A MIMO configuration method and device, equipment, storage medium, program product

Abstract

The application discloses a MIMO configuration method and device, equipment, storage medium and program product. The method comprises the following steps: a first device sends first information to a second device, wherein the first information comprises a first transmission stream number, and the first transmission stream number is the maximum transmission stream number that can be received by the first device; the first device receives second information sent by the second device, wherein the second information comprises a second transmission stream number, and the second transmission stream number is configured based on at least the first transmission stream number; and the first device configures an analog beam based on the second transmission stream number, and sends information of the configured analog beam to the second device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless technology, and in particular to a Multiple In Multiple Out (MIMO) configuration method, apparatus, device, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0002] A key metric in MIMO systems is the number of data streams transmitted simultaneously (referred to as the number of transport streams). Current solutions impose numerous limitations on the configuration of the number of transport streams. For example, existing solutions require the number of transport streams to be an integer multiple of the number of RF channels at the receiver, and each antenna array at the receiver must use the same number of analog beams for signal reception. This design limitation restricts the number of transport streams supported by MIMO systems, thus limiting their transmission flexibility. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a MIMO configuration method and apparatus, a communication device, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product.

[0004] The MIMO configuration method provided in this application includes:

[0005] The first device sends first information to the second device, the first information including a first number of transmission streams, the first number of transmission streams being the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive;

[0006] The first device receives second information sent by the second device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams;

[0007] The first device configures a simulated beam based on the second transport stream number and sends the configured simulated beam information to the second device.

[0008] The MIMO configuration method provided in this application includes:

[0009] The second device receives the first information sent by the first device. The first information includes the first number of transmission streams, which is the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive.

[0010] The second device sends second information to the first device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams;

[0011] The second device receives information about the analog beam configured by the first device from the first device, wherein the analog beam is configured based on the second transport stream number.

[0012] The communication device provided in this application embodiment is applied to a first device, and the device includes:

[0013] A first communication unit is configured to send first information to a second device, the first information including a first number of transport streams, the first number of transport streams being the maximum number of transport streams that the first device can receive; and to receive second information sent by the second device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams.

[0014] Configuration unit, used to configure analog beams based on the second number of transport streams;

[0015] The first communication unit is also used to send information about the configured analog beam to the second device.

[0016] The communication device provided in this application embodiment is applied to a second device, and the device includes:

[0017] The second communication unit is configured to receive first information sent by the first device, the first information including a first number of transport streams, the first number of transport streams being the maximum number of transport streams that the first device can receive; send second information to the first device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams; and receive information on a simulated beam configured by the first device sent by the first device, wherein the simulated beam is configured based on the second number of transport streams.

[0018] The communication device provided in this application includes a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute any of the above-described MIMO configuration methods.

[0019] The computer-readable storage medium provided in this application embodiment is used to store a computer program that causes a computer to execute any of the above-described MIMO configuration methods.

[0020] The computer program product provided in this application includes computer program instructions that cause a computer to execute any of the above-described MIMO configuration methods.

[0021] In the technical solution of this application embodiment, the first device reports to the second device the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive (i.e., the first number of transmission streams). The second device configures the number of data streams that the MIMO system can transmit simultaneously based on the first number of transmission streams (i.e., the second number of transmission streams). The first device configures analog beams based on the second number of transmission streams. On the one hand, the technical solution of this application embodiment does not limit the second number of transmission streams to an integer multiple of the number of frequency channels of the first device. On the other hand, the technical solution of this application embodiment does not limit each antenna array of the first device to use the same number of analog beams. In this way, the number of transmission streams supported by the MIMO system is expanded, and the transmission flexibility of the MIMO system is improved. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the MIMO configuration method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of simulated beams for different radio frequency channels provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the MIMO configuration method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the MIMO configuration method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 3 ;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of the chip according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] In the following description, references are made to “some embodiments,” which describe a subset of all possible embodiments. However, it is understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0032] It should also be noted that the terms "first, second, and third" used in the embodiments of this application are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific order of objects. It is understood that "first, second, and third" can be interchanged in a specific order or sequence where permitted, so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0033] In this document, the term "and / or" 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 existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. It should also be understood that the term "correspondence" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between two objects, or it can indicate an association between them.

[0034] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0035] For traditional MIMO systems, the number of data streams that can be transmitted simultaneously is limited by the number of radio frequency channels at the transmitting and receiving ends, satisfying the relationship shown in the following formula (1):

[0036]

[0037] Among them, S p Indicates the number of data streams transmitted simultaneously. Indicates the number of radio frequency channels at the transmitting end. This indicates the number of radio frequency channels at the receiving end.

[0038] MIMO system design takes into account various practical constraints, such as cost, power consumption, and manufacturing complexity. Therefore, the number of radio frequency channels at the transmitter or receiver of a practical MIMO system cannot increase synchronously with the number of antenna elements. Practical MIMO systems generally employ a hybrid digital-analog architecture. For example, in 5G NR commercial equipment, base stations are typically equipped with 64 radio frequency channels and 192 or 256 antenna elements. Hybrid digital-analog architecture in terminals is also a technological development trend.

[0039] It should be noted that the performance of traditional mixed-signal MIMO systems is inferior to that of pure digital MIMO systems with the same number of antenna elements, each connected to a separate radio frequency channel. Therefore, traditional mixed-signal MIMO systems do not fully utilize space resources, and their performance has room for further improvement.

[0040] To address the problems of traditional MIMO systems, a novel MIMO transmission scheme, known as virtual MIMO, has been proposed. In this scheme, the receiver can switch its antenna characteristic pattern multiple times within the duration of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol and perform oversampling, thereby enabling the number of simultaneously transmitted data streams to exceed the number of receiver RF channels. For a virtual MIMO system, the number of simultaneously transmitted data streams it can support satisfies the relationship shown in formula (2):

[0041]

[0042] Among them, S p Indicates the number of data streams transmitted simultaneously. Indicates the number of radio frequency channels at the transmitting end. This indicates the number of antenna elements at the receiving end.

[0043] The number of antenna elements at the receiver is related to the number of radio frequency channels at the receiver and the number of antenna elements connected to each radio frequency channel at the receiver. The number of antenna elements at the receiver is determined based on the following (3):

[0044]

[0045] in, This indicates the number of radio frequency channels at the receiver, where N0 represents the number of antenna elements connected to each radio frequency channel at the receiver.

[0046] However, the above solutions face some challenges in terms of transport stream configuration and analog beam switching design. These solutions require the transport stream number to be an integer multiple of the number of receiver RF channels, and each receiver antenna array to use the same number of analog beams for signal reception. For example, consider a MIMO system with 8 transmitter RF channels and 2 receiver RF channels, with each receiver RF channel connected to 4 antenna elements. Assuming sufficient analog beam switching speed and the number of different beams that can be formed at the receiver, the above solutions support 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 transport streams; however, they do not support 3, 5, or 7 transport streams, indicating room for improvement.

[0047] Therefore, given some shortcomings in the design of virtual MIMO systems, there is still room for improvement in the analog beam switching design and transport stream configuration at the receiver. To this end, the following technical solution is proposed according to embodiments of this application. The technical solution of this application proposes a novel analog beam switching design and transport stream configuration scheme for virtual MIMO receivers, aiming to break the bottleneck problem that the number of transport streams must be an integer multiple of the number of RF channels at the receiver, and further improve the number of transport streams supported by the virtual MIMO system.

[0048] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application are applied to MIMO systems, such as virtual MIMO systems.

[0049] It should be noted that the first device described in this application embodiment is a receiver in a MIMO system, the radio frequency channel in the first device is a receiving radio frequency channel, and the antenna array / antenna element connected to the radio frequency channel in the first device is a receiving antenna array / antenna element. The first device / the radio frequency channel in the first device / the antenna array / antenna element connected to the radio frequency channel in the first device is used for signal reception.

[0050] It should be noted that the second device described in this application embodiment is a transmitter in a MIMO system, the radio frequency channel in the second device is a transmit radio frequency channel, and the antenna array / antenna element connected to the radio frequency channel in the second device is a transmit antenna array / receive antenna array. The second device / the radio frequency channel in the second device / the antenna array / antenna element connected to the radio frequency channel in the second device is used for signal transmission.

[0051] It should be noted that the "simulated beam" described in the embodiments of this application can also be replaced by "simulated beam set" in some cases.

[0052] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the MIMO configuration method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, the MIMO configuration method includes the following steps:

[0053] Step 101: The first device sends first information to the second device. The first information includes the first number of transmission streams, which is the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive.

[0054] In some implementations, the first information is the capability information of the first device, which includes the first number of transmission streams, which is the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive.

[0055] In some implementations, the first information is the first number of transport streams, which is the maximum number of transport streams that the first device can receive.

[0056] In some implementations, the first number of transport streams is the smaller of the number of antenna elements of the first device (or the total number of antenna elements of the first device) and the number of analog beams that the first device can form.

[0057] Specifically, the first number of transport streams satisfies the relationship shown in the following formula (4):

[0058]

[0059] Where S represents the first number of transmission streams, which is the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive; This indicates the number of antenna elements in the first device (or the total number of antenna elements in the first device); This indicates the number of simulated beams that the first device can form.

[0060] In some implementations, the number of antenna elements in the first device is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels in the first device and the number of antenna elements connected to each radio frequency channel in the first device.

[0061] Specifically, the number of antenna elements in the first device is determined based on the following (5):

[0062]

[0063] in, This indicates the number of antenna elements in the first device (or the total number of antenna elements in the first device); N represents the number of radio frequency channels in the first device; N0 represents the number of antenna elements connected to each radio frequency channel in the first device.

[0064] In some implementations, the number of analog beams that the first device can form is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels of the first device and the number of analog beams that the antenna array connected to each radio frequency channel of the first device can form.

[0065] Specifically, the number of simulated beams that the first device can form is determined based on the following (6):

[0066]

[0067] in, N represents the number of simulated beams that the first device can form; p This indicates the number of analog beams that the antenna array connected to each radio frequency channel in the first device can form; This indicates the number of radio frequency channels in the first device.

[0068] As a way of representing it, substituting the above formula (6) into the above formula (4) yields the following formula (7):

[0069]

[0070] The meaning of each parameter in formula (7) can be found in the explanation of the aforementioned related formulas.

[0071] It should be noted that the simulated beam pattern corresponds to the antenna characteristic pattern of the antenna array. Antenna characteristics refer to the spatial parameter features of an antenna array composed of several antenna elements. A typical spatial parameter feature is the spatial radiation pattern of the antenna, such as its phase characteristic. In addition to phase characteristics, the simulated beam pattern can also correspond to other antenna characteristics, such as amplitude and polarization characteristics.

[0072] Different analog beams can be formed by using different antenna characteristic patterns. The first device forms different analog beams by configuring the antenna array with different antenna characteristic patterns. Several analog beam configuration methods are listed below.

[0073] Method 1: Simulate beams based on phase modulation configuration of each antenna element in the antenna array.

[0074] Specifically, by configuring the phase of each antenna element in the antenna array, a corresponding simulated beam is formed. Different phase configurations (i.e., different phase modulation cases) for each antenna element correspond to different simulated beams.

[0075] For example, the antenna array connected to each RF channel of the first device includes three antenna elements, each equipped with a 1-bit analog phase shifter (adjustable to two different phases). The set of analog beams that this antenna array can form can be represented by Table 1 below. Taking beam 1 as an example, antenna element 1 is phase-shifted to θ1, antenna element 2 to φ1, and antenna element 3 to φ1. The formed beam is beam 1.

[0076] Table 1 Examples of Simulated Beamsets

[0077]

[0078] Assuming that the number of antenna elements in the antenna array connected to each RF channel of the first device is N0, and each antenna element is equipped with an analog phase shifter that can switch between K phases, then the antenna array can form a maximum of Different types of simulated beams.

[0079] Method 2: Configure analog beams based on codebook.

[0080] Specifically, by configuring the codebook of the antenna array for simulating beams, corresponding simulated beams are formed. Different codebooks applied to the antenna array correspond to different simulated beams.

[0081] For example, a set of codebooks for analog beam selection is defined for antenna arrays connected to different RF channels of the first device. Different codebooks are implemented by adjusting the analog characteristics of the antenna arrays. Assuming that the antenna array connected to each RF channel of the first device contains two antenna elements, the set of codebooks selected by the analog beam set formed by the antenna array can be represented by the following Table 2.

[0082] Table 2 Examples of Codebook Sets

[0083]

[0084] Method 3: Configure the analog beam using the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

[0085] By configuring the SRS resources corresponding to the antenna array, a corresponding simulated beam is formed, wherein different simulated beams formed by the antenna array correspond to different SRS resources in the SRS resource set.

[0086] Specifically, under the beam correspondence assumption, different analog beams can correspond to different SRSs. The different analog beams formed by the antenna array of the first device correspond to different SRS resources in the SRS resource set. Different SRS resource sets can be defined for antenna arrays connected to different RF channels of the first device to form analog beam sets. Different analog beams formed by an antenna array are indicated by different SRS resource indicators (SRIs) in different SRS resource sets. For example... Figure 2 As shown, antenna arrays connected to different radio frequency channels (such as RF1 and RF2) can transmit SRS in turn. When a certain radio frequency channel needs to receive multi-stream data, multiple analog beams corresponding to SRS need to be designated for that radio frequency channel for data reception.

[0087] Step 102: The first device receives the second information sent by the second device. The second information includes the second number of transport streams, which is configured based at least on the first number of transport streams.

[0088] In some implementations, the second information is transport stream configuration information, which includes a second transport stream number, which is the number of data streams that the MIMO system can support transmitting simultaneously.

[0089] In some implementations, the second information is the second number of transport streams, which is the number of data streams that the MIMO system can support transmitting simultaneously.

[0090] In some implementations, the second number of transport streams is related to the "number of radio frequency channels of the second device" and the "number of first transport streams". Specifically, the second number of transport streams is less than or equal to the smaller of the number of radio frequency channels of the second device and the number of first transport streams.

[0091] Specifically, the second number of transmission streams satisfies the relationship shown in the following formula (8):

[0092]

[0093] Among them, S p Indicates the second transport stream number; S represents the number of radio frequency channels of the second device; S represents the number of first transmission streams, which is the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive.

[0094] The number of second transmission streams configured for the second device only needs to satisfy the above formula (8), and does not need to be an integer multiple of the number of radio frequency channels of the first device.

[0095] Step 103: The first device configures the analog beam based on the second transport stream number and sends the configured analog beam information to the second device.

[0096] Specifically, the first device configures an appropriate number of analog beams for the antenna array connected to each receiving radio frequency channel of the first device according to the second number of transmission streams configured by the second device, and feeds back the information of the configured analog beams to the second device for digital precoding.

[0097] The number of analog beams configured in the first device for the antenna array connected to each RF channel is related to the number of second transport streams. For ease of description, the first transport stream number is denoted by S, and the second transport stream number is denoted by S... p This indicates that the number of radio frequency channels in the first device is determined by... Specifically, the first device configures the analog beam based on the second transport stream number in the following ways:

[0098] Scenario 1: If And S p Cannot be If the number of analog beams is divisible, then the first device configures different numbers of analog beams for the antenna arrays connected to different radio frequency channels of the first device; wherein, the total number of analog beams corresponding to each radio frequency channel of the first device is equal to the number of second transport streams.

[0099] In scenario one, the antenna arrays connected to different RF channels of the first device need to use different numbers of analog beams for signal reception. The total number of analog beams used by all antenna arrays of the first device is equal to the number of second transport streams. For example, suppose the antenna array connected to the i-th RF channel of the first device uses r... iIf different analog beams are used for signal reception, then "the total number of analog beams used by each antenna array of the first device is equal to the number of second transmission streams" can be expressed as the following formula (9):

[0100]

[0101] Among them, S p Indicates the second transport stream number; This indicates the number of radio frequency channels (i.e., the number of antenna arrays) of the first device.

[0102] It should be noted that r i It can also be understood as the number of data streams that the antenna array connected to the i-th radio frequency channel of the first device is responsible for receiving, which can be flexibly configured.

[0103] In one example, the number of data streams (i.e., the number of analog beams to be formed) that the antenna arrays connected to each RF channel in the first device need to receive can be configured as follows: Calculate division S p / Assuming the quotient of the division is 'a' and the remainder is 'b', then the "basic number of streams" that the antenna arrays connected to each RF channel of the first device need to receive is 'a'. Furthermore, the antenna arrays connected to each of the b RF channels in the first device (which may be, but are not limited to, the first b RF channels) will receive an additional 1 stream on top of the aforementioned "basic number of streams". It is important to note that, regardless of the configuration, the number of data streams that each RF channel of the first device is responsible for receiving cannot exceed the smaller of the number of analog beams it can form and the number of antenna elements.

[0104] Scenario 2: If And S p Can be If S is divisible by S, then the first device configures the same number of analog beams for the antenna arrays connected to different RF channels of the first device; wherein, the number of analog beams corresponding to each RF channel of the first device is equal to S. p /

[0105] In some implementations, the number of analog beams corresponding to each radio frequency channel of the first device is less than or equal to the smaller of the number of analog beams that can be formed by the antenna array connected to the radio frequency channel and the number of antenna elements connected to the radio frequency channel.

[0106] In scenario two, the antenna arrays connected to different RF channels of the first device need to use the same number of analog beams for signal reception. The total number of analog beams used by each antenna array of the first device is equal to the number of second transmission streams.

[0107] In one example, the number of data streams (i.e., the number of analog beams to be formed) that the antenna arrays connected to each RF channel in the first device need to receive can be configured as follows: Calculate division S p / If the quotient is a, then the number of data streams that the antenna arrays connected to each radio frequency channel of the first device need to receive is a.

[0108] In addition to the two situations mentioned above, there are the following situations as well.

[0109] Scenario 3: If The first device then uses the traditional MIMO method for signal reception.

[0110] In this embodiment of the application, after the first device completes the analog beam configuration according to the second transport stream number, it needs to feed back the configured analog beam information to the second device. The purpose is that the equivalent channel of the virtual MIMO system is related to the analog beam pattern of the first device, and the analog beam information fed back by the first device is used by the second device for digital precoding.

[0111] It should be noted that the virtual MIMO transmitter cannot directly obtain equivalent channel information through channel reciprocity. This is because uplink transmission cannot perform fast beam switching within an OFDM symbol, which would cause bandwidth expansion issues. Therefore, the transmitter can only obtain the equivalent channel through calculation based on the air interface channel information and beam configuration.

[0112] In the technical solution of this application embodiment, in the virtual MIMO system, the switching design and stream configuration scheme of the analog beam at the receiving end can enable the number of data streams that the system supports for simultaneous transmission to satisfy any positive integer in the range shown in the above formula (8). On the one hand, it does not limit the number of transmission streams to be an integer multiple of the number of frequency channels at the transmitting end. On the other hand, it does not limit each antenna array at the receiving end to use the same number of analog beams. In this way, the number of transmission streams supported by the MIMO system is expanded, and the transmission flexibility of the virtual MIMO system is improved.

[0113] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the MIMO configuration method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ,like Figure 3 As shown, the MIMO configuration method includes the following steps:

[0114] Step 301: The second device receives the first information sent by the first device. The first information includes the first number of transmission streams, which is the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive.

[0115] In some implementations, the first number of transport streams is the smaller of the number of antenna elements in the first device and the number of analog beams that the first device can form.

[0116] In some implementations, the number of antenna elements in the first device is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels in the first device and the number of antenna elements connected to each radio frequency channel in the first device.

[0117] In some implementations, the number of analog beams that the first device can form is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels of the first device and the number of analog beams that the antenna array connected to each radio frequency channel of the first device can form.

[0118] It should be noted that the specific implementation details of step 301 can be found in the aforementioned... Figure 1 Description of the relevant solutions.

[0119] Step 302: The second device sends second information to the first device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams.

[0120] In some implementations, the second number of transport streams is less than or equal to the smaller of the number of radio frequency channels of the second device and the first number of transport streams.

[0121] It should be noted that the specific implementation details of step 302 can be found in the aforementioned... Figure 1 Description of the relevant solutions.

[0122] Step 303: The second device receives information about the analog beam configured by the first device sent by the first device, wherein the analog beam is configured based on the second transport stream number.

[0123] The technical solution of this application embodiment addresses the situation where the number of transport streams is not an integer multiple of the number of RF channels at the receiving end. Within one OFDM symbol period, different antenna arrays at the receiving end use different numbers of analog beams and switching periods for signal reception. To address this, the MIMO system is enhanced as follows: On one hand, the receiving end needs to report its capabilities to the transmitting end, specifying the maximum number of transport streams it can receive. On the other hand, the receiving end needs to configure and provide feedback on the analog beams. Specifically, the receiving end configures the analog beams used for data reception based on the number of transport streams and feeds back the configured analog beam information to the transmitting end.

[0124] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the MIMO configuration method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 3 ,like Figure 4 As shown, the MIMO configuration method includes the following steps:

[0125] Step 401: The receiving end reports to the sending end the maximum number of transmission streams that the receiving end can receive.

[0126] It should be noted that the specific implementation details of step 401 can be found in the aforementioned... Figure 1 The description of step 101 in the text.

[0127] Step 402: The sending end configures the number of transmission streams based on the maximum number of transmission streams that the receiving end can receive, and sends the transmission stream configuration to the receiving end.

[0128] It should be noted that the specific implementation details of step 402 can be found in the aforementioned... Figure 1 The description of step 102 in the text.

[0129] Step 403: The receiver configures a simulated beam for each antenna array based on the number of transport streams and feeds back the information of the simulated beam configured for each antenna array to the transmitter.

[0130] It should be noted that the specific implementation details of step 403 can be found in the aforementioned... Figure 1 The description of step 103 in the text.

[0131] Step 404: The transmitting end performs digital precoding on the data based on the information from the analog beam and then transmits the data.

[0132] To better understand the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the following specific example illustrates the configuration scheme of analog beams and transport streams in the novel virtual MIMO system proposed by the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

[0133] In a virtual MIMO system, the transmitter is equipped with 8 radio frequency channels, and each transmitter channel is connected to one antenna element. The receiver is equipped with... There are 4 radio frequency channels, and each radio frequency channel at the receiver is connected to N0 = 4 antenna elements. The receiver has a total of 4 radio frequency channels. =8 antenna elements, each antenna element has K=2 adjustable phases, so the antenna array connected to each RF channel at the receiver can form Different analog beams are used for signal reception.

[0134] The receiving end needs to report to the sending end the maximum number of transmission streams that the receiving end can receive, S = 8, which satisfies the above formula (7).

[0135] Assume the sending end configures the number of transport streams S for the receiving end based on the maximum number of transport streams S reported by the receiving end. p =5. Due to And S p Cannot be If the division is exact, then the antenna arrays connected to different RF channels at the receiving end need to use different numbers of analog beams and switching periods for signal reception. Calculate the division S. p / The remainder is 1. Therefore, the first RF channel of the receiver needs to receive 2+1=3 streams of data, and the second RF channel needs to receive 2 streams of data. Based on this, the antenna array connected to the first RF channel of the receiver uses 3 different analog beams for signal reception, and the antenna array connected to the second RF channel uses 2 different analog beams for signal reception.

[0136] Compared with traditional solutions, the technical solutions of this application can break the constraint that the number of transmission streams in a virtual MIMO system must be an integer multiple of the number of radio frequency channels at the receiving end, thereby further increasing the number of transmission streams supported by the virtual MIMO system and improving the transmission flexibility of the virtual MIMO system.

[0137] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 Applied to the first device, such as Figure 5 As shown, the communication device includes:

[0138] The first communication unit 501 is configured to send first information to the second device, the first information including a first number of transmission streams, the first number of transmission streams being the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive; and to receive second information sent by the second device, the second information including a second number of transmission streams, the second number of transmission streams being configured at least based on the first number of transmission streams.

[0139] Configuration unit 502 is used to configure an analog beam based on the second number of transport streams;

[0140] The first communication unit 501 is also used to send the configured analog beam information to the second device.

[0141] In some implementations, the first number of transport streams is the smaller of the number of antenna elements in the first device and the number of analog beams that the first device can form.

[0142] In some implementations, the number of antenna elements in the first device is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels in the first device and the number of antenna elements connected to each radio frequency channel in the first device; and / or, the number of analog beams that the first device can form is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels in the first device and the number of analog beams that the antenna arrays connected to each radio frequency channel in the first device can form.

[0143] In some implementations, the second number of transport streams is less than or equal to the smaller of the number of radio frequency channels of the second device and the first number of transport streams.

[0144] In some implementations, the first number of transport streams is represented by S, and the second number of transport streams is represented by S... pThis indicates that the number of radio frequency channels in the first device is determined by... express;

[0145] The configuration unit 502 is used for if And S p Cannot be Divisible by an integer, this allows for the configuration of different numbers of analog beams for the antenna arrays connected to different RF channels of the first device; wherein, the total number of analog beams corresponding to each RF channel of the first device is equal to the number of the second transport streams; if And S p Can be If S is divisible by S, then the antenna arrays connected to different RF channels of the first device are configured with the same number of analog beams; wherein, the number of analog beams corresponding to each RF channel of the first device is equal to S. p /

[0146] In some implementations, the number of analog beams corresponding to each radio frequency channel of the first device is less than or equal to the smaller of the number of analog beams that the antenna array connected to the radio frequency channel can form and the number of antenna elements connected to the radio frequency channel.

[0147] In some embodiments, the configuration unit 502 is used to form corresponding analog beams by configuring the phases of each antenna element in the antenna array, wherein different phases configured for each antenna element correspond to different analog beams; or, by configuring the codebook of the antenna array for analog beams, forming corresponding analog beams, wherein different codebooks applied to the antenna array correspond to different analog beams; or, by configuring the SRS resources corresponding to the antenna array, forming corresponding analog beams, wherein different analog beams formed by the antenna array correspond to different SRS resources in the SRS resource set.

[0148] Those skilled in the art should understand that Figure 5 The functions of each unit in the communication device shown can be understood by referring to the relevant description of the aforementioned method. Figure 5 The functions of each unit in the communication device shown can be implemented by a program running on a processor or by specific logic circuits.

[0149] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 Applied to a second device, such as Figure 6 As shown, the communication device includes:

[0150] The second communication unit 601 is configured to receive first information sent by the first device, the first information including a first number of transport streams, the first number of transport streams being the maximum number of transport streams that the first device can receive; send second information to the first device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams; and receive information on the simulated beam configured by the first device sent by the first device, wherein the simulated beam is configured based on the second number of transport streams.

[0151] In some implementations, the first number of transport streams is the smaller of the number of antenna elements in the first device and the number of analog beams that the first device can form.

[0152] In some implementations, the number of antenna elements in the first device is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels in the first device and the number of antenna elements connected to each radio frequency channel in the first device; and / or,

[0153] The number of simulated beams that the first device can form is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels of the first device and the number of simulated beams that the antenna array connected to each radio frequency channel of the first device can form.

[0154] In some implementations, the second number of transport streams is less than or equal to the smaller of the number of radio frequency channels of the second device and the first number of transport streams.

[0155] Those skilled in the art should understand that Figure 6 The functions of each unit in the communication device shown can be understood by referring to the relevant description of the aforementioned method. Figure 6 The functions of each unit in the communication device shown can be implemented by a program running on a processor or by specific logic circuits.

[0156] Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 700 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 The communication device 700 shown includes a processor 710, which can call and run computer programs from memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of this application.

[0157] Optionally, such as Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 may further include a memory 720. The processor 710 can retrieve and run computer programs from the memory 720 to implement the methods described in this embodiment.

[0158] The memory 720 can be a separate device independent of the processor 710, or it can be integrated into the processor 710.

[0159] Optionally, such as Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 may also include a transceiver 730, and the processor 710 may control the transceiver 730 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, it may send information or data to other devices or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0160] The transceiver 730 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 730 may further include antennas, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0161] Optionally, the communication device 700 may specifically be the first device in the embodiments of this application, and the communication device 700 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0162] Optionally, the communication device 700 may specifically be the second device in the embodiments of this application, and the communication device 700 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0163] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of the chip according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 8 The chip 800 shown includes a processor 810, which can call and run computer programs from memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of this application.

[0164] Optionally, such as Figure 8 As shown, chip 800 may further include memory 820. Processor 810 can retrieve and run computer programs from memory 820 to implement the methods described in this embodiment.

[0165] The memory 820 can be a separate device independent of the processor 810, or it can be integrated into the processor 810.

[0166] Optionally, the chip 800 may also include an input interface 830. The processor 810 can control the input interface 830 to communicate with other devices or chips; specifically, it can acquire information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0167] Optionally, the chip 800 may also include an output interface 840. The processor 810 can control the output interface 840 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically, to output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0168] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the first device in the embodiments of this application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0169] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the second device in the embodiments of this application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0170] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0171] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor described above 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 in the execution of 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. The 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.

[0172] 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 DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (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.

[0173] It should be understood that the above-described memory is exemplary and not a limiting description. For example, the memory in the embodiments of this application may also be 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 link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DR RAM), etc. That is to say, the memory in the embodiments of this application is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0174] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs.

[0175] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first device in the embodiments of this application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0176] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the second device in the embodiments of this application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0177] This application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0178] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the first device in the embodiments of this application, and the computer program instructions cause the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be described in detail here.

[0179] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the second device in the embodiments of this application, and the computer program instructions cause the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be described in detail here.

[0180] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples 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 implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0181] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0182] 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.

[0183] 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.

[0184] 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.

[0185] 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 solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, 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, server, or 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.

[0186] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes 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.

Claims

1. A MIMO configuration method, characterized in that, The method includes: The first device sends first information to the second device, the first information including a first number of transmission streams, the first number of transmission streams being the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive; The first device receives second information sent by the second device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams; The first device configures a simulated beam based on the second transport stream number and sends the configured simulated beam information to the second device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first number of transmission streams is the smaller of the number of antenna elements in the first device and the number of analog beams that the first device can form.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of antenna elements in the first device is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels in the first device and the number of antenna elements connected to each radio frequency channel in the first device; and / or, The number of simulated beams that the first device can form is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels of the first device and the number of simulated beams that the antenna array connected to each radio frequency channel of the first device can form.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second number of transport streams is less than or equal to the smaller of the number of radio frequency channels of the second device and the first number of transport streams.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first number of transport streams is represented by S, and the second number of transport streams is represented by S. p This indicates that the number of radio frequency channels in the first device is determined by... express; The first device configures an analog beam based on the second transport stream number, including: like And S p Cannot be If the number of analog beams is divisible by the number of radio frequency channels connected to the antenna arrays of the first device, then the first device is configured with a different number of analog beams; wherein, the total number of analog beams corresponding to each radio frequency channel of the first device is equal to the number of the second transport streams. like And S p Can be If the number of analog beams is divisible by an integer, then the first device configures the same number of analog beams for the antenna arrays connected to different radio frequency channels of the first device; wherein, the number of analog beams corresponding to each radio frequency channel of the first device is equal to...

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The number of analog beams corresponding to each radio frequency channel of the first device is less than or equal to the smaller of the number of analog beams that the antenna array connected to the radio frequency channel can form and the number of antenna elements connected to the radio frequency channel.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The configuration of the simulated beam includes: By configuring the phase of each antenna element in the antenna array, a corresponding simulated beam is formed, wherein different phases configured for each antenna element correspond to different simulated beams; or... By configuring the codebook for the antenna array to simulate beams, corresponding analog beams are formed, wherein different codebooks are used for different analog beams in the antenna array; or... By configuring the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources corresponding to the antenna array, a corresponding analog beam is formed. The different analog beams formed by the antenna array correspond to different SRS resources in the SRS resource set.

8. A MIMO configuration method, characterized in that, The method includes: The second device receives the first information sent by the first device. The first information includes the first number of transmission streams, which is the maximum number of transmission streams that the first device can receive. The second device sends second information to the first device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams; The second device receives information about the analog beam configured by the first device from the first device, wherein the analog beam is configured based on the second transport stream number.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first number of transmission streams is the smaller of the number of antenna elements in the first device and the number of analog beams that the first device can form.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The number of antenna elements in the first device is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels in the first device and the number of antenna elements connected to each radio frequency channel in the first device; and / or, The number of simulated beams that the first device can form is determined based on the number of radio frequency channels of the first device and the number of simulated beams that the antenna array connected to each radio frequency channel of the first device can form.

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second number of transport streams is less than or equal to the smaller of the number of radio frequency channels of the second device and the first number of transport streams.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, Applied to a first device, the device includes: A first communication unit is configured to send first information to a second device, the first information including a first number of transport streams, the first number of transport streams being the maximum number of transport streams that the first device can receive; and to receive second information sent by the second device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams. Configuration unit, used to configure analog beams based on the second number of transport streams; The first communication unit is also used to send information about the configured analog beam to the second device.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, the device includes: The second communication unit is configured to receive first information sent by the first device, the first information including a first number of transport streams, the first number of transport streams being the maximum number of transport streams that the first device can receive; send second information to the first device, the second information including a second number of transport streams, the second number of transport streams being configured at least based on the first number of transport streams; and receive information on a simulated beam configured by the first device sent by the first device, wherein the simulated beam is configured based on the second number of transport streams.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor and a memory for storing a computer program, the processor for calling and running the computer program stored in the memory to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Used to store a computer program that causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

16. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer program instructions that cause a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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