value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword. If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the first transport block field takes a second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword. If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and the first subfield of the second transport block field takes a second value, then the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes both the first codeword and the second codeword.

[0360] In some embodiments, the first subfield is a New Data Identifier (NDI) field.

[0361] In some embodiments, the processing unit 520 is configured to: determine the precoding weights corresponding to the transport layer based on the first information.

[0362] In some embodiments, when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is greater than A, the first information is used to indicate whether the network device eliminates interference between the plurality of transmission layers; and / or when the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is less than or equal to A, the first information is used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information; wherein A is a positive integer.

[0363] In some embodiments, the number of transport layers corresponding to the first codeword is n, the number of transport layers corresponding to the second codeword is m, and A is the maximum value of m and n.

[0364] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0365] It should be understood that the "unit" in device 500 can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. For example, the "unit" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. As another example, transceiver unit 510 can be replaced by transceiver circuitry (e.g., it may include receiving and transmitting circuitry), and processing unit 520 can be replaced by a processor or processing circuitry.

[0366] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 600 can be a terminal device / network device, or a chip, chip system, or processor within the terminal device / network device that implements the above-described methods. This device can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0367] The communication device 600 may include one or more processors 610, which may also be referred to as processing units, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 610 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 communication device, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0368] In an alternative design, the processor 610 may also store instructions and / or data that can be executed by the processor 610 to cause the communication device 600 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0369] In another alternative design, the communication device 600 may include a communication interface 620 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 620 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0370] Optionally, the communication device 600 may include one or more memories 630, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 610, causing the communication device 600 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 630 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 610 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 610 and the memories 630 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0371] It should be understood that, in one possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0372] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0373] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0374] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0375] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes performed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0376] This application also provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface, the interface being used to send and / or receive signals, causing the processor to execute the various steps or processes executed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0377] The above-described device and method embodiments are completely corresponding, with corresponding modules or units performing corresponding steps. For example, a communication unit or communication interface performs the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiment, while other steps besides sending and receiving can be performed by a processing unit or processor.

[0378] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations are exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way. The embodiments of this application do not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0379] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," etc., are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. As illustrated, applications running on computing devices and computing devices can both be components. One or more components may reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and components may be located on a single computer and / or distributed among two or more computers. Furthermore, these components can be executed from various computer-readable storage media on which various data structures are stored. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0380] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented 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 implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0381] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be based on the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0382] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0383] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0384] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0385] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0386] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, essentially or in other words, the parts that contribute to the prior art, or parts of the technical solutions, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0387] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Comprising: receiving first information, the first information being used for indicating whether a network device cancels interference between multiple transmission layers, the multiple transmission layers corresponding to different codewords, or the first information being used for indicating a codeword associated with first channel state information, the first channel state information being used for precoding downlink information; receiving the downlink information based on the first information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The multiple transmission layers include a first transmission layer and a second transmission layer, interference of the first transmission layer to the second transmission layer is a first interference, and interference of the second transmission layer to the first transmission layer is a second interference, The first information is used for indicating one or more of: The network device does not cancel the first interference and the second interference; The network device cancels the first interference; The network device cancels the second interference; Or The network device cancels the first interference and the second interference.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information includes a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port index, the DMRS port index being used for indicating whether the network device cancels interference between the multiple transmission layers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, One DMRS port group includes multiple DMRS ports, one DMRS port group corresponds to multiple DMRS port indexes, and multiple DMRS port indexes correspond to multiple interference cancellation manners one by one, the interference cancellation manner being a manner in which the network device cancels interference between the multiple transmission layers.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Before the receiving first information, the method further includes: sending capability information of a terminal device, the capability information being used for indicating a capability of the terminal device in cancelling interference between the multiple transmission layers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The multiple transmission layers include a first transmission layer and a second transmission layer, a codeword corresponding to the first transmission layer is a first codeword, and a codeword corresponding to the second transmission layer is a second codeword, the first information being used for indicating one or more of: The codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword; The codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword; or The codeword associated with the first channel state information includes the first codeword and the second codeword.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The first information includes a first transport block field and / or a second transport block field, If the first transport block field indicates that a first transport block is disabled, and a first subfield of the first transport block field takes a first value, the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword; If the second transport block field indicates that a second transport block is disabled, and a first subfield of the second transport block field takes a first value, the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword; If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and a first subfield in the first transport block field takes a second value, the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes the first codeword and the second codeword; If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and a first subfield in the second transport block field has a second value, a code word associated with the first channel state information includes the first code word and the second code word.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first subfield is a new data indicator (NDI) field.

9. The method of any of claims 1-8, wherein, in a case that a number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is greater than A, the first information is used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between the plurality of transmission layers; and / or in a case that the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is less than or equal to A, the first information is used to indicate a code word associated with the first channel state information; wherein A is a positive integer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, a number of transmission layers corresponding to the first code word is n, a number of transmission layers corresponding to the second code word is m, and the A is a maximum value of m and n.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The first information is carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling or downlink control information (DCI).

12. A communication method, comprising: including: determining first information, the first information being used to indicate whether a network device cancels interference between a plurality of transmission layers of a terminal device, or the first information being used to indicate a code word associated with first channel state information, wherein the first channel state information is used to precode downlink information; transmitting the first information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The plurality of transmission layers includes a first transmission layer and a second transmission layer, interference of the first transmission layer to the second transmission layer is first interference, and interference of the second transmission layer to the first transmission layer is second interference, The first information is used to indicate one or more of: the network device does not cancel the first interference and the second interference; the network device cancels the first interference; the network device cancels the second interference; or the network device cancels the first interference and the second interference.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The first information includes a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port index, and the DMRS port index is used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between the plurality of transmission layers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, One DMRS port group includes a plurality of DMRS ports, one DMRS port group corresponds to a plurality of DMRS port indexes, the plurality of DMRS port indexes correspond to a plurality of interference cancellation modes one by one, and the interference cancellation mode is a mode in which the network device cancels interference between the plurality of transmission layers.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12-15, characterized in that, The determination of the first information includes: receiving capability information of the terminal device, the capability information being used to indicate a capability of the terminal device to cancel interference between the plurality of transmission layers; determining the first information based on the capability information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The interference between the plurality of transmission layers includes third interference, and the determination of the first information based on the capability information includes: in a case that the capability information indicates that the terminal device has a capability to cancel the third interference, the first information is used to indicate that the network device cancels interference other than the third interference between the plurality of transmission layers.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein, The multiple transmission layers include a first transmission layer and a second transmission layer, the first transmission layer corresponds to a first codeword, and the second transmission layer corresponds to a second codeword; the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword; The codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword; or The codeword associated with the first channel state information includes the first codeword and the second codeword.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The first information includes a first transport block field and / or a second transport block field, If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and a first subfield of the first transport block field takes a first value, the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the second codeword; If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and a first subfield of the second transport block field takes a first value, the codeword associated with the first channel state information is the first codeword; If the first transport block field indicates that the first transport block is disabled, and a first subfield of the first transport block field takes a second value, the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes the first codeword and the second codeword; If the second transport block field indicates that the second transport block is disabled, and a first subfield of the second transport block field takes a second value, the codeword associated with the first channel state information includes the first codeword and the second codeword.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The first subfield is a new data indicator (NDI) field.

21. The method of any one of claims 18-20, wherein, The method further includes: Determining a precoding weight corresponding to a transmission layer based on the first information.

22. The method of any of claims 12-21, wherein, In a case where a number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is greater than A, the first information is used to indicate whether the network device cancels interference between the multiple transmission layers; and / or In a case where the number of transmission layers between the network device and the terminal device is less than or equal to A, the first information is used to indicate a codeword associated with the first channel state information; where A is a positive integer. A number of transmission layers corresponding to the first codeword is n, a number of transmission layers corresponding to the second codeword is m, and the A is a maximum value of m and n.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, The first information is carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling or downlink control information (DCI).

24. The method of any one of claims 12-23, wherein, The apparatus includes units configured to perform respective steps of the method of any of claims 1-11, or units configured to perform respective steps of the method of any of claims 12-24.

25. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus includes a processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1-11 or 12-24.

26. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus includes a processor and an interface configured to transmit and / or receive signals, such that the processor performs the method of any of claims 1-11 or 12-24.

27. A communications device, characterized by ​ 28. A readable storage medium, on which a computer program or instructions are stored, characterized in that, The computer program or instructions, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11 or any one of claims 12-24.

29. A computer program product, characterised in that, comprise computer program instructions to cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11 or any one of claims 12-24.

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